legion pulse review

Legion Pulse Pre-Workout Supplement Review

Can a supplement made exclusively from natural ingredients offer up a big performance boost but avoid the post-workout crash? 

See which pre workouts beat out Legion Pulse in our best pre workout ranking!

Legion Pulse Pre-Workout Supplement Review

Legion Pulse Pre-Workout Supplement—Key Takeaways

  • The Legion Pulse Pre-Workout supplement packs high doses of key ingredients in a formulation that aims to boost energy, endurance, and strength without the side effects that normally accompany a high-caffeine supplement. 
  • The formulation consists of 100% natural ingredients and is third-party lab-tested and certified to be free of banned supplements. 
  • Legion Pulse hovers at one of the highest costs per dose on the pre-workout supplement market, which for many potential users may put it out of reach as a regular part of one’s workout routine. However, the company’s “No Return Necessary” Money-Back Guarantee means there’s no harm in trying the product once. 

Table of Contents

Legion Pulse Pre-Workout Supplement Review Score: 42.5/50

Let’s explore how we arrived at this score and what each point of evaluation means.

Flavor: 8/10

Legion Pulse Pre-Workout is available in 18 flavors, including popular flavors like Fruit Punch, Green Apple, and Grape.

Some users love the taste, calling it “delicious,” while others were less impressed and reported noticing some of the unpleasant taste elements found in many pre-workout powders. 

Value: 6.5/10

With one of the highest costs per dose on the market, Legion Pulse is an upscale pre-workout powder.

The price will undoubtedly deter some would-be users, while those inclined to spend more for a higher-quality product will appreciate the value they’re getting for their money.  

Strength of formula: 9.5/10

The biggest complaint users make about pre-workout powders (in general) is not feeling a noticeable boost in energy or performance.

With more than 15,000 mg of performance-enhancing active ingredients in each serving and a formulation that checks all of our must-have boxes—in or at least approaching our desired dosages—this formula packs a strong punch while incorporating extra ingredients for a smoother energy boost without the crash. 

Quality of ingredients: 9.5/10

The all-natural formulation and third-party Labdoor testing can set users’ minds at ease.

Legion promotes its Pulse Pre-Workout supplement as being “science-based” and provides dozens of references to scientific studies to prove it. 

Experience: 9/10 

What most users want out of their pre-workout supplement is exactly what Legion Pulse provides so well: significant improvements in energy and performance with minimal side effects. 

If you’re just here for the score, consider checking out how we scored other pre workout supplements!

What Are the Benefits of Legion Pulse Pre-Workout Supplement?

Much of the basics of what Legion Athletics promises users of its Pulse Pre-Workout supplement is pretty standard for the pre-workout powder market: improved energy, strength, and focus.

However, Legion Pulse also aims to provide these benefits without certain common side effects of pre-workout supplements—namely, an upset stomach, feelings of the “jitters,” or a “crash” as the caffeine wears off. 

Legion Pulse doesn’t claim to offer any magical capabilities to make users suddenly lift considerably more or set a new series of personal records in the blink of an eye. In fact, refreshingly, Legion cautions that Pulse will “absolutely not” make these unrealistic notions come true.

Instead, the company promises more reasonable effects: the ability to train harder and for longer and to finish even a tough workout strong. 

User Review Roundup: Does It Actually Work?

pre workout supplement reviews

There’s a reason Legion Pulse has thousands of positive reviews on the manufacturer’s website, Amazon, and the sites of other retailers—including more than 11,000 positive ratings and reviews on Amazon alone. 

What reviewers praise is exactly what Legion Pulse promises: a significant, noticeable boost in energy, performance and endurance that, for the most part, occurs without the types of side effects that can deter users from sticking with a pre-workout regimen. 

To the point of the supplement’s effectiveness as an energy and performance booster, reviewers say it “wakes you up and gets you ready to work out,” “gives me the most energy for my workout,” and “really helps with energy and focus.”

Users have referred to Legion Pulse Pre-Workout as “the best pre-workout on the market” and “Nectar of the Gods” for its profound effects. Some reviewers reported years of using the supplement with consistent, long-term positive effects, indicating that the effectiveness didn’t wane just because the person got used to taking it. 

Many users also praised the lack of jitters that accompanied the pre-workout supplement. Even non-coffee drinkers and people who generally avoid caffeine (due to personal preferences, not medical contraindications) reported being able to tolerate and enjoy the use of the Legion Pulse Pre-Workout supplement without experiencing a crash or other unpleasant side effects. 

Ultimately, the question on a fitness enthusiast’s mind isn’t whether any given pre-workout supplement works for other people but whether it will work for them personally. To that point, Legion offers a money-back guarantee that’s one of the best in the business.

