Bucked Up is one of the biggest companies out there, and Pre-Workout World has reviewed some of their products already. Bucked Up Woke is their mid-range product between the original Bucked Up and their Woke AF. How does it stack up? Let’s review.
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| Function | Primary Ingredient(s) | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | Caffeine Anhydrous, Theobromine | 85 |
| Focus | Caffeine, Huperzine A | 80 |
| Pump | Citrulline Malate | 75 |
| Endurance | Beta-alanine, Taurine, Senactiv, AstraGin | 85 |
| Mood | Theobromine | 100 |
| Strength & Body Comp | Alpha GPC | 80 |
| Flavors | 4 flavors as of this review | 85 |
| Ingredient Quality | Good ingredient selection, good dosages for most | 75 |
| Feel/Vibe | Strong beta-alanine tingles, low pump, medium-high stim | 80 |
| Overall Score | | 83 |
No disappointment here! Bucked Up Woke is a solid daily pre-workout, with the energy and mood elevation you need to get you through a tough workout. It doesn’t have all the bells and whistles, but it’s got good ingredient choices and satisfying performance. With Woke, Bucked Up has made a product that satisfies the stim junkies and the new user.
We rate products based on the following factors:
- Ingredients: Scientifically back – effectively dosed – transparent and honest
- Flavors: Range of choices – enjoyable taste – well-balanced
- Overall Effect: Energy – mood elevation – pumps
The team of fitness lovers, amateur athletes, and experts at Pre-Workout World wants you to find the pre-workout product that will see you through the most demanding workout.
Medical Disclaimer: This article is not intended as a substitute for medical advice. Its sole purpose is to educate and inform. Consult a licensed healthcare provider before beginning any fitness or nutritional program.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Bucked Up Woke’s packaging is obviously meant to look intense, with a deep shade of red and the words “WARNING: HIGH-STIMULANT” prominent on the front. The buck silhouette is very cool and nicely designed, carrying the message forward.
Like some other products, Woke is a little too well-sealed. A good seal means security, but it shouldn’t take three passes to come off.
And a little pet peeve of mine – the scoop was buried in the powder, so I had to dig around. The desiccant pack is weirdly huge and right on top.
The “Suggested Use” directions tell you to use a “well-rounded scoop,” which is important – a level scoop is a little short of the 11.9g serving size. Don’t mess with your dosing when you’re dealing with high stimulants – weigh it if you’re not sure.
THE FIRST SIP
I dropped a rounded scoop into 8oz of water and watched it bloom blue. Since I chose the Rocket Pop flavor (I guess Bomb Pop is trademarked), I’m not surprised. But the color is a little unnatural – kind of a pale fluorescent blue.
The flavor is surprisingly decent and really did call to mind the three-color ice pops. Old-school popsicles don’t have the slightly bitter undertones I get from the sucralose though.
After sitting for a while, the powder starts to settle, but if you’re the kind of user who chugs and hits the mat, that won’t be a problem.
THE BIG 3 – CORE INGREDIENTS
Pre-Workout World’s the Big 3 ingredients are:
- Caffeine
- Citrulline
- Beta Alanine
As far as I’m concerned, these are the building blocks of a good pre-workout. A good product may have top-notch pumps or exceptional focus, but the Big 3 have to be there in spades or I get bored. Bucked Up Woke does it right.
| Product | Caffeine | Citrulline | Beta-Alanine |
|---|---|---|---|
| Transparent Labs Bulk Black | 333mg | 6g | 3.2g |
ENERGY INGREDIENTS IN BUCKED UP WOKE
With the name Bucked Up Woke, you’d expect a product that delivers the stims. I’m glad to say, you won’t be disappointed.
Woke includes 333mg of caffeine anhydrous – kind of a weird number, but it gets my attention. Caffeine anhydrous hits fast, and there are times I prefer a little more stretched-out action. But Woke’s energy effect lasted a good two hours without a hard crash.
That might be helped by 300mg of theobromine. That’s a high dose for theobromine, but since it’s a non-caffeine cacao derivative, it hits different. It’s a much more sustained, slow-burning energy, and has some noticeable mood-elevating effects too.
