I’m a big supporter of supplement companies that create pre-workout and weight loss supplements that are specifically targeted at women.
With many supplements containing a dose that would be too strong for the average woman, it makes sense to make it easier for female athletes to get an ideal dose.
But the problem with many pre-workouts is that they end up spending more on marketing than on a proven formula.
So, our team got together with a nutritionist and seven female clients to test Strong Girl and see if it’s as good as the marketing claims.
Here’s what we found.
What Is StrongGirl Pre-Workout?
StrongGirl is a pre-workout supplement from Iovate Health Sciences that claims to be a powerful and energizing performance motivator.
Essentially, the company claims that you’ll feel stronger and less fatigued during a workout.
Strong Girl is based on natural ingredients, including beta-alanine, taurine, and green tea extract, which we have often seen in other products.
The big question is whether they are in the right dose.
More on that shortly.
We also had a look at whether the product has changed since it was first introduced in 2015. Unfortunately, there has always been a proprietary label on the Strong Girl packaging, so we can’t say for sure.
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Benefits and Highlights
The first thing we did was have our test group go through one week of training without a pre-workout or weight loss supplement.
Then we did the same workout routine for three weeks with StrongGirl and compared the results.
Energy Boosting
We noticed a very small increase in exercise performance in the three weeks that our team used StrongGirl pre-workout.
We measured that workout performance in slightly higher weights in bars and a few more reps in some sets.
We think this is mainly down to the beta-alanine, which has been shown to improve muscle endurance [1]. But the dose is likely too low to make a significant difference.
Supplement Form
Like most other pre-workouts, StrongGirl comes as a powder that you mix with cold water.
It seems to mix quickly and comes in two flavors: Cosmopolitan Fruit Punch and Strawberry Mojito.
The strawberry one is less artificial tasting and not as sweet.
4 Key StrongGirl Pre-Workout Ingredients
We also had our dietitian look at the pre-workout nutrition label to provide some feedback.
1. Green Tea Extract
This is something that’s more common in a fat burner supplement. The fat-burning effect comes from thermogenic metabolism, which has been proven to be effective [2].
If you are looking for a pre-workout that also has a thermogenic effect, then you should check our list of the 5 best thermogenic pre-workouts that we personally tried and tested.
2. Beta-Alanine
Beta-alanine has been proven effective for helping with strength during strenuous workouts [3].
However, the majority of studies used more grams than the total proprietary blend of StrongGirl contains.
Related article: What Does Beta-Alanine Do In Pre-Workout?
3. Taurine
This is an essential amino acid that has also been linked to exercise performance [4]. But again, the dose looks like it’s way too small, even for women who generally weigh less than men.
4. Caffeine
This StrongGirl supplement also contains about as much caffeine as 1.5 cups of coffee.
The International Society of Sports Nutrition has released a paper confirming the link it has to workout performance [5].
Just make sure you avoid taking it for an evening trip to the gym. Or you can find pre-workout supplements that don't contain caffeine.
- It’s easy on the stomach with natural ingredients
- The caffeine dose is moderate to avoid jitters
- It can help with burning fat more effectively
- Limited flavor options and fruit punch is quite sweet
- The company hides behind a proprietary blend, making stacking difficult
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Does It Have Downsides?
Yes, the StrongGirl pre-workout supplements have important downsides that need to be mentioned.
First of all, it only produces a small increase in strength and endurance. That might not be enough for high-performance athletes.
Secondly, the StrongGirl pre-workout taste is quite artificial and sweet.
The strawberry Mojito one was definitely better, but other companies have created much nicer flavors. Here is a list of some delicious pre-workouts that do a great job.
How It Compares To Other Pre-Workouts
An important part of all our reviews is product comparison, so we took a look at how Strong Girl compares to three popular pre-workout supplements. We found some clear differences.
Gorilla Mode
Crafted by the team behind the popular nootropic Gorilla Mind Rush, Gorilla Mode is a pre-workout packed with essential ingredients to help you crush your workout.
One ingredient that makes the biggest difference is creatine. While StrongGirl's marketing material claims the absence of creatine as a selling point, we believe that it's a mistake.
Gorilla Mode contains high doses of L-citrulline, creatine monohydrate, and betaine. I tested Gorilla Mode along with our volunteer and experienced a significant strength boost. Our dietitians attribute this to the creatine content [6].
Our test group found Gorilla Mode to be fast-acting and have superior mixing ability.
