We’re always on the lookout for new and better pre-workout supplements, but unfortunately, most of the weight loss and cutting products that come out simply don’t perform well enough.
But Cardio Cuts 3.0 did come to us recommended by a few clients and friends, so we thought it was a good idea to see how it worked for clients and us during cardio workouts.
We also had a nutritionist review the ingredients (there are many), which took a lot longer than we expected.
But it was an important exercise as we found a few surprises.
What Is Cardio Cuts?
Cardio Cuts is a combined weight loss and pre-workout dietary supplement. Its formula may help trigger fat burning, increase mental alertness, enhance cardio performance, and contribute to quicker recovery.
And apparently, it took 50 or more ingredients to achieve this.
Overall, what it claims to do is give you an energy boost to increase your cardiovascular endurance while at the same time reducing lactic acid levels to reduce fatigue.
The company has also decided to throw in a potent antioxidant and some ingredients to improve blood flow. There was so much going on that we hardly knew where to start.
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Cardio Cuts Benefits
During our initial research and tests of Cardio Cuts 3.0, we did find that some ingredients have a proven link to weight loss. The big question is whether they were strong enough, and that led us to a problem.
The company hides behind a proprietary label, and we have some more to say about that below.
Now, another plus that we found with this pre-workout supplement is that it actually tastes pretty good. In many cases, these products tend to be clumpy, and the flavors are fake, but we quite enjoyed this one.
Does Cardio Cuts Have Downsides?
Cardio Cuts has quite a few downsides, based on the hundreds of online reviews for the product our team's testing.
First of all, there are both natural and artificial flavors and sweeteners, and we're generally not in favor of taking synthetic chemicals.
The other big issue is that while all of the Cardio Cuts ingredients are listed by name, the company hides behind a proprietary blend, meaning you don't actually know how much of each ingredient is in there.
That also means we couldn't verify that there's scientific proof for each of them to actually make any difference. And it makes it difficult to stack with other supplements as well.
- Cardio Cuts comes with a few added vitamins for general health benefits
- It contains some proven ingredients to help burn fat
- The flavors taste good and aren’t too sweet or overpowering
- Cardio Cuts has a proprietary blend of ingredients, so we can’t confirm if proven ingredients are strong enough
- Contains some synthetic flavors that could be bad for digestive health
7 Cardio Cuts Ingredients
As I mentioned before, the list of the Cardio Cuts 3.0 ingredients is long, and I won't go into minute details of each of them.
The other problem we had was assessing whether there’s enough of each of them to make a difference. Given the small scoops of supplement, we think there’s probably not enough of them to trigger a decent response.
And you’ll see if we could confirm that with our test results.
Vitamins
Cardio Cuts 3.0 contains a few vitamins, which is a nice bonus for health benefits. But honestly, my dietitian has created a stack of vitamins that is best for me and my diet. I don’t need a pre-workout or weight loss supplement to provide those.
This includes vitamins B6, B12, C, D, and folate.
Tone Tight Complex
Supposedly these are the fat loss ingredients. We’ve seen some like CLA in other weight loss pills and fat burner supplements. But what’s going on with medium-chain triglycerides here?
MCTs are great for boosting certain energy levels through ketones, but the evidence is not strong enough for use in fat burners.
Here’s the full list for this section:
- Carnitine Complex
- Conjugated linoleic acid (from Safflower oil)
- Medium-chain triglyceride powder
Overall, I think these are a bit of a waste of money.
T-Define Complex
This is the second part of the weight loss section on the label, and we couldn’t quite figure this out either. L-Tyrosine has been linked to improved hormone balances and producing neurotransmitters [1].
And there’s not much scientific evidence for the other items:
- L-Tyrosine
- Gum Guggul extract
- Kelp whole
- Blackberry extract
Again, these just seem like they are misplaced on a pre-workout and weight loss formula.
Lean-Pump Recovery Blend
In some of the online material, we’ve seen this listed as the rejuvenation complex. It’s a branched-chain amino acid and other protein combination that supposedly does two things.
First of all, as the name suggests, there should be an increase in blood flow to the muscles, which should boost your pumps.
That’s good for your workouts if the dosage is high enough.
But compared to other supplements that we recommend, the indicated amount here is probably too low to make much of a difference.
For example, many BCAA supplements with a 2:1:1 amino acid profile typically have 4 or 5 grams in each dose. Cardio Cuts has a total of 3.77 grams for all of these ingredients, including taurine, amino acids, D-Ribose, and Glucuronolactone.
“Beta-alanine is commonly used by mouth for improving athletic performance and building lean muscle mass in younger adults, and improving physical performance in elderly adults.“
- WebMD.com
Restore-Cognition Complex
Alpha-lipoic acids, or ALA, is probably the one ingredient that stands out the most as it has been linked to brain function [2]. Combined with l-theanine, it could have quite a positive impact on focusing the brain on work and exercise-related tasks.
The rest of the ingredients we’re not so sure about, and we think that they seem like fillers in pre-workouts because there’s no conclusive evidence to support taking them, e.g., pine bark extract and Coenzyme Q10.
Thermo Cardio Focus Complex
So, this is the list of ingredients that supposedly provide the thermogenic effect.
That means they may raise your body temperature slightly while your metabolism processes more calories and fat.
Some of them are common in fat burner supplements, for example, caffeine [3], but raspberry ketones are a bit misplaced here.
They tend to work on providing brain energy rather than directly impacting fat cells.
There are also several other herbs with no proven fat-burning link.