The label says “WARNING: HIGH-STIMULANT,” but really, that’s marketing – Woke doesn’t quite live up to the danger zone like certain other pre-workouts (looking at you, Ryse Godzilla). But the combination of caffeine and theobromine gave me a great sense of focus and well-being, and energy that really lasted.
ENDURANCE INGREDIENTS
The second of Pre-Workout World’s Big 3, beta-alanine, didn’t let me down in Bucked Up Woke either. Bucked Up includes a downright clinical 3.2g dose of beta-alanine, enough for the tingles to hit really quick.
The beta is the first thing I felt after taking Woke, right before the caffeine energy, but there are other ingredients for endurance and recovery. There’s also 100mg of taurine.
Unfortunately, that’s a really low dose – I’d consider 1500mg optimal. 100mg isn’t enough taurine to really do anything. Scientific studies have yet to confirm whether taurine definitely helps performance, but studies have generally used 500mg-10g doses – way more than Woke.
For recovery, Woke also includes 25mg of Senactiv (a product formerly known as ActiGin). Senactiv is a a trademarked mixture of extracts from Rosa roxburghii and Panax notoginseng. Under either name, Senactiv is supposed to increase endurance, hold off fatigue, and help speed up recovery. However, it hasn’t really been independently tested, so that’s the word of the makers. Take that with a grain of sodium (for electrolytes).
Finally, you get 25mg of AstraGin in Woke. AstraGin is a trademarked mix of Astragalus Root Extract and San-qi Ginseng Root Extract. The makers claim that it helps absorption of nutrients, so AstaGin gets thrown into pre-workouts and other supplements to help your body use the other ingredients more effectively. There’s no current, independently published studies that show whether it really works, though.
PUMP INGREDIENTS
The one area where I was a little disappointed with Bucked Up Woke is with pumps. Woke includes 6g of citrulline malate, which is a little less than the 8g Pre-Workout World considers optimal.
Even with that, though, there just wasn’t any real pump feeling, and no other dedicated pump ingredients to make up for it. I wonder if that’s because Bucked Up also makes a pump-specific product that they would like to see you stack.
If you want to stack a pump, just make sure it’s a stim-free product, because you’ve got enough stimulant in Woke. Bucked Up’s PUMP-Ocalypse, for instance, has no stimulants and a lot more pump ingredients like glycerol and L-arginine.
STRENGTH INGREDIENTS
I’m a little let-down by Woke’s strength support too. No creatine, no betaine anhydrous – none of the expected muscle builders you’d look for.
The only ingredient that might have some strength improvement is Alpha-GPC. But even then, 200mg of AlphaSize Alpha GPC is a little short – I’d prefer 300mg.
When it comes to the scientific consensus on Alpha GPC for strength support, there’s still a lot of work to be done. Some studies have shown an increase in strength, but there’s not much out there. There’s been more study on Alpha for focus, and those stats are more encouraging.
I understand that a lot of users will supplement creatine or something similar on their own. But leaving out any proven strength support make Woke a little thin to me.
FOCUS INGREDIENTS
But that’s enough complaining. Here’s where Bucked Up Woke really comes to the table – with focus and mood. When it comes to mental clarity, Woke has you covered – even better, I think, than Woke AF.
Of course there’s the caffeine and theobromine, which, like I said, are really well-dosed. With Woke, I got some of the best mood elevation and focus I’ve seen in a pre-workout. Not euphoria – I wouldn’t go that far – but long-lasting, healthy feeling energy.
Woke also includes 50mg of Huperzine A. Now, this is a little controversial, because HA has mixed results in scientific studies. Studies have shown real improvement in cognitive function for people using Huperzine A – but specifically for people who are experiencing cognitive decline.
When it comes to cognitive effects for athletes, though, studies haven’t been quite as enthusiastic. It may be that Huperzine needs to be used over a longer period, or that it’s not effective as a nootropic during exercise. Either way, Woke is hoping it works for you.
ELECTROLYTE INGREDIENTS
A lot of pre-workouts ignore electrolytes. They probably figure users will supply their own from another source. But for a complete product, it’s nice to include some electrolyte support.
Bucked Up Woke has 39mg of sodium and 100mg of Himalyan rock salt, providing a reasonable dose of sodium. Together, that’s close to Pre-Workout World’s optimal dosing for electrolyte support in a workout.
