Animal Pak: The Product That Created a Brand (2023 Updates)

Universal Nutrition, headquartered in New Brunswick, New Jersey, produced the original Animal Pak in 1983. At the time, the company set out to develop a supplement capable of fulfilling the micronutrient demands of the biggest and hardest-working athletes on the planet.

Now we know Animal Pak is far more than just a multivitamin. Many call it the “ultimate training pack” because of a comprehensive ingredient profile that goes above and beyond the abilities of mere vitamins and minerals.

Animal Pak 2023 Updates: Fewer Pills!

Updated in early 2023, Animal Pak now comes in just eight pills, answering one of the biggest requests from customers:

New in 2023, Animal Pak just has 8 pills, down from 11!

There are more updates listed below, so we break it down in this article.

What do you get in Animal Pak?

A single serving of Animal Pak includes more than 60 key ingredients, such as:

• 25 vitamins and minerals
• 21 amino acids
• Protein
• Antioxidants
• Digestive enzymes
• Liver-detoxifying compounds
• Ergogenic aids
• Energy and focus boosters

Whether taken in pill or powder form, Animal Pak is used by some of the best athletes in the world. Nevertheless, you don’t have to be an elite strongman, powerlifter, or bodybuilder to benefit from using this supplement. And regardless of how “perfect” you believe your diet might be, more likely than not, there are some nutritional gaps that could be filled by Animal Pak.

Nutrient deficiencies can drastically impact your performance, ultimately increasing risk of injuries and illness, slowing recovery, impairing muscle growth, and potentially causing hormone imbalances.

Animal Pak’s robust ingredient list was designed to help prevent all of this and, when it comes to nutrition, leaving no stone left unturned.

Animal Pak Updates for 2023

Here are some of the ingredients Animal added in their latest update to Animal Pak:

• Haematococcus pluvialis (AstaPure) for the antioxidant astaxanthin
• Spectra, a powerful blend of nutraceutical antioxidants
• Chlorella and spirulina for heavy metal detox and antioxidant support
• Ginkgo biloba for energy and focus
• Cocoa bean powder for antioxidant and cognitive support

Here’s what was removed:

• N-acetyl cysteine
• Para-aminobenzoic acid (PABA)
• Pine bark extract
• Coffee bean extract

Other changes:

• Whey protein concentrate was swapped out for whey protein blend, which is a combination of whey concentrate and whey isolate
• The amino acid complex dose was slightly decreased

Pill-Specific Animal Pak Update – Down to 8-Pill Servings

Thanks to the ingredient and dose changes, the recommended dose for new Animal Pak tablets is 8 pills per pack, down from 11. This is a change that we’re happy about and we think Animal consumers will be as well.

Animal Pak Ingredients (2023 Update)

For optimal results, Universal recommends taking either two packs of Animal Pak tablets or two scoops of Animal Pak Powder per day, preferably in the morning with your first meal. Since it does have energy–boosting ingredients, like cocoa bean powder and coffee extract (in Spectra), avoid taking Animal Pak four to five hours prior to bedtime.

Here’s what one serving (two packs or two scoops) of Animal Pak/Animal Pak Powder provides:

Macronutrients

• Calories: 50

• Carbohydrates: 8g (3% DV)

  • Fiber: 4g (14% DV)

• Protein: 4g (8% DV)

Vitamin & Minerals

• Vitamin A (as beta carotene – 1200 mcg RAE (133%)

• Vitamin C (as ascorbic acid) – 1000 mg (1111% DV)

• Vitamin D (as cholecalciferol) – 100 mcg (500% DV)

• Vitamin E (as d-alpha tocopheryl succinate) – 100 mg (667% DV)

• Vitamin K (as phytonadione, menaquinone-4) – 120 mcg (100% DV)

• Thiamin (as mononitrate) – 76 mg (6333% DV)

• Riboflavin 76 mg (5846% DV)

• Niacin (as niacinamide) – 82 mg (513% DV)

• Vitamin B6 (as pyridoxine HCL) – 80 mg (4706% DV)

• Folate – 680 mcg DFE (400mcg folic acid) (170% DV)

• Vitamin B12 (as methylcobalamin) – 100 mcg (4167% DV)

• Biotin – 300 mcg (1000% DV)

• Pantothenic Acid (as d-calcium pantothenate) 76 mg (1520% DV)

• Choline (as bitartrate) – 90mg (16% DV)

  

• Calcium – 650 mg (50% DV)

• Phosphorus – 500 mg (40% DV)

• Iodine (as potassium iodide) – 150 mcg (100% DV)

• Magnesium (as oxide) – 400 mg (95% DV)

• Zinc (as oxide) – 30 mg (273% DV)

• Selenium (as sodium selenite) – 50 mcg (91% DV)

• Copper (as cupric sulfate) – 600 mcg (67% DV)

• Manganese (as sulfate ) – 5 mg (217% DV)

