REDCON1 Total War Pre-Workout Review – Is It Legit Or Not?

REDCON1 Total War Pre-Workout Pros & Cons

REDCON1 Total War Pre-Workout Review

If I could give you a REDCON1 Total War pre-workout review in a sentence, I’d say that Total War is inarguably the best pre-workout supplement at this price point.

When I first laid eyes on its ingredient list, it was obvious that Total War pre-workout was the real deal and that it would work. 

Taking it for the first time was as expected. My energy levels soared, and I felt like I had an internal drumline pumping me up. 

However, let’s not get carried away. As glorious as this may sound - it's not all sunshine and rainbows. 

There's a bit of an underbelly to REDCON1 Total War pre-workout, and I’m not just talking about a few “useless” ingredients. So, let’s break it all down, shall we?

My Ratings Explained

In the case of REDCON1 Total War pre-workout, price is definitely its biggest advantage. Total War is one of the most affordable formulas on the market, nearly 30% cheaper than an average pre-workout serving.

As for the effectiveness, the grade speaks for itself, but most of those effects will come from a very potent dose of caffeine, as you’ll see in a bit.

Ingredients, as a whole, aren’t the most stellar I ever saw. Most of them are at or under the minimal clinically efficacious doses, but as someone who reviews supplements for a living, I can assure you over 90% of pre-workouts suffer from this issue.

Overall, this is a very good pre-workout supplement I’d gladly recommend to just about anyone.

Key Details

Will My Performance Increase?

Yes, your performance will increase if you take REDCON1 Total War pre-workout. I felt the benefits on my skin, and I firmly believe you will, too.

First, let’s discuss energy and overall athletic performance.

Over the past two weeks, I’ve trained eight times, two of which I did without a pre-workout, sort of as my reference group.

One thing I noticed right away was the energy surge. As anyone who’s ever taken a pre-workout will tell you, a pre-workout kick really gets your blood pumping.

Compared to the two “clean” workouts, the difference was night and day. With Total War, my motivation went from "Let's get this over with" to "What's next?". Also, it wasn't just a mindless surge of energy - it felt directed and purposeful.

Endurance was another significant plus. Typically, by the end of my workouts, fatigue would start creeping in, and my muscles would feel drained, making those last few sets feel exceptionally hard.

With Total War in my system, I felt like I had an extra reserve tank.

I wouldn’t go as far as to call my last reps as good as the first ones, but they definitely weren’t too far apart.

The focus, too, was quite commendable. It wasn’t that scattered, frenzied buzz you get from some high-stim supplements. Instead, it was a laser-sharp, tunnel-vision kind of focus. 

However, the pump wasn’t all that great. It was definitely better than taking nothing, but I’ve experienced much better.

How Will I Feel Post-Workout?

You will feel really good post-workout, as Total War pre-workout is a clean and neatly balanced formula.

One might think you’d crash after taking 320 mg of caffeine in a single sitting, but you won’t since 70 mg comes from di-caffeine malate, which isn’t as fast-acting as caffeine anhydrous, meaning it won’t overload your system right away.

If my time with Total War pre-workout is anything to go by, you can expect a slow and gradual energy drop-off without any crashes, feelings of emptiness, or excessive fatigue.

What I also had the pleasure of enjoying was a nice, long-lasting energy and focus that would last around three hours, maybe even four, depending on my lunch on a particular day.

Pair that up with the post-workout endorphins, and you might just be able to do some quality work after you’re done with the gym. I know I did.

What Are The Possible Side Effects

There are a few possible side-effects of taking REDCON1 Total War pre-workout, but thankfully, I only had to deal with one of them.

Beta-alanine tingles were the only thing bothering me. I’m particularly sensitive to beta-alanine itches, and at 3.2 grams, getting the infamous beta-alanine itch was unavoidable for me.

However, at the same time, I know many of you love the itch and find it motivating, so if that’s the case - knock yourself out.

Apart from that, I didn’t feel a thing. However, some caffeine-induced jitteriness and anxiety, trouble sleeping, and a possible blood pressure rhythm increase might occur for some.

What Flavors Are Available And How Do They Taste?

Total War pre-workout comes in 15 flavors, so I'm fairly certain you'll find something you like.

I tried three - Watermelon, Blue Raspberry, and Sour Gummy Bear - but here are all of them:

Watermelon wasn’t my favorite, even though I adore watermelon-flavored products, but Blue Raspberry and Sour Gummy Bear were top-notch.

I usually go for the sour-tasting products as that’s my jam, and these ones didn’t disappoint.

I won’t go as far as to say they tasted refreshing, but they were pretty good, with no aftertaste you have to wash down with a bottle of water. And, if I had to pick a favorite - I’d go with Gummy Bear, even though it doesn't really taste like gummy bears.

However, none of that really matters because REDCON1 Total War clumps waaay too much.

All three tubs I purchased came pre-clumped, with one of them essentially resembling a rock. 

