STORM Pre Workout: A Scoop for Thrill-Seekers

2021 has been a quiet year for new supplement brands, but one brand that’s chosen to disrupt the norm is Storm Lifestyle, whose smart no-nonsense formulations come packaged with a cool 90s-era underground surfer-skater vibe. While the last two years have sent new supplement brands running scared, this team has headed into the fire — full speed ahead.

You bring the adrenaline, STORM brings the extra energy, focus, and bloodflow!

STORM wants to be the brand of choice for rebels — for “thrill-seekers” and “rule-breakers” in their own words. They’ve done a spectacular job of it so far with their twin release of a pre-workout and a nootropic formula.

You can see our breakdown of their STORM Focus nootropic, which brought us a new ingredient in BrainBerry, but today we’re covering STORM Pre Workout.

Disrupt the Norm with STORM Pre Workout

With mainstay ingredients that have tons of research backing, plus a hefty dose of everybody’s favorite ergogenic aid, caffeine, Storm Pre-Workout will definitely help you push yourself to the next level in the gym – or on the board.

But how does it do this? Let’s take a look:

STORM Nootropic Ingredients

In a single one-scoop serving of the Pre-Workout from Storm Lifestyle, you get the following:

• Citrulline – (Kyowa Quality) – 4000 mg

  

  The STORM Pre Workout Ingredients: Bringing back the arginine + citrulline combination for epic blood flow!

  Nitric oxide (NO) is a molecule produced by our endothelial and epithelial cells that triggers vasodilation, the expansion of blood vessels to promote circulation and lower blood pressure.^[1] Low levels of NO have been linked to cardiovascular disease,^[1] and high levels can increase athletic performance,^[2] so NO is definitely something we want more of, not less.

  The amino acid citrulline is a precursor to the amino acid arginine, which in turn is the precursor to nitric oxide.^[3] Weirdly enough, although arginine is the most direct precursor to NO, supplementing with citrulline actually works better than supplementing with arginine.^[4-6]

  More NO means more vasodilation, a phenomenon where blood vessels expand in diameter, thus improving blood flow and nutrient delivery. One downstream effect of vasodilation is increased production of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the basic energy molecule in the human body, and more ATP enables better physical performance and faster recovery after exercise.^[7-9] Athletes notice less soreness, too.^[10]

  Synergistic effects incoming!

  Although citrulline supplementation is better than arginine supplementation at boosting NO when each is tested solo, the combination of citrulline and arginine is significantly better at boosting NO function than either arginine or citrulline alone,^[2] which is why Storm also put arginine in this formula. More on that later!

• Beta-Alanine – 3200 mg

  

  We’re interested in section (B) here, where beta alanine alone shows great results compared to placebo.^[11]

  The first great thing to note about beta alanine is that when it’s combined with histidine, an essential amino acid that’s in most common protein-containing foods, it increases the production of carnosine.^[12,13] This is great for the purpose of a hard workout because carnosine will “buffer” the lactic acid in your muscles, thus delaying the onset of fatigue and increasing muscular endurance.

  Two different large meta-analyses, one from 2012 with over 300 participants,^[14] and another from 2016 with over 1400 participants,^[11] bore this out, concluding that any exercise of a duration between 30 seconds and 10 minutes can be positively impacted by beta alanine.^[11]

  Long story short: more muscular endurance, so you can keep at it longer.

  Taking beta alanine is known to cause a tingling sensation in some people, but if this happens to you, don’t be alarmed – researchers regard this as a benign side effect.^[15]

• Arginine (Kyowa Quality) – 2000 mg

  Arginine, like citrulline, is a precursor to nitric oxide (NO).^[16] The amount of NO produced by your body is basically determined by how much arginine your endothelial and epithelial cells absorb from the food and supplements you take, but arginine also increases your body’s ability to use the NO that it has.^[17]

  

  They work better together! With the improved arginine status, we get improved nitric oxide levels, better blood flow and circulation… and ultimately, better performance!^[2]

  As mentioned above in the citrulline section, vasodilation optimizes blood flow to your tissues, making your cells’ uptake of nutrients and fuel more efficient. That will maximize your physical performance and the benefits of your exercise. It will also help you push yourself harder, and recover when your workout is finished.

