Is Cellucor C4 Ultimate Shred underdosed?

• Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxal 5-Phosphate)Per scoop 3 mgStudies Not setNot gradedEvidence: Not graded

  Not graded: a vitamin or mineral. We grade a pre-workout’s ingredients against exercise studies; vitamins and minerals are graded only on their own supplement pages.

• Folate ((6S)-5-Methyltetrahydrofolate Calcium Salt)Per scoop 100 mcg DFE, as printedStudies Not setNot gradedEvidence: Not graded

  Not graded: a vitamin or mineral. We grade a pre-workout’s ingredients against exercise studies; vitamins and minerals are graded only on their own supplement pages.

• Vitamin B12 (Methylcobalamin)Per scoop 6 mcgStudies Not setNot gradedEvidence: Not graded

  Not graded: a vitamin or mineral. We grade a pre-workout’s ingredients against exercise studies; vitamins and minerals are graded only on their own supplement pages.

• CalciumPer scoop 80 mgStudies Not setNot gradedEvidence: Not graded

  Not graded: a vitamin or mineral. We grade a pre-workout’s ingredients against exercise studies; vitamins and minerals are graded only on their own supplement pages.

• Phosphorus (Dipotassium Phosphate)Per scoop 75 mgStudies Not setNot gradedEvidence: Not graded

  Not graded: a vitamin or mineral. We grade a pre-workout’s ingredients against exercise studies; vitamins and minerals are graded only on their own supplement pages.

• Magnesium (Magnesium Citrate)Per scoop 20 mgStudies Not setNot gradedEvidence: Not graded

  Not graded: a vitamin or mineral. We grade a pre-workout’s ingredients against exercise studies; vitamins and minerals are graded only on their own supplement pages.

• Chloride (Sea Salt)Per scoop 340 mgStudies Not setNot gradedEvidence: Not graded

  Not graded: a vitamin or mineral. We grade a pre-workout’s ingredients against exercise studies; vitamins and minerals are graded only on their own supplement pages.

• Sodium (Sea Salt)Per scoop 225 mgStudies Not setNot gradedEvidence: Not graded

  Not graded: a vitamin or mineral. We grade a pre-workout’s ingredients against exercise studies; vitamins and minerals are graded only on their own supplement pages.

• Potassium (Dipotassium Phosphate)Per scoop 190 mgStudies Not setNot gradedEvidence: Not graded

  Not graded: a vitamin or mineral. We grade a pre-workout’s ingredients against exercise studies; vitamins and minerals are graded only on their own supplement pages.

• Beta-AlanineLabel: CarnoSyn (Beta-Alanine)Per scoop 3.2 gStudies 3.2–6.4 g/dayEffective doseEvidence: Strong

  Contains 3.2 g; studies use 3.2–6.4 g/day.

• L-CitrullinePer scoop 3 gStudies 4–5.33 gBelow research doseEvidence: Weak

  Contains 3 g; studies use 4–5.33 g.

• L-ArgininePer scoop 3 gStudies 0.15 g/kgBelow research doseEvidence: Weak

  Contains 3 g (40 mg/kg at 75 kg); studies use 0.15 g/kg.

• Betaine AnhydrousLabel: BetaPower (Betaine Anhydrous)Per scoop 1.25 gStudies 2.5 g/dayBelow research doseEvidence: Moderate

  Contains 1.25 g; studies use 2.5 g/day. Betaine Anhydrous works through daily use over weeks; a lower amount still builds up, just more slowly.

• PeptiPump Bioactive Lentil PeptidesPer scoop 200 mgStudies Not setNot gradedEvidence: Not graded

  Not graded: we have no research dose for it from exercise studies.

• L-TyrosinePer scoop 1 gStudies Not setNot gradedEvidence: Not graded

  Contains 1 g. Not graded: a 2023 meta-analysis found no effect on endurance; its evidence is for focus under stress, at about 150 mg per kg of bodyweight.

• CaffeineLabel: Caffeine AnhydrousPer scoop 300 mgStudies 3–6 mg/kgEffective doseEvidence: Strong

  Contains 300 mg (4 mg/kg at 75 kg); studies use 3–6 mg/kg.

• MethylliberineLabel: Dynamine (Methylliberine)Per scoop 50 mgStudies Not setNot gradedEvidence: Not graded

  Contains 50 mg. Not graded: no exercise trial has tested it on its own; 100 mg improved how energetic people said they felt, but not their scores on cognitive tests (La Monica et al., 2023).

• TheacrineLabel: TeaCrine (Theacrine)Per scoop 10 mgStudies Not setNot gradedEvidence: Not graded

  Contains 10 mg. Not graded: on its own it did not improve a 4 km cycling time trial, canoe sprints or field tests in three trials, and 6 mg per kg raised resting blood pressure (2022–2025).

• Toothed Clubmoss Aerial Parts Extract (Huperzia serrata Aerial Parts Extract) [std. 1% Huperzine A]Per scoop 5 mgStudies Not setNot gradedEvidence: Not graded

  Not graded: we have no research dose for it from exercise studies.

• Rauwolfia vomitoria root bark extractPer scoop 1 mgStudies Not setNot gradedEvidence: Not graded

  Not graded: we have no research dose for it from exercise studies.

• MitoBurn (Beta-Aminoisobutyric Acid)Per scoop 250 mgStudies Not setNot gradedEvidence: Not graded

  Not graded: we have no research dose for it from exercise studies.

• Oligonol (Green Tea extract, Lychee extract)Per scoop 100 mgStudies Not setNot gradedEvidence: Not graded

  Not graded: we have no research dose for it from exercise studies.

• CaloriBurn (Grains of Paradise Seed Extract)Per scoop 40 mgStudies Not setNot gradedEvidence: Not graded

  Not graded: we have no research dose for it from exercise studies.

• Cayenne Fruit Extract (Capsicum annuum Fruit Extract) [std. 5% Capsaicinoids]Per scoop 20 mgStudies Not setNot gradedEvidence: Not graded

  Not graded: we have no research dose for it from exercise studies.

Use “Check it for your dose” to see this table for your own scoops and bodyweight. Only caffeine is dosed per kilogram in the studies we cite; the other research doses are fixed amounts, so your weight doesn't change them.

How many scoops would it take?

To reach the low end of the research dose for each underdosed ingredient.

Taking more doesn't fix this product. Reaching those doses means more than 400 mg of caffeine from the scoops alone, above the FDA's 400 mg daily reference for most adults, before any coffee.

Where the reference doses come from

1. Beta-Alanine, 3.2–6.4 g/day: Harris et al., 2006Hobson et al., 2012Trexler et al., 2015.
2. Betaine Anhydrous, 2.5 g/day: Cholewa et al., 2013Hoffman et al., 2009Zawieja et al., 2024.
3. Caffeine, 3–6 mg/kg: Guest et al., 2021.
4. L-Arginine, 0.15 g/kg: Viribay et al., 2020.
5. L-Citrulline, 4–5.33 g: Gough et al., 2021Vårvik et al., 2021.
6. Daily caffeine reference, 400 mg: US FDA, Spilling the Beans.
7. Label data: National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements. Dietary Supplement Label Database, 2026. https://dsld.od.nih.gov/. Label 335120.

Methodology 1.11. Read the full methodology or the corrections log.