Chaos and Pain Cannibal Ferox Pre-Workout

Protocol and duration

single acute dose, 40 to 60 minutes before training

Studied context

Studied for resistance-exercise repetition performance/muscular endurance, cycling performance, muscle-damage recovery, and muscle soreness. A 2021 critical review notes a single acute 8 g dose "may, albeit not consistently, increase muscular endurance-strength performance," with a meta-analysis finding an average 6.4% increase in repetitions with 6-8 g dosed 40-60 minutes pre-exercise, with a stronger trend for lower-body than upper-body exercises.

Limitations

The same review states there is "little evidence to advocate its use in the production and maintenance of muscular power, maximal strength, recovery of muscular function, or supporting muscular adaptations," calls cycling-performance effects "scarce," and says claims about reduced muscle soreness lack consistent support. Overall efficacy is called "ambiguous." The review also flags a real-world quality-control problem: commercial products often do not match the citrulline:malate ratio used in the research they cite.

Selected evidence: A critical review of citrulline malate supplementation and exercise performance, 2021 · Open source

Protocol and duration

per day in divided doses, for at least 2 to 4 weeks, not as a single pre-workout dose

Studied context

Studied for high-intensity exercise capacity in the 60-240 second range via elevation of muscle carnosine, which acts as an intracellular pH buffer against acidosis. ISSN 2015 position stand: greatest performance benefits in "open end-point" tasks/time trials lasting 1-4 minutes; some benefit noted in aerobic exercise up to roughly 25 minutes; attenuation of neuromuscular fatigue, particularly noted in older adults.

Limitations

Strength/resistance-training outcomes remain mixed; training volume may increase without a clear strength gain. Tasks under 60 seconds do not show benefit. Endurance benefit beyond about 25 minutes is not established. Long-term safety data beyond roughly a year, and effects in special/tactical populations, are flagged as needing more research.

Selected evidence: ISSN position stand on beta-alanine, 2015 · Open source

Protocol and duration

per day, studied for up to 15 days

Studied context

NIH ODS describes betaine as studied for strength- and power-based performance in bodybuilders and cyclists, with "potential but modest" improvements from a limited set of small, sometimes conflicting studies. A 2024/2025 systematic review focused specifically on endurance performance (VO2max, time-to-exhaustion, time-to-completion, power output).

Limitations

The endurance systematic review explicitly states "limited and inconclusive evidence regarding the definitive ergogenic effect of betaine supplementation on endurance exercise performance". Only 2 of 5 reviewed studies showed a significant improvement, and the authors call for "additional, more rigorous research."

Selected evidence: NIH ODS, Dietary Supplements for Exercise and Athletic Performance · Open source

Protocol and duration

per day for five days, in the cadet study

Studied context

Studied as the dietary precursor to norepinephrine for mitigating cognitive performance decrements under acute stress. A 2015 Military Medicine evidence review (rapid evidence assessment, 14 trials: 10 RCTs + 4 controlled clinical trials) issued a "weak recommendation" in favor of tyrosine for cognitive stress specifically, stating "all studies showed a positive effect" on that outcome. A widely cited primary study (Deijen et al. 1999, Brain Research Bulletin) gave cadets 2 g tyrosine daily for five days during a combat training course and found better memory and tracking-task performance, plus lower systolic blood pressure, versus a carbohydrate control.

Limitations

The 2015 Military Medicine review states explicitly that "no recommendation could be made" for tyrosine's effect on physical performance under stressful physical conditions, and concludes "available evidence is insufficient to make confident recommendations on the effectiveness of tyrosine for mitigating stress effects on physical/cognitive performance" overall, despite the positive signal on cognition. A separate heat-stress study found tyrosine ingestion did not influence cognitive function or physical performance during exercise heat stress despite raised serum tyrosine. NIH ODS's exercise/athletic-performance fact sheet does not cover tyrosine at all.

Selected evidence: Deijen et al., Brain Research Bulletin, 1999

Protocol and duration

Not recorded in the selected comparison

Studied context

Synephrine is the principal amine discussed in authoritative reviews of bitter orange (Citrus aurantium) products. Human studies have examined cardiovascular measures and weight-loss or exercise contexts, but many products also contained caffeine or other ingredients.

Limitations

NCCIH reports inconsistent cardiovascular findings and says the role of bitter orange or p-synephrine cannot be isolated in many adverse-event reports. A label amount without a verified p-synephrine assay is not treated as a measured p-synephrine dose.

Selected evidence: Bitter Orange: Usefulness and Safety, NCCIH · Open source

Protocol and duration

Not recorded in the selected comparison

Studied context

NCCIH (NIH's National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health) states yohimbe/yohimbine is promoted for erectile dysfunction, athletic performance, weight loss, and mood, but concludes "there is not enough evidence for definite conclusions" regarding effectiveness for any of these uses. OPSS separately states "there isn't enough evidence for the use of yohimbe- and yohimbine-containing dietary supplements for athletic performance or weight loss."

Limitations

Neither NCCIH nor OPSS establishes efficacy for athletic performance, weight loss, or mood enhancement. NCCIH notes yohimbine hydrochloride was formerly FDA-approved as a prescription drug for erectile dysfunction but "is rarely used for this purpose since more effective drugs with fewer side effects are available" (i.e., its prior approved use has been superseded, not that it lacked historical approval).

Selected evidence: NCCIH, Yohimbe usefulness and safety · Open source