THE DEFINITIVE PRE-WORKOUT
ATHLETE FUEL® SURGE is hands-down the best pre-workout formula on the European market. We set out to create an all-in blend that delivers a massive surge in nitric oxide, intramuscular hydration, energy, focus, and the highest boost in muscle strength and endurance possible from a 100% natural, legal, non-hormonal pre-workout. We have sourced only science-backed ingredients, dosed them clinically and kept SURGE free from additives, fillers, banned substances, and any artificial colouring, so all you need to think about is how high you’ll raise the bar.
SURGE is engineered to max out your pump and performance with L-citrulline, L-taurine, creatine monohydrate, betaine anhydrous, betaine nitrate, L-norvaline, and L-malic acid, while igniting energy and laser focus through a well-crafted stimulant–nootropic complex of caffeine anhydrous, theobromine, L-tyrosine, CDP choline, rhodiola rosea, muira puama, and L-theanine. Black pepper extract is the crowning detail, making sure absorption is at its peak.
Other ingredients: Natural flavours, bamboo extract, stevia extract (E960c), sucralose, pink Himalayan salt, beetroot extract (colouring), calcium silicate.
Allergens: none.
As a dietary supplement, healthy adults mix 1 level scoops in 250/300 ml of water about 30-45 minutes before your workout session. Do not exceed this recommended dose.
SURGE makes you feel energized, cut down recovery times in between sets and lets you extend your workout sessions to maximize growth, by delaying onset of fatigue. It does that by not only relying on stimulants like caffeine anhydrous, l-tyrosine and theobromine, but also through effective doses of l-citrulline, betaine anhydrous and l-malic acid.
SURGE allows you to focus on your workout sessions and to push through even the most stubborn performance plateus. Creatine monohydrate, betaine anhydrous and taurine have been shown over and over again in studies to increase strength and power output during sport performance, whilst we included a clinically dosed complex of caffeine, theobromine, l-tyrosine, CDP choline, rhodiola rosea and muira puama to increase dopamine in the brain leading to enhanced focus.
SURGE increases nitric oxide through 3 different pathways, contributing to optimal nitric oxide levels that will ignite tremendous vascularity, deliver a much better pump and substantially improve physical performance. The combination of high dose pure l-citrulline, l-norvaline and betaine nitrate will work synergistically to dramatically elevate nitric oxide in the body during your training sessions.
SURGE contains no proprietary blends and no underdosed ingredients. Every compound is included at evidence-based levels to ensure measurable improvements in strength, endurance and focus during high-intensity training sessions.
L-Citrulline is the most effective supplement you can use to boost nitric oxide (NO) in the body. Nitric oxide (NO) is made naturally in our bodies and plays a significant role in cardiovascular health. In addition, maintaining optimal nitric oxide levels will make you more vascular, allow you to get a much better pump, and improve physical performance.
Creatine is the best studied and most effective performance enhancing supplement outside of exogenous hormones and drugs. Supplementing with creatine has shown time and time again to significantly improve strength, power output and muscle size. We only use a 200 mesh ultrafine and micronized creatine monohydrate, which is renowned for improved absorption without causing gastrointestinal issues.
Betaine is quickly becoming a popular supplements due to the research showing its ability to boost muscle strength and power, as well as increase growth hormone and IGF-1 levels. It also increases the body's own production of creatine. Betaine also boosts levels of SAM-e, which have been linked to improved mood and cognitive function.
L-Tyrosine is an amazing cognitive enhancing amino acid that acts by balancing neurotransmitter levels in the brain. Its primary role is as the direct precursor to thyroxine and to the neurotransmitters dopamine, epinephrine, and norepinephrine. L-Tyrosine shines in its ability to improve mental sharpness, focus, energy levels, and cause mood elevation.
We chose to use betaine nitrate as one of the most effective nitric oxide (NO) boosters available. Nitrates are powerful vasodilators that increase NO levels in the body through a pathway independent of the arginine-citrulline route, which means they bypass common metabolic bottlenecks and deliver reliable results. Once ingested, nitrates are converted into nitrites and then into nitric oxide, enhancing blood flow, oxygen delivery, and muscle pumps. This mechanism has been shown in multiple studies to significantly improve exercise performance and endurance. In particular this study has demonstrated that nitrate rich foods are significant precursor to NO in a dose-dependent manner in humans [R].
CDP Choline, also known as citicoline, is one of the most bioavailable and effective forms of choline, a vital nutrient for brain health and cognitive performance. Once ingested, it’s converted into both choline and cytidine, which the body then transforms into uridine, a compound that supports neuronal growth and repair. CDP Choline enhances the production of acetylcholine, the neurotransmitter responsible for focus, learning, and mind–muscle connection. In the context of a stim-free pre-workout, it plays a crucial role in promoting mental clarity, concentration, and motivation without relying on caffeine or other stimulants. The 500 mg dose used here ensures a potent and sustained cognitive boost, perfectly complementing the physical performance benefits of the other ingredients in SURGE.
Muira Puama is one of the most active botanicals with a long history of traditional use as an energy tonic, general health booster, and as a remedy for impotence and erectile dysfunction. It's a very potent anti-catabolic and dopamine booster, and has been prescribed for stress management, nervous system stimulation and as a tonic for sexual health.
