Very few things are more fun to watch than two bodybuilders having a heated discussion about why their chosen pre-workout is the best for achieving fitness goals.
In a recent discussion with clients of mine, I stepped in and decided that side-by-side research and testing would be the only way to solve the issue.
The two pre-workout supplements in question were Gorilla Mode and Total War, and we got together with a few clients to do some in-depth testing over four weeks.
Here’s what we found.
Key Differences Between Gorilla Mode And Total War
The main difference between Gorilla Mode And Total War is that Gorilla Mode has a more scientifically proven formula.
To identify this fact, I had my dietitian list out all the ingredients in both supplements and then check if there were reliable scientific studies to support them.
With Gorilla Mode, my dietitian found that almost all the listed ingredients had substantial and proven effects.
But with Total War, there are a few ingredients where research doesn’t confirm the efficacy.
More on those shortly.
The other significant difference I have to highlight is that Total War has an extremely strong dose of stimulants. There’s as much caffeine as in three cups of coffee plus some added taurine as well.
And because your body absorbs caffeine in as little as 15 minutes, that can make you very jittery in a short space of time [1].
And that also makes it less than optimum if you tend to hit the gym later in the day as it could mess up your sleep and recovery time.
Features Head to Head
The next thing we did was compare the products based on a few important features.
Ingredients
The nutritional labels were very interesting. Both products contain citrulline, agmatine, caffeine, and black pepper extract, but it’s the details that count.
First of all, Gorilla Mode contains L-citrulline, and Total War contains citrulline malate. Based on our research, L-citrulline has shown better results in clinical trials, especially for performance athletes [2].
Total War also has almost 50% more caffeine than Gorilla Mode for a standard dose, and that’s a lot.
Studies have shown that caffeine can help with strength and endurance during workouts, but you have to be careful with the dose [3].
In addition to making you jittery, it can mess with your sleep and cause dehydration. And that’s why it’s better to be cautious on the low side.
And both products contain agmatine, which can impact nitric oxide levels and muscle pumps [4]. And while Total War does contain twice the dose, we found that the L-citrulline in Gorilla Mode more than makes up for it.
Effectiveness
We had our team and clients do one full week of training with each product and one week without any pre-workout as a control.
We also had them take note of how they felt going through their gym sessions and gathered details of the training sets, reps, and weights.
Overall, our testing showed that both supplements improved either the reps or the weights we could lift. And we also noted improvements in pumps.
However, after a detailed look at the results, we saw noticeably better improvements with Gorilla mode.
Nine of the ten of us that took part in the testing had more strength and endurance with Gorilla Mode.
Supplement Form
Both products come in powder form with a serving size of about 15g each.
To test out how they compared when mixing with water, we timed how quickly they dissolved. First, we just put a scoop in a glass of water and waited until the powder sunk to the bottom.
In this test, Gorilla Mode was significantly faster, and that’s often an indication that it will mix easier.
Then we simply stirred them with a spoon to see what the consistency was like.
We found that Gorilla Mode mixed faster and didn’t have any lumps in it.
Flavor
Both products come in a wide selection of flavors, but Total War does have more flavor options.
Overall, we found that they both had tasty choices, but Gorilla Mode just seemed to have ones that were a bit more natural tasting. Also, the number of flavor options for this protein powder is more refreshing.
Meanwhile, some of the Total War flavors were a bit on the sweet side, which isn’t all that pleasant just before a workout.
Price
Gorilla Mode costs $49 per tub of 40 servings, but you can get a discount when ordering three tubs for $137.
That’s a pretty good deal for a high-quality product with a solid and proven formula.
Total War is cheaper per tub but not per serving when you compare the two products.
You can also get a subscription discount of up to 30%.
Overall, I think Gorilla Mode is a better value for money.
Related Article: Best Pre-Workout Supplements
Unique Supplement Features
In this section, I want to focus on the unique features of each of these products and see if those things make one of them a better choice.
Since both of them come in powder form, we looked at the unique ingredients for a better look at what they do.
Gorilla Mode
Here are the most interesting ingredients that only Gorilla Mode contains:
- Creatine: This amino acid has been linked to improved strength and endurance during training [5].
- GlycerPump: An interesting study on soccer players showed that glycerol improved blood flow and aerobic exercise performance [6].
- Malic Acid: This is another proven ingredient for exercise performance that seems to work well when combined with citrulline [7].
- Betaine: One study was able to show that regular betaine supplementation can help increase physical power [8].
- L-Tyrosine: Studies have shown that a tyrosine boost can help reduce feelings of fatigue [9].
“Creatine is thought to improve strength, increase lean muscle mass, and help the muscles recover more quickly during exercise. This muscular boost may help athletes achieve bursts of speed and energy.”
- Stephanie Watson, Writer at WebMD.com
Suited For Men and Women
Gorilla Mode
Get 10% off using coupon code: TOTALSHAPE
Total War
Here are the unique ingredients:
- Beta-Alanine: This is a proven ingredient for exercise performance, but studies have used higher doses [10].
- Taurine: Studies are a bit mixed about this ingredient, and it can have a stimulating effect [11].
- Juniper Extract: Studies for this ingredient are very mixed and mainly inconclusive.
- Di-Caffeine Malate: As the name suggests, this is an additional dose of caffeine.
- Theobromine: A meta-study concluded that the results from testing theobromine are inconclusive at present [12].
- Green Tea Extract: This is a great thermogenic ingredient that can help control your BMI [13].
- Naringin Extract: This has also been linked to thermogenic effects, but given the amount of caffeine, it’s not clear that this would increase the benefit [14].
Suited For Men and Women
Which Product Works The Best?
Out of the two products, I would advise my clients and readers to invest in Gorilla Mode.
With more of the ingredients backed up by strong scientific research and given the test results we saw at the gym, it’s simply the better one to boost your performance.
It also works out cheaper per serving, especially if you order the bulk discount of three tubs. Those will keep you going for a few months, and that will be long enough to really see a major difference in your training routines.
Order your first supply today and see how much faster you can get to your fitness goals.
We Recommend
Gorilla Mode
- Contains nitric oxide for insane pumps
- Many positive comments about good endurance and energy boost
- High dose of caffeine may help with mental focus and fat burning
- Tastes good
- Get 10% off using code: TOTALSHAPE
- Does not list calorie count
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