Pre-Workout Rivalry: Pride vs Total War vs Disorder

Posted on December 1, 2024

 

Swallow your pride and prepare for a disorderly war of pre-workouts.

 

This article is the epitome of literary battle, where we will examine blow-for-blow the ways in which each pre-workout gain an advantage over their rival.

 

This is the crème-da-la-crème, no-holes-barred, ultimate pre-workout rivalry between three heavy hitters of the sports nutrition arena.

 

Sure, Faction Labs might have snuck in an extra pre-workout variation in there with an Ultimate and Original version.

 

But as this final battle gathers momentum, you’ll understand why any team is looking for an advantage wherever they can.

 

Without further-ado, let’s look at the major ingredient differences between these pre-workouts and find out which one will still be standing.

 

Stimulant Wars

Who gains the upper hand when it comes to waking you up and driving motivation for some epic training?

 

Pride pre-workout from EHP Labs takes a unique approach to stimulants with a range of caffeine containing ingredients.

 

These include caffeine anhydrous (pure caffeine), Infinergy (di-caffeine malate), green coffee extract, green tea extract and yerba mate.

 

 

This blend of caffeine sources, including the patented Infinergy, ensure a well-rounded stimulant intake, so you’re not crashing an hour after gym wondering how you went from superhuman to not-so-human.

 

The caffeine complex in Pride Pre-Workout, called “Pentaffeine 5-Stage Energy Release”, is certainly a unique take on stimulants, delivering 140mg total caffeine per serve.

 

But what about its bitter pre-workout rivals you say?

 

At the other end of the stimulant spectrum is Faction Labs Disorder Ultimate Pre-Workout.

 

Make sure you’re wearing something battle-hardened, because each serve delivers enough caffeine anhydrous to wake the dead.

 

At 400mg caffeine per serve, you will be charging into your training, breaking some pb’s, then chasing your training partner around just for fun.

 

Fortunately, Disorder Ultimate Pre-Workout offers a broad range of nootropics, including the all-important L-Theanine.

 

L-Theanine should help to keep you cognitively in check while the caffeine rushes through your veins, awakening mitochondria you didn’t know you had.

 

Just be sure you can tolerate this level of heat (caffeine) and prepare some unwinding and relaxing supps for post-workout use.

 

These could include Faction Labs Downers, Fusion Magnesium Powder or supplements like Caruso’s Sleep More if you’re struggling to crash for some much needed R&R.

 

 

 

 

Though the battle is pretty much neck-and-neck so far, the standard Disorder Pre-Workout from Faction Labs is about to take a few nasty blows to the head.

 

With 250mg caffeine anhydrous per serve and 50mg L-Theanine, it doesn’t quite match its big brother Disorder Ultimate or the stimulant depth of Pride Pre-Workout.

 

However, it might just have a sneaky upper cut prepared, given that it’s a fantastic entry level pre-workout offering plenty of nootropics.

 

It’s also top notch for those wanting to not go overboard with stimulants or who already consume plenty from other caffeinated beverages and coffees.

 

While the pre-workout battle ensues, now with three fighters in the ring a new contender emerges.

 

The name says it all—Total War Pre-Workout from Redcon 1.

 

With a splendid 320mg caffeine per serve from caffeine anhydrous and di-caffeine malate, this pre-workout will keep your energy levels smooth for hours to come.

 

Total War Pre-Workout has been tried and trusted for many years on the Australian market.

 

It will lift you up and keep you there, so you can wreak havoc and tussle with all manner of heavy objects, then let you down real nice like a mother gently rocking her newborn to sleep.

 

As this pre-workout battle continues with no clear leader, each has a unique style and meets its objectives.

 

Only time will tell which supplement emerges victorious, bloodied and battle-worn, after sustaining market popularity for decades.

 

Swole, Gorged or Pumped?

Not for the faint of heart, a solid pre-workout is one that takes advantage of the biochemical pathways involved in nitric oxide synthesis.

 

And you better believe that these sports supplements each offer answers to ensure you get maximal support for this crucial training pathway.

 

Pride Pre-Workout contains a “Skin-Splitting off the Bone Pumps” ingredient list that will transform the way you experience pumps and gain muscle fast.

 

Sure, you won’t literally have split skin and pumps that disengage your muscles from your skeleton.

 

But hopefully that’s not what you’re after anyway …

 

With L-Citrulline and Inositol Stabilized Arginine Silicate (Nitrosigine), expect some first-class nitric oxide support.

  

And with it, enhanced blood flow, oxygen and nutrient delivery to working muscles.

 

With a combined 3.25g per scoop/serve, you may want to jack that up to a double scoop to reach peak muscle pumps, which would mean 280mg caffeine.

 

And here enters Ultimate Disorder Pre-Workout, with a fantabulous 6 grams of L-Citrulline per serve in addition to Betaine Nitrate.

 

Though we’ve all heard of the miraculous nature of betaine—yawn—it’s the attached nitrate that can make all the difference to the nitric oxide pathway.

