Gladiator is a pre-workout supplement formulated and manufactured by Ryno Power Sports Supplements in the US.
“Charge Life” is the company’s tagline and they market their products to weight trainers and bodybuilders, but also to extreme sport and adventure sports enthusiasts (e.g. motorcross, triathlon, cycling and mountain biking).
One scoop of Gladiator contains two forms of caffeine and a proprietary formula called the “Performance Blend”.
While many companies are choosing to go against the trend of proprietary blends in pre-workouts, in favour of the open recipe approach, Ryno Power have decided to stick with it.
You might believe there’s a good reason for a company to hide half the information about the ingredients – the only thing in a pre-workout that really matters. There isn’t though.
Ingredients and their inclusion quantities, should be there on the label, for anyone to see…because if it’s good enough, there’s no need to be shifty about the formula.
Click to find out which Pre-Workout we use
Proprietary Blends
These are a bit like a secret recipe, or at least that’s what the company wants you to believe when they don’t put the ingredients. It adds to the mystery, the intrigue, and makes people wonder: maybe there is something to this that is better, which is why they need to protect it.
The only problem is that a secret recipe has actual secret ingredients, whereas a proprietary blend must at least show every one of the ingredients, and it has to show them in order of descending quantity, by law.
The only thing they don’t have to show is the individual dosages.
But..we know what al these ingredients can do, what they can’t do, and how much research has gone into it. And, especially in the case of ingredients that work to improve physical performance (in humans), we’re fairly sure how much of the ingredient is needed.
So, you see, there’s really no good reason for hiding the ingredients.
Either your pre-workout supplement has got what it takes, or it hasn’t. And usually, the use of proprietary blends is a big clue.
Benefits of Gladiator
Ryno Power, the manufacturer of Gladiator Pre-Workout, describes the benefits as follows:
- Powerful Performance Blend
- Enhances Physical Performance
- Enhances Endurance
- Supercharges Workouts
- All Natural Non-GMO Flavouring
It’s important to remember that these are ONLY the advertised benefits. Basically the company’s sales pitch. The ingredients and dosages tell the real story.
Why is scientific research a better indication than actually trying the product out? – We tend to do both our research and our own “field” test of the pre-workout supplements we review. We are used to feeling our way through the effects of a supplement, and can interpret them accordingly.
However, many products can be dosed with enough caffeine to give most customers the impression that they are feeling more.
Don’t get us wrong, caffeine is a great ingredient when used properly, and dosed properly, but it can sometimes be used by companies to mask the fact that not much else is going on with their formula.
How Does Gladiator Work?
Gladiator contains ingredients which can extend muscle endurance, which is particularly useful during a weights set. A good dose can typically allow you to push a few more reps each set.
The recipe also contains ingredients for vasodilation – to dilate the arterial blood vessels in the area local to your working muscles, increasing blood (and therefore oxygen and nutrient) flow to them.
A nootropic element is also in there. At effective quantities, they would help you feel calmer, possibly happier, and improve your focus and overall cognitive function.
Ingredients in Gladiator
The following ingredients and their inclusion rates (where given) are in 1 scoop of Gladiator. The directions call for 1-2 scoops to be taken 15 to 30 minutes before training.
| Ingredients | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Caffeine (natural) | 105mg |
| Guarana Seed Extract | 75mg |
| “Performance Blend” – Beta Alanine, L-Arginine AKG, Citrulline Malate, Taurine, N-Acetyl-L-Carnitine, Rhodiola Rosea, L-Theanine, ActiGin (panax notoginseng, Rosa Roxburghi) |
2.9g |
The best ingredients in that blend are Citrulline Malate, Beta Alanine and Rhodiola Rosea.
Citrulline Malate – it’s the right thing to take if you want a muscle pump, but you need at least 4 grams of that alone, and this whole “Performance Blend” is only 2.9 grams, and 2 scoops 5.8 grams!
Given that you want a couple grams of Beta Alanine as well, and Citrulline is third on the list, you know there is not enough.
As for the Rhodiola, and ALCAR, who knows how much is in there, because it’s a proprietary blend. And as we said above in the grey box, that’s a problem.
The caffeine is detailed of course. And that’ll give you a kick like a couple cups of coffee.
Customer Feedback
There isn’t much, but what there is is quite good. In fact, go on bodybuilding websites and it gets praised by most people. Caffeine lovers probably, or hype-swallowers more like.
Side Effects
Most people will be just fine after taking a scoop or two of Gladiator. The caffeine might give stim-sensitive people a bit of a kick.
People with medical conditions or who are taking medication for something should check with their doctor as to whether they can use supplements like this one.
Young people under 18 years old and elderly people should avoid these supplements. So should pregnant and breastfeeding women.
The Judgement – Is Ryno Power Gladiator Recommended?
It’s not the worst pre-workout we’ve ever seen/used. It has the ingredients of many great products – Citrulline, Beta Alanine, Rhodiola, ALCAR, and even caffeine…but the proprietary blend hides what must be under-dosing of at least 2 of the main ingredients.
And that doesn’t make sense, when there are manufacturers putting a complete breakdown of the formula on the label, with excellent inclusions!Just tell us exactly what’s in it, and let’s get over this “secret recipe” crap in pre-workout supplements.
We’d recommend that you take a look at what we consider to be the finest example of and open formula that (a) works, and (b) gets updated when the manufacturer feels they have found some ingredient that is better.
Click here to read more about the TOP pre-workout supplement
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