Check a label

Cellucor · Pre-workout

Is Cellucor C4 Ultimate underdosed?

1 scoop = 20.3 g20 scoopsLabel as of 25 Sep 2025 · NIH DSLD
Verdict

Below research dose on 3 of 5 key ingredients.

L-Citrulline, Betaine Anhydrous and Creatine Monohydrate are below the amounts studies use. Caffeine is in the research range.

Effective dose
2
Below research dose
4
Hidden in a blend
0
Too much
0

Ingredient by ingredient

Per scoop · bodyweight 75 kg (default)
  • Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxal 5-Phosphate)Per scoop 3 mgStudies Not setNot gradedNot 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 gradedNot 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 gradedNot 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 75 mgStudies Not setNot gradedNot 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 gradedNot 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 gradedNot 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 gradedNot 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 gradedNot 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 gradedNot 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 doseStrong

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

  • L-CitrullinePer scoop 3 gStudies 4–5.33 gBelow research doseWeak

    Contains 3 g; studies use 4–5.33 g.

  • L-ArgininePer scoop 3 gStudies 0.15 g/kgBelow research doseWeak

    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 doseModerate

    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 gradedNot graded

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

  • Creatine MonohydrateLabel: NO3-T (Creatine Nitrate)Per scoop 1.15 gStudies 3–5 g/dayBelow research doseStrong

    Contains 1.15 g; studies use 3–5 g/day. Creatine Monohydrate works through daily use over weeks; a lower amount still builds up, just more slowly.

    ASSUMPTION: creatine nitrate (1:1) is counted as the creatine monohydrate it equals: 149.15 ÷ 194.14 g/mol = 76.8% of the printed weight. Used only when the label does not state the creatine itself.

  • L-TyrosinePer scoop 1 gStudies Not setNot gradedNot 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 doseStrong

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

  • Dynamine (Methylliberine)Per scoop 50 mgStudies Not setNot gradedNot graded

    Not graded: a stimulant we have no research dose for. Its effects add to the caffeine's.

  • TeaCrine (Theacrine)Per scoop 10 mgStudies Not setNot gradedNot graded

    Not graded: a stimulant we have no research dose for. Its effects add to the caffeine's.

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

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

  • Rauwolfia vomitoria root bark extractPer scoop 1 mgStudies Not setNot gradedNot 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.

L-Citrulline to 4 g
1.3 scoops
brings 400 mg caffeine
Betaine Anhydrous to 2.5 g
2.0 scoops
brings 600 mg caffeine
Creatine Monohydrate to 3 g
2.6 scoops
brings 781 mg caffeine

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. Creatine Monohydrate, 3–5 g/day: Kreider et al., 2017.
  5. L-Arginine, 0.15 g/kg: Viribay et al., 2020.
  6. L-Citrulline, 4–5.33 g: Gough et al., 2021Vårvik et al., 2021.
  7. Daily caffeine reference, 400 mg: US FDA, Spilling the Beans.
  8. Label data: National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements. Dietary Supplement Label Database, 2026. https://dsld.od.nih.gov/. Label 335115.

Assumptions used on this page: ASSUMPTION: creatine nitrate (1:1) is counted as the creatine monohydrate it equals: 149.15 ÷ 194.14 g/mol = 76.8% of the printed weight. Used only when the label does not state the creatine itself.

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