 

There are only two fundamental buildings blocks used for the creation of nitric oxide, which are nitrates and arginine.

 

Given that citrulline converts readily to arginine (probably more effective than arginine itself), the nitrates in betaine nitrate offer well-rounded support.

 

And Disorder’s little brother pre-workout, the original formulation, still contains a nice 3 grams of citrulline malate to kick-start your nitric pathways.

 

Sure, this isn’t a full clinical dosage- but you can double scoop to get there, or upgrade to big brother Ultimate.

 

 

At this point in the battle we once again have Pride and Ultimate pre-workouts kicking some serious ass, with Original Disorder formula hanging in there as a viable contender.

 

Finally, Total War delivers six grams of L-Citrulline Malate, the same quantity as Ultimate Disorder, making it a solid nitric oxide supporter for epic muscle pumps and performance.

 

The gruesome battle of the pre-workouts has so far been an intense one, with Ultimate Disorder and Pride clearly offering the most direct assault.

 

Following up, Total War and Original Disorder have been in the battle, though at times not offering the tactics required to take the upper hand.

 

Tingles Much?

One of the most commonly used pre-workout ingredients is beta-alanine, a non-essential amino acid that differs to the more common L-alanine.

 

L-alanine is found throughout our diet, in particular protein rich food, and is used as a building block for proteins.

 

Beta-Alanine is unique, because it is considered the rate-limiting pre-cursor to a muscle specific dipeptide called Carnosine.

 

 

Rate-limiting simply means that the amount of available beta-alanine often limits carnosine synthesis.

 

And by providing more beta-alanine, carnosine synthesis in the human body naturally increases.

 

Carnosine keeps our muscles nice and healthy, buffering acids and protecting against free-radical damage.

 

Research indicates that beta-alanine supplementation can promote performance as a safe and natural ergogenic aid.

 

But in the battle of the pre-workouts, who is really delivering the knock-out blow when it comes to beta-alanine?

 

While Pride Pre-Workout is sitting this battle out, as it contains zero grams of beta-alanine per serve, Total War Pre-Workout offers a clinical dosage of 3.2g per serve.

 

The original version of Disorder Pre-Workout contains 1.6 grams of beta-alanine, while its big brother offers a solid 3.2g per serve.

 

In terms of scientifically-conducted clinical trials, dosages have ranged from 2.4g to 6.4g per day.

 

Of course, body size is an important determining factor as is body composition.

 

If you’re 120kg with heavy musculature compared to 60kg with a slight build, you can vary the dosage accordingly.

 

For those with smaller body sizes, the original Disorder Pre-Workout may be adequate, though larger folks may need Disorder Ultimate or Total War to experience the full benefit.

 

Of course, not every pre-workout needs to contain the same active ingredients.

 

And though Pride Pre-Workout seems to have no shame when it comes to its beta-alanine content, it can still hold its head high with a lot to offer as a premium sports nutrition supplement.

 

Nootropic Nutrients

Battle is as much a physical game as a mental one.

 

And Faction Labs Disorder Pre-Workout, original recipe, actually packs some quality nootropic ingredients.

 

Acetyl L-Tyrosine is a nice dual active ingredient offering tyrosine and acetyl groups, to support the cholinergic and dopaminergic pathways in the brain.

 

Mucuna pruriens backs up the latter as a natural source of L-dopa, while Alpha GPC promotes the former pathway.

 

This all leads to nutritional support for learning, memory, mood and mental drive.

 

And then Disorder Original Pre-Workout offers Hordenine, L-Theanine and Vitamin B12, making this a solid nootropic.

 

It’s big brother Ultimate Disorder offer a more select range of nootropics, though at much higher dosages.

 

With a full 1,500mg N-Acetyl L-Tyrosine per serve and an mentally calming 200mg L-Theanine, Ultimate Disorder Pre-Workout has plenty on offer.

 

With Pride Pre-Workout from EHP Labs, the nootropics are listed as clear day, with tyrosine, taurine, phosphatidylserine and theobromine.

 

The inclusion of phosphatidylserine makes this a unique pre-workout, as this phospholipid is seldom used due to the high cost of the material.

 

However, phosphatidylserine assists with neuron fluidity and specifically dopaminergic effects in the brain.

 

Though Total War Pre-Workout doesn’t specifically mention nootropics, it does offer taurine to help get the mental challenge started.

 

 

Conclusion

This pre-workout showdown has been brutal, with each contender duking it out in their own style.

 

And this is what it’s all about, right?

 

Diversity of ingredients makes for interesting products.

 

This also allows us to find a product that packs particular ingredients that may be more specific for us as individuals.

 

Disorder Ultimate Pre-Workout certainly has a powerful litany of martial arts moves (ingredients) and may have finished the final round with one less abdominal punch.

 

Closely behind, Pride Pre-Workout marched onwards with the original Disorder and Total War right in the game until the end.