Death Punch Extreme Pre-Workout Review

Death Punch by Dark Lab is a high stimulant pre-workout advertised as providing extreme energy and a sense of euphoria. It contains Ephedra Extract, GW501516, and 75 mg of DMAA, making it a unique product in today’s supplement market.

I recommend this product to anyone looking to supplement a calorie-restricted diet and experience long-lasting energy. Due to the ingredients in this product, I would not recommend it to those competing in natural and drug-tested sports, as it contains banned ingredients.

Thank you, Musclefactorysc, for providing this product for my review!

Where to Buy

• Muscle Factory SC
  • LV15 = 15% off

Experience

Death Punch is advertised as an extremely high stimulant junky pre-workout and looking at the formula, you can see why. The first time I used this product, I felt increased energy levels, improved breathing, and a thermogenic effect consistent with my prior experiences with ephedra. I felt the ephedra in this product! Unfortunately, that feeling didn’t reach the same level each time I consumed Death Punch. 

I experienced improved performance but did not feel much of a pump or increased vascularity. Although pump ingredients are included, they did not contribute to my experience. The L-Citrulline and Agmatine improved circulation and helped with the delivery of the stimulants and elevated heart rate. 

I experienced an increase in energy each time I consumed this product, which lasted upwards of 8 hours. The focus was good, although inconsistent, as I was determined to continue working on the task. My heart rate increased, which aided in fat metabolism. Once the Yohimbe aggression settled, my breathing improved. There was a relatively consistent thermogenic effect, which placed Death Punch on par with other thermogenic fat-burning products. 

I also used this product as an energy aid at work, which helped in all the areas listed previously. While this product is advertised as a pre-workout, I liken it to a fat-loss energy product. When using this solely as a pre-workout, it felt like something was missing, as it didn’t provide enough focus when compared to similar high-stimulant products. It helped suppress my appetite, which helped with my intermittent fasting even when taken on an empty stomach. The feeling of the Yohimbe seemed to last 1 ½ hours to 2 hours at most, but that was a welcome experience. Overall, I was satisfied with this product as it provided immediate energy within 10 minutes of ingestion and several hours of continued effects that were similar to other fat burners. 

Side Effects

If you use more than one serving, you may experience some adverse side effects. As the label indicates, this product isn’t formulated for the faint of heart as it contains many potent stimulants. I did not experience any negative side effects. The most notable effect comes from the Yohimbe, which is increased stimulation. New users may feel more anxious due to the high stimulatory response of Yohimbe, but this result is completely normal.

Flavor

I received the Sour Doom flavor, which was a good flavor with a fruit taste. It also tastes like Pheta plex, as it has a flour-tasting finish. The flavor was best when the product was mixed with 10 ounces of water. 

Dose/Scoop Size

When dealing with products containing high stimulants, it is essential to weigh your servings, as many scoops will give you more than one serving. This is the case for Death Punch. A flat-level scoop is about 1 ¼ of a serving, and a heaping scoop is close to 1 ⅔ of a serving. If you don’t have an mg-based scale, it will be okay to use a gram-based scale. Aim for a less-than-flat level scoop, as shown in the image below. I used 1 serving each time, and I didn’t need to use more. 

Ingredients

This product has been available for several years and has been relatively consistent. However, I have found a few differences in the caffeine dosage for older labels. Since the formula is a proprietary blend, this product doesn’t disclose many of the dosages. The disclosed dosages are listed below. Considering the product’s effectiveness, I was happy with the formulation. 

L-Citrulline Malate

L-Citrulline Malate is one of the most common pre-workout ingredients. Extensive evidence supports its ability to increase nitric oxide production, power output, pumps, blood flow, and endurance. 

The most common ratio is 2:1, yet the amount in this product isn’t disclosed. Since this is the first ingredient in the proprietary blend, the dosage should be the highest. The blend consists of 6.5 grams of total active ingredients, and a clinically studied dosage would be 6-8 grams of L-Citrulline Malate. It isn’t uncommon to have low-dose pump ingredients in high-stimulant products, as stimulants are vasoconstrictive and typically counteract the effects.

Agmatine Sulfate

Agmatine is often included in pre-workout supplements as a pump ingredient, but more research is needed to understand how reliable these claims are. 

