EHP Labs Pride Review at a Glance
Pros
- Uses a sensible dose of caffeine for energy and focus
- Contains L-Citrulline and several other ingredients that enhance muscle pumps
- Contains some nootropics for cognitive support
- 3 great-tasting flavors
- 40 servings per bottle
Cons
- Missing several important pre-workout ingredients
- Contains the aggressive stimulant Bitter Orange Extract
- Some ineffective ingredients such as L-Tryptophan
- Uses the synthetic sweetener Sucralose
SUMMARY: EHP Labs PRIDE is a pre-workout that will give you a strong energy kick. It contains multiple stimulants that should enhance your focus, concentration, and physical performance. Pride also contains several ingredients that will boost your muscle pumps and recovery. But there are some downsides that we need to address. Caffeine, when combined with Bitter Orange Extract, can lead to adverse side effects. There’s also no L-Theanine in the formula to balance out the jitters and dips caused by these stimulants. If you are used to high amounts of caffeine, then this may not pose an issue for you, in which case, you may very well give this supplement powder a shot. But in our experience, there are definitely better pre-workouts available on the market right now.
What do we use?
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About EHP Labs Pride
EHP Labs Pride Review Key Facts
| Benefits: More energy, more focus, enhanced pumps, faster recovery | |
| Ingredients: Caffeine, Bitter Orange, L-Tyrosine, L-Tryptohan, BCAAs, Phosphatidylserine,… | |
| Company: EHP Labs | |
| Available: Official Website, Amazon | |
| Price: $40.46 (40 servings) |
PRIDE markets itself as an “industry-first, clinically-dosed full strength pre-workout”, specifically for individuals who’re seriously commited to their fitness journey.
Pride’s complex formula contains ingredients that will boost your performance, but it also contains some ingredients that aren’t common to pre-workouts, making the supplement somewhat confusing. You may ask, what is it trying to be? A pre-workout or a nootropic – or a fat burner?
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We’ll give them credit for not overdoing it with caffeine, unlike so many pre-workouts nowadays. According to the manufacturer, you will gain these benefits:
- Skin-splitting pumps
- Performance and recovery
- 5-stage clean caffeine energy and endurance
- Nootropic matrix focus and mood enhancement
Interestingly, EHP Labs say Pride comes in 3 natural flavors, but if you look at the label, it’s clear they’re using artificial sweeteners, so it’s not entirely natural.
How will EHP Labs PRIDE work for you, is it effective and safe, and whether it’s good value for money, we cover all below.
How to use EHP Labs Pride
The dosage directions for EHP Labs Pride is to mix 1 scoop with 6oz (180ml) of water, or, if you fancy more aggressive effects, 2 scoops with 12oz (350ml) of water and consume immediately. Never exceed 2 scoops per day – they’ve written that one with big letters!
EHP Labs Pride Nutritional Information
Here are the calories and nutrients in one serving (1 scoop) of EHP Labs Pride Pre-Workout (strawberry snowcone flavor):
- 5kcal
- 0g protein
- 0g fat
- 1g carbs
- 0.1g sugars
- 0g fiber
- 60mg sodium
- 140mg caffeine
EHP Labs Pride Ingredients
EHP Labs Pride contains the following active ingredients:
- L-Citrulline (2500mg)
- Nitrosigine Inositol-Stabilized Arginine Silicate (750mg)
- Betaine Anhydrous (500mg)
- BCAAs (2000mg)
- L-Phenylalanine (175mg)
- L-Threonine (125mg)
- L-Lysine HCl (100mg)
- L-Histidine (50mg)
- L-Methionine (25mg)
- L-Tryptophan (25mg)
- Caffeine Anhydrous (100mg)
- Infinergy Di-Caffeine Malate (50mg)
- Green Coffee Extract (25mg)
- Green Tea Extract (25mg)
- Yerba Mate (25mg)
- Natural Bitter Orange Extract (50mg)
- L-Tyrosine (500mg)
- Taurine (250mg)
- Phosphatidylserine (50mg)
- Theobromine (25mg)
There’s a lot of everything in EHP Labs Pride pre-workout. From the standard caffeine, BCAAs, and L-Citrulline to some less common pre-workout ingredients like Phosphatidylserine and L-Tryptophan. L-Tryptophan is actually an amino acid that can make you sleepy – adding it to a pre-workout is somewhat contradictory (more on that below).
The caffeine content of EHP Labs Pride pre-workout isn’t too high. At 140mg per scoop, it should give you plenty of energy without causing side effects. But despite having so many ingredients, Pride didn’t include L-Theanine alongside caffeine. L-Theanine is an amino acid that helps balance out the slumps and jitters of the stimulant and can enhance its positive effects.
