Darin Decker, VP of Sales at Alpha Lion, joins the show to unveil the brand's all-new red SuperHuman lineup and the debut of a novel ingredient called Tensia on Episode #228 of the PricePlow Podcast.
Darin Decker returns to the PricePlow Podcast for Episode #228, his fifth appearance on the show and his first since becoming VP of Sales at Alpha Lion. He joins Mike and Ben for a full walkthrough of the biggest SuperHuman relaunch in years: five reformulated pre-workouts, a rebrand from black to red, and the debut of a new ingredient called Tensia.
Alpha Lion built its name on SuperHuman, and starting July 31, the entire sub-brand gets a V2 treatment. SuperHuman Original, Pump, Extreme, Jacked, and Burn all return with updated formulas, a new Superhuman Energy System, and packaging built around the idea that red means activation. Jacked adds PeptiPump and the novel probiotic-derived Tensia alongside its existing PeptiStrong content, while Burn stays untouched because, as Darin puts it, you don't fix something that isn't broken.
Decker also walks through Alpha Lion's pricing overhaul, its GNC weight-management win with the Burn2O system, and why the brand is leaning into retail instead of chasing Meta ad spend. Subscribe to the PricePlow Podcast on your favorite platform and sign up for Alpha Lion alerts before diving in.
Subscribe to the PricePlow Podcast on Your Favorite Service (RSS)
Apple Podcasts
Spotify
YouTube
https://blog.priceplow.com/podcast/darin-decker-superhuman-228
Video: Darin Decker Unveils the New Red SuperHuman Lineup
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:15:24 — 57.7MB)
Detailed Show Notes: Darin Decker Returns for the SuperHuman Relaunch
-
0:00 - Introductions
Darin Decker joins Mike and Ben for his fifth appearance on the show, and his first since taking over as VP of Sales at Alpha Lion a little over a year ago. The trio last caught up at Supply Side West 2024 for a beverage innovation panel, but this conversation stays firmly in pre-workout territory from the opening minute.
Darin explains he's spent his first year at Alpha Lion working behind the scenes on projects that are landing in the market right as this episode goes live, and he's ready to talk through what's coming.
-
1:00 - Betting on Powdered Pre-Workout, Not Beverages
Don't expect any drink talk in this one. Darin tells Mike and Ben that a good powdered pre-workout, not functional beverages, is his focus for the next 24 to 48 months. Ben brings up a common complaint: plenty of gym-goers now grab an energy drink instead of an actual pre-workout before training.
Darin, who's coached high school track and field for years, agrees there's a real disconnect. He sees kids reach for whatever energy drink is on hand before a meet without understanding what a properly dosed pre-workout actually offers them, and he ties it back to how cyclical the supplement industry tends to be.
-
3:15 - Why Superhuman Is Getting Its Own Spotlight
Darin gives some background on Alpha Lion's early days, when Jordan Fares (co-founder and CEO) and Troy Adashun (co-founder) first launched SuperHuman Pre-Workout and quickly realized they had a trademark worth building around. Alpha Lion has since become known as the brand for thirty-something men going through a body recomposition phase, and its weight-management SKUs captured 33% of that GNC category since the start of the year.
That momentum is part of why Alpha Lion wants to give SuperHuman its own identity. Starting July 31, the sub-brand relaunches with V2 versions of the Original daily driver, the non-stim Pump formula, a revamped Extreme, and a reworked Jacked, while Burn keeps its formula and gets a fresh look.
-
5:30 - Same Burn, New Name: The Superhuman Energy System
Ben tells Darin he's glad to see SuperHuman Burn's formula staying put, calling it a timeless combination of clinical doses that's held up through years of shifting pre-workout trends. Darin agrees. It's the one product in the lineup that isn't changing beyond new packaging, because the formula already works and customers love how it feels.
