Darkside Onslaught Pre Workout Review + Discount

Darkside Onslaught is a pre-workout supplement from Alpha Neon. For having no illicit stims (such as Eria Jarensis, DMHA, DMBA, or the ever rare DMAA), Darkside Onslaught is one of the best pre-workouts I’ve tried in a while.

With 7 g L-Citrulline, 2.5 g Glycerol, 1 g NALT, 500 mg Alpha GPC, 300 mg Bacopa Monieri, 300 mg Lion’s Mane, 333 mg total caffeine, 75 mg Hordenine, Onslaught has the focus, pumps, and energy you’ll need in a pre-workout. 

It even has some great thermogenic ingredients, landing it on our list of the best thermogenic pre-workout supplements.

I tried it just once, but it was one of the safest, smoothest workouts I’ve had in a while. I could easily recommend this for beginners and even for stim junkies that want to reduce their stim tolerance. 

Read on for additional details of my experience, the best prices for the Darkside Onslaught pre-workout, and a breakdown of its ingredient label. 

Where to Buy

You can buy Onslaught Pre Workout from the following retailers:

• Supp Kingz
  • LIFTVAULT15 = 15% off 
• Nutri Cartel
  • LIFTVAULT = 15% off

My Experience

Although it only has 333 mg of total caffeine, it lasted me all day long with a 4+ hour workout and then playing video games for hours. This is a pre-workout that I’ll take over and over again.

Effects

The main aspects of this product were pumps, focus, energy, and thermogenic effects.

Within 20-25 minutes, I felt a strong, consistent, but not overpowering energy and gave me the spark I needed to get into the gym, and gave me that solid energy for 4-6 hours, and I was still feeling a mellow buzz 12+ hours after feeling it.

After about 40 minutes of taking Darkside Onslaught, a smooth focus began and during the workout was strong. 

The pumps were incredible, felt, and looked more swole on this product.

There was a slight mood elevation throughout the workout.

Darkside Onslaught had relatively strong thermogenic effects but was not overbearing and made me sweat and thirsty more than average.

No adverse side effects at all.

Flavor 

The flavor I tried was Purple Punch; it was a grape-esque flavor that was relatively mild but not bad at all; I’d give it an 8 out of 10.

Scoop Size 

A whole serving is approximately 7-grams, which comes out to a slightly rounded scoop.

Ingredients

Below you’ll find the ingredients for Darkside Onslaught, along with a breakdown of each ingredient.

L-Citrulline – 7,000 mg

L-Citrulline 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.

Although most research uses a variation known as L-Citrulline Malate (2:1), anecdotal evidence supports that L-Citrulline delivers much of the same benefit.

When included as pure L-Citrulline, we like to see 4 grams as the dosage. One whole serving of Darkside Onslaught delivers 7 grams of L-Citrulline, a great dose of L-Citrulline.

Glycerol Monostearate – 2,500 mg

This is the generic form of Glycerol powder found in other pre-workout products. Glycerol powder assists with hydration and allows the body to absorb more water than it usually would. This helps stave off dehydration and can have mild improvements in endurance.

But the real reason glycerol is often included in pre-workout supplements is that all of this extra water absorption can help your muscles swell up, giving you a “swole” look.

2.5-grams is on the right in the middle of the range for glycerol as it usually ranges from 2 to 3 grams per serving in good supplements.

One slight side-effect of glycerol is clumping inside the tub, as it’s hygroscopic and will pull water in, hence why it will give you a swole look. This is to be expected and, while a little annoying, doesn’t negatively impact the supplement’s efficacy.

N-Acetyl L-Tyrosine (NALT) – 1,000 mg

While L-Tyrosine is an excellent ingredient for enhancing focus and reducing stress, NALT (N-Acetyl-L-Tyrosine) is less bioavailable than pure L-Tyrosine. Going with L-Tyrosine in a future version, alongside Alpha GPC instead of Choline Bitartrate, would be very interesting.

Transparent Labs claims that “…the acetylation improves the absorption and effective period of L-Tyrosine…”, but Examine claims there is “limited practical evidence on NALT as an alternative to L-Tyrosine.”

Alpha GPC – 500 mg

L-Alpha GPC creates choline, a molecule associated with increased cognition found naturally in eggs. This is the unique ingredient found in the newest generation of Legion’s Pulse pre-workout(300 mg) and Apollon Nutrition’s Overtime Nootropic (300 mg).

Some early research suggests a notable increase in power output is achieved from Alpha GPC supplementation. (More info: Examine)

It is unclear if 500 mg is sufficient to achieve cognitive improvements. A 2015 study using 250 mg and 500 mg doses did not observe any measurable cognitive improvements in healthy test subjects.

