Granite Supplements GX Pre-Workout: Explosive Energy, Maximum Performance

John “The Mountain Dog” Meadows knows what it takes to create a phenomenal physique — patience, hard work, sacrifice, proper nutrition, optimized recovery, and a solid supplement stack. He’s taken it upon himself to create a brand that ticks all the boxes he would look for when purchasing a supplement — including trademarked ingredients, clinically studied dosages, excellent flavors, and high quality manufacturing processes.

Even though John is done competing, he still trains insanely hard!

If you’ve been in the fitness industry for long enough, then you’re bound to hear the name John Meadows — he’s become a well-respected figure in health, fitness, and now supplements. Not only is John an IFBB Pro, he coaches professional physique competitors from all over the world, and has created a very successful YouTube channel and supplement brand named Granite Supplements.

John is always looking for ways to improve the company and customer experience. For instance, Granite Supplements recently switched their entire product line to eco-friendly bags instead of bottles.

Nowadays, it’s very rare to see a supplement in a bag opposed to the classic tub, but there are some hidden benefits behind this that most people aren’t aware of. Bags save space, they are easy to travel with, and the specific bags Granite uses are environmentally friendly, have a high quality locking system, so the bag won’t bust open, and feature a new eye-catching design.

GX Pre-Workout: A New and Improved Version of PRE-MIUM

Introducing GX Pre-Workout, John Meadow’s new advanced formula!

Bags are typically a cheaper alternative to tubs, and while the majority of brands would just take the extra cash to the bank — John decided to use the money to make his existing products that much better. A prime example of this is his new pre workout GX Pre-Workout, which is replacing his famous PRE-MIUM Pre-Workout.

Somehow John was able to take a product that received rave reviews from thousands of customers and make it even better by adding in great dosages of Betaine Nitrate (as NO3-T), AlphaSize A-GPC, L-Theanine, L-Taurine, Huperzine A, Vitamin B12, and Vitamin C. The old version of this pre workout didn’t include any of these ingredients, so it’s pretty obvious that John went all out with this new and improved formula!

In order to clearly distinguish between the old and new version, Granite Supplements decided to give it a completely different name, look, and flavor variations! If you’ve been blown away by PRE-MIUM Pre-Workout in the past, then just imagine what GX Pre-Workout will be like — there’s only one way to find out, pick up a bag today and experience the power of an advanced formula!

The full ingredient breakdown of GX Pre-Workout is down below — but before you read anymore, sign up for Granite Supplements news and deal alerts so you can stay up to date with the Mountain Dog!

GX Pre-Workout Ingredient Breakdown

Granite Supplements claims that GX Pre-Workout is the “ultimate pre workout on the market” and with the new additions — it may live up to that title! GX Pre-Workout features multiple ingredients that boost focus, power, performance, pump, and energy.

The supplement facts panel is fully disclosed so you know exactly how much of each ingredient is used. John made sure that this pre workout had everything you need to get a phenomenal workout and push past your preconceived limitations. Since GX Pre-Workout has 14 ingredients, we’re going to dive right into what this powerhouse is made of!

Without further ado, here’s what one serving (20g) of GX Pre-Workout delivers:

• L-Citrulline Complex (4,000mg L-Citrulline, 2,000mg L-Citrulline DL-Malate 2:1) – 6000mg

  

  Granite Supplements GX Pre-Workout now features over 14 ingredients!

  To kick off GX Pre Workout, Granite Supplements includes 6g of an L-Citrulline Complex, which is something we rarely ever see. Most companies only use L-citrulline or citrulline malate, but never combine the two, so that makes this pre workout unique right off the bat. Since the label specifies that it’s a 2:1 ratio of L-citrulline to DL-malate, then we can calculate the total amount of L-citrulline that’s in this complex, which is approximately 5.32g! Malate does have a few performance benefits of its own, but for this section we’re going to focus solely on L-citrulline!

  Over the years, L-citrulline has become one of the most popular pre workout ingredients on the market and for a good reason! Studies have shown that L-citrulline significantly boosts endogenous levels of L-arginine — an amino acid that gets converted to nitric oxide (NO) via nitric oxide synthase.^[1] Elevating NO production causes the blood vessels to vasodilate, leading to more efficient blood flow delivery to the working muscles.

