Written byAsh, ACE, MSc
Last Updated onApril 30th, 2021
Powher (owned by Ultimate Life LTD) is a supplement brand that caters specifically to women’s physical and mental performance. What does that mean? Well, as you probably know, men and women are biologically different. Therefore, we have different needs.
And where this specific line of products claims to stand out from the rest is in the research and ingredients/dosages that supposedly offer the perfect supplement solutions for women. So to see what the hype is all about, we opted to check out their very pink pre-workout that looks every bit like a “women’s” product (although we’re certainly not implying all women like pink).
To give you an idea of what the brand was/is aiming for with this pre-workout, this is from their website…
“It has been designed to deliver a powerful energy boost for women but without the side effects commonly associated with male pre-workout supplements.”
Now, you might be saying, “it’s probably just like any other pre-workout”. But one look at the ingredient label and we can’t necessarily say that this is the case. After all, how else would it differentiate itself from the rest?
What’s Special About This Pink Powder?
What we can (and will) do though is give it a fair review. So keep reading to learn more about this pre-workout.
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Pros
- Low-stim formula
- Contains proven ingredients
- Stands out from others with few key ingredients
- EnXtra has shown to extend the effects of caffeine
- Tastes pretty good
- Not sour
- Love the pink packaging
Cons
- Contains the artificial sweeteners xylitol, sucralose and acesulfame potassium (not a deal breaker for everyone)
- Has a few ingredients without as much research
- No calories and other nutrient info
- Depending on package, can be a little pricey
- Liquid caused a little dryness on tongue
Powher Pre Workout
Powher Pre Workout
Powher is a clinically-dosed, easy-on-the-caffeine pre-workout supplement for women that has become quite the buzz. Powher support intense workouts, increased motivation with zero side effects.
Powher Ingredients / The BEST Pre-Workout For Women?
Let’s see what Powher pre-workout has to offer regarding its extensive ingredient profile. After all, it is supposed to be different than others on the market (because the plastic bottle sure ain’t going to do nothing for you).
We’ve provided the amount of per serving (% daily value) information for each ingredient and then we’ve broken down and discussed each one based on the intended benefits.
- Vitamin B6 (500%)
- Vitamin B12 (833%)
- Pantothenic acid (100%)
- Taurine (2.5g)
- L-citrulline malate (2g)
- Beta-alanine (1g)
- RedNite® (500mg)
- Lysine (500mg)
- Tyrosine (500mg)
- Coconut water powder (500mg)
- Oxyjun® (400mg)
- EnXtra® (300mg)
- Natural caffeine (100mg)
Other: Dextrose monohydrate, flavoring, silicon dioxide, sucralose, and sodium chloride.
Now we’ll talk about the benefits of each ingredient listed above.
Vitamins
Powher contains key vitamins and minerals that a woman needs for basic health function.
B6
Vitamin B6 is a very important nutrient for over 100 enzyme reactions, most notably protein metabolism. It’s also needed for the formation of red blood cells, cognitive function, immune health, and more.
Some research shows that it also may help to reduce the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) such as moodiness, anxiety, irritability, etc. Although the evidence isn’t entirely conclusive on the extent of its effects.
B12
Vitamin B12 is essential for neurological function, cell energy, red blood cell formation, and DNA synthesis. A B12 deficiency can mean trouble for mental health, often contributing to memory issues, depression, and more. A lack of this nutrient often found in meats and dairy, can also negatively affect nerve health, energy levels, taste, smell, and balance.
Pantothenic acid (as chromium-D pantothenate)
Pantothenic acid or vitamin B5 is an essential nutrient that is most important for fatty acid synthesis and degradation in addition to other anabolic and catabolic processes in the body.
Amino acids
You won’t see a quality pre-workout supplement without key amino acids that are a must when it comes to performance enhancement.
Taurine
An abundant amino acid produced by the body (also found in some foods), taurine does not help to build proteins like other amino acids. It’s found in muscle tissue, retina, brain, and organs.
It’s many times added to energy drinks and sodas. In supplement form, taurine is most known for its potential to enhance physical performance.
This nutrient is also necessary for maintaining hydration/electrolyte balance, nervous system health, vision, immune health, and has antioxidant properties which means it helps the body to stave off disease-causing free radicals.
L-citrulline malate
L-citrulline is quite an amazing ingredient because it not only promotes big pumps, it also has benefits on heart and sexual health due to its vasodilating effects (widens blood vessels).
