The New C4 Lands at GNC with Hawaiian Punch Original and Ultimate

When it comes to pre-workouts, there is perhaps no product more recognizable than C4. Back in February of this year, Nutrabolt announced the 5th Generation of their C4 lineup. This brought us some awesome new developments to the incredibly popular series, such as the eradication of proprietary blends, bigger and better dosages of our favorite ingredients, and an exclusive new pump peptide ingredient named PeptiPump, which is included in both C4 Original and Ultimate.

Originally, the 5th generation of C4 products was released at The Vitamin Shoppe. Now, it’s GNC‘s turn.

C4 5th Gen Launches at GNC, Hawaiian Punch and All

There are, of course, two behemoths in the American supplement retailer game: The Vitamin Shoppe and GNC. With the GNC introduction, we have a new Hawaiian Punch flavor of both C4 Original and C4 Ultimate, in partnership with Overtime Boxing and Top Rank Boxing.

GNC will also be carrying all of the new flavors of C4 Ultimate Strength – Frozen Bomb, Sour Green Apple, and Watermelon. C4 Ultimate Strength, newly introduced in this series, is definitely our favorite formulation in the C4 lineup.

We’re going to dive into a little summary on C4 Original, C4 Ultimate, and C4 Ultimate Strength, but first, let’s check PricePlow for good C4 deals, and check out our video review of the new flavor:

C4 Original – How It Works

C4 Original is an excellent and affordable daily driver pre-workout, with stimulants and focus agents like caffeine and huperzine A clocking in at a moderate level. Not too little, not too much. Each 8.9g scoop of C4 Original contains the following ingredients, now fully-disclosed:

• Endurance & Performance Complex (4.5g)

  

  • CarnoSyn Beta-Alanine (2g): a favored ergogenic aid that enhances athletic performance by delaying muscle fatigue through the reduction of lactic acid buildup, particularly effective in exercises lasting between 30 seconds and 10 minutes.
  • Velox Patented Performance Blend
    • L-Citrulline (1.2g): a non-essential amino acid that enhances athletic performance and recovery by boosting nitric oxide levels. It improves blood flow and aids in oxygen and nutrient delivery, which also helps reduce fatigue and post-exercise soreness.

      The reason the Velox blend is synergistic is because citrulline functions as an arginase inhibitor, making the arginine work better as well:

    • L-Arginine (1.2g): The benefits of citrulline, which is converted into arginine and then into nitric oxide (NO) in the body, indicate that arginine supplementation also significantly enhances NO production.
  • PeptiPump Bioactive Lentil Peptides (100mg): a novel peptide network that inhibits the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE), enhancing muscle blood flow and oxygenation through significant vasodilatory effects. This is sold by Nuritas, the same company that brought us the popular PeptiStrong ingredient found in the C4 Ultimate series.



• Creatine Nitrate (as NO3-T) (1g): Creatine nitrate combines the ATP-enhancing benefits of creatine with the circulatory and performance advantages of nitrates, contributing to increased nitric oxide production, better circulation, and improved aerobic efficiency, strength, and endurance, while maintaining a strong safety profile.

  Note that athletes will want to take more creatine to get an efficacious dose, but C4 has hung their hats — quite successfully — on the incredible pumps that come from this ingredient.

• Explosive Energy & Focus Complex (205mg)
  • Caffeine Anhydrous (200mg): a stimulant that crosses the blood-brain barrier, enhances mood, focus, and physical energy by inhibiting adenosine and phosphodiesterase, which increases fat oxidation and boosts both athletic and cognitive performance.
  • Toothed Clubmoss (Huperzia serrata) (5mg): Huperzine A, derived from Huperzia serrata, enhances cognitive functions such as learning, memory, balance, and coordination by inhibiting acetylcholinesterase, thereby increasing the effectiveness of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine and promoting neurogenesis.

    This is standardized to 1% Huperzine A, so we have a 50 microgram yield inside.

All C4 Original flavors

Check out our up-to-date list of C4 Original flavors available at GNC below:

C4 Ultimate – How It Works

For a higher-octane version of C4 Original, C4 Ultimate is the perfect solution when you need an epic boost. Each 20g scoop contains the following ingredients:

• Endurance & Performance Complex: This complex is very similar to the endurance & performance complex in C4 Original, with more beta-alanine (3.2g), more citrulline + arginine in Velox (6g), more PeptiPump (200mg), and an additional 1.25g of BetaPower Betaine Anhydrous.

  Betaine, also known as trimethylglycine, is a hydration-supporting ingredient through its functions as an osmolyte and methyl group donor.

