Since we were introduced to Pumped Sports at the end of last year, the brand has been making headlines almost every month. We’ve seen it add to its current line-up with another flavor, as well as internationally expand into Australia and the US. With all the major moves it’s been making we figured it was time to put Pumped’s pre-workout Loaded to the test and find out how good the brand really is.
We decided to go with Pumped’s pre-workout instead of its fat burner Aktivate, purely because the pre-workout category is the most competitive area of the market. We also felt like Loaded looked extremely well put together, featuring a solid combination of ingredients for performance, energy, and pump. As we always say you can’t entirely judge a supplement by its label, although we can now confirm Pumped’s pre-workout is as good as it looks.
More of a punch than expected
Like all of our pre-workout reviews we’re going to start things off at the beginning of the experience with Loaded’s initial energy kick. While you may not expect it, the Pumped competitor does in fact pack quite the punch right out of the gate. After the usual 10 to 20 minute delay from when you take the pre-workout, Loaded hits you with a solid rush of energy. Compared to some of the more powerful kicks we’ve experienced, this one is right up there. The rush of energy almost immediately gets you in the mood to workout and eager to hit it hard the minute you walk into the gym.
What makes the Loaded rush even more impressive is that the energy level you start off with does stay strong right through to the end of your workout. We didn’t push the product past the 60-minute mark, so we can only confirm that it will give you a solid level of energy for as long as 60 minutes. It’s also worth mentioning that Loaded’s energy doesn’t really change with the intensity of your workout. By that we mean whether it be a low rep, high rep, major or small muscle group day, Loaded will get you through.
Five star performance and endurance
The next major feature in Pumped’s Loaded is its performance and endurance, which is perfect since its energy lasts a while. Like a lot of the top pre-workouts in this area, Loaded makes sure you hit each set as strong as your last. Regardless of how low and heavy or high and light the reps, you’ll find that the supplement refuels you very quickly, and allows you to lift your game and encourages an increased level of intensity.
We did mention earlier that Loaded’s energy doesn’t exactly die out even in the most intense workouts, which is something we believe its performance has a hand in. The product’s strong level of energy and performance increase essentially work hand in hand. While the former keeps you excited and energized throughout, the latter helps you recharge after each set and keeps you pushing your limits without exhaustion or over stimulation being a problem.
Not as strong with pump and focus
As good as Loaded is with energy and performance, it isn’t as good in the other two major pre-workout areas, focus and pump. While we say it isn’t as good in those areas, that doesn’t mean it’s bad in anyway. The supplement does definitely have a touch of focus which we’d rate around a two to three out five. We do however believe it’d probably be a lot stronger or more noticeable if the energy wasn’t as strong or at least didn’t stay as strong as it does, as it somewhat steals the show.
As for the pump in Loaded it’s around the same level as the focus, with a rating of about two to three out of five. The difference with the pump is that it is actually pretty good, although since a lot of competitors have raised the bar recently we have come to expect more. Loaded’s pump does fall into the area of making your muscles feel more dense than full, and is definitely something you’ll notice when using the product. As you’d expect the pump is a little better on isolated and/or higher rep days, but much like the focus it can sometimes be overshadowed by the strength of Loaded’s energy.
A heaping scoop is still technically a scoop
Lastly we should mention the dosing we used for our review, as we did veer off from what Pumped suggests on Loaded’s bottle. The maximum amount directed for the supplement is one scoop, which we technically followed. We started at a scoop, however did eventually move up to find a heaping scoop to be the perfect amount. The combination of effects didn’t really change as we increased the serving size, they all just got stronger and peaked at an approximately 40% extra heaping scoop.
Strong energizing performance pre-workout
Overall Pumped’s pre-workout is quite the surprise. It packs a lot more of a punch than expected with performance to match, as well as noticeable amounts of pump and focus. If we had to compare it to a few other products on the market we’d say it’s a more energized Nutrabolics Supernova, or a slightly more intense version of Pre Jym. It’s also quite a bit like Muscle Elements’ PreCre with a little more of a kick. Basically if you like performance pre-workouts which includes the formulas mentioned, Pumped’s Loaded is well worth a try.