So, unless you have a blender to break it all up, prepare to scrape, stab, shake, and do whatever else is necessary to break up this stuff and get an actual scoop into your shaker. Otherwise, you’ll use a different dose every single time, meaning you won’t really have a good idea of how much stuff you’re actually taking.

Thankfully, clumps or not, it mixed really well. All of it dissolved in the water, and I didn’t have to refill the shaker to get the “crumbs” from the bottom.

Is It A Fair Price?

REDCON1 Total War pre-workout is absolutely a fair price. In fact, when it comes to price, Total War is incredibly hard to beat.

At $1.17 per serving, REDCON1 Total War pre-workout is nearly 30% less expensive than an average pre-workout, putting it in an elite value-for-money category.

Not only that, but considering what you’re getting for $1.17, I’m compelled to say that REDCON1 Total War pre-workout is arguably the best pre-workout deal on the market.

Who Is It Best For?

REDCON1 Total War pre-workout is the best choice for anyone looking to improve their exercise performance and not waste any money. 

It is more than suitable for beginners and experienced lifters, as its formula is quite good regardless of how far along you are on your fitness journey.

Who Is It Not Good For?

REDCON1 Total War pre-workout isn’t good for anyone with underlying health issues, such as cardiovascular issues, as well as pregnant ladies, due to its relatively high caffeine dose.

Of course, this is the case for pretty much every pre-workout out there.

On a more specific note, I’d say Total War pre-workout isn’t ideal for pump-chasers. 

With only 6 grams of L-citrulline malate (which is essentially 4 grams of pure citrulline), you can’t expect to see massive pumps after you’re done working out, so that’s one area I’d say this product “struggles” with.

Learn More - Is Pre-Workout Suitable For Pregnant Women?

Other Online Reviews

Tips For Increasing Performance Using REDCON1 Total War Pre-Workout

What you can do to increase performance using REDCON1 Total War pre-workout is eat beets or drink beetroot juice before taking Total War. You may also add curcumin to it. 

This could improve one aspect of this pre-workout formula, which is vasodilation and nitric oxide production.

Now, the science isn’t exactly ironclad here. However, there’s a lot of data suggesting these two can improve nitric oxide levels and bioavailability, which would result in greater pumps, better endurance, etc. [1] [2]

Personally, I adore both beets and curcumin, and I have seen the result firsthand. But even if I didn't, I’d still suggest you consume these two regularly as a part of your diet, as they’re both excellent in many, many ways.

Also, the usual tips don’t apply when it comes to increasing performance when using REDCON1 Total War pre-workout, so don't double-scoop Total War as it might cause you serious harm.

Learn More - Can Pre-Workout Kill You?

Ingredients - Effectiveness & Amount

Caffeine

For the longest time, I didn’t care for the mixture of fast and slow-acting caffeine. In fact, for a while, I just used caffeine anhydrous pills as a pre-workout. However, the more I tried the mix, the more I liked it.

In this particular case, you’re getting 250 mg of caffeine anhydrous and 100 mg of di-caffeine malate, which translates to 70 mg of caffeine.

Combined, these two will boost energy, power output, and focus, which will positively impact pretty much every other aspect of your athletic performance. [3]

From my experience, this dose shouldn’t cause any side effects for most people, but if you’re overly sensitive to stimulants, it is possible for them to occur.

Learn More - Caffeine Pills Vs Pre-Workout (How They Differ?)

Citrulline Malate

With 6 g at a 2:1 ratio, you are getting 4 grams of citrulline (precursor to amino acid L-arginine) and 2 grams of malic acid.

As you can see, this isn’t an actual citrulline malate but simply a mixture of two, which is a common trick in the industry to make you think you’re getting more citrulline than you actually are.

However, 4 grams of citrulline should be enough to kickstart vasodilation and improve blood flow and nutrient delivery to the muscles, which should result in better pumps and possibly some endurance, performance, and recovery benefits. [4]

Ideally, you’d want at least 9-12 grams of this sort of mixture to be in the most efficacious range, but you will feel the effects nevertheless.

Stimulants

Total War pre-workout contains only one notable stimulant apart from caffeine - theobromine.

Theobromine is an alkaloid found in coffee, tea, and chocolate and is known to have mild-to-moderate stimulatory properties. It is known to lower blood pressure and is also suspected to aid in cholesterol regulation. 

In the context of a pre-workout, it is often used as an aid to caffeine, as research has shown these two work well in synergy, although we’re still not completely sure how and why. [5]

Sadly, at 50 mg, there is a very slim chance this plays any significant role, so you might as well look past it.

Boosters

As far as the rest of the formula goes, there are a few decent and a few useless ingredients, in my opinion.

While useless may be a strong word, including things like juniper, naringin, and green tea extract at such low doses is nothing but pixie-dusting a formula to look more imposing.

While all of these have a positive impact on your health - neither of them is beneficial in a gym setting. None of them have any immediate effects on your performance, even if you supplement them in efficacious doses - which these ones certainly are not.

BioPerine (piperine) is well-dosed, but its effects are also questionable, at best.

Additionally, we have agmatine sulfate and taurine - both common pre-workout ingredients. However, I’m not a fan of either, as one is often underdosed and the other misunderstood.

