Cannibal Ferox Pre Workout Review

Cannibal Ferox pre workout is a high stim pre workout supplement from Chaos & Pain. It’s known for its massive 450 mg dosage of caffeine, along with novel ingredients like Mucuna Pruriens and Theophylline.

Chaos & Pain was nice enough to send me a tub to review for you all.

In short: it definitely hits. I’ll be adding this one to my personal rotation.

For more details and a full ingredient breakdown, see below.

My Experience

Flavor

I had the pineapple express flavor of Cannibal Ferox. It was pretty good and I’m not usually a massive fan of pineapple flavor.

Effects

The most notable effects of Cannibal Ferox are energy, thanks to the caffeine and alpha yo. There’s a decent sense of urgency and motivation too, as could be expected. I don’t know if it’s enough to qualify it for my list of strongest pre workouts, but it’s certainly close – comparable to Wrecked or DVST8 of the Union in terms of energy I’d say. Honestly, I like that it doesn’t contain any “exotic” stimulants while still delivering a strong dose of energy. I don’t like taking exotic stim pre workouts on a regular basis, so this helps fill in those gaps. I’d say this lasts for a good 3+ hours.

I didn’t get much euphoria from it, which is fine.

The alpha yohimbine is spot on, delivering motivation and urgency (and sweating!) without making my heart go crazy or giving me chills.

Pumps were respectable, but nothing to write home about. Again, no big deal there for me.

I didn’t experience any negative side effects after it wore off, just a nice return to baseline.

Verdict

Cannibal Ferox fits nicely in the category of high stim pre workouts that don’t contain any exotic ingredients. While probably a little strong for a “daily driver” (unless you want to jack up your caffeine tolerance), it’s a nice break from DMAA pre workout or DMHA pre workout.

Recommended!

Cannibal Ferox Pre Workout Ingredients

L-Citrulline Malate 2:1 – 6,000 mg

L-Citrulline Malate is one of the most common pre workout ingredients. It has extensive evidence supporting its effects on increasing nitric oxide production, power output, and endurance.

The 6 gram dosage in Cannibal Ferox meets the standard 6 gram clinical dosage of l-citrulline malate. It is included at the proper 2:1 ratio, meaning it provides 4 grams of L-Citrulline and 2 grams of malic acid.

Beta Alanine – 3,200 mg

Beta Alanine has been repeatedly shown to increase maximal strength levels when taken regularly. Like Citrulline Malate, it is one of the most common and best researched pre workout ingredients on the market today.

And yes, beta alanine is also the “tingling” ingredient.

3.2 g is the clinical dosage, so that’s nice to see. The tingling is definitely apparent with Cannibal Ferox, but not too crazy. I’d say Cannibal Riot Pre Workout has stronger tingling for some reason.

Betaine Anhydrous – 2,500 mg

Betaine is included to help increase your power output. However, research is pretty inconsistent around this claim.

Betaine often finds itself included in pump formulas because it theoretically could indirectly “…enhance vasodilation and cellular swelling during resistance training.”

2.5 grams is a pretty strong dose of this ingredient. (More info: Examine)

L-Tyrosine – 750 mg

L-Tyrosine helps “smooth out” some of the harsher effects of stimulants and increase focus. Some limited research also shows it can act as a cognitive booster in stressful environments.

750 mg is an okay dosage – I wish it were a bit higher at least 1 gram. It falls a bit short of the range recommend for use in an exercise setting (source). 

Caffeine Anhydrous – 450 mg

This is the standard form of caffeine. You know what it is. It delivers all of the expected benefits: mental focus, energy, motivation, a will to live, etc.

450 mg is a massive dosage of caffeine anhydrous, larger than most pre workouts I’ve come across.

Mucuna Pruriens (Std. 98% L-Dopa) – 150 mg

Also known as Velvet Bean, mucuna pruriens extract is a traditional herbal supplement with minor dopamine increasing and cortisol reducing effects, among other things.

One of the more reliable effects it has is a noticeable reduction in Parkinson’s Disease symptoms, though that is not relevant here.

I’m not sure if the dosage included here, 150 mg, is sufficient for stress reduction, though to be honest those effects are quite minor anyway.

Theophylline Anhydrous – 50 mg

Theophylline anhydrous is a bronchodilator that treats the symptoms of asthma, bronchitis, and emphysema by making it easier to breath. It achieves this by opening up the airways in your lungs.

While certainly an atypical ingredient, I have seen it before in Chemix Pre Workout and Red Sky Fat Burner (also a Chaos & Pain product).

Yohimbine HCL – 3 mg

Yohimbine HCL helps promote fat loss, an effect noted for obese and lean people.

“Yohimbine’s ability to block the alpha-2 adrenergic receptors located in fat cells could, in theory, lead to increased fat loss and weight loss. Several controlled studies have evaluated this and found mixed results.”

3 mg is an average dosage compared to most fat burning and pre workout supplements.

Alpha Yohimbine – 2 mg

Rauwolfia, also known as Alpha Yo, is a diastereoisomer of Yohimbine. In other words, it is a specific part of Yohimbine that is known for its stimulant effects.

2 mg is a fairly average dosage of rauwolfia, which to me is a good thing. I didn’t feel the alpha yohimbine to an excessive amount with Cannibal Ferox and feel like Chaos & Pain dialed this one in nicely.

Still, those who are sensitive to alpha yohimbine may want to steer clear of this product.

Huperzine A 1% – 200 mcg

Like Alpha GPC, Huperzine A is a cholinergic that acts as a cognitive enhancer. 200 mcg is a fairly standard dosage, solid.

About Kyle Risley

Kyle Risley founded Lift Vault in 2016 to make finding great powerlifting programs easier. Since then, the site has grown to include hundreds of programs for strength, bodybuilding, Olympic weightlifting, and more. He currently lives in Massachusetts and continues to compete in powerlifting.