  And once again, although citrulline supplementation is better than arginine supplementation at boosting NO when each is tested alone, the combination of citrulline and arginine is significantly better at boosting NO function than either arginine or citrulline alone,^[2] which is why Storm also put both arginine and citrulline in this formula.

  For too long, the supplement industry moved away from arginine and towards citrulline, which was a net improvement – but in all honesty, the best results seem to be from keeping them both!

  This is actually a great microcosm for STORM itself — they’re bringing some old school vibes, but with new school technology and flavor. The arginine citrulline synergy fulfills that exact mission.

• VitaCholine Choline L+Bitartrate – 1335 mg (yielding 547 mg choline (100% DV))

  The B-vitamin choline helps maintain the structural integrity of cell membranes.^[18] It’s also the acetylcholine precursor, which is important because acetylcholine is crucial for learning and memory, because it facilitates communication between neurons.^[19] With higher acetylcholine levels, you will experience improved not only better learning and memory, but also sharper attention and alertness.^[20,21]

  

  There are many different forms of choline, of which choline bitartrate is just one. But the bitartrate form is what we’d expect to see in a pre-workout supplement, because supplementation with choline bitartrate specifically has been shown to improve visuomotor performance.^[22]

  A word about VitaCholine: Note the yield!

  Don’t be confused by the label – there aren’t two different forms of choline in this supplement. Rather, the 547 mg of choline listed at the top of the label is the yield of pure choline from 1335 mg of VitaCholine, a trademarked form of choline bitartrate.

  …and note the L-isomer

  Further, what we love about VitaCholine is that it’s the L-isomer of choline, which is more biologically active. So not only do we have an incredible dosage and yield here, it’s also a powerful form that users frequently report to feel far better than standard choline bitartrate with mixed isomers. The mind muscle connection here should be strong.

• Tyrosine – 1000 mg

  

  Need even more focus?! STORM Focus is an energized nootropic that disrupts the norm with a new ingredient: Brainberry, which has been shown to improve hand-eye coordination and cognition.

  For max focus, alertness, and motivation we need neurotransmitters like norepinephrine and dopamine, and we want tyrosine because it’s the precursor to all of these.^[23] When we take tyrosine, it activates the sympathetic nervous system by driving the production of these neurotransmitters, activating the “fight” part of the famous “fight or flight” response.

  We all know that sleep is crucial for optimal recovery and performance, but let’s face it, we all get a less-than-perfect night of sleep every once in a while. Tyrosine will help you deal with the fallout from this and get into the gym to finish your workout regardless, because it seems to have special cognitive benefits for people who are acutely sleep-deprived.^[24,25]

• Taurine – 1000 mg

  Pay attention because taurine has so many awesome effects that this one is a doozy.

  First off, taurine is great for a pre-workout formula because it’s an osmolyte, meaning that it helps the cells in your body maintain a healthy balance of water.^[26] Think of it as the opposite of a diuretic. Obviously, optimal hydration is crucial for optimal performance in the gym – so we love seeing taurine in this formula.

  Partly because of its osmolytic effects, taurine can measurably increase physical endurance.^[27] Because of taurine’s ability to regulate osmosis through the whole body, it is evenly distributed in pretty much every tissue, where it helps to stabilize cellular membranes, protect cells against oxidative damage, and facilitate calcium signaling between cells for powerful muscular contractions.^[26,28]

  In the brain, taurine helps promote focus, because of how it protects the brain against inflammation and stress. It also upregulates GABA receptors, and increases activity within neuronal synapses.^[29] Because of all this, taurine helps new brain cells proliferate, even in the face of neurotoxic insults, and has been identified as being crucial for brain development.^[30]

  Finally, taurine helps increase the production of nitric oxide, an important molecule we’ve already discussed above.^[31]

  Conditionally essential – our bodies can generate it, but… we could still use more!

  

  Are you ready to ride the wave?

  You may have heard about “essential” or “non-essential” amino acids – the difference between them being that our body cannot manufacture essential amino acids and must get them from food or supplements, whereas “non-essential” amino acids can be synthesized by the body as needed.