  Not only are the muscles getting more oxygen and nutrients to perform work, the body is also better able to remove metabolic waste from the area.^[2] Overall, L-citrulline boosts performance and helps you get a skin-splitting pump, which is great for hypertrophy!

• Creatine Monohydrate – 3000mg

  Besides caffeine, creatine monohydrate is the most studied ingredient in sports nutrition and if there’s one supplement that almost anyone should take who’s looking to gain strength and size it’s creatine!

  

  New Look, Same Grind!

  Creatine can be obtained from the diet, but unless you’re consuming large amounts of red meat everyday, it’s most likely that you’re failing to get enough from diet alone — which is where supplementation comes in handy!

  Creatine is stored within your body and when you perform exercise, it’s the first energy system that kicks in to generate ATP (adenosine triphosphate).^[3] The body will break down ATP to ADP and creatine will donate a phosphate to ADP to turn it back into ATP to be used again.^[3] Creatine supplementation can boost your endogenous creatine stores, which enhances your ability to quickly regenerate ATP.^[3]

  Although creatine can benefit a multitude of activities, the type of exercise one that it improves the most are short-duration, high intensity movements!^[3] For example, weightlifting and sprinting are likely to benefit significantly from creatine supplementation. Creatine is also capable of drawing water into muscle cells, making them more full, which also helps you get a pump!^[3]

  Clinical dosing!

  In order to get the most benefit from creatine, we recommend supplementing with 3-5g per day and it’s such a cheap supplement that it’s definitely worth picking up. The goal with taking creatine is to reach a saturation level, meaning that your phosphocreatine stores are always topped off.^[3] Since GX Pre-Workout includes 3g already, there’s no need to take extra on training days, but make sure to add in 3-5g on off days as well!

  With a clinical dose here, you don’t really have to worry about creatine on training days… unless you’re a massive person and aren’t eating enough meat. We love hitting clinical 3-5g creatine doses in pre workouts!

• Betaine Nitrate (as NO3-T) – 2000mg

  The previous version of Granite’s pre workout had both creatine monohydrate and the L-Citrulline Complex, but it didn’t have 2g of betaine nitrate (as NO3-T)! Nitrates are not as commonly used as L-citrulline, however they’re extremely effective — especially paired with just over 5g of L-citrulline.

  

  The Machine is licensing this ingredient from ThermoLife International and it’s a whopper

  There are several NO3-T ingredients on the market such as Arginine Nitrate, Betaine Nitrate, and Sodium Nitrate. Granite decided to go with betaine nitrate so you could get benefits from both ingredients. As you’ll see later, there’s also 1180mg of betaine anhydrous added elsewhere in this formula, which will bring us to the clinically-studied dose is 2.5g, because you’re also getting a fair amount of betaine from the betaine nitrate!

  As the name suggests, betaine nitrate is composed of trimethylglycine combined with nitrate. With 2g total, you’re receiving roughly 1,308mg of betaine (64.5%) and 692mg of nitrates (34.6%). If you combine that with the 1,180mg from betaine anhydrous, then you’re right at the 2.5g dosage where we like to see betaine set at! We’ll dive into the benefits of betaine later on — for this section we’re going to cover nitrates!

  Similar to L-citrulline, nitrates are phenomenal at increasing NO levels, however they work through a different pathway, which creates a synergistic effect between the L-citrulline and the nitrates! When nitrates are consumed, they get converted to nitrites within the body.^[4]

  The nitrites go on to form NO,^[4] whereas L-citrulline gets converted into L-arginine, which then forms NO. That may seem like a slight difference on a physiological level, but it makes a significant impact on your ability to get a pump and overall performance!^[4,5] Furthermore, research shows that supplemental nitrates can lower blood pressure and serve as an antioxidant.^[5]

  PricePlow is a pretty big fan of nitrates, so we’re glad that John made this a part of the new formula!

• CarnoSyn Beta-Alanine – 1800mg

  Betaine nitrate isn’t the only trademarked ingredient in GX Pre-Workout, Granite also uses CarnoSyn beta alanine opposed to the generic version. CarnoSyn is the only beta alanine that’s with New Dietary Ingredient (NDI) status and is self-affirmed GRAS (generally recognized as safe).^[6] Needless to say if you want the highest quality beta alanine on the market, you can’t go wrong with CarnoSyn.

