One of the more interesting pre-workout supplements released this year is Nutrabolics’ high dose formula Supernova. The product surprised us quite a bit when it dropped, packing a heavy 12g of citrulline malate and 3g of betaine, then some of the more common ingredients and doses such as 3.2g of beta-alanine and 400mg of caffeine. No matter which way you look at it the pre-workout is definitely different, meaning we had to of course get a hold of the supplement to try. While it has taken a little longer than most to figure out, today we have for you our Nutrabolics Supernova review.
Different than expected
Something that we tend to say a lot about pre-workouts is that you can’t always judge a book by its cover, or in the case of supplements, a product by its formula. This isn’t always the case, but we’ve definitely experienced our fair share of simple looking supplements turning out better than expected, as well as the other way around. The reason we bring this up today is because Nutrabolics Supernova is one of those pre-workouts. This time around however it’s not the case of the product looking good and turning out bad, more along the lines of looking good and performing in a way that we didn’t see coming.
Doesn’t feel like 400mg
Right from the start Supernova is quite the mystery, as despite packing a strong 400mg of caffeine we can honestly say it doesn’t have much of a kick. While you may be thinking our tolerance must be high or we’re used to that much caffeine, we also thought that in the beginning. After the first couple of runs things just weren’t adding up, so once we finished with testing it in other areas we cycled off then gave it another go. Strangely enough the same story played out. We then tested it back to back with a number of other pre-workouts equal or less in caffeine, only to find that Nutrabolics Supernova does in fact have a very light kick. It doesn’t rush over you or make you feel overly energized, providing you with just enough to notice a slight change in energy.
Performance powerhouse
While the start of the supplement may not sound overly exciting since the kick is easily one of the most enjoyable highlights of a pre-workout, there is of course a very effective side to Supernova. Once you get lifting, which for us was about 10 to 20 minutes after taking the product, you’ll then notice your body is a bit more amped up. It’s quite a difficult thing to explain as it’s almost like your body is energized, although it doesn’t feel like it.
As you get moving from set to set you should then notice what it is that Nutrabolics is so discretely good at. Despite lacking a lot in energy, Supernova makes up a whole lot of ground by packing one of the most powerful performance effects we’ve ever come across. Much like other heavy dosed supplements such as Pre Jym, Wreckage and one of the biggest, Muscle Elements Pre Cre. Nutrabolics Supernova has the unique ability to power you through a workout naturally. By that we mean it will feel like everything you’re doing is all on your own. Once however you start pushing the boundaries by doing things like shortening your rest periods, increasing your amount of sets, and/or adding more weight but doing the same reps. It will become clear that your body is being refueled a lot quicker than normal.
While it may sound hard to believe, as mentioned earlier it did take us a little longer than usual to review Supernova and this is the reason why. We did a number of intense workouts with and without the product, eventually proving that the pre-workout does help you perform better when pushing your limit of intensity. For example leg days where it would be five exercises at five to seven sets each, were turned into seven exercises with almost all at seven sets finished in the same amount of time, also at the same or with more weight. Basically in workouts where you would usually find yourself pushing to exhaustion, Nutrabolics Supernova refuels you set after set to 100%, removing exhaustion and muscle soreness from the equation and making how much time you have the problem.
Pump and focus questionable
As much as Supernova delivers, in fact over delivers on performance, it does leave a number of things out. Energy is one of the other areas it comes through on in its own unique way, although it is effects such as pump and focus that we feel get left out. The pump is a difficult one purely because when you push the pre-workout in the direction it’s good at, it’s hard to tell if it’s the supplement amplifying the pump or just the result of the intense reps you’re knocking out. On occasions like this we tend to put the blame on the user, as if it’s the product that packs the pump we’d prefer it to be a lot more noticeable.
In the case of Nutrabolics Supernova’s focus, it’s much the same as its pump. There isn’t any sign of it in the beginning, however once you get lifting and start shortening your rest, it’s hard to tell where to put the blame. On one hand your now all of a sudden able to lift your max set after set, and it is naturally a lot easier to zone out when you’re on your game. On the other hand Supernova may have helped a little to amplify the focus. Which ever way you look at it you do get a bit more drive in the tank, it just blurs in heavily with the supplement’s star effects.
Important
The one thing that we have to make clear is that Nutrabolics Supernova is very specific. As we’ve explained it doesn’t pack pump, focus or a whole lot of energy. The product is good with performance and that means going as heavy as you can or as long as you can, resting for 30 to 60 seconds, then doing it again. Supernova gives you the fuel to do that, and even if that sounds like what you already do then it will take you even further.
The key fact is that it isn’t like your average pre-workout, it’s not a ride or pump fulfilling experience. If you go in expecting that you’ll come out disappointed. We ourselves enjoy high energy, focus and pump pre-workouts, but we can still appreciate the impressive power of Supernova. It’s pretty much designed for a certain style of training, which we feel we’ve made clear.
Final words
You may have noticed it is quite difficult to summarize Nutrabolics Supernova in a few words, although we are going to do our best. Essentially Supernova is a true performance enhancing pre-workout, giving you a very natural energy and fuel to possibly knock out one of your strongest or most hard-working workouts ever. It has a bit of a kick that won’t necessarily wake you up, but make no mistake you will get all the energy you need to push your boundaries throughout your session. If it’s a high, tunnel vision or massive pumps that you’re after then Supernova isn’t for you. If however performance and power is your game, and you enjoy seeing how much you can exert yourself in 45 to 60 minutes, then it’s definitely worth a try.