One study found that it may actually increase growth hormone production following physical activity. Not to mention, it has shown to enhance muscle growth, strength, recovery, and cardiovascular endurance too.
And don’t worry, you won’t get big hulking muscles using citrulline. The body makes it and it’s found in watermelon.
Learn more about this amazing ingredient in our review of the best citrulline products on the market.
Beta-Alanine
You know that tingly feeling that you get when you take a pre-workout? That’s beta-alanine. What is it? Beta-alanine is a nonessential amino acid (produced by the body) that when taken in supplement form, acts as a buffer against lactic acid.
Lactic acid causes that burning that makes you feel like you want to cry during and after a heavy set of leg extensions or essentially any leg exercise or cardio activity.
Because beta-alanine can delay lactic acid build-up in the muscles, it makes sense then that this would improve overall performance efforts. This is certainly supported by research (1, 2).
Lysine (as L-lysine HCI)
Lysine is an essential amino acid that does help to build proteins. It’s needed to transport fats in the body for energy use and may help to improve absorption of and maintain calcium in the body. It also has other potential benefits such as improving blood sugar and blood pressure to name a few (3, 4).
Tyrosine
Tyrosine is a non-essential amino acid found in meats and cheeses that acts as a precursor to epinephrine, thyroid hormones, and melanin. Consequently, it has effects on cognitive function and performance, metabolism, and is necessary for skin, hair, and eye pigment.
This amino acid is added to pre-workout supplements for its cognitive-enhancing effects. Tyrosine increases levels of neurotransmitters such as dopamine, adrenaline, and norepinephrine.
Performance-specific ingredients
Now we’ll look at the “special” ingredients in Powher that are supposed to maximize physical and mental performance. In addition, some of these ingredients have antioxidant and health-promoting properties which we think is great.
RedNite® (beta vulgaris) (root)
It definitely doesn’t sound like the name of an ingredient that would be used in a pre-workout or any nutritional supplement for that matter. But it’s just fancy for a type of beetroot loaded with more performance-aiding nitrates than regular beetroot.
It contains up to 10 times the number of antioxidants as well and is a commonly used version of beetroot in workout supplements.
In the body, nitrates convert to nitric oxide and therefore works as a vasodilator which increases blood circulation and may have other cardiovascular benefits (5).
Beetroot has also been shown to improve neuromuscular efficiency and muscle performance and reduce fatigue. But the benefits may go much further. Studies show that it may be effective for inflammation, cancers, cognitive function, insulin resistance, and pain (6, 7).
Based on the research, beetroot would not only help to improve factors of health, but it would also make the process of weight/fat loss and weight management much easier.
Coconut water powder
Coconut water is excellent for hydration because it contains key electrolytes including potassium, magnesium, sodium, and calcium. Electrolytes are also needed for heart, nerve, and muscle function.
You could literally drink coconut water every day (in its natural and healthy form) and not have to worry about getting dehydrated. This is also extremely important for energy levels and maintaining physical and mental performance.
Oxyjun® (terminalia arjuna)(bark)
Oxyjun or Ethanolic extract is a bespoke compound extracted from the ‘Terminalia Arjuna’ tree. It contains polyphenols that have antioxidant properties and research finds that it has effects on heart health (8, 9).
EnXtra® (alpinia galanga)(rhizomes)
EnXtra is the pride and joy of Powher. It’s a natural caffeine amplifier consisting of C.Flexuous oil (LG) and water-soluble extracts of Alpinia galanga and Glycyrrhiza Glabra. Combined with caffeine, EnXtra enhances and prolongs the highly-desired effects. In other words, you’ll feel the “powha” a lot longer with this formula.
One study of 59 participants with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and moderate caffeine intake found that Alpinia galanga “induces a beneficial effect in mental alertness and the combination of A galanga with caffeine impedes the caffeine crash and improves sustained attention at 3 hours” (10).
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The improvements were not similar in the placebo group.
Another study found that the combination of ingredients in EnXtra increased energy and focus for several hours longer than a group who took caffeine alone (11).
Natural caffeine (from green coffee bean)
Caffeine, in its natural form, is an excellent source of energy, focus, concentration, and alertness. Various studies have shown that this potent and effective ingredient makes a difference in performance both mentally and physically and you already know this if you’re a coffee or pre-workout fanatic!