  

  The only patented form of beta-alanine on the market!

  Beta alanine is a very common inclusion in nearly any pre workout, it’s one of those ingredients you can feel start working as soon as the tingling sensation starts to kick in. In regards to performance, beta alanine is phenomenal for boosting muscular endurance because of its ability to increase intramuscular levels of carnosine — a dipeptide molecule that serves as a lactic acid buffer.^[7] Carnosine is produced by the body through utilizing two amino acids, L-histidine and beta alanine, thus supplementing with beta alanine has been proven to be an effective way at increasing carnosine production.^[7,8]

  Enhancing your body’s ability to buffer lactic acid and keep pH levels from becoming too acidic is key for sustaining physical performance. As your muscles begin to run out of energy (ATP), their fatigue and lactic acid starts to accumulate. This causes the pH level to drop and that negatively affects multiple stages in energy production. Therefore it makes sense on a physiological level that the longer you can maintain a normal pH level, the longer your body will be able to adequately perform exercise.

  Studies show that beta alanine supplementation improves exercise performance across a wide range of modalities, including sprinting, cycling, rowing, and weightlifting.^[7,8] The only issue with this ingredient is that, similar to creatine, it should be taken daily in order to reach a saturation level and reap all the benefits it has to offer.^[7] Lastly, this dose is a little lower than what we typically like to see which is around 3.2g.

• Betaine Anhydrous – 1180mg

  We touched on betaine briefly in the section covering betaine nitrate, but now we’re going to dive deeper into its benefits. In terms of dosing, the majority of the studies concluded that 2.5g is the amount that causes the most performance benefits. Thus, if GX Pre-Workout didn’t contain the extra betaine from betaine nitrate then we would say this ingredient is underdosed — however that’s not the case!

  

  Some of the best physique competitors count on Granite Supplements to help them reach their goals!

  Betaine anhydrous, also known as trimethylglycine, is a powerful ingredient that’s naturally found in several foods, including spinach and beets. It takes on several roles within the body such as serving as an osmolyte, methyl donor, and affects hormones to some extent.^[9-12] An osmolyte is a molecule that helps regulate fluids and electrolytes inside and outside of cells, thus it’s crucial for hydration.

  Where betaine’s performance benefits really shine is in its ability to donate one of its methyl groups to a non-proteinogenic amino acid called homocysteine.^[9-11] Homocysteine is naturally produced from methionine metabolism, however having excess amounts of it within the body can lead to negative effects — both for health and muscle growth.^[9-11] Fortunately betaine donates a methyl group to homocysteine causing it to turn back into methionine.^[9-11] Furthermore, methionine is a precursor to creatine production, which as we already covered is great for performance!

  Studies also show that betaine anhydrous facilitates myotube hypertrophy and differentiation by activating insulin growth factor 1 (IGF-1), resulting in better performance and muscle gain.^[12] The research is clear that betaine is helpful for improving body composition, power, strength, and endurance.^[9-12]

  Another clinical dose achieved!

  With the combination of betaine nitrate and betaine anhydrous, we’ve now hit the 2.5g clinical dose of betaine – so this is a powerhouse combination of both creatine and betaine!! Very few companies provide this in a single supplement — well done, John!

  For more information, read our article titled Betaine: A Safe, Natural Muscle Builder.

• L-Taurine – 1000mg

  Taurine is one of John’s personal favorite supplements for performance and health. Last time we covered The Mountain Dog’s supplement stack, John had a bottle of taurine from another company he was using at the time. Now, John decided to add it into GX Pre-Workout’s massive formula!

  

  Check out this blog post to see what John was taking during the winter months!

  It’s true that taurine packs a host of health benefits — it’s a sulfur containing amino acid that acts as a “middleman” in multiple physiological processes, including bile salt production, osmoregulation, cell membrane stabilization, antioxidation, and calcium signaling modulation.^[13,14]

  When it comes to performance, several studies have concluded that taurine is a very effective ergogenic aid and if you’re looking for a boost in endurance — taurine should be in your supplement stack!^[13,14]

  The researchers theorize that because taurine is able to maintain adequate levels of calcium, it improves the efficiency of muscle contractions, allowing you to continue cranking out the reps.^[13,14] Calcium is a key mineral for inducing muscular contractions and when levels drop, so does performance. And let’s not forget that taurine also offers several health benefits, which is arguably more important than performance!

