Is Gnarly Pre-Workout underdosed?

• L-CitrullineLabel: Citrulline MalatePer scoop 5 g, as printedStudies 4–5.33 gNot gradedEvidence: Weak

  Listed as “Citrulline Malate”, a form we have no conversion for, so it isn't graded.

• L-LeucinePer scoop 2 gStudies 2–3 gEffective doseEvidence: Moderate

  Contains 2 g; studies use 2–3 g.

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

  Contains 1 g. Not graded: no agreed dose of isoleucine on its own. We compare it with the WHO adult requirement pattern: a 10 g dose of essential amino acids in that pattern holds about 1.09 g.

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

  Contains 1 g. Not graded: no agreed dose of valine on its own. We compare it with the WHO adult requirement pattern: a 10 g dose of essential amino acids in that pattern holds about 1.41 g.

• Beta-AlanineLabel: CarnoSyn (Beta-Alanine) [total active beta-alanine]Per scoop 2.5 gStudies 3.2–6.4 g/dayBelow research doseEvidence: Strong

  Contains 2.5 g; studies use 3.2–6.4 g/day. Beta-Alanine works through daily use over weeks; a lower amount still builds up, just more slowly.

• CaffeineLabel: Caffeine (Green Tea)Per scoop 180 mgStudies 3–6 mg/kgBelow research doseEvidence: Strong

  Contains 180 mg (2.4 mg/kg at 75 kg); studies use 3–6 mg/kg.

• Asian Ginseng, PowderPer scoop 150 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. Caffeine, 3–6 mg/kg: Guest et al., 2021.
3. L-Citrulline, 4–5.33 g: Gough et al., 2021Vårvik et al., 2021.
4. L-Leucine, 2–3 g: Jäger et al., 2017Kerksick et al., 2018.
5. Daily caffeine reference, 400 mg: US FDA, Spilling the Beans.
6. Label data: National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements. Dietary Supplement Label Database, 2026. https://dsld.od.nih.gov/. Label 328268.

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