Agmatine sulfate is often touted for its effects on vasodilation and muscular endurance, but the truth is, there’s just not enough evidence to support any of that.

At the moment, most of the research surrounding Agmatine is on its effects on neuropathic pain. 

While that definitely doesn’t mean I can sit here and tell you agmatine doesn’t work - I also can’t say that it does. However, given the lack of evidence on the subject, it’s somewhat safe to say that the former is probably closer to the truth. 

As for taurine, an amino sulfonic acid, a 1-gram dose is the minimum efficacious dose you can take. 

However, none of the proposed benefits, such as enhanced endurance, energy boost, heightened focus, and improved force production, are observable at a 1-gram dose.

Those effects have been commonly noted at much higher (4 to 6 grams) doses, but even that was met with conflicting data in another study. [6] [7]

One thing I will say is that taurine is one of the safest ingredients out there, with almost no adverse effects associated with it, which is excellent.

Finally, we have a 3.2-gram dose of beta-alanine - the most notorious pre-workout ingredient.

Usually, I’m not the biggest fan of beta-alanine, either, as its effects are often observable only after an almost month-long supplementation with twice this dose. 

However, if you use beta-alanine on the side or you’ve already reached peak saturation levels prior to using Total War pre-workout, there’s a chance it could help you with endurance and DOMS. [8]

How Does It Compare To Other Pre-Workouts?

While it's probably obvious by now that Total War pre-workout is very good, let's see how it holds up against some other pre-workout supplements.

REDCON1 Total War Vs Woke AF Pre-Workout

Woke AF is one of the most expensive pre-workout supplements out there, costing 66 cents (which is nearly 50%) more than Total War per serving.

Why? Well, no good reason, honestly, 

It does have a slightly larger caffeine content (333 mg), but the rest of the similar ingredients are equally dosed (for example, citrulline and beta-alanine).

One thing I’ll say is Woke AF did give me a bit more energy when I was taking it. It wasn’t a major difference, but different types of caffeine act differently, and this one felt faster and more potent in that regard.

However, considering the massive price difference between the two, I can’t say I’d ever choose Bucked Up Woke AF pre-workout supplement over Total War.

Related Article - Woke AF Pre-Workout Review

REDCON1 Total War Vs C4 Ultimate Pre-Workout

Now, the battle between Total War and C4 Ultimate pre-workout is much less lopsided than our previous one, however, once again, I’d give the edge to Total War.

Now, in terms of ingredients, C4 Ultimate is a slightly better product. It’s got a better concoction of ingredients as far as vasodilation and NO production is concerned, and it also has some “odd” but nevertheless beneficial forms of creatine in there.

However, unless you manage to snatch it when it’s on sale, a single scoop of C4 Ultimate will set you back $2 - which is nearly two times the price of Total War serving. 

One thing to note, however, is that C4 isn't known for clumping, so if that's a big deal for you - the price difference might be justified. Otherwise, I'd say that the performance difference isn't equal to the price difference.

Learn More - Cellucor C4 Pre-Workout Review

What We Have Taken Into Consideration For Giving You A Final Verdict

Before we move on to my final verdict, let me tell you a bit about myself.

My Expertise In Supplements

About a decade ago, I fell victim to marketing BS, and instead of creatine monohydrate, I went with creatine HCL.

Thankfully, it wasn’t long until I decided to dig deeper into the world of supplements, figured out I was misled, and decided to find out everything I could in order to create the most optimal natty stack to increase my performance in the gym.

It also wasn’t long before I realized I only needed several things in my stack to achieve this, so here I am - helping you realize the same, one article at a time.

Now, I will say I’m neither a doctor nor a chemist, but after reading so many studies on so many different compounds and their interactions, I believe I possess more than enough knowledge to help you see through the smoke and choose the best products for yourself, whether it's muscle gain or weight loss you're after.

And who knows, maybe one day I'll start my own supplement company and give you the best product that way.

Reviewing Other Products

Speaking of the best products, I also review other supplements (even energy drinks), not just pre-workouts. 

The sad truth is that the supplement industry is plagued with false promises and blatant lies, and the only way to actually see through all of that is to read up on the theoretical stuff and try the products in person, just to see if there’s anything else that’s noteworthy.

So, in order to prevent you from going out and trying all this stuff - I did it. And now you can read all about it.

Common REDCON1 Total War Questions

Final Verdict

In summation - the REDCON1 Total War pre-workout is legit. It is arguably the best product at this price point (and probably a few points up), and I’m certain many of you agree with me already.

However, its price point isn’t the only reason why you should get Total War.

If my experience is anything to go by, a nice and clean energy increase and drop-off can make or break one’s desire to work out, and at the end of the day, Total War does this remarkably well.

References: 

1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5310664/
2. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22709704/
3. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2333832/
4. https://journals.lww.com/nsca-jscr/fulltext/2015/03000/effects_of_supplemental_citrulline_malate.29.aspx
5. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21839757/
6. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37024995/
7. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34497536/
8. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3374095/