As we said, EHP Labs Pride has some excellent ingredients that should give a boost to your muscle pumps, concentration, recovery, and overall performance.
But it also uses things like Phosphatidylserine which are more common in nootropic supplements. Phosphatidylserine could be indirectly beneficial to exercise performance – but even that’s a stretch. This ingredient is mostly used for supporting long-term brain health and memory in older folks. Better ingredients could be used in its stead in Pride – such as Red Beetroot Extract.
Pride also uses some ingredients that are on our “avoid” list, namely Bitter Orange Extract. This is an aggressive stimulant that can cause excessive sweating, nausea, and high blood pressure in sensitive individuals. When you combine it with caffeine, the risk increases.
So, how will EHP Labs Pride work for you? Let’s take a closer look at each ingredient to see if it’s safe, effective for boosting exercise performance, and supported by evidence.
- L-Citrulline (2500mg)
Citrulline is an amino acid that is best known for increasing muscle pumps. Upon ingestion, your kidneys convert L-Citrulline to L-Arginine, another amino acid that’s commonly found in pre-workout supplements.
However, as contradictory as it sounds, L-Citrulline supplements are better than L-Arginine itself at raising L-Arginine blood levels.
Supplementing L-Citrulline results in increased Nitric Oxide in your blood. Nitric Oxide is a molecule that dilates your blood vessels, resulting in fuller and bigger muscles!
- Nitrosigine Inositol-Stabilized Arginine Silicate (750mg)
Arginine Silicate Inositol (SAI) is a pre-workout supplement that enhances performance in athletes through its nitric oxide boosting properties. This compound boosts exercise performance and increases mental clarity, endurance, and focus in athletes. Although it’s less effective than L-Citrulline, Arginine too may enhance your muscle pumps, though at doses of 3-6g per day – far higher than what’s found in EHP Labs Pride. (source: https://examine.com/supplements/arginine/)
- Betaine Anhydrous (500mg)
Betaine is a great muscle recovery ingredient. Studies show that those who supplement with Betaine tend to have more efficient workouts and are able to work out at higher intensity levels. Additionally, those who took Betaine experienced less muscle soreness and easier recovery times.
- BCAAs (2000mg)
BCAAs are beneficial because they help to prevent muscle fatigue. The main benefits of BCAAs are that the provide an energy boost, protect muscles from damage, and preserve muscle mass.
Compared to other types of supplements like creatine, BCAAs are more affordable and risk free. There is also no need for loading or cycling with BCAAs. The only issue with BCAAs is that they can lower your serotonin levels, which leads to mood dips. (source)
- L-Phenylalanine (175mg)
The amino acid L-Phenylalanine can be found in pre-workout supplements, which are used to increase energy levels and improve focus during a workout. Studies have shown that L-Phenylalanine reduces signs of mental fatigue, such as cognitive impairment and lethargy, while increasing attention span and memory retention.
- L-Threonine (125mg)
L-threonine is one of the 20 amino acids found in the human body and it’s also found in foods such as soybeans, fish, and chicken. Its primary use is to maintain muscle mass and because this amino acid can’t be produced by our bodies alone, we need to take it from external sources if we want to reap these benefits.
- L-Tryptophan (25mg)
L-Tryptophan is an amino acid that your brain uses to make serotonin. Serotonin is a chemical messenger that influences mood, sleep, and appetite amongst other vital functions. The issue is, serotonin converts to melatonin, a sleep hormone, which is why you get sleepy after you eat tryptophan-heavy foods. Not great when you want to stay focused on the exercise!
- Caffeine Anhydrous (100mg)
Caffeine – do we need to say much about this pre-workout ingredient? A central nervous system stimulant, caffeine really is one of the best legal performance enhancers, though it does come at a cost. It can lead to jitters, mood swings, and energy crashes, but this is avoiable if you take lesser amounts and combine it with an amino acid called L-Theanine. This amino acid helps smoothen caffeine’s effects. Unfortunately though, Pride doesn’t use it.
- Infinergy Di-Caffeine Malate (50mg)
Di-Caffeine Malate is another form of caffeine, bound to malic acid. This form of caffeine is thought to produce cleaner, longer-lasting effects than your standard caffeine anhydrous powder. Though that tends to be true in most people’s experience, it’s also true that adding more caffeine to the mix, no matter which type, only raises the risk of side effects.