  For more information on the endurance meta-analysis, read our article titled TAURINE: The Underrated Endurance Supplement (New Meta-Analysis!).

• N-Acetyl-L-Tyrosine – 650mg

  In order to help boost your mental focus, GX Pre Workout includes 650mg of N-Acetyl-L-Tyrosine (NALT) — an acetylated form of L-tyrosine.

  Tyrosine is an nonessential amino acid that’s endogenously synthesized from an essential amino acid called phenylalanine.^[15] It’s also found in a variety of foods, such as meat, dairy products, and eggs.^[15] Tyrosine serves as a precursor to dopamine, epinephrine, and norepinephrine, which are all catecholamine neurotransmitters.^[15]

  

  In order to achieve an amazing physique you need to have locked in focus while training.

  Neurotransmitters help carry out signals sent from the central nervous system to the peripheral nervous system, meaning they assist in initiating movement and various other physiological functions. The research suggests that intense exercise causes these neurotransmitters to become depleted, which adds to your perceived level of fatigue and lack of concentration.^[15]

  Therefore, it makes sense to supplement with an exogenous form of tyrosine — in this case N-Acetyl-L-Tyrosine — in order to maintain a sufficient amount of catecholamine neurotransmitters.

  Studies have shown that oral tyrosine supplementation leads to elevated cognitive function, mood, physical performance, mental focus, and it even helps you adapt to stressful situations.^[15] If you’ve ever seen John Meadows train, you know that he definitely needs some extra tyrosine because he puts his body under a large amount of stress!

  For more information, read our article titled L-Tyrosine vs. N-Acetyl L-Tyrosine: A Tale of Two Tyrosines.

• Lion’s Mane (Hericum erinaceus) Mushroom Extract – 500mg

  Lion’s Mane is an ingredient that you don’t see very often in pre workouts — likely because it’s expensive, however the benefits of this ingredient are worth the extra cost! Lion’s Mane, also known as Hericium erinaceus is a specific type of mushroom extract that expresses some powerful nootropic effects.

  Lion’s Mane has been around for thousands of years and got its start in Traditional Chinese and Japanese medicine. Although it was historically used for its healing properties,^[16-18] Lion’s Mane now dominates the nootropic category. Nootropics consist of products that boost overall cognition, including focus, clarity, energy, and alertness.

  

  Lion’s Mane is an incredible mushroom that touts some extremely unique nootropic benefits including increasing Nerve Growth Factor.

  Lion’s Mane has a high concentration of beneficial compounds, including beta-glucans, erinacines, erinacea lactones, glycoproteins, and hericerins.^[19] These bioactive constituents are attributed to the host of positive effects associated with Lion’s Mane supplementation. Research shows that Lion’s Mane expresses anticancer, antiaging, antibiotic, antioxidant, anti fatigue, neuroprotective, hepatoprotective, immunomodulatory, antidiabetic, anti inflammatory, and cognitive boosting properties.^[19,20]

  If that’s not good enough, studies also suggest that Lion’s Mane is capable of increasing Nerve Growth Factor within the brain, which is crucial for function and survival of nerve cells.^[21,22] In summary, Lion’s Mane is fantastic for boosting mental performance in the gym and promoting overall cognitive health!

  For more information, read our bigger article titled Lion’s Mane: The Nerve Growth Nootropic Mushroom.

• AlphaSize A-GPC 50% (alpha-glycerylphosphorylcholine) 300mg

  For even better focus and mind to muscle connection, GX Pre-Workout includes 300mg of AlphaSize — a trademarked form of alpha-glycerylphosphorylcholine (Alpha-GPC) developed by Chemi Nutra.

  

  Image courtesy Chemi Nutra.