Personally for me, I love Alpha GPC as a nootropic ingredient.

Beetroot Powder – 500 mg

A natural source of betaine, beetroot powder helps improve cardiovascular capacity and endurance. 1 g is a typical serving amount, so 500 mg might not be enough.

Bacopa Monnieri Leaf Extract – 300 mg.

Bacopa monnieri is an herb that may reduce stress & anxiety and improve brain function. While there is some exciting research around its usage as a supplement, further research is needed to understand its effects better.

Caffeine Anhydrous – 300 mg

Caffeine needs no introduction, right? Energy, focus, increased performance, etc., are all delivered by caffeine. It’s one of the most researched sports supplements.

Combined with a 33 mg yield of Guarana Seed Extract, the 333 mg of caffeine is in the middle of doses you’ll typically see in pre-workouts which range between 250 and 450 mg of caffeine.

Lion’s Mane Mushroom Extract – 1,000 mg

Lion’s Mane (yamabushitake) is a relatively new nootropic on the scene, with some research supporting anti-anxiety, cognition boosting, and well-being effects.

According to Examine, there has only been a single human study of Lion’s Mane, and the individuals took 1 gram orally three times a day. While that dosage appeared effective, it is unknown if this was optimal.

Darkside Onslaught contains 300 mg of lion’s mane, and there isn’t enough research available to determine if this is an effective dose for one time. More research is needed for this particular ingredient, but it is promising.

Guarana Seed Extract (22% Caffeine) – 150 mg

Paullinia cupana, also known as guarana, is a fruit-bearing tree; the seeds are ground into powder and used in traditional Amazonian medicine.

Guarana is supplemented primarily for its stimulant properties. It has a 22% yield of caffeine, meaning 150 mg of Guarana Seed Extract gives you 33 mg of actual caffeine. Guarana Seed Extract caffeine tends to be stronger.

N-Methyltyramine HCL – 120 mg

NMT is a focus enhancer and stimulant, similar to synephrine, banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). NMT is also used for weight loss. 

Typically included at a dosage around 200 mg in supplements, the 120 mg included is quite unsatisfactory.

Pine Bark Extract – 100 mg

Pycnogenol, the active ingredient in pine bark extract, has been reliably shown to create a notable increase in blood flow. 100 mg is a relatively low dose; just for comparison, the fantastic Sicario has 200 mg, and FSU Dyehard has 300 mg.

White Willow Bark – 100 mg

White will bark is a plant source of salicin, which is metabolized into salicylic acid. When combined with caffeine and synephrine, it may possess synergistic properties to burn fat.

120 mg of salicin is the recommended daily dosage, meaning the 100 mg in Darkside Onslaught is just under that dose.

Hordenine HCL – 75 mg

Hordenine (N, N-dimethyltyramine) is a stimulant that is often included in recent “nootropic” products. It is not widely researched, so much of the information available comes from anecdotal accounts. 

It is typically dosed between 10 mg and upwards of 150 mg, putting the 75 mg in the range. One study shows that Hordenine is an MAO (monoamine oxidase) inhibitor that may lengthen the feeling of energy and mood elevation. 

L-Theanine – 50 mg

L-Theanine is a sedating amino acid that promotes relaxation and takes the edge off caffeine to prevent a crash. Luckily, the 100 mg included in Pro-Series Pre does not take away the energy.

Halostachine – 50 mg

Halostachine is an alkaloid structurally similar to β-PEA, which is more commonly seen in pre-workout supplements. It acts as a stimulant and can enhance focus and mood.

Mucuna Pruriens (Std. 98% L-Dopa) – 50 mg

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

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

I’m not sure if the dosage included here, 50 mg, is sufficient for stress reduction, though to be honest, those effects are pretty minor anyway. 

Paradoxine (Grains of Paradise Extract Std 12.5% 6-Paradol) – 45 mg

Grains of Paradise has some up-and-coming research around it but still needs additional evidence to support its fat loss effects. With that said, some interesting research shows it can activate brown adipose tissue, which can help increase a body’s metabolism and lead to increased weight loss.

Different ingredient sources will use Grains of Paradise with varying percentages of 6-Paradol, the active ingredient in Grains of Paradise with metabolic effects.

Clinical trials used 40 mg at 12.5% purity, so you should use that as a guide when seeing how much is present in any thermogenic fat burners you’re comparing.

Darkside Onslaught uses the patented form of Grains of Paradise, the same kind used in clinical trials. Because Cannibal Inferno gives you 45 mg, it’s a 20% increase in the amount used in the study.

Bioperine – 5 mg

Bioperine is just a patented form of black pepper extract. It helps your body absorb nutrients (i.e., all of the stuff in Darkside Onslaught).