Applied Nutrition ABE Pre-Workout - Energy, Intense Focus

What is Applied Nutrition's ABE Pre Workout?

Applied Nutrition ABE — short for All Black Everything — is a powdered pre-workout sold in a 375 g tub, that is 30 servings of 12.5 g. The British brand has turned it into its best-selling line, and it is probably the most recognisable pre-workout on the shelf, thanks to its boldly pitched flavours.

The formula is built around four actives with stated amounts: 4 g of citrulline malate 2:1, 3.25 g of creatine monohydrate, 2 g of beta-alanine and 200 mg of anhydrous caffeine. To these are added 200 mg of taurine, VitaCholine™ choline, niacin and vitamin B12. All of it sugar-free, sweetened with sucralose.

The flavours on offer run from Fruit Punch to Cherry-Cola by way of Candy Ice Blast, Sour Gummy Bear and Slush Puppie. The product sits in our pre-workouts and Applied Nutrition sections.

What does a 12.5 g serving contain?

Three dosages are missing — choline, niacin, vitamin B12 — and we are not going to invent them. The manufacturer does not publish the energy value or the macronutrient breakdown per serving either. That is a shame, because the rest of the label is precise to the milligram.

The 200 mg of caffeine define where the product sits, and it is an intelligent choice. It corresponds exactly to the benchmark EFSA uses for a single serving that raises no safety concern in healthy adults — whereas many competitors climb to 350 or 400 mg. In practice, you get a genuine stimulant effect without hitting your daily ceiling first thing in the morning.

The 3.25 g of creatine monohydrate exceed the 3 g per day threshold above which European regulations authorise the claim: creatine increases physical performance in successive bursts of short-term, high intensity exercise. Read it carefully, though: that claim assumes a daily intake, and this product is only taken on training days. The 4 g of citrulline malate sit within the useful range without being remarkable. For citrulline, beta-alanine and taurine, no claim is authorised in Europe; for niacin, B12 and choline, approved wordings do exist, but since the dosages are not published we cannot verify that they reach the required thresholds.

How should you dose ABE Pre Workout?

Serving: 1 scoop of 12.5 g, one serving per day only. Liquid: 250 ml of cold water. Timing: 15 minutes before the session. Frequency: one serving per training day. Duration: in cycles of 6 to 8 weeks, followed by a break of 1 to 2 weeks.

New users start with a half serving of 6.25 g for the first seven days, as the manufacturer advises. At 200 mg of caffeine this is not essential for everyone, but it is the right way to find out your tolerance without ruining a session.

The manufacturer recommends taking it on an empty stomach or two hours after your last meal, and advises against taking it in the evening. Bear in mind that the stimulant effect stays noticeable for several hours: at 200 mg, a serving taken at 17:00 can still get in the way of falling asleep for anyone sensitive. For late sessions, the caffeine-free pre-workout section exists for exactly that.

Expect tingling within a quarter of an hour of taking it: that is the 2 g of beta-alanine, the sensation lasts around twenty minutes and has no consequences.

Who is ABE for, and who is it not for?

It is probably the pre-workout we most readily recommend for a first experience of the category. The dosages are serious without being extreme, the caffeine is at a sensible level, and the flavours are markedly more pleasant than the shelf average — a criterion that matters more than people admit when it comes to finishing a 375 g tub.

The restrictions are standard but real. High caffeine content: not recommended for children or for pregnant and breastfeeding women. Do not exceed one serving per day. Consult a healthcare professional if you have a known or suspected health condition, or if you are taking medication. The product contains no major allergen in its recipe, but it is manufactured in a facility that handles MILK, SOYA, EGGS, FISH, CELERY and CEREALS CONTAINING GLUTEN.

One thing to check before buying: if you already take creatine separately, the 3.25 g provided here are added on top on training days. That is not dangerous, it is simply money spent twice.

What you should not expect from it: strength or muscle. A pre-workout acts on alertness, focus and perceived effort. Creatine, for its part, works over weeks and only if taken every day — which this product does not allow for. And 200 mg of caffeine will not make up for a four-hour night.

ABE or a pre-workout with 400 mg of caffeine?

The question comes up often, and the answer has less to do with potency than with the way you train.

A heavily dosed pre-workout, at 350 or 400 mg of caffeine, earns its place in one specific case: two or three heavy sessions a week, for someone already well used to stimulants, who wants a pronounced effect and accepts not taking it the rest of the time. Those formulas also often list higher amounts of citrulline, sometimes 8 or 12 g. On that ground ABE is outdone, and there is no point pretending otherwise.

ABE wins on consistency. At 200 mg of caffeine, you can use it four or five times a week without sending your daily intake through the roof, which is impossible with a 400 mg formula. It also wins on the presence of creatine at a full dose, a rarity in this category, and on the flavours — a tub of pre-workout whose taste you tire of ends up at the back of a cupboard, whatever its dosages. If you want to avoid doubling up on creatine, a product from the creatine-free pre-workout section will suit you better.

Frequently asked questions

How many servings are in the 375 g tub?

Thirty servings of 12.5 g. At four sessions a week, one tub covers a little over seven weeks — that is, the 6 to 8 week cycle the manufacturer recommends before the break.

Is 200 mg of caffeine a lot?

It is the equivalent of two espressos, and it corresponds exactly to EFSA's benchmark for a single serving in healthy adults. It is an unapologetic but measured dosage: enough to be felt, low enough not to mortgage the rest of your day.

Should you take creatine alongside it?

If you want the benefit of creatine, yes: it requires a daily intake, rest days included, whereas ABE is only taken before sessions. The 3.25 g in here are a bonus on training days, not a complete supplementation.

Why are some dosages not stated?

VitaCholine™ choline, niacin and vitamin B12 appear in the ingredient list with no quantity published in the data available to us. We flag that rather than estimate it. The four main actives, on the other hand, are given to the milligram.

Which flavour should you choose?

Fruit Punch and Bubble Gum are the safest bets; Cherry-Cola and Candy Ice Blast the most unusual; Sour Gummy Bear and Baddy-Berry the sharpest. This is the section with the widest range of tastes, and it is worth switching from one tub to the next.

Can it be taken on an empty stomach in the morning?

Yes, the manufacturer even recommends it: on an empty stomach or two hours after your last meal. The effect comes on faster. If you are sensitive to stimulants, taking it on a stomach that is not completely empty remains more comfortable the first time.

Is the tingling normal?

Yes, it comes from the 2 g of beta-alanine. It appears within a quarter of an hour, affects the face and the forearms, lasts around twenty minutes and is harmless. At 2 g the intensity stays moderate compared with formulas that put in 3 or 6 g.

Where can you buy Applied Nutrition ABE Pre Workout?

The flavours can be ordered from this page, and we ship throughout France and Europe. It is the most requested pre-workout in our catalogue, and the only one where people regularly ask us to recommend the flavour rather than the formula.

In our shop in Vendargues, about ten minutes from Montpellier, the flavours are lined up on the shelf — that is still the best way to choose. The rest of the pre-training range can be compared from sports nutrition.