Pumped Raw (Muscle Feast) – A Review
To continue with reviewing PWO formulas, of the several latest supplements in the market I've chosen to take a look at Pumped Raw (Muscle Feast). This multi-benefit supplement was launched in August 2014 by Muscle Feast. So it's a relatively young product but it has generated enough buzz on forums to warrant a closer look.
Claims
Muscle Feast claims that Pumped Raw when used as a pre-training supplement increases mental focus, endurance, muscle performance and blood flow all at once. It's being promoted for muscle mass gain and fat loss. Let's see if the product lives up to its claims.
Supplement Facts
One serving of Pumped Raw is 3 level scoops amounting to 10 grams. As far as I can tell there is no information on the calorie or fat content that you're taking in with Pumped Raw. Nevertheless, you know exactly what you're getting with each serving from the supplement facts on the jar, which include the following ingredients:
Trimethylglycine (TMG or Betaine) standardized for nitrates 2865mg
L-Tyrosine 1719mg
Agmapure Agmatine 573mg
Beta Alanine 2292mg
Higenamine HCL 29mg
Caffeine Anhydrous 230mg
L-Taurine 2292mg
The flavored version contains a list of a few additional ingredients and different quantities of some of the original ones:
Trimethylglycine standardized for nitrates 2636mg
L-Tyrosine 1581mg
Agmapure Agmatine 527mg
Beta Alanine 2109mg
Higenamine HCL 27mg
Caffeine Anhydrous 212mg
L-Taurine 2292mg
N&A Favoring 440mg
Citric acid 200mg
Sucralose 150mg
Acesulphame Potassium (Ace K) 80mg
There are no other ingredients or allergens contained in the product, according to the supplement fact chart.
Of the main ingredients, Agmatine and TMG standardized for nitrates are typically used in PWO formulas, but rarely mixed together. This is one of the things the Pumped Raw blend does differently, to make it as powerful a pump as possible. Agmatine is derived from L-Arginine but there hasn't been enough research yet on oral Agmatine supplements to prove that it can help increase endurance by reducing the user's ability to feel pain during workouts (which is what promotions claim). At any rate, if there's any truth to its benefits, Agmapure is commonly known as the purest form of it available in the market.
TMG is also touted as being able to enhance performance, but the jury is still out on this one. Some studies have shown 1.25 grams taken twice daily increases power in some cases and fails to do so in others.
Beta Alanine doesn't need any mention as it's very common in PWO products.
Caffeine, tyrosine and taurine have also been used in other preworkout supplements. They are well-researched and known to generally work. Caffeine anhydrous might be more powerful than standard caffeine, since the body absorbs it more easily.
Higenamine is also known as a stimulant, which is only lately showing up in some PWO supplements. It seems to speed up the heart rate and supports nitric oxide boosts unlike other stimulants, so it shouldn't interfere with TMG and Agmatine. I've not managed to find enough evidence to support claims of higenamine helping with weight loss as Muscle Feast claims.
Flavors, Jar Sizes and Price Per Serving
On the official Muscle Feast store, Pumped Raw is available in 250 gram and 1000 gram jars. It comes unflavored or in a watermelon flavor. The 250 gram jar costs $29.99 for both flavors, and contains 25 servings. This puts the cost of each serving at around $1.2. However shipping rates will have to be factored into the price as well, for which Muscle Feast charges $6.95 flat rate for anywhere in the US.
The Ratings
Pumped Raw is not listed on bodybuilding.com but it is listed on SupplementReviews.com. Users have given it a high score of 8.8. According to the website's peer rating system, this makes Pumped Raw more effective than 98% of the other products on the website.
The Verdict
I haven't tested this particular PWO so I can only judge the product based on its listed ingredients. When it comes to boosting focus and performance, I don't doubt that Beta Alanine and the stimulants in the product could be effective. It's rare to find TMG and Agmatine together so they might or might not be as effective as is claimed. The price is reasonable, and overall I would say it is likely to work as is claimed, but may not be for everyone.
