Assassin is one of Apollon Nutrition’s reputable pre-workouts that’s geared more towards stimulant junkies. It has one of the highest dosages of caffeine we’ve come across at 600mg, which is well beyond our preferred amount, however with so many good things said about it, we decided to give it a run. We go into more detail in the review about how we built up to a full serving of Assassin, as we didn’t start at that 600mg.
As a quick rundown on the formula behind Apollon Nutrition’s powerful Assassin, the latest version was introduced earlier this year. As mentioned, it is a high stimulant pre-workout, with a strong variety of ingredients to increase energy and focus, including eria jarensis, alpha yohimbine, TeaCrine, isopropylnorsynephrine, and 600mg of caffeine. It also has the performance and pump ingredients citrulline and beta-alanine at 4g and 3.5g, respectively.
Review
When we say Apollon Nutrition’s Assassin is a supplement for fans of heavy stimulant pre-workouts, that couldn’t be more true. The product packs a punch, stronger than any other supplement we’ve had in the last few years. These days, pre-workouts typically deliver a more gradual energy as opposed to an intense kick to get your workout rolling, but that is exactly what you get in Assassin.
About ten or so minutes after throwing down the product, you get an almost sudden surge of energy and focus, that you’ll need to be in the gym for when it hits. The experience can get quite jittery if you’re waiting in traffic while that kick comes over you, but once you get moving and exercising, it’s a lot easier to manage, and the intense energy feels like a natural force there to power you through.
There aren’t any noticeable benefits to Apollon Nutrition’s Assassin outside of the energy and focus, like improved pumps and performance, as those stimulant effects are so overpowering. On days where you focus on volume or work on a smaller muscle group, you can still get a good pump going; although, it never feels any better than when you don’t have a pre-workout, so it’s not like an enhanced pump.
Fortunately, the energy and focus in Assassin are strong enough to the point where you won’t mind there isn’t more going on. The pre-workout’s energy has the power to carry you through your workout with an intensity that’s beyond normal. The focus also stays consistent from start to finish, making sure you hit every set with strength, ferocity, and confidence, and you don’t stop until you’re done.
We did notice a bit of a downside with the intensity of the energy and focus being so high, in that it’s very easy to over exhaust yourself. You’ll find you have the drive to hit sets with less rest than normal, but without any endurance support, and if you do, you’ll find yourself panting quite quickly. It is most noticeable in more demanding workouts and complex movements, however in saying that, the supplement does give you the energy and focus to endure and enjoy the pain.
Summary
As far as heavy stimulant pre-workouts go, Apollon Nutrition’s Assassin is one of the most intense we’ve tried in a long time, as far as back as the DMHA days. The strength and synergy of the energy and focus are just too good not to enjoy, and even though we felt the pump and performance aspects were not there, as mentioned, it’s hard to miss them when the other benefits are that strong.
We do have to mention that Assassin is a very high stimulant pre-workout, well beyond what we’re used to and prefer, so we didn’t jump straight into a full serving right off the bat. We eventually managed to build up to and feel comfortable with that full scoop packing 600mg of caffeine, after about two weeks of gradually increasing from two-thirds up to one level scoop.