You don’t need a lot of caffeine to get the benefits and for women, having a lower dose is ideal to prevent jitters and the not-so-exciting crash that many times follows a large dose of caffeine. Not to mention, the EnXtra combined with caffeine should enhance and extend the mental and physical effects as previously mentioned.
Is Powher A More Effective and Safer Women’s Preworkout?
Well, right off the bat, it has a lot less caffeine than many of the most intense pre-workouts. May of the strongest formulas on the market can have anywhere from 300-400+ mg per serving which may be better reserved for the more hardcore lifters.
At 100mg of natural caffeine per serving, we’d expect a good dose of energy to get you through any session, without overtaxing the nervous system or experiencing the hard crash afterward. Women are smaller than men on average which is another reason why they don’t need as much caffeine.
We really like the EnXtra, a stimulant-free “caffeine amplifier” that has not only shown to have health benefits but that researchers found to also do what it’s supposed to do… prolong the cognitive effects of caffeine while preventing jitters and crash.
There aren’t a lot of studies on these ingredients but they do seem promising and a beneficial addition to this formula.
Adding in taurine wasn’t a bad idea either since it can have similar effects as caffeine but it’s not a stimulant. This compound is used in a lot of products including pre-workouts so we know that it offers benefits. A commonly-used dosage is 500-2000mg per day. Powher contains 2500mg per serving which is a perfectly safe and effective dose.
Research has shown that an intake of up to 3000mg can safely be taken for a lifetime (so no worries) (12).
Then you have L-citrulline which is an ingredient used in most pre-workouts because it works plain and simple. There’s a decent amount of studies/research on its efficacy not just as a ‘pump-inducer,’ but because of the other benefits mentioned.
Citrulline malate products range from 1-6 grams although 3-6 grams is typically believed to be the sweet spot. Powher contains 2g per serving which is certainly nothing to look down upon, although a higher dose could elicit slightly better effects based on what we found. Still, though, it’s a respectable dose.
A few of the other ingredients don’t have as many studies behind them but seem very promising.
The addition of 500mg Coconut water is welcome too seeing as it’s a widely used ingredient for maintaining hydration levels. And you can never go wrong with a healthy dose of B-vitamins that support women’s and men’s health and normal function.
The site notes that the product avoids ingredients such as creatine “so you won’t look bulky“. While creatine can cause you to hold water, it wouldn’t make you gain fat or look like a powerlifter. In fact, creatine is arguably the most effective supplement for increasing muscle growth, strength, and performance.
So don’t let this stop you from using a creatine supplement if you really want the benefits of a tested and proven ingredient.
While we can’t speak for the long-term use of a few of the ingredients in Powher, the research that we found suggests the formula is safe when taken in the recommended dosage. Of course, we’d never recommend that you take more than what is suggested for your safety.
What Does It Taste (and smell) Like?
The pinkish color of the powder would imply that Powher pre-workout tastes pretty good… and you’d be right if you thought so too. You could tell that they put a lot into the flavor although you could say that it tastes more like raspberry than pink lemonade, although it still has a hint of a pink lemonade and smells more like pink lemonade when mixed in water.
It’s not sour either like a lot of other pre-workouts although it certainly has a sour smell to it.
It did make my tongue feel a little dry almost like a bitterness which was the only thing not great about my experience with drinking it.
But if you were considering this pre-workout, you can rest assured that you won’t be disappointed with the flavor or feel the need to plug your nose to get it down.
How Much Does It Cost?
So there are three purchase options for the Powher pre-workout for women.
If you buy one bottle, it’ll cost you $45 not including shipping. 2 bottles will run you $90 ($45 per bottle) but shipping is free in the US and UK. If you opt for the 3-bottle package, you’ll get one free (4 bottles total) for $135 free shipping worldwide.
There are 25 servings in one bottle and the more bottles that you buy at once, the more you save. For example, if you choose the 3-bottle +1 free package, a serving will cost $.45 less per serving compared to the 2-bottle option. You’ll have to pay a little more upfront but the savings are worth it and you’ll get a lot more product too.
The single-bottle is more expensive but if you want to test it out before committing to the other package options, then this is the recommended route to take.
Powher Pre Workout
Powher Pre Workout
Powher is a clinically-dosed, easy-on-the-caffeine pre-workout supplement for women that has become quite the buzz. Powher support intense workouts, increased motivation with zero side effects.