  There are multiple versions of choline on the market, however some are better than others due to bioavailability. Fortunately, Granite Supplements in using one of the most bioavailable sources available so you can get the most out of this ingredient. Several studies have shown that this particular form of choline is capable of boosting strength, cognitive function, and positively affects growth hormone levels.^[23-25]

  Choline is an essential nutrient for both health and performance. You can obtain choline from various food sources, however the large majority of them are animal based products. Thus, vegans and vegetarians can easily become choline deficient, which leads to a host of health issues. Although choline is utilized for several bodily functions, in regards to performance — we mainly focus on it’s role in acetylcholine synthesis.^[26]

  Acetylcholine is a neurotransmitter that’s highly concentrated in neuromuscular gap junctions — where the nervous system communicates with the muscle.^[26] Acetylcholine helps carry out muscular contractions, thus having adequate levels is crucial for optimal performance. It’s likely that hard training will quickly deplete acetylcholine levels, which is a major reason why supplementing with extra choline often leads to profound performance benefits!

  For more information, read our article titled Choline Supplements: What’s the Best Form for Focus?.

• Caffeine – 200mg

  What’s a well rounded pre workout with a hefty dose of caffeine?!

  John decided to cap the caffeine dose at 200mg and add in an extra shot of energy from TeaCrine to avoid the negative side effects associated with high doses of caffeine. We’ve all experienced them — nervousness, rapid heart rate, increased blood pressure, rapid breathing, jitters, and anxiety.

  

  Want to get the most out of your workouts? Add in Granite Intra-Carb!

  Caffeine is notorious for quickly raising energy levels, then dropping off fast, which isn’t ideal for a long grueling training session. John’s goal with GX Pre-Workout was to steadily increase your energy levels and keep them elevated for hours.

  It’s well established that caffeine is a potent ergogenic aid — it’s been shown time and time again to boost both mental and physical energy.^[27] Caffeine expresses its performance-enhancing effects by inhibiting both adenosine and phosphodiesterase.^[27]

  Adenosine is known for slowing down neural activity when it binds to its receptor, thus caffeine blocks this from occurring and raises energy.^[27] Phosphodiesterase is an enzyme that breaks down cAMP (cyclic adenosine monophosphate) — a secondary messenger molecule that plays a key role in lipid and glucose metabolism.^[27] Thus, keeping cAMP levels elevated helps generate ATP for the cells to use as fuel.

  Overall, caffeine is a great ergogenic aid and at 200mg — that’s a solid dose to get you going without making you feel too stimmed out!

• L-Theanine – 200mg

  In order to complement the caffeine, GX Pre-Workout includes 200mg of L-theanine — an amino acid found in tea leaves that’s known for inducing a calming effect without causing drowsiness.^[28-30]

  

  Check out Granite’s new and improved website!

  It’s common to see L-theanine in pre workouts, especially those that have a crazy high amount of stims because it can help take the “edge” off caffeine. However, it’s pretty rare to find caffeine and L-theanine in a 1:1 ratio like it is in this formula. So if you take GX Pre-Workout and it just hits differently than anything else you’ve taken — this may be the reason.

  Studies show that the combination of L-theanine and caffeine enhance cognitive function, focus, alertness, and mental speed/accuracy.^[28,29] Therefore, this dynamic duo may be just what you need to get dialed in for an intense workout.

  In addition to boosting mental performance, preliminary research suggests that L-theanine is capable of increasing levels of dopamine within the brain.^[30] Dopamine is a key neurotransmitter involved in motivation, pleasure, mood, and overall sense of well being. Thus, don’t be surprised if GX Pre-Workout gives you a euphoric feeling!

• Theacrine (as TeaCrine) – 100mg

  John Meadows loves his theacrine! Fans of the Mountain Dog shouldn’t be surprised by this inclusion:

  Caffeine isn’t the only ingredient in GX Pre-Workout that’s going to give you a boost in energy — there’s also 100mg of TeaCrine from Compound Solutions!

  

  Long lasting energy without the crash!

  TeaCrine, a trademarked form of theacrine, is relatively new to the supplement industry, but it’s quickly gaining popularity due to its ability to raise energy levels, mood, cognitive function, and physical performance.^[31,32]

  Unlike caffeine TeaCrine has little to no effect on the cardiovascular system, thus it shouldn’t cause rapid heart rate or increased blood pressure.^[31] We often refer to TeaCrine as “caffeine’s cousin” because it has a very similar molecular structure and carries out its effects the same way caffeine does — through the inhibition of adenosine.^[31,32]

  It’s also very common to see TeaCrine paired with caffeine because research shows that they have a synergistic effect.^[32] One study published in 2019 found that the combination of TeaCrine and caffeine resulted in a more profound increase in endurance and cognitive performance than either alone.^[32] This is just another reason why combining caffeine with other stimulatory ingredients is likely more beneficial than just loading up on caffeine!