You don’t even have to return the product or fill out a series of complicated forms to get a full refund, no questions asked. If it doesn’t work the way you want it to, it’s free—so new users really do have nothing to lose. 

Legion Pulse Pre-Workout Supplement Formulation

pre workout supplement reviews

What makes Legion Pulse such an effective pre-workout supplement is the unique blend of ingredients that makes up the powdered drink mix. 

Pre-workout supplements may contain countless ingredients that serve a wide array of purposes to elevate the user’s workout performance. Some of these ingredients have been extensively studied and proven to be safe and effective, while others are still in the early stages of research study. 

When we evaluate a pre-workout powder, we consider three ingredients to be essential: 

Caffeine

The simplest definition of a pre-workout supplement is a supplement intended to give you the energy to take your workout to the next level. That energy boost comes primarily from caffeine, a central nervous system stimulant that can help you feel more awake and alert while improving your endurance, strength, and performance.  

The more caffeine a pre-workout powder contains, the bigger the boost of energy the product can give users.

Still, taking too much caffeine can leave users feeling jittery, experiencing a racing heartbeat, and having trouble sleeping, so more caffeine isn’t always better. Ideally, we look for a pre-workout supplement to include 200 to 400 mg of caffeine to be effective. 

Citrulline

L-citrulline is a non-essential amino acid that your body converts to arginine (another amino acid) and uses to produce the nitric oxide gas that dilates blood vessels. Wider blood vessels allow for improved blood flow to your muscles, helping them perform better and reducing feelings of fatigue for optimal endurance. 

Our preferred form of citrulline to see in a pre-workout powder is pure L-citrulline in the range of 6,000 mg to 8,000 mg. Many pre-workout supplements instead use citrulline malate, a blend that most commonly consists of 2/3 L citrulline and 1/3 malic acid.

If a supplement uses citrulline malate instead of pure L-citrulline, we prefer to see a higher dosage to achieve the same effects of 6,000 to 8,000 mg of pure L-citrulline. 

Beta-alanine

Another non-essential amino acid, beta-alanine reduces a user’s perception of fatigue by increasing the concentration of the molecule carnosine in the muscles. Increased carnosine helps to fend off the hydrogen ions that produce lactic acid and cause muscles to feel fatigued during high-intensity workouts. 

Beta-alanine is also known for producing a feeling of paresthesia, or skin-tingling, in users. This feeling is generally temporary and harmless, and pre-workout supplement enthusiasts sometimes report enjoying the feeling as “proof” that their pre-workout is working. For some users, though, the tingling can reach an unpleasant level of discomfort, especially with high doses of beta-alanine. 

We like to see a pre-workout powder contain 2,000 mg to 5,000 mg of beta-alanine. 

Other Great Pre Workout Ingredients

Aside from these three critical ingredients, some of our favorite ingredients are dietary extracts that serve as blood flow enhancers, like beet root and red spinach, and creatine, a compound produced by naturally occurring amino acids that aids in energy regeneration and muscle growth for better body composition. 

Legion Pulse Pre-Workout Supplement Ingredients

Let’s look at Legion Pulse Pre-Workout’s formulation and see how it compares to our preferred ingredients list. 

Total active ingredients15,100 mgIngredient purpose
Caffeine350 mgEnergy, strength, and endurance
Citrulline Malate8,000 mg Nitric oxide booster and blood flow enhancer
Beta-alanine3,600 mgFatigue reducer
Betaine2,500 mgMuscle strength and endurance enhancer
L-Theanine350 mgNitric oxide booster and attention and memory enhancer
Alpha-GPC300 mgCognitive booster and power output enhancer

First up, caffeine. Legion Pulse contains 350 mg of caffeine, putting it well within the range we look for in a pre-workout supplement. 

The 8,000 mg of citrulline malate meets our need for citrulline. However, the dosage is a little shy of what we prefer to see when you factor in that the citrulline malate is a blend of L-citrulline and malic acid rather than pure L-citrulline. 

The 3,600 mg of beta-alanine is well within our desired range. 

Legion Pulse Pre-Workout’s formulation also includes three additional active ingredients. 

  • The 2,500 mg of the amino acid betaine are intended to enhance strength and muscle endurance. 
  • The 350 mg of L-Theanine not only increases nitric oxide in the body for better blood flow but also works synergistically with caffeine to help boost your energy and alertness and prevent a “crash” later. 
  • The 300 mg of alpha-glycerophosphocholine, or alpha-GPC, offers the potential for cognitive benefits as well as enhancing power, strength and physical performance in high-intensity exercise. 