The caffeine system that used to be called SXT is getting renamed the Superhuman Energy System across the rest of the line. It's still the same triple blend used before: caffeine anhydrous for the immediate hit, plus zumXR extended-release and zumXR delayed-release caffeine layered on top for a longer curve.
-
7:15 - Solving Superhuman's Pricing Puzzle
Darin says one of his first surprises at Alpha Lion was the pricing structure. The original pre-workout, the non-stim version, and Extreme all sold for the same $49.99, which gave retailers no reason to favor one over another. That's changing with the relaunch.
Original becomes the $39.99 daily driver, sold at Vitamin Shoppe and GNC alongside the non-stim Pump formula. Extreme stays a web-exclusive higher-stim option built around 376mg of caffeine and bitter orange, plus its usual dose of Rauwolscine (Alpha-Yohimbine). Darin says the new Original actually delivers more value than the version it replaces, even at a lower price.
-
11:45 - Jacked Gets a Peptide-Powered Muscle Focus
SuperHuman Jacked moves away from its old kitchen-sink approach and becomes a dedicated 2-in-1 muscle-building formula. The label carries PeptiStrong and PeptiPump alongside Tensia, a novel ingredient Darin teases as one of the more exciting additions to the whole lineup.
All five SuperHuman families, Original, Pump, Extreme, Jacked, and Burn, are set to hit both Vitamin Shoppe and GNC shelves in August, following the July 31 online launch. Darin frames it as a genuine relaunch rather than a refresh, with real pricing strategy behind every SKU this time.
-
12:30 - The Storyteller Hire: How Darin Landed at Alpha Lion
Mike, who originally introduced Darin to the brand, asks how the hire actually came together. Darin explains Alpha Lion needed someone to connect its strong digital performance marketing with an underdeveloped retail strategy, a gap that opened up right as its VP of Sales was leaving.
His prior relationship with Jordan Fares from their bodybuilding.com days, plus an existing connection with Alpha Lion's head of talent, made the fit an easy one. Darin relocated his family from Chicago to Boise for the role, and spent his first months aligning teams that had historically operated in separate silos.
-
17:00 - Winning Weight Management at GNC
The 33% weight-management share Darin mentioned earlier belongs to Burn2O, not SuperHuman Burn. It's a three-part system built around a non-stim thermogenic taken before bed (Night Burn), the Burn2O liquid L-carnitine itself, and an appetite-focused product sold as Cravings Killer.
That system became GNC's top weight-management SKU after launch and is now climbing at Vitamin Shoppe, which entered the category later due to GNC's initial exclusivity window. Darin credits the win to basic retail blocking and tackling: proving the marketing spend behind a product before asking for shelf space.
-
20:45 - Formulating Alongside GLP-1s, Not Against Them
Mike points out that Alpha Lion's fat burners quietly sidestep the GLP-1 conversation entirely. Night Burn pairs Xylaria, a mushroom-based ingredient studied for sleep support, with a solid dose of MitoBurn and Shoden Ashwagandha from Arjuna Natural, plus CaloriBurn and melatonin rounding out the nighttime formula.
Darin says Alpha Lion has no plans to position anything as a GLP-1 replacement. Instead, the brand expects to lean into ingredients like higher fiber and added protein as complements to GLP-1 use if it launches products in that direction, while continuing to serve people who prefer traditional dietary-supplement fat burning support over injectable options.
-
22:30 - Why Meta Ads Don't Move Pre-Workout
Darin explains why Alpha Lion doesn't lean on Meta advertising to acquire pre-workout customers the way it does for other categories. The math simply favors other channels. In-store sampling has a harder-to-track ROI than digital spend, and pre-workout buyers skew younger than Meta's aging user base, making TikTok the more effective place to reach them.
Jacked is the exception. Its peptide story, especially PeptiStrong's clinical backing, gives it more of the claims-driven appeal that performs well in paid digital acquisition, which is part of why the team leaned into that positioning for the relaunch.