• Theobromine – 60mg

  In addition to the 200mg of caffeine and 100mg of TeaCrine — John also included 60mg of theobromine to increase energy levels even further and ensure that you don’t get hungry mid workout. Theobromine is most commonly found in pre workouts and fat burners due to its energy enhancing and appetite suppressing effects.^[33,34] There’s nothing worse than getting hungry during your training sessions, because it significantly decreases your mental focus.

  

  Become unstoppable with Granite Supplements.

  Theobromine is a bitter alkaloid derived from cacao beans — and yes we mean the same beans used to make chocolate! Research shows that theobromine shares the same mechanism of action as caffeine, thus it inhibits both phosphodiesterase and adenosine from carrying out their effects.^[33] Theobromine has a very similar chemical structure as caffeine,^[33] therefore it makes sense that it would share the same mechanism of action.

  However, studies suggest that caffeine and theobromine have varying levels of stimulatory effects due to different half-lives.^[33] Meaning it takes longer for your body to metabolize and excrete theobromine than caffeine. The combination of theobromine and caffeine will theoretically boost your energy levels and keep them elevated long after the workout is done! One last thing to note is that theobromine also expresses several health benefits, including anti-inflammatory, antitumoral, and cardioprotective effects!^[33]

• Huperzine A (from Huperzia serrata extract) (aerial) – 50mcg

  The last ingredient we’re going to cover in GX Pre-Workout is none other than huperzine A — the primary bioactive constituent found in the Huperzia serrata plant.

  

  Make sure to pick up Granite Protein to fuel recovery!

  Huperzine A was added to this formula in order to work synergistically with AlphaSize. While AlphaSize is increasing acetylcholine levels, huperzine A is making sure they stay elevated by inhibiting an enzyme called acetylcholinesterase (AChE).^[35] AChE is the primary suspect within the body that metabolizes and breaks down acetylcholine, which in this case is far from ideal since we’re trying to have as much acetylcholine available as possible.

  The more acetylcholine we have, the better our mind-to-muscle connection and overall performance will be! In addition, huperzine A seems to express potent neuroprotective properties by limiting the amount of oxidative damage induced on neurons.^[35] Just another reason to supplement with huperzine A!

Watch John Meadows Explain How He Uses GX Pre-Workout!

Available Flavors

With how many active ingredients are in GX Pre-Workout, John did a phenomenal job at flavoring it! The previous version (PRE-MIUM) came in two refreshing flavors — tangerine burst and watermelon burst. GX Pre-Workout features three new flavors, but two are very similar to the previous rendition — Watermelon Candy, Tangerine Blast, and John’s personal favorite, Sour Pour!

If you want a blast from the past, you can’t go wrong with the classic watermelon or tangerine (orange) flavor. But if you’re a sour candy connoisseur, then Sour Power is a must-try! These flavors are just the beginning and we’re confident that John is working on more for the future, so stay tuned.

Here’s an updated list of all GX Pre-Workout flavor variations:

Granite Supplements Continue To Thrive!

John’s favorite flavor is Sour Power!

Granite Supplements have been around for a few years now, however they’re continuing to grow, improve, and become more well known within the supplement industry. John is always looking for ways that he can grow the brand, but also give his customers the best product possible.

As we mentioned before, not only is Granite switching over to eco-friendly, premium packaging — they’re upgrading their formulas along the way! If that doesn’t show you how phenomenal Granite Supplements is, then we’re not sure what else will.

Last time Granite was featured on the blog, we covered one of the most anticipated product drops from them in 2020 — Granite Protein Powder. Unlike several other protein powders on the market, Granite decided to use five different protein sources to deliver various amino acid profiles and digestion rates. It was a very unique protein powder to say the least, tasted great, and digested really well.

Granite Supplements is having an incredible year thus far and are looking to continue that trend moving forward. Make sure to subscribe down below so you can stay up to date on the latest industry news, reviews, deals, and interviews from PricePLow!