Natural Health Blend
And finally, there’s the health blend that we really don’t think is necessary for a pre-cardio supplement. The only really beneficial one for athletes is magnesium, but you should be taking that as a supplement.
Given this huge list, I think the only thing that’s missing is some appetite suppressants. It’s kind of insane, and we honestly think that this company has over-complicated the formula.
There would probably be a much better effect if they stuck with the proven ingredients and just increased the dosage of those.
And the whole proprietary blends thing is another thing that annoys us.
So, let’s see how Cardio Cuts compares to some of our favorite supplements.
How Does Cardio Cuts Compare To Other Supplements?
We opted to test Cardio Cuts against three leading pre-workout supplements. Here’s what we learned.
4 Gauge
For those looking for a pre-workout supplement that delivers results without causing crashes or jitters, 4 Gauge may be the answer. This innovative supplement was developed by a team of experts, including top athletes and nutritionists.
Our group of testes was quite satisfied with their results, experiencing significant increases in focus and energy during intense workout sessions, thanks to the blend of caffeine and L-theanine.
I noticed a considerable increase in my workout capacity, which our dietitians attributed to the 6000 mg of L-citrulline in each serving.
During my years in the fitness industry, I have learned that sometimes supplements can try to do too much, like Cardio Cuts attempting to be a fat burner and pre-workout with loads of ingredients.
Instead, 4 Gauge focuses on being a reliable pre-workout. It's noteworthy that 4 Gague does not contain beta-alanine like many pre-workouts. As a result, our testers didn’t experience any tingling sensation often associated with beta-alanine, allowing them a distraction-free workout.
Gorilla Mode
Gorilla Mode is a pre-workout that packs high doses of L-citrulline, creatine monohydrate, and betaine, known for improving strength output during training sessions.
During testing, we recorded a 5% average strength boost that our dietitians attribute to the creatine.
Beyond its effectiveness, I found Gorilla Mode one of the best-tasting pre-workouts I’ve tried. Plus, the 175 mg of caffeine provides an ideal energy boost without the jitters or crashes.
Cardio Cuts contains caffeine, but its amount is hidden behind a proprietary blend.
I ordered Gorilla Mode from the official website and was thrilled to receive a generous discount on our multi-tub purchase, and you can be sure fan favorite Tiger’s Blood was included in the order.
Transparent Labs
PreSeries Bulk is a pre-workout offered by Transparent Labs that contains key ingredients like L-citrulline, beta-alanine, and BCAAs that are proven to relieve muscle soreness. Let’s see if this formula delivered results in our extensive testing.
Our testing phase yielded significant improvements in muscle recovery and decreased soreness for many of our users, myself included. I found these benefits particularly noticeable after my HIIT sessions.
The consensus in our group was that the top flavor was the strawberry lemonade, although I couldn’t get enough of the sour grape flavor.
Like many pre-workouts, Transparent Labs contains caffeine (200 mg) and L-theanine (200 mg) to boost energy and focus throughout the day, not just during workouts.
The pricing of PreSeries Bulk is less than Cardio Cuts, and when I ordered from the official website, I saved even more with a bulk order discount and free shipping. I should also mention how pleased I was at how quickly my order was processed and shipped.
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Our Test Results With Cardio Cuts
Ok, so our research led us to another problem. Do we test Cardio Cuts like weight loss or pre-workout supplements?
So, we stuck with the main idea behind it to see if it would give that “aggressive workout” as promised.
We took one scoop before every training session and measured performance, fatigue, and pumps. While there was a small increase, it didn’t seem anything like we’ve gotten used to with other products.
Then, on the fat loss side of things, we kept taking it during a cutting phase, and it didn’t seem to work that well as a fat burner either.
And finally, the amino acids did seem to work OK to repair muscles and speed up the recovery period.
Cardio Cuts User Experiences
We also found many online reviews that showed the same results with Cardio Cuts 3.0.
Steve was trying to lose weight after hitting a plateau for several weeks. He thought he might get better results by increasing exercise performance with Cardio Cuts, but the weight loss didn’t materialize.
- Steve, Ohio
Tom was looking for a way to speed up his cutting phases from 10 days. He did get down to 9 days but, in the end, switched to another product that gave him a faster fat loss.
- Tom, Maine
FAQs
Does Cardio Cuts Contain Stimulants?
Yes, Cardio Cuts contains stimulants in the form of caffeine. Unfortunately, the product has a proprietary blend, so it’s not clear how much caffeine it has.
When Should You Take Cardio Cuts?
You should take one scoop of Cardio Cuts with cold water about 30 minutes before a workout. However, it's not recommended to take it before an evening workout because it could mess up your sleep.
Should You Buy Cardio Cuts?
While some people have said that Cardio Cuts 4.0 is better than 3.0, we simply don’t see enough of an improvement in the formula to help you lose weight and BMI.
There are way better pre-workouts that don’t hide behind proprietary blends, and the one we recommend to clients is 4 Gauge.
We also did an in-depth review of 4 Gauge where you can find out more about this product.
It has a simple formula with proven ingredients, and it doesn’t try to give you the benefits of pre-workouts and fat burners. It just works well to make your training sessions more effective.
Order yours today and see how much of a difference it might make.
We Recommend This Instead
4 Gauge
- It contains a significant amount of caffeine for muscle endurance and strength
- Longer lasting energy without the jitters due to the caffeine and L-theanine combination
- No proprietary blends or artificial sweeteners
- Vegan-friendly pre-workout supplement
- Get the BEST PRICE until the end of September
- Some more flavor options would be great to avoid getting bored of it
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