Sicario Swole Pump Pre-Workout Review

Xtremis Cartel, formally ASC, is here to show us how it is done. Get your swole on with a liquid glycerol product in market-leading serving size, purity, and value. 

Liquid glycerol is more accessible to achieve versus powder-based, allowing you to get greater hydration level on your muscle fibers, resulting in huge pumps. I recommend this product for anyone looking for a non-stimulant-based pump and endurance enhancement.

Thank you, Xtremis Cartel, for sending this full product for review! 

Where to Buy Sicario Swole 

You can buy Sicario Swole by Xtremis Cartel from the following retailers:

• Nutri Cartel
  • LIFTVAULT = 15% off

Experience

Within the first 10 minutes of taking this product, I got a slight energetic buzz due to sugar alcohols that provide energy similar to actual glucose. Despite containing no stimulants, Socario also has an excellent focus aspect.

I suspect glycerol can cross the blood-brain barrier, although I couldn’t find any research to confirm this. Knowing glucose can cross the blood-brain border, and being that glycerol is a partial glucose molecule, the energy and focus I felt makes sense. I didn’t get sugar high because it is a carbohydrate, nor did I feel any energy crash.

The endurance I experienced while using Sicario Swole was exceptional, lasting throughout each repetition and set. It helped me push my muscle fibers to fatigue much further than in regular training, thanks to extended, contraction duration. The contractions were notably enhanced, thanks to cellular hydration within the tissue. This heightened endurance was especially beneficial during my intense weekly HIIT sessions, enabling me to push further before hitting the point of failure.

I’ve used this product in both fasted and post-meal states multiple times. Like how creatine suspends water molecules at the muscle fiber, glycerol facilitates increased hydration of muscle fibers, resulting in more significant contractions, enhanced endurance, and improved strength.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that a non-stimulant-based focus lasted throughout my workout. While vascularity was minimal, I did notice an increased sense of muscle fullness and pump. On occasions when I consumed carbohydrates the day before, I experienced a slight boost in vascularity, although it wasn’t the primary selling point of this product. I suspect the intracellular swelling may have diverted some of the support that would otherwise go to my vascular system. 

Side Effects

I did not experience any adverse side effects while reviewing this product.

Flavor

The flavor I received was called unflavored, which was the most syrup texture I have had with these products. The flavor was the least bitter of all the liquid glycerol supplements I have reviewed. It has a slight, salty taste on the back end with a slight bitterness. When I mixed this into other products, the flavor was minimally affected, but a distinctive palette like mine could taste it in the end notes.

Flavor ratings are entirely subjective, none of us have the same amount of taste buds. The rating will help gauge what to expect. The best way to avoid the flavor is to shoot it back and follow it with something flavorful.

Dose/Scoop Size

When doing the conversion of tablespoons and fluid ounces, one will see that this comes in at 29.6 ml, which is not directly proportional on scales due to serum concentration. I suggest shaking this product up very vigorously, and you can take it in any format you would like. The cap is helpful if you want to flat-line it to the top and have the maximum serving size. You could measure it on a scale for a close to 37 grams serving size, or you can use a measuring cup for 30 ml or use an excellent old-fashioned tablespoon.

For each serving of this pump pre-workout, I used the serving size of 1 cap, which hit precisely how I needed it, and I could review it adequately. Dosage isn’t comparable to other liquid-based products, but based purely on the number of servings per container, I say it is on the higher end. 

Ingredients

Chloride – 145 mg

Chloride is often overlooked in electrolyte discussions, but it’s an essential member of the electrolyte family. Chloride is the body’s most abundant anion (negatively charged atom or molecule) and is critical in keeping us alive. 

Chloride is necessary for basic and complex breathing processes, digesting food, fighting disease, balancing cell fluid, and more. Chloride is crucial to any electrolyte mix because the body loses it through sweat.

Sodium – 100 mg

Sodium is the most critical electrolyte since it is readily lost through sweating. Sodium dosage depends on which source you look at, but all electrolyte products contain various amounts ranging from 50 mg to 1g (as seen in LMNT). The proper dosage depends on your unique needs, diet, exercise, and nutrition, which is affected by previous medical history (i.e., hypertension). This is a lower dosage, but I enjoy adding sodium to my pre-workouts when I am not reviewing them. However, sodium affects the taste and isn’t desired by all users.

GlycerPuro (99.7% Pure Glycerol) – 20 g

The highest percent concentration of pure glycerol that I’ve seen! 

Glycerol provides enhanced performance, increased muscular pumps, and supports proper hydration levels. Most pump products work by increasing Nitric Oxide (NO) production, which then leads to increased vasodilation. Glycerol increases vascularity and pumps via raising the osmotic pressure within bodily fluids, which supports water movement throughout the body.

From PubMed, the hyperhydration effect of glycerol can be used to fight off heat exhaustion. 3-5 grams should be noticeable for pumps, but the 20 grams in Sicario Swole is much greater than powder-based supplements.

Betaine Anhydrous – 2.5 g

Betaine is included to help increase your power output. However, research needs to be more consistent around this claim. The typical range for betaine is between 1.5 g and 5 g, but generally, 2.5 grams is on the high end for what is in the market. If you ingest 2 g of betaine nitrate, it would yield 1308 mg of betaine and 692 mg of nitrate. Since the clinical dose of betaine is 2.5g, you must consume around 3.9g of betaine nitrate to get the full benefits. Per the clinical trials, daily supplementation is required to obtain the full benefits.

Betaine anhydrous, often called “betaine,” is a naturally occurring compound in various foods, including beets, spinach, and whole grains. It is also used as a dietary supplement for different purposes. Betaine serves several bodily functions and has been studied for its potential benefits.

Key points about betaine anhydrous include physical performance, enhanced muscular strength and power, cognitive function, and liver health with antioxidant effects. Betaine is naturally present in various foods: beets, spinach, quinoa, and whole grains. Read more about nitrates and comparisons here. 

Taurine – 1 g 

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, increased uptake of glycogen to mitochondria for energy utilization (Examine). 

Taurine supplementation might block beta-alanine uptake as they are antagonistic, which wouldn’t be an issue if used aside from pre-workout. It is not commonly known that beta-alanine/carnosine is a taurine-depleting antagonist (Examine). A one-gram taurine dose is fair (one to six grams daily in studies); however, more would amplify the benefits.

Pink Himalayan Salt – 250 mg

Salt helps retain water, enabling you to achieve fuller muscle bellies during your workout. This can help prevent muscle spasms like a “Charlie horse” and allow for a good contraction.

250 mg is a medium dosage for this ingredient; however, it is diet-dependent as not everyone will need higher amounts (for comparison, FSU Dyehard has 300 mg, and Hooligan Bare Knuckle has 250 mg).

It also contains essential electrolytes! More info can be found at Supplements in Review.