• Creatine Nitrate (NO3-T) (1.5g): Here, we have more creatine nitrate than C4 Original, adding 50% more creatine, but more importantly, 50% more nitrates for the pumps!
• Ultimate Energy, Focus & Stimulant Matrix (1.366g):
  • L-Tyrosine (1g): an amino acid that enhances stress management during training and body recomposition by supporting neurotransmitter production for focus and energy, aiding appetite suppression, boosting thyroid hormone production, and maintaining cognitive performance even during sleep deprivation.
  • Caffeine Anhydrous (300mg): see above – note that this is a bigger dose, and there are a couple more stimulatory ingredients below!
  • Dynamine (50mg): a trademarked form of methylliberine found in tea leaves that acts as a stimulant enhancing mental alertness and energy by upregulating dopamine and noradrenaline and antagonizing adenosine, without causing cardiovascular side effects like vasoconstriction.

  

  • TeaCrine (10mg): a potent stimulant and chemical cousin of caffeine named theacrine that’s found in Camellia kucha tea. It boosts mental and physical energy by antagonizing adenosine and inhibiting phosphodiesterase, enhances focus and motivation through dopaminergic effects, and unlike caffeine, does not lead to tolerance with chronic use.

    Theacrine is generally longer-lasting than Dynamine and caffeine.

  • Toothed Clubmoss (Huperzia serrata) (5mg): see above – same standardization, 1%, meaning we have 50 micrograms of Huperzine A to prolong the focus.
  • Rauwolfia vomitoria (1mg): similar to yohimbine, rauwolfia is usually standardized for rauwolscine (also known alpha-yohimibne), which boosts energy, reduces appetite, and promotes fat loss by antagonizing alpha-2 adrenergic receptors. It may also enhance focus through activation of the sympathetic nervous system.

All C4 Ultimate flavors

Check out our up-to-date list of C4 Ultimate products available at GNC:

C4 Ultimate Strength – How It Works

For a bigger emphasis on strength, the new C4 Ultimate Strength is an excellent choice. With ingredients like PeptiStrong, creatine, and elevATP, you can say goodbye to your current plateaus. Each 27.5g scoop of C4 Ultimate Strength contains the following ingredients:

• Muscular Endurance & Performance Complex (10.65g): the same ingredients as the Endurance & Performance Complex in C4 Ultimate.
• Muscle & Strength Matrix (8.05g): This is the blend where Ultimate Strength really shines:

  

  • Creatine Monohydrate (4g): Creatine is highly researched and proven to effectively enhance physical and mental performance by increasing ATP stores, thereby boosting power, muscle gain, speed, hydration, and cognitive abilities, with a four-gram dose shown to be effective even when dietary intake is accounted for.

    In addition to the 1.5 grams of creatine nitrate, we are now extremely close to a full 5 gram yield of creatine!

  • PeptiStrong (2.4g): Developed by Nuritas, who also brings us PeptiPump, PeptiStrong is an anabolic peptide network derived from fava beans that enhances muscle growth and recovery by manipulating epigenetic and hormonal factors. It can significantly boost muscle strength, reduce soreness, and increase muscular endurance, with studies showing its profound effects on muscle maintenance and recovery from atrophy.
  • Creatine Nitrate (as NO3-T) (1.5g): see above, noting the dual-action of the nitrate pumps and the extra gram or so of creatine to add to the 4 grams of monohydrate.
  • elevATP (150mg): derived from ancient peat moss and apples, elevATP enhances athletic performance by boosting ATP production, which in turn increases strength, jump speed, and power, as demonstrated in a study where it outperformed a placebo.
• Ultimate Energy, Focus & Stimulant Matrix (1.366g): see above, same as C4 Ultimate.

All C4 Ultimate Strength flavors

Check out our up-to-date list of C4 Ultimate Strength flavors below:

The C4 Renaissance Hits GNC with a Hawaiian Punch Vengeance

The new 2024 C4 Series is here from Nutrabolt, with a new C4 formula, new pump ingredient named PeptiPump, and a total of 7 pre-workout supplements!

With a product line as seasoned as C4, you may be tempted to think there’s nowhere for Nutrabolt to take it. The 5th Gen release has blown that theory out of the water, and we’re stoked for both the flavors (Hawaiian Punch is a winner) and new PeptiPump ingredient.

C4 is back and better than ever, and is now available with some novel twists, as in the case of C4 Ultimate Strength.

Now, with GNC on board, you’ll be able to try out the new products – and the new Hawaiian Punch flavor – regardless of which major retailer you prefer.