Compared to other top pre-workouts, Gorilla Mode has a higher concentration of scientifically-backed ingredients such as L-Tyrosine. This ingredient plays a crucial role in cognitive improvement, and I saw a noticeable improvement to focus during my workout.
What's more, with 175 mg of caffeine per serving, Gorilla Mode provides the ideal energy boost without causing any jitters.
“The primary benefit of creatine is an improvement in strength and power output during resistance exercise. Creatine is well researched for this purpose, and the effects are quite notable for a supplement.“
- Antonis Damianou, Personal Trainer & Fitness Writer at Examine.com
4 Gauge
Pre-workout, 4 Gauge, is a product developed through a collaborative effort between the manufacturer, top athletes, and nutrition experts, promising a supplement to give you amazing focus, motivation, and energy for workouts.
4 Gauge contains natural ingredients like caffeine, L-citrulline, and creatine monohydrate, making it effective for muscle recovery and strength.
Our test users rave about the boosted focus and energy experienced during intense workout sessions; thanks to the combination of caffeine and the amino acid, theanine seems to work particularly well for mental focus and improved endurance at the gym [7].
One ingredient I really like in 4 Gauge is the 6000 mg of L-citrulline, which, during testing, I had a huge increase in exercise capacity. Our dietitians confirm that this benefit would come from the L-citrulline.
What sets it apart from other pre-workouts is that it does not contain beta-alanine, a common cause of tingling side effects.
Transparent Labs
Transparent Labs provides a stim-free pre-workout in Preseries Bulk that can enhance your muscle growth, energy levels, and endurance.
This supplement contains L-citrulline, beta-alanine, and a substantial dose of BCAAs, which can help relieve muscle soreness. It also includes stimulant ingredients like caffeine and theobromine combined with L-theanine and Dicaffeine Malate to prevent energy crashes.
In addition, the formula includes smart combinations like Taurine and BCAA to ensure faster muscle recovery.
Our test group users, myself included, experienced significant muscle recovery and soreness improvement, especially after intense workout sessions while using PreSeries Bulk during the several weeks of testing.
This product offers solid results and comes at a competitive price point. It offers free shipping and quick delivery, which added to our overall positive experience when we purchased it for testing.
Who Shouldn't Take Strong Girl Pre-Workout?
Anyone with an underlying heart condition or high blood pressure shouldn't take this StrongGirl pre-workout supplement.
The caffeine might work to burn fat and increase energy, but it's also tied to increased heart rates [8].
I would also say that most performance athletes who want a maximum boost for strength and reduce fatigue levels shouldn’t consider taking it.
It’s just not quite effective enough to make a major difference.
Where Can You Buy It?
You can buy StrongGirl pre-workout at Amazon. Unfortunately, it’s often sold out and also not available on an official company website.
That’s generally where I recommend that people buy their weight loss and pre-workout supplements, as it’s the only way you can 100% avoid ending up with a counterfeit product.
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Other User Reviews
We spent some time finding online reviews for the StrongGirl pre-workout and found some interesting comments.
According to her, StrongGirl didn’t give her enough of a physical energy kick. She did find that there was some improvement in focus, but it didn't justify the StrongGirl pre-workout price tag.
-Christina, NY
He mentioned that the small effect it produced fizzled out before the workout was half completed.
- Mrs. Tinies, Philadelphia
FAQs
Can You Take Strong Girl Pre-workout Every Day?
Yes, you can take Strong Girl every day. But I would only recommend that if you do physical exercise every day. On rest days or when you train at a low intensity, that simply wouldn’t be helpful.
Does Strong Girl Pre-workout Contain Stimulants?
Yes, Strong Girl contains stimulants. It has about 125 mg of caffeine, and you have to keep that in mind if you’re a coffee drinker or you train later in the day.
Should You Buy StrongGirl?
Our test results and research have shown that there’s not enough evidence for us to recommend this product. The strength boost is minimal, and there really isn't much of a difference in post-workout tiredness.
Instead, we advise our readers to invest in Gorilla Mode. It’s the best pre-workout we have tested so far and delivers a great combination of improved strength and reduced muscle fatigue.
You also get a good improvement in focus and motivation that will help get you through a tough workout.
Our #1 Recommendation
Gorilla Mode
- Contains nitric oxide for insane pumps
- Many positive comments about good endurance and energy boost
- High dose of caffeine may help with mental focus and fat burning
- Tastes good
- Get 10% off using code: TOTALSHAPE
- Does not list calorie count
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