Powher pre-workout pricing structure
- 1 bottle: $45 (More than $1.80 per serving)
- 2 bottles: $90 ($1.80 per serving)
- 3 bottles + 1 free: $135 ($1.35 per serving)
Is It Worth The Buy?
Powher women’s pre-workout formula is different from a lot of similar products that we’ve seen on the market. Now does that mean it’s vastly superior? Not necessarily, but we do like what we see as far as the innovation in the ingredient combination.
While some of the ingredients aren’t as proven, this is exactly what makes it stand out. But it’s not like they just threw the formula together in hopes that it works because there is at least some research on EnXtra and the other compounds such as Oxyjun and RedNite.
As a result, we’d say it’s definitely worth trying out!
References
1. Trexler, Eric T.; Smith-Ryan, Abbie E.; Stout, Jeffrey R.; Hoffman, Jay R.; Wilborn, Colin D.; Sale, Craig; Kreider, Richard B.; Jäger, Ralf; Earnest, Conrad P.; Bannock, Laurent; Campbell, Bill (2015-07-15). “International society of sports nutrition position stand: Beta-Alanine”. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition.
2. Hobson, R. M.; Saunders, B.; Ball, G.; Harris, R. C.; Sale, C. (2012-7). “Effects of β-alanine supplementation on exercise performance: a meta-analysis”. Amino Acids. 43 (1): 25–37.
3. Kalogeropoulou, Dionysia; LaFave, Laura; Schweim, Kelly; Gannon, Mary C.; Nuttall, Frank Q. (2009-08). “Lysine ingestion markedly attenuates the glucose response to ingested glucose without a change in insulin response”. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 90(2): 314–320.
4. Author Information, 7-27-2017, “Effect of lysine supplementation on hypertensive men and women in selected peri-urban community in Ghana,” BMC Nutrition, https://bmcnutr.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40795-017-0187-6
5. Clifford, Tom; Howatson, Glyn; West, Daniel J.; Stevenson, Emma J. (2015-04-14). “The Potential Benefits of Red Beetroot Supplementation in Health and Disease”. Nutrients. 7 (4): 2801–2822.
6. Tom Clifford,1, xx-xx-xxxx, “The Potential Benefits of Red Beetroot Supplementation in Health and Disease,” PubMed Central (PMC), https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4425174/
7. Mirmiran, Parvin; Houshialsadat, Zeinab; Gaeini, Zahra; Bahadoran, Zahra; Azizi, Fereidoun (2020-01-07). “Functional properties of beetroot (Beta vulgaris) in management of cardio-metabolic diseases”. Nutrition & Metabolism.
8. Dwivedi, Shridhar; Chopra, Deepti (2014). “Revisiting Terminalia arjuna – An Ancient Cardiovascular Drug”. Journal of Traditional and Complementary Medicine.
9. Saha, Anumita; Pawar, V. M.; Jayaraman, Sujatha (2012). “Characterisation of Polyphenols in Terminalia arjuna Bark Extract”. Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences.
10. Srivastava, Shalini; Mennemeier, Mark; Pimple, Surekha (2017-11). “Effect of Alpinia galanga on Mental Alertness and Sustained Attention With or Without Caffeine: A Randomized Placebo-Controlled Study”. Journal of the American College of Nutrition.
11. “Effects of Cymbopogon Flexuosus, Alpinia Galanga, and Glycyrrhiza Glabra on Attention: A Randomized Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Pilot Study,” ResearchGate
12. Shao, Andrew; Hathcock, John N. (2008-04). “Risk assessment for the amino acids taurine, L-glutamine and L-arginine”. Regulatory toxicology and pharmacology: RTP.
If you have any questions or need further clarification about this review, please leave a comment below, and Ash will get back to you as soon as possible.
The Review
Powher Pre-workout
Powher pre-workout review: Powher is a clinically-dosed, low-caffeine supplement for women. In this review, we've broken it down to see if it's worth the buy.
PROS
- Stands out from others with few key ingredients
- Low-stim formula
- EnXtra has shown to extend the effects of caffeine
- Tastes awesome
CONS
- Contains the artificial sweetener sucralose (not a deal breaker for everyone)
- Has a few ingredients without as much research
Review Breakdown
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Ingredients
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Mixability
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Effectiveness
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Taste
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Price
Powher Pre-workout DEALS
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