• Chromium (as chromium chloride) – 100 mcg (286% DV)

• Sodium – 35 mg (2% DV)

• Potassium (as sulfate) – 200 mg (4% DV)

Amino Acid Complex

• Alanine – 296 mg

• Arginine – 217 mg

• Aspartic Acid – 337 mg

• Cysteine – 55 mg

• Glutamic Acid – 489 mg

• Glycine – 504 mg

• Glutamine – 83 mg

• Hydroxyproline – 229 mg

• Histidine – 65 mg

• Isoleucine – 152 mg

• Leucine – 290 mg

• Lysine – 285 mg

• Methionine – 69 mg

• Phenylalanine – 117 mg

• Proline – 354 mg

• Serine – 116 mg

• Threonine – 116 mg

• Tryptophan – 41 mg

• Tyrosine – 77 mg

• Valine – 172 mg

• Ornithine – 5 mg

Liver Detox Complex

• 

  Shred. Animal Pak is the product that created an entire brand, but Animal Cuts is a whole other beast!

  Milk Thistle Seed – 500 mg

• Hawthorne Berry – 250 mg

• Beet Root – 200 mg

• Turmeric Root – 100 mg

Protein Complex

• Whey Protein Blend (whey protein concentrate, whey protein isolate) – 2190 mg

• Beef & Liver Blend (beef protein isolate, liver) – 2430 mg

Performance Complex

• Eleutherococcus senticosus (root) – 750 mg

• L-Taurine – 500 mg

• Choline Bitartrate – 250 mg

• Inositol – 125 mg

• Carnitine – 25 mg

• Haematococcus pluvialis whole microalgae (providing Astaxanthin) (AstaPure) – 1 mg

Antioxidant Complex

• Spectra (Coffea arabica extract (whole fruit), green tea leaf extract, broccoli sprout concentrate, onion extract (bulb), apple extract (fruit), quercetin (flower), tomato concentrate (fruit), broccoli concentrate (floret & stems), camu camu concentrate (whole fruit), acerola extract (whole fruit), acai concentrate (whole fruit), turmeric concentrate (rhizome), garlic concentrate (clove), basil concentrate (leaf), oregano concentrate (leaf), cinnamon bark concentrate, carrot root concentrate, elderberry fruit concentrate, mangosteen fruit concentrate, black currant fruit extract, blueberry fruit extract, sweet cherry fruit concentrate, raspberry concentrate (berry), spinach leaf concentrate, chokeberry fruit concentrate, kale leaf concentrate, blackberry fruit concentrate, bilberry fruit extract, brussels sprout concentrate) – 100 mg

• 

  Unofficial holder of the “World record cement deadlift”, it’s Jason Budsock, VP of Products at Animal / UniversalUSA, who joins us for Episode #080 of the Podcast!

  Alpha Lipoic Acid – 100 mg

• Spirulina (whole plant) – 50 mg

• Chlorella (whole algae) – 50 mg

• Grape Seed Extract – 50 mg

• Coenzyme Q10 – 5 mg

• Lutein – 1 mg

• Lycopene – 1 mg

Digestive Enzyme and Absorption Complex

• Inulin – 250 mg

• Ginger Root – 200 mg

• Bromelain – 100 mg

• Papain – 64 mg

• Lipase – 10 mg

• BioPerine (Black Pepper Extract (fruit)) – 5 mg

• Astragin (Panax notoginseng Extract (root), Astragalus membranaceus Extract (root)

Energy and Focus Complex

Great tasting, easy to mix, and fierce workouts – Animal Primal is a loaded pre-workout with novel new ingredients to try!

• L-Tyrosine – 300 mg

• Green Tea Leaf Extract – 100 mg

• D-Glucuronolactone – 100 mg

• Cocoa Bean Powder (processed with alkali) – 100 mg

• Ginkgo Biloba (leaf) – 100 mg

• Coffee Bean Extract (polyphenols) – 100mg

Animal Pak Powder Flavors

In case you’re more interested in Animal Pak Powder, here’s a current list of all available flavors:

The Ultimate Animal Health Stack

Capsules or powder, the choice is yours!

Although the original Animal Pak is phenomenal on its own, you can stack it with the following supplements for even more health benefits:

• Animal Greens
• Animal Immune Pak
• Animal Flex
• Animal Omega

Universal Nutrition Is Never Satisfied

There are few companies in the sports nutrition industry that we consider “legacy” brands, but there’s no doubt that Universal Nutrition is one of them. Some things we admire most about Universal are that they’re never satisfied and are always open to making their supplement line better. Animal Pak is a prime example of that.

From the outside looking in, Universal may seem like a hardcore sports nutrition brand that’s geared more for high–level bodybuilders and strength athletes. But in the past few months, they’ve really expanded their line of health and wellness products that benefit a wider audience.

Note: This article was originally published on December 9, 2020 and updated on March 8, 2023.