Theoretically, since agmatine can increase endothelial nitric oxide, it can help boost nitric oxide in the body. A comparable dose contained in similar product categories would be 750 mg – 1 gram.

Taurine

Taurine is a common ingredient with many positive effects, such as enhanced physical performance, improved DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness), improved blood pressure via higher cardiac output, possible reduction of cholesterol and triglyceride levels, and increased uptake of glycogen to mitochondria for energy utilization (Examine). 

Caffeine Anhydrous – 400 mg

Caffeine anhydrous is the standard form of caffeine, known for increasing energy, alertness, motivation, and mood. 

1,3 DMAA – 75 mg

1,3-dimethylamylamine, aka DMAA, is a stimulant that induces feelings of energy, euphoria, and motivation. After coming under scrutiny from the FDA in 2015, there were a few years when DMAA disappeared entirely from pre-workouts. While DMAA has been listed in some products recently, it may also appear as an extract or stems and leaves. This ingredient’s potency varies greatly and is provided in 75 mg dosages as in this product.

Synephrine

Synephrine is a well-researched ingredient that has been shown to aid in weight loss. It is a common ingredient in many reputable weight loss supplements.

It may also appear on ingredient labels as bitter orange extract. You may also see iso-norsynephrine, which is also a lipolytic agent and is generally considered to be a stronger version of synephrine.

“In general, bitter orange extract alone (p-synephrine) or in combination with other herbal ingredients did not produce significant adverse events as an increase in heart rate or blood pressure or alter electrocardiographic data, serum chemistry, blood cell counts or urinalysis. p-Synephrine alone and in combination products were shown to increase resting metabolic rate and energy expenditure, and modest increases in weight loss were observed with bitter orange extract/p-synephrine-containing products when given for six to 12 weeks.”

Synephrine Meta-Analysis

Synephrine also increases energy and controls appetite. A standard dosage for this ingredient would be around 50mg, which is possible in this product as it is listed after the 75mg dose of DMAA.

Ephedra Extract

Ephedra, also known as ma huang, combined with 1,3 DMAA, is arguably the most enticing and provocative ingredient in Death Punch.

The FDA banned it in April 2004 due to adverse side effects. These side effects include high blood pressure, heart palpitations, fatal arrhythmia, etc. After the FDA ruling, supplement manufacturers removed the ephedrine alkaloids from the ephedra extract, leaving the remaining compounds.

It is unlikely that Death Punch contains ephedrine alkaloids. We cannot say for sure, though. Most ephedra fat burners remove ephedrine alkaloids during manufacturing to stay within FDA regulations.

Here’s what else is in ephedra extract other than ephedrine alkaloids:

• epicatechins
• polyphenols
• catechins
• ephedrans (glycans)
• tannins

These ingredients, epicatechins, polyphenols, and catechins, can have mild weight loss benefits. Unfortunately, we are unlikely to receive a proper amount of ephedra in each serving to achieve weight loss. It’s likely on the label for “shock value.”

Hordenine HCL

Hordenine is similar to isopropylnorsynephrine in that it acts as a lipolytic agent and stimulant, triggering fat burning and stimulating the CNS.

GW501516

GW501516, also known as Cardarine/Endurobol/GW 50156, is commonly confused for being a SARM (Selective Androgen Receptor Modulator). However, it is a PPARδ receptor agonist (Peroxisome proliferator-activated delta agonist), a research compound. It has been shown to increase fat loss, cardiovascular health, endurance, and improve insulin sensitivity.

This compound was developed originally by Ligand Pharmaceuticals and GlaxoSmithKline, which also is responsible for the SARM LGD. The standard dosage for this ingredient is 10-25 mg daily. I reached out to the brand for this product, and it was disclosed that Death Punch contains a 10 mg dose.

Alpha Yohimbe

Yohimbe stimulant is a very popular ingredient in many supplements. It has a variety of uses, including appetite suppressant, fat burning, an aphrodisiac, mood elevation, increased athletic performance, and focus. Yohimbe is a tree that is native to central and western Africa, and the bark of the tree produces an alkaloid called yohimbine. 

The name alpha yohimbine is derived from a plant similar to Yohimbe. The label for Death Punch lists this ingredient as alpha, so it is presumed to be referring to alpha yohimbine. A typical dosage is 0.5 mg to 3 mg as it is very potent; however, we don’t know the dosage contained in Death Punch.