-
26:30 - Retail as De-Risking: Dodging the Amazon Trap
Darin makes the case for retail as an enterprise-value play rather than just another sales channel. Brick-and-mortar doors and long-standing retail relationships build a kind of stability that pure e-commerce brands don't have, especially compared to competitors pouring venture money into paid acquisition.
He also points to a real risk on Amazon: a single complaint, warranted or not, can get a listing pulled before the platform investigates, cutting off revenue overnight. Alpha Lion's retail expansion stays deliberately measured, timed to when its operations and cash-flow cycles can actually support new doors.
-
29:00 - Keeping the Fun (and Flavors) Alive
Darin's next 24 months are focused on building SuperHuman awareness, and he traces that mission back to Alpha Lion's early limited-time flavor drops, like the long-retired Bad Santa Sauce. The brand plans more consistent flavor launches that tie web and retail releases together instead of treating them separately.
That playful naming culture survives the relaunch. Original's Unicorn Juice becomes Flexual Healing, landing on GNC shelves nationwide, and Mike jokes about digging up his old Superhuman Supreme tubs, a line Darin confirms was discontinued about two years ago.
-
31:15 - Dialing In Caffeine, Servings, and Delayed Release
Mike asks whether the zumXR delayed-release caffeine is still fully disclosed on the new labels, since taken too late in the day it can deliver an unwelcome second hit near bedtime. Darin confirms full disclosure across the line, with dosing that stays conservative for every product.
One real change: Jacked's caffeine content increases slightly from its previous, fairly light 200mg. Every SKU also standardizes to a single 21-serving label instead of the old 42-and-21 split-panel format, which means the stated doses now reflect full servings rather than half scoops.
-
34:30 - Tensia: A Probiotic That Makes Its Own Nitric Oxide
Tensia is the ingredient Darin is most excited about. It's built on a Lactobacillus plantarum probiotic strain that researchers have studied for its ability to produce nitric-oxide-supporting peptides in the gut over time, alongside data on healthy blood pressure markers. Alpha Lion believes Jacked is the first sports-nutrition product to use it.
Mike notes the raw-material supplier markets Tensia mostly to general wellness audiences rather than sports nutrition, which is part of why he calls it a genuine find. Ben and Mike riff on the idea of gut bacteria acting almost like a small-scale production system for beneficial compounds.
-
37:00 - Jacked as Burn's Muscle-Building Sibling
PeptiPump has its own backstory in the category. Darin recalls that C4 was first to bring it to market, developed with the peptide-discovery company Nuritas, and that PeptiStrong carries strong clinical support of its own. Combined with Tensia, Jacked becomes the most innovation-heavy product in the new lineup.
Darin frames Jacked as the natural sibling to Burn on retail shelves: one product for people who want to build muscle, one for people who want to burn fat, sitting side by side. He thinks that framing makes it easier for store associates to point shoppers toward the right SKU based on their goal.
-
38:15 - Not Every Pre-Workout Should Do Everything
Ben makes the case for goal-specific pre-workouts instead of one formula trying to serve everyone. Stim tolerance, pump preference, and training goals all vary too much for a single product to cover well, and he points out that sport-specific pre-workouts have historically underdelivered as a category, with a few exceptions.
Darin confirms Alpha Lion's own Superhuman Sport, which used ornithine, has been discontinued. The brand's true entry-level option now is Superhuman Core Pre-Workout, an Amazon-exclusive SKU that continues alongside the main lineup rather than folding into it.
-
42:30 - Vincamine, Collabs, and a Famous Equity Partner
Darin says the non-stim side of the lineup has more flavor expansion coming, and mentions vincamine has been added across the line for its role in supporting blood flow to the brain, on top of whatever nootropic benefits the existing formulas already provided.
Asked about flavor collaborations, Darin says Alpha Lion isn't opposed to the idea but has no immediate plans, despite untapped relationships with athletes and owners inside the company. That includes Ken Griffey Jr., the Baseball Hall of Famer who holds an equity stake in Alpha Lion, a partnership the brand hasn't yet built a dedicated flavor or collab around.