All told, Legion Pulse Pre-Workout users are consuming 15,100 mg of performance-boosting ingredients with each serving. Compared to competitors like Insane Labz, whose Psychotic Pre-Workout supplement includes 4,459 total mg of proprietary “PSYCHOTIC BLEND” ingredients, Legion Pulse users are getting a huge volume of supplement ingredients in each serving. 

Legion Pulse impresses not only in terms of quantity but also quality. Legion promotes its supplement as comprising 100% natural ingredients.

Key Point: The product is third-party tested by Labdoor and certified free of banned substances, which makes it an excellent choice for athletes participating in organized sports leagues as well as users who want to know that the supplements they’re putting in their bodies are safe. 

What Ingredients Are Missing From Legion Pulse Pre-Workout Supplement Ingredients?

Legion Pulse is missing the creatine and the dietary extract nitrates we prefer to see in a pre-workout powder. That said, the formulation is chock full of good stuff. 

While there’s no beet root or red spinach leaf extract, the L-Theanine serves as a secondary nitric oxide booster, aiding the citrulline malate in getting muscles the blood flow they need. 

We personally would like to see creatine included, but the Alpha-GPC that is part of the formulation has been shown to increase levels of growth hormones, so it can fill that gap in helping users build muscle. Several regular users of Legion Pulse noted in their reviews that they actually prefer a pre-workout powder without creatine, so the lack of this ingredient isn’t so much an omission as it is a personal preference for many. You can also stack Legion Pulse with creatine purchased separately. 

The formulation uses citrulline malate instead of L-citrulline, which is what we would prefer to see. However, the combination of the high dose of citrulline malate and the addition of the nitric oxide booster L-Theanine makes up for some of what’s missing by swapping pure L-citrulline for the malic acid blend. 

Key Point: Overall, the Legion Pulse Pre-Workout supplement impresses, with a powerful formulation and no glaring gaps that keep your workout performance from reaching its peak. 

Who’s It For?

Who can benefit from using the Legion Pulse Pre-Workout supplement? This supplement can boost the physical and mental performance of anyone who can safely tolerate caffeine. 

Who Should Use Legion Pulse Pre-Workout Supplement?

Some pre-workout supplements are tailored toward specific types of exercise or fitness goals, like weightlifting or weight loss. Legion Pulse has a versatile formulation that makes it suitable for all varieties of physical exercise, from aerobic and anaerobic workout routines to cardio, weightlifting and endurance training.

Legion recommends the Pulse pre-workout supplement for both men and women, although the company notes that women and smaller-statured men who find 350 mg of caffeine to be too high a dose should consider taking half a serving at a time. 

Who Shouldn’t Use Legion Pulse Pre-Workout Supplement?

Generally, Legion Pulse is safe and generally effective for anyone who can safely use a caffeine-based pre-workout powder.

This means that anyone who shouldn’t consume caffeine for medical reasons, including medical conditions and the use of prescription or over-the-counter medications, should avoid this product and other pre-workout powders that contain caffeine. 

Additionally, minors under the age of 18 shouldn’t use the Legion Pulse Pre-Workout supplement. Neither should individuals who are pregnant or breastfeeding. 

Legion Pulse Pre-Workout Supplement Flavor Review: How Does It Taste?

The Legion Pulse Pre-Workout supplement is available in 18 flavors, including: 

  • Apple Cider
  • Arctic Blast
  • Blood Orange
  • Blue Raspberry
  • Blueberry Lemonade
  • Cherry Limeade
  • Frosted Cranberry
  • Fruit Punch
  • Grape
  • Green Apple
  • Mojito
  • Peach Ring
  • Pink Lemonade
  • Sour Candy
  • Strawberry Kiwi
  • Strawberry Margarita
  • Tropical Punch
  • Watermelon

According to customer reviews, the best flavor of Legion Pulse Pre-Workout appears to be fruit punch, which users describe as “tart” and “sour” yet relatively enjoyable and even “delicious.”

Other popular flavors include Green Apple, which users describe as tasting “just like a green Jolly Rancher” candy, and the Grape, which is said to taste “like Kool-Aid.”

For all of the reviews you will find praising the taste of Legion Pulse Pre-Workout flavors, though, there are also users who were less impressed with the taste.

After all, naturally flavored pre-workout powders in general have a reputation for not tasting great, with some brands and flavors being more palatable than others. Some users report noticing a “metallic” element to the taste or that it tastes “medicine-like.” 

Legion Pulse Pre-Workout Supplement Price and Buying Options

Legion Pulse is a great product made with quality ingredients and third-party quality assurance—but how much will you pay for this supplement? 

To buy Legion Pulse directly from the manufacturer, you can expect to pay $44.99 for a container that holds 20 doses of the full clinical strength serving size (two scoops). Subscribers save 20%, dropping the cost for 20 doses to $36. 