No potassium, but Woke also has 100 mcg of vitamin B12. That’s over 4x the FDA’s percent daily value (%DV), so if you need B12 (essential for cell formation, nerve function, and DNA production), you’re getting it in Bucked Up Woke.
FLAVORS
Bucked Up Woke seems to be an Amazon exclusive, and right now there are 4 flavors available:
- Rocket Pop
- Grape
- Red Raz
- Strawberry Kiwi
For my review, I chose Rocket Pop, and I don’t regret it. It’s an easy-drinking, nostalgic flavor that I wouldn’t mind chugging every day.
SWEETENERS IN BUCKED UP WOKE
Most of us who use a pre-workout are trying to avoid empty calories, so get used to seeing artificial sweeteners. Some of us, artificial sweeteners like sucralose don’t bother us. Other folks get a bitter aftertaste – or taste nothing but bitter.
I’m not all that concerned about a bitter flavor, because I tend to just suck my pre-workout down and get down to business. But if you’re really sensitive to artificial sweeteners, you should know that Bucked Up Woke uses sucralose as a sweetener.
DOES BUCKED UP WOKE HAVE ANY SIDE EFFECTS?
Like with a lot of high-stim pre-workouts, anybody who has a hard time with caffeine should watch out. If you know you can’t tolerate the caffeine, if you get jittery, if you get anxious or get heart palpitations, look for a non-stim pre-workout.
Otherwise, there’s not much in the way of side effects. I didn’t feel a head-exploding, over-stimulated surge from Woke – even though their marketing department might want you to think it’s a mind-blower.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Bucked Up Woke is a solid daily driver perfect for beginners who want to dip into the pre-workout world, and stim junkies who need to dial down the stim a little bit. It gave me a great, long-lasting feeling of well-being, focus, and mental clarity. Woke has just the right level of stim for the average user, and is still satisfying for those of us who want a burst of stim energy. The only real disappointment is with pump and strength support.
WHAT WE LOVE
- Great mood and focus
- Strong, lasting energy
- Strong beta-alanine
WHAT WE’D IMPROVE
- More strength support
- Better pump
- Higher Alpha-GPC dose
WHO IS BUCKED UP WOKE FOR?
- Stim junkies
- Beginners who aren’t afraid of a stimulant
- Users who want focus and mood enhancement for a hard workout
WHO IS BUCKED UP WOKE NOT FOR?
- Users with caffeine intolerance
- Users who hate the beta alanine tingles
- Bodybuilders who need strength support
- Users looking for a hard-core pump
Scientific Studies
1. Eva Martínez-Pinilla, Ainhoa Oñatibia-Astibia, and Rafael Franco. The relevance of theobromine for the beneficial effects of cocoa consumption
2. Eric T. Trexler, Abbie E. Smith-Ryan, Jeffrey R. Stout, Jay R. Hoffman, Colin D. Wilborn, Craig Sale, Richard B. Kreider, Ralf Jäger, Conrad P. Earnest, Laurent Bannock, Bill Campbell, Douglas Kalman, Tim N. Ziegenfuss, and Jose Antonio. International society of sports nutrition position stand: Beta-Alanine
3. Jennifer A. Kurtz, Trisha A. VanDusseldorp, J. Andrew Doyle & Jeffrey S. Otis. Taurine in sports and exercise
4. David Bellar, Nina R. LeBlanc, and Brian Campbell. The effect of 6 days of alpha glycerylphosphorylcholine on isometric strength
5. Adam G Parker, Allyn Byars, Martin Purpura, and Ralf Jäger. The effects of alpha-glycerylphosphorylcholine, caffeine or placebo on markers of mood, cognitive function, power, speed, and agility
6. Chadsley M. Wessinger, Cynthia L. Inman, Jeremiah Weinstock, Edward P. Weiss. Effect of Huperzine A on Cognitive Function and Perception of Effort during Exercise: A Randomized Double-Blind Crossover Trial
7. Christina Kuhn, Bernd Bufe, Marcel Winnig, Thomas Hofmann, Oliver Frank, Maik Behrens, Tatjana Lewtschenko, Jay P. Slack, Cynthia D. Ward, and Wolfgang Meyerhof. Bitter Taste Receptors for Saccharin and Acesulfame K