-
45:00 - "Blocking and Tackling": Alpha Lion's Back-to-Basics Playbook
Mike asks Darin to explain a phrase he's used a couple of times: blocking and tackling. Darin says it's a football term for nailing the fundamentals, in Alpha Lion's case the four Ps of product, price, promotion, and placement, before attempting more advanced competitive moves.
Ben admits he initially read the phrase differently, comparing it to Jocko Willink's "cover and move" leadership principle, where one person's actions create room for someone else to advance. Darin agrees both interpretations apply to how Alpha Lion's teams operate day to day.
-
46:45 - Superhuman Core: The Amazon Entry Point
Mike pulls up Superhuman Core Pre-Workout, confirming it lives fully under the Superhuman name despite being sold only on Amazon. Darin explains Alpha Lion operates as a first-party seller there, controlling its own listings and pricing rather than ceding that control to a distributor.
The two-scoop serving includes 5g of creatine monohydrate, beta-alanine, and 6g of citrulline, enough that Darin has personally recommended it to his own track athletes, all 18 or older, before both practices and meets. It's designed as a gateway into the rest of the SuperHuman lineup for shoppers discovering the brand through Amazon search.
-
56:30 - Launch Timeline: July 31 Online, August In Stores
Every SuperHuman product, flavor, and upgrade goes live on Alpha Lion's website on July 31, the same day this episode publishes. Retail follows roughly four weeks after shipping, putting GNC and Vitamin Shoppe availability around the second or third week of August.
Vitamin Shoppe carries about two flavors per family except Burn, which gets four, including a store-exclusive Dragon Punch. GNC carries two to three flavors per family and holds exclusivity on Burn's blue lemonade flavor, Lemonator. GNC also gets Burn2O limited-time flavors in October, building on the already-available, GNC-exclusive Sour Gummy Worm.
-
58:15 - Pre-Workout vs. Energy Drinks: Is the Category Still Growing?
Darin turns the conversation around and asks Mike and Ben for their read on pre-workout versus energy drinks. Ben references a recent video from The Review Brothers arguing the pre-workout category has stalled creatively, and pushes back on that take. He argues the industry has simply shifted from gray-area stimulants toward more educated, ingredient-literate consumers.
That shift can look like less differentiation on paper, since fewer proprietary blends means more brands leaning on the same handful of familiar ingredients. But Ben points out this very episode already covered one ingredient that's never come up on the show before, which he takes as evidence the category keeps innovating even as it matures.
-
1:02:30 - Slow and Steady: Why Hardcore Pre-Workout Users Aren't Going Anywhere
Mike adds his own take: powdered pre-workout is growing, but slowly, and mostly among users who want full, efficacious doses and were never going to settle for an energy drink instead. Casual users who don't need clinical doses have mostly moved toward energy drinks, which explains some of that category's explosive growth.
He sees Alpha Lion's multi-product strategy, five SKUs addressing five distinct need states, as the right way to compete without trying to be everything to everyone. The hardcore pre-workout segment isn't shrinking. It's just not the same audience driving the beverage boom.
-
1:04:30 - Darin's Own Stack, Flavor Renames, and Ditching Artificial Colors
Darin admits he's a high-caffeine person who leans on energy drinks throughout the day, but says taking Superhuman Burn in the morning now covers him until mid-afternoon at a fraction of the cost of canned energy. He calls it a small hack for managing both energy and his own beverage budget.
He also confirms a few flavor renames landing with the relaunch. Burn's Hulk Juice becomes Bulk Juice and its Cherry Popper becomes Cherry-licious, while every flavor customers already love stays in the lineup rather than getting cut. The V2 formulas also drop artificial colors across the board, matching a shift Alpha Lion had already made on newer product launches.