Buying elsewhere could save you money. Amazon’s one-time purchase price for a 20-serving container amounts to $39.97. Enrolling in the Subscribe & Save program through Amazon could give you access to additional discounts. 

Among pre-workout supplements, Legion Pulse has a somewhat higher than average price per container, at $44.99 compared to around $39.99. Legion also puts a significantly smaller number of doses in each container, 20 compared to the average of 30 servings. You’ll pay more for Legion Pulse than for the average pre-workout powder. 

To understand exactly how much more, it makes sense to look at the cost per dose rather than the cost per container. Legion Pulse has a cost per dose of around $2.25 for a one-time purchase or $1.80 if you’re taking advantage of the manufacturer’s subscriber discount. Amazon purchasers will pay a cost per dose of around $2. 

In general, $2.25 is among the highest per-dose costs on the market. Even with the subscriber discount, users can expect to pay 35% more than the average cost per dose (generally, around $1.33) for a pre-workout supplement. 

Legion Pulse isn’t a value-priced pre-workout powder, and it doesn’t claim to be. For a customer base that’s willing to invest a little more into a quality sports nutrition product, the product holds enough value to make its higher price point worth it. On the other hand, budget-conscious buyers might prefer to skip this one, since numerous competitors—including Cellucor C4 Sport, Mr. Hyde, Insane Labz Psychotic, Nitrosurge, Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard, Alani Nu, REDCON1 TOTAL WAR, Bucked Up, and GHOST Legend—offer more affordable options.  

*Prices listed above are accurate as of December 2022

What Are the Side Effects of Legion Pulse Pre-Workout Supplement?

Part of Legion Pulse’s marketing message focuses on what users can expect not to happen: jitters, a “crash,” and an upset stomach. For the most part, users agree that Legion Pulse tends to cause fewer side effects than other pre-workout supplements. 

Still, every pre-workout supplement has the potential to pose some side effects. Some of the side effects reviewers have mentioned include: 

  • Skin tingling and itching from the beta-alanine, which for some users can be severe enough to cause discomfort
  • Increased sweating 
  • Increased gas or need to defecate

Additionally, some of the known side effects of caffeine are possible when taking Legion Pulse Pre-Workout, even though most reviewers note the absence of these side effects that commonly accompany other pre-workout supplement brands.

Those side effects may include: dizziness, jitters, anxiety, shakes, a racing heart, an upset stomach, and a headache. 

Legion Pulse Pre-Workout Supplement Pros and Cons

Pros:

  • We love the all-natural formulation, transparent labeling, Labdoor third-party testing, and NSF-certified, FDA-inspected, cGMP-compliant manufacturing facilities where Legion produces its supplements that together assure users of the high quality of the product. 
  • By and large, users find that the Legion Pulse Pre-Workout supplement delivers on both aspects of its promises, giving them the performance and energy boost they’re looking for with a special formulation that wards off the side effects that commonly accompany high caffeine consumption.
     
  • Many pre-workout supplement manufacturers refer vaguely to “research” as guiding the product’s formulation, but Legion Pulse is truly backed by science. Legion Athletics provides specific references of upwards of 50 peer-reviewed scientific studies that support the use of Pulse’s ingredients and the quantity needed to constitute clinically effective doses of each ingredient. 

Cons:

  • By far, the biggest disadvantage Legion Pulse Pre-Workout presents is the cost. Even regular users admit that they wish the supplement was a little more affordable, despite the value offered by the high quality of the product. 
  • Although several users claim to actually enjoy the tastes of Legion Pulse Pre-Workout’s most popular flavors, there’s no shortage of reviews complaining about the taste, including those that described the taste as “medicine-like” or “terrible.”  
  • The total two-scoop serving size may be a bit intense for certain users, including small-statured users and those with a low caffeine tolerance. Legion recommends that new users, even those who have used other pre-workout powders before, start by taking half of a dose for their first use. 

We really like Legion’s commitment to quality and the science-backed formulation of Pulse. For most exercise enthusiasts, the biggest sticking point is certainly going to be the high cost. 

What’s the Verdict?
If avoiding the jitters and crashes that notoriously accompany so many pre-workout powders is worth paying extra for, Legion Pulse should be your next pre-workout. On the other hand, if you value your budget over a side-effect-free experience or if you’re not prone to side effects from caffeine consumption anyway, a less expensive option may be a better fit for you. 

Jack Kelle

Jack is an entrepreneur, outdoorist, and animal lover with a background in philosophy, psychology, and business. He enjoys music, friends, and family. At RAVE, Jack works as the manager of marketing and content development.