Elemental Pump is a stimulant-free pre-workout product by Elemental Nutrition.
It’s designed to improve pumps and performance with ergogenic ingredients and increases in nitric oxide.
Elemental Nutrition is an Australian brand, which produces everything from pre-workouts to protein powders and test boosters.
Ingredients Label
Active Ingredients
Arginine AKG and HCl
Arginine is an amino acid that is converted to nitric oxide once it’s ingested.
This dilates blood vessels which improves “the pump” effect, as well as endurance (1).
The AKG version is better-absorbed than other forms (2).
An effective dose is 3-6g, but effects are unreliable.
Beta Alanine
Beta Alanine is a beta amino acid.
It is used to increase the amount of a compound called carnosine in the body. This reduces the build-up of the by-products generated from intense exercise that cause fatigue.
Minimising these by-products can improve endurance (3).
The most effective dose is just under 5g daily.
Citrulline
Citrulline is another nitric oxide booster.
Like arginine, it dilates blood vessels, increasing blood flow and the pump (4).
Citrulline is more reliable than arginine for this.
The effective dose is about 6g.
Creapure Creatine
Creatine is a naturally-occurring compound that has been shown to boost both power output and endurance (5, 6).
Creatine monohydrate is the most reputable form of the compound.
Creapure is simply the name of a German company that produces monohydrate, and has a great reputation for quality.
Tri-creatine malate is another form of creatine. The malate part of the molecule may provide even further help with energy production (7).
The effective dose is 3-5g daily.
Taurine
Taurine is an amino acid shown to have similar effects on muscle cells to creatine.
It regulates cell volume and may increase the nutrient uptake of muscles.
An effective dose is about 1g.
Alpha Lipoic Acid
Alpha Lipoic Acid is a fatty acid.
Research has shown that it has decent antioxidant effects and could encourage a more effective use of glucose by the body (8, 9).
The effective dose is 300-600mg.
Vanadium
Vanadium is a mineral that may increase muscular glycogen content.
Glycogen is carbohydrate energy stored in the muscles, which can contribute to temporary increases in muscle size (10).
Who Takes It?
Athletes who want to boost their performance and pumps in the gym will benefit from using Elemental Pump.
How to Take
Mix 2 scoops (20g) with 500mL water, and consume 15 minutes before your workout.
Side Effects
Creatine increases muscular water retention, and you may gain some water weight. It may also cause an upset stomach if taken with insufficient water.
Beta alanine is known to cause a harmless tingling sensation in the skin known as paraesthesia.
Pros
- A variety of pump ingredients are used, to boost both nitric oxide and cell volume
- It’s stimulant free, which makes it easy to combine with other pre-workouts.
Cons
- Arginine does not work reliably
- Many of the ingredients are under-dosed.
Conclusion
Elemental Pump uses a great mixture of ingredients for increasing pumps and performance, but many of these are dosed a bit low.
This makes it good to use in combination with another pre-workout product, but you might want to double the serving size if you’re going to use it on its own.
The non-stimulant nature of Elemental Pump makes it great for night-time workouts, without interfering with sleep.