-
1:08:00 - Unveiling the Red Tub: Black Was the Warm-Up, Red Is the Switch
At Kyowa Hakko's 2024 SSW Booth, PricePlow held a panel on beverage innovation with Lou Ferrer of MacroCap Labs and Darin Decker of Applied Nutrition USA.
Darin shares his screen to reveal the new red packaging, explaining that Alpha Lion's black covers the brand's capability-building products, while red now belongs entirely to SuperHuman as the "activation" sub-brand. Mike compares it to old-school category rivalries like Gaspari Nutrition's red against BSN's blue, a callback to Episode #202's conversation with Rich Gaspari himself. Darin says red as a color of activation, in the tradition of Red Bull, felt like the right bet for a category without many bold colors left to claim.
Credit for the redesign goes to Alpha Lion's creative team. Early production runs keep black lids as a nod to the old packaging, with later runs switching to red lids embossed with the Alpha Lion head.
-
1:11:15 - A Stallone Movie Powers the Rebrand
Darin traces the "switch" concept back to Sylvester Stallone's arm-wrestling film Over The Top, where the villain flips his hat backward before a match and calls it "the switch." Darin, a longtime fan of the movie, says that scene captures exactly the mindset Alpha Lion wants SuperHuman to activate.
He adds a bit of personal history: during his years at bodybuilding.com, his desk backdrop featured movie posters from favorites like Kindergarten Cop, Pain and Gain, and Over the Top. When Alpha Lion's brand director pitched the switch concept, Darin says it immediately clicked, tying one of his favorite films straight into the new SuperHuman positioning.
-
1:13:00 - Final Thoughts and What's Next
Mike says he's glad Alpha Lion left Burn's formula alone, calling it one of those products you simply don't risk touching. Darin says the whole team is excited for the relaunch, with more educational content on the individual formula changes planned and samples already shipped to Mike and Ben for a proper test run.
Mike flags that a full Tensia deep dive is still coming, tying the ingredient back to the show's recurring interest in precision fermentation and gut-produced compounds. Before wrapping up, Mike thanks Perfect Shaker for sponsoring the episode and mentions Darin is getting his own custom, laser-engraved Alpha Lion shaker cup featuring the SuperHuman logo as a thank-you gift.
Where to Follow and Learn More
Connect with Darin Decker and Alpha Lion
- LinkedIn: Darin Decker
- Instagram: @alpha.lion
- LinkedIn: Alpha Lion
- Alpha Lion on PricePlow - Sign up for news alerts
Resources Mentioned
- Alpha Lion SuperHuman on PricePlow (article being updated for the V2 relaunch)
- Live From Kyowa Hakko at SSW 2024: Lou Ferrer and Darin Decker on Beverage Innovation | Episode #155
- Kaged Muscle's Darin Decker: Navigating the Supplement Industry | Episode #047
- Nuritas' AI Magnifier: Inside the Ingredient Discovery Engine
Products Discussed
- SuperHuman (Original)
- SuperHuman Pump
- SuperHuman Extreme
- SuperHuman Jacked
- SuperHuman Burn
- Burn2O
- Night Burn
- Cravings Killer
- SuperHuman Core Pre-Workout
Big thanks to Darin Decker for making it five appearances on the show and walking through everything coming with the SuperHuman relaunch. Mike and Ben are already looking forward to getting hands-on with the new tubs, and a deeper dive on Tensia, once samples arrive.
This episode is brought to you by Perfect Shaker, and Darin's picking up a custom laser-engraved Alpha Lion shaker cup of his own courtesy of the sponsor. Check out the full shaker cup lineup at PricePlow.com/perfect-shaker.
Subscribe to the PricePlow Podcast on any platform, sign up for Alpha Lion news on PricePlow, and leave us a great review on iTunes and Spotify!
Subscribe to the PricePlow Podcast on Your Favorite Service (RSS)
Apple Podcasts
Spotify
YouTube
