This article has been updated to reflect Neogenis Labs’ new name, HumanN.
Today, we take a step back from the overly complicated, 10+ ingredient pre workouts that we usually cover on the blog. There will be no discussion of crazy stims, neon colors, pixie-dusting creatine or the like in this supplement.
Rather, today’s post features a pre workout supplement for the all-natural crowd, and it’s become one of the hottest on the market. BeetElite is a non-GMO, vegan, stimulant-free pre workout from HumanN that bases its effectiveness off the power of the humble beet.
It’s available in both powder and energy gel form, but we’re getting ahead of ourselves. Before we get to the breakdown, take a second to sign up for PricePlow price drop alerts and check the best deal (coupons included):
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BeetElite Ingredients
As we mentioned, BeetElite comes in a powder form as well as an Energy Gel form. For the purposes of today’s blog, we’ll be focusing in on the powder variation.
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Non-GMO Beetroot Powder
So the big question, why beets of all foods to base a pre workout around. Well, beetroot is extremely rich in nitrates. On average in whole food form, beets contain around 1,300mg/kg of nitrates.[1]
How do nitrates benefit performance?
First, nitrates are powerful vasodilators in the body that increase blood flow to your muscles.[2,3] Increased blood flow translates into greater endurance, more pronounced vascularity, and better pumps.
Second, nitrates make your body’s more efficient. Basically, nitrate supplementation decreases the body’s consumption of oxygen during bouts of intense exercise.[4] Think of oxygen as the currency of exercise. By reducing this “cost” of exercise, your body will have improved energy efficiency during longer workouts and increase the time until you succumb to fatigue.[5]
Lastly, nitrates support cardiovascular health by lowering blood pressure.[6]
A source of betaine
Beets are amongst the foods highest in betaine,[13] which is an organic compound that has performance-enhancing qualities similar to creatine, and has no side effects.
A 136g raw beet contains 175mg betaine,[14] meaning that there’s 1286mg/kg — almost exactly as much betaine as nitrate!
The most successful studies on betaine used 2.5g, which is tough to get via food (and requires separate supplementation – we’re sure there won’t be 2.5g worth in BeetElite), but it’s great to see such a fantastic organic compound in a natural food-based supplement here. You can read more on our extensive betaine article.
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Malic Acid
Those familiar with another popular N.O. booster, citrulline malate, know this ingredient. Malic acid (malate) is a naturally occurring, organic acid found in a number of foods we eat daily, most notably apples. It’s responsible for the moderate tart, sour flavor that green apples are well known for.
In terms of performance, malic acid in a primetime endurance booster. It plays a vital role in the Krebs cycle, and has been shown to increase ATP production as well as enhance endurance.[7]
Malic acid is a powerful lactic acid buffer in the body that removes ammonia build up during exercise. This buffering effect helps increase endurance and stamina during intense workouts.[8,9]
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Stevia
To the “natural” crowd out there, stevia is nothing new. It’s the top alternative natural sweetener on the market derived from the stevia rebaudiana plant.
Compared to sucrose (table sugar), stevia is approximately 200-300x sweeter.[10,11] And just in case you were worried this was another of those “natural” products that’s not really safe, don’t worry, stevia maintains a GRAS (Generally recognized as safe) rating in the US.[12]
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Natural Flavors
BeetElite’s natural flavors are either Natural Apple Flavor or Natural Black Cherry Flavor, depending on which flavor you ultimately end up selecting. There are no artificial flavors here, so we’re 4 for 4 in terms of avoiding any artificial dyes, flavors, or junk that’s crammed into the majority of other pre workouts out there.
Flavors Available
If you’re ready to take a walk on the more natural side of pre workout supplements with BeetElite, you’ll get select from two options: Regular Flavor and Black Cherry:
We’ll assume “regular” flavor means some sort of natural beet flavor that’s slightly sweetened by stevia.
The BeetElite Reviews
Beet Elite has fantastic reviews given it hits the right audience. While supplements like USPLabs MaxREPS will undoubtedly be “better” and “stronger”, BeetElite is a 100% natural supplement that’s finally given vegan and natural athletes a reason to get excited to hit the gym. They enjoy the taste and the effects are well beyond anything they’ve ever tried, making it well worth their money (naturalists are used to spending a bit more).
So if you’re going all-natural / paleo (with food-based supplementation — beyond synthetic ingredients that are “found in nature”), we haven’t seen anything better. It’s the real deal.
But if you don’t care about your source of supplements and just want something great, take a look at the stimulant-free section of our best pre workout supplement guide and see what suits you best.
Takeaway
Pre workouts supplements don’t get much more natural than BeetElite (aside from just using whole foods and coffee). This is yet another step in the direction of eschewing artificial means of product flavoring and development and step towards getting back to the bare basics.
But the question is, is this ultimately worth the money? Given the sales volume we see on Amazon, and all the positive reviews, we’re willing to say yes… for those who fit this demographic.
HumanN BeetElite – Deals and Price Drop Alerts
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Disclosure: PricePlow relies on pricing from stores with which we have a business relationship. We work hard to keep pricing current, but you may find a better offer.
Posts are sponsored in part by the retailers and/or brands listed on this page.
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