  Taurine is neither essential nor non-essential: it’s considered “conditionally essential,”^[32] meaning that although the human body can make some, it can only produce limited quantities, meaning that getting more is usually better in terms of maximizing taurine’s health benefits.

  You might be wondering how taurine can possibly have so many benefits: it almost looks like a globally beneficial compound.

  Well, the answer probably involves mitochondria, the so-called “powerhouses of our cells” whose job is to produce energy for our metabolism. Unsurprisingly, mitochondrial function affects pretty much every aspect of human biology, since it is all dependent on bioenergetics, the availability of energy to carry out biological processes.

  Long story short, taurine helps out our mitochondria, big time:^[33] if you want to learn more about this, check out the long-form article from Molecules entitled: The Role of Taurine in Mitochondria Health: More Than Just an Antioxidant.^[33]

• Caffeine anhydrous – 300 mg

  STORM Pre Workout brings 300 milligrams of total caffeine in a single scoop, which is a lot for one serving, depending on your size, tolerance, and activities. If you don’t know your caffeine tolerance, try with a partial dose and go from there.

  Caffeine is a powerful ergogenic aid that inhibits adenosine and phosphodiesterase,^[34] helping to keep you awake and promote both motivation and focus. Caffeine will also increase your rate of fat oxidation, providing your metabolism with some free fatty acids that can be turned into mental or physical energy.^[35-37]

  

  Anhydrous caffeine is the preferred form for supplements like pre-workouts, because it’s rapidly absorbed and fast-acting.

  Important to note, however, is that caffeine is the primary stimulant. We have a bit more help from theobromine next, but there are no “other stims” beyond that, so this one’s for those of you who want to keep it clean with the standard methylxanthines here and none of those other anxiety-inducing agents. Because you need to be even-keeled to take the world by STORM.

• Theobromine – 100 mg

  Theobromine is chemically similar to caffeine, but is technically a metabolite of caffeine and has a longer half-life.^[38-40] It inhibits phosphodiesterase and adenosine just like caffeine does.^[38-40]

  Because it has a longer half-life, theobromine is often used to promote energy with less of a “crash” and a longer suppression of appetite.^[41,42] It also has a mild euphoric effect in many people,^[43] which is probably one reason why so many people love chocolate – cocoa is rich in theobromine.

• AstraGin (Astragalus membranaceus [Root] & Panax Notoginseng [Root]) Extract) – 25 mg

  

  Don’t miss out on Storm’s Apparel – this isn’t your typical supplement brand clothing!

  Developed and patented by NuLiv Science, AstraGin is an extract of Astragalus membranaceus and Panax notoginseng root that contains astragalosides and ginsenosides,which boost ATP production in the mitochondria.^[44] By supplying intestinal cells with more energy, AstraGin enables them to absorb more nutrients from the digestive tract.^[45]

  Preliminary on AstraGin has shown that it can increase the bioavailability of amino acids, nutrients, and vitamins both water soluble and fat soluble.^[46] NuLiv Science’s research shows that it can improve the uptake of both citrulline and arginine, which are conveniently here in STORM Pre Workout.

  Put simply, AstraGin makes every other ingredient in a supplement formula more effective.

Flavors Available

Gotta love STORM’s flavor names:

Conclusion

A Storm‘s a brewin in the supplement industry…

This is a solid, no-B.S. pre-workout formula. Pretty much all of these ingredients are the ones we see in successful products from established manufacturers, so we can confidently say that Storm Lifestyle has properly done their homework on what makes a pre-workout work.

We’ve been bullish on the combination of arginine and citrulline, and are very welcome to bring back the old school arginine, so long as we have some citrulline to synergize with it.

A final word about dosing

300 milligrams of caffeine is a lot of caffeine to take in one sitting: again, if you don’t know your caffeine tolerance, start with a partial dose and build from there. Meanwhile, we don’t suggest taking this at the same time as STORM Focus, although a scoop of Focus could be used on the opposite end of the day.

For most people, we urge you to not exceed the recommended dose of 1 scoop per serving… and that even goes for you thrill-seekers, who are already bringing plenty of adrenaline to the table.