- Green Coffee Extract (25mg)
Green Coffee Extract is another odd choice for a pre-workout. Don’t let the name fool you – this ingredient doesn’t actually contain much caffeine at all, it’s instead rich in chlorogenic acids, which are beneficial for burning fat. It doesn’t have any performance-enhancing benefits, however.
- Green Tea Extract (25mg)
Green Tea Extract is a metabolism booster. It can help you burn fat, which is why it’s more commonly seen in weight loss supplements. Green Tea Extract is also good for general health due to its high antioxidant content. But there’s only 25mg of green tea extract in Pride, making it ineffective.
- Yerba Mate (25mg)
Yerba Mate is a popular South American drink, similar to green tea. It’s another source of caffeine. Luckily, it’s underdosed here so it likely won’t cause too much trouble.
- Natural Bitter Orange Extract (50mg)
Now, this is an ingredient we’d hoped not to see in Pride. Bitter Orange Extract, as harmless and natural as it sounds at first, is actually one of the worse stimulants out there. Why is it so bad?
Because, Bitter Orange Extract contains Synephrine, an active compound that is similar to Ephedrine, which is banned by the FDA for the risk of causing high blood pressure and heart problems. (source: https://www.medicinenet.com/why_is_bitter_orange_banned/article.htm)
And that’s not even the worst part!
Bitter Orange Extract is risky on its own, but when you mix it with another stimulant like caffeine, it can produce effects that will be too aggressive for most people.
- L-Tyrosine (500mg)
L-Tyrosine is an amino acid and a building block for dopamine. Dopamine is your brain’s chemical messenger which influences mood, motivation, focus, and other biological functions. This is a good ingredient – it can definitely help with workout performance.
- Taurine (250mg)
Taurine is another amino acid in this formula. It’s more of a calming than an energizing compound, due to its GABA-boosting effects. GABA is a neurochemical that is linked to drowsiness. If you’ve ever drunk alcohol, you will know the effects of GABA – alcohol is one of the most powerful stimulators of that compound.
- Phosphatidylserine (50mg)
Phosphatidylserine is a natural fat found in abundance in your brain cells. The levels of PS decline as we age, which can contribute to memory loss and cognitive decline in some people. This is certainly a great ingredient to include in a nootropic supplement – but we wonder could better ingredients be used in its stead in EHP Labs Pride? Just a rhetorical question!
- Theobromine (25mg)
Theobromine is a cocoa-derived compound structurally similar to caffeine. In other words – more stimulants in Pride! Not the best choice of an ingredient, in our opinion.
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Customer Reviews
EHP Labs Pride is still a relatively new pre-workout supplement, so there aren’t too many testimonials around. There are some EHP Labs Pride reviews on Amazon and a few other sites, but it’s questionable how many of these are legitimate and how many are written as a part of the ad campaign during the product launch.
Does EHP Labs Pride Have Side Effects?
Pride contains caffeine and other stimulants, so there is some risk of adverse side effects. If you generally don’t tolerate caffeine well, then EHP Labs PRIDE isn’t for you. However, you shouldn’t disregard the bitter orange extract in Pride, either. This ingredient is known to cause a range of side effects, including nausea, insomnia, anxiety, and high blood pressure amongst others.
*You should check with a qualified professional if you aren’t sure whether to take this product or not. Remember, our posts aren’t meant as advice – they’re for informational and entertainment purposes only!
Where to Buy?
EHP Labs Pride can be bought on the official EHP Labs website as well as on Amazon and several other retailers. The price is $40.46 for 40 servings, which puts it in the middle-to-premium price range. We do think there are more effective – and safer – pre-workout supplements available for a similar price.
The Bottom Line
EHP Labs Pride is a mixed-bag kind of a pre-workout. It contains some of the best natural ingredients that should improve your energy levels, focus, muscle pumps, and workout performance overall. That said, the main issues this supplement has include:
- The use of artificial sweetener Sucralose which is known to disrupt gut bacteria and long-term brain health
- It’s missing several important pre-workout ingredients, including L-Theanine, B vitamins, vitamin D, and Beet Root Extract
- It combines caffeine with another stimulant – bitter orange extract – which is associated with negative side effects
If you’re a pre-workout veteran and used to using more aggressive stimulants, then this pre-workout could work fine for you. However, for the price it charges, there are definitely better alternatives available with a little research.
Best EHP Labs Pride Alternative?
We’ve tested, analyzed, and researched over 35 pre-workout supplements in the past year alone, weeding out the ineffective and unsafe ones from the high-quality supplements. We’ve narrowed our list down to the current top 3 pre-workouts of the year, which you can see here: pdppro.com/most-effective-pre-workout-supplements/.
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