Rhodiola Rosea is a powerful adaptogenic herb known for its ability to enhance both mental and physical resilience under stress. Standardized to 3% salidroside (the most active and neuroprotective compound in rhodiola), this extract helps regulate cortisol levels, reduce fatigue, and sustain performance during intense training or long days. It works by improving oxygen utilization, mitochondrial efficiency, and neurotransmitter balance, resulting in greater endurance, focus, and motivation.
L-Norvaline is a fascinating amino acid with unique properties. It acts as powerful inhibitor of arginase, an enzyme that competes with nitric oxide synthase (NOS) for the common substrate, l-arginine. By blocking arginase, l-norvaline makes more l-arginine available for NOS, leading to increased NO synthesis. L-Norvaline also inhibits ornithine transcarbamylase (OTC), an enzyme involved in the urea cycle. This can indirectly lead to increased L-citrulline levels, which can be converted back to L-arginine, further contributing to NO production.
While theobromine acts as a stimulant, it does so in a very different way compared to its more popular cousin, caffeine. Theobromine primarily works by inhibiting phosphodiesterase (PDE) enzymes. These enzymes break down cyclic AMP (cAMP), a molecule involved in various cellular processes, including energy production and muscle contraction.
So theobromine's effects are milder and last longer than caffeine's. Its stimulating effect is more subtle and sustained, lacking the jitters and crashes often associated with caffeine, but it has a stronger effect on smooth muscle relaxation and potential muscle stimulation compared to caffeine.
L-Theanine is an amino acid naturally found in tea leaves, best known for promoting a calm, focused mental state without causing drowsiness. In SURGE, it is included specifically for its powerful synergistic effect with caffeine and theobromine. While caffeine and theobromine elevate energy, alertness, and performance, they can also increase jitteriness in sensitive individuals. L-theanine smooths out that stimulation by increasing alpha-brain wave activity and supporting balanced neurotransmitters, resulting in clean, controlled energy, enhanced focus, and zero crash. The combination of caffeine, theobromine, and L-theanine creates a state of heightened alertness with improved mental clarity, the ideal cognitive environment for intense training.
Most pre-workouts rely on excessive caffeine and fast-acting stimulants to create the illusion of performance. You feel wired, but your strength, endurance and output remain unchanged. Temporary stimulation is not the same as measurable results. Real performance comes from clinically effective doses of performance ingredients, not just a spike in heart rate.
Some formulas are marketed around the sheer number of ingredients, listing 15-20 compounds to appear advanced. In reality, many are included at doses far below what research shows to be effective. Others are filler minerals or vitamins that add label weight but have zero contribution to acute performance in a pre-workout setting. These “label decoration” formulas prioritize marketing over measurable results. Without clinically validated dosing, ingredients become noise, not performance drivers.
Proprietary blends allow brands to mask exact ingredient quantities, making it impossible to evaluate efficacy or safety. When doses are hidden, underdosing becomes easy and accountability disappears. Athletes deserve to know exactly what they’re putting into their bodies and at what dose.
Many pre-workouts are produced with minimal oversight, weak raw material verification and no third-party testing. Banned substances, misleading labeling and stimulant spiking are real risks in the supplement industry. Performance means nothing without safety: if a formula can’t guarantee safety, its performance claims are meaningless.
Aggressive stimulant dosing often leads to rapid peaks followed by hard crashes, reduced focus and impaired recovery. Instead of steady performance across a session, athletes experience instability and diminishing output. Sustainable energy, cellular hydration and nitric oxide support outperform artificial stimulation every time.
Found in almost all pre-workouts, beta alanine is the ingredient that makes your skin itchy and has you sitting there scratching your face between sets. There is ample evidence in the medical literature that its effect on performance is negligible and absolutely worthless at the common dosages available in all preworkouts:
“The median effect of β-alanine supplementation is a 2.85% (-0.37 to 10.49%) improvement in the outcome of an exercise measure, when a median total of 179 g of β-alanine is supplemented” [R].
179 grams (an amount nobody would ever be able to supplement) for a 2.85% improvement in performance, and a ton of itchines as a result.
“Although some laboratory-based studies show an ergogenic effect with beta-alanine supplementation, there is a lack of field-based research in training and competition settings.”
Taking leucine post-workout promotes muscle growth, hence why we included a high dose in our REGEN and REFILL.
However, taking leucine in your pre-workout has shown to diminish muscular performance via the inhibition of glycogen to glucose conversion within muscle cells and insulin signaling.
On top of that, leucine can prevent the uptake of tyrosine into the brain, consequently inhibiting dopamine production, which is the opposite of what we are trying to accomplish via our cognitive enhancing nootropics.
One of the worst things you can do is take antioxidants before or straight after your workout.
The stress and damage induced by weightlifting or exercise is needed to facilitate muscular recovery and progress.
The reactive oxygen species produced during intense training assists with that process, and is also why drugs like Ibuprofen can inhibit muscle growth so severely.
The inflammatory response to training is what we want in order to recover, and by inhibiting that with antioxidants or anti-inflammatory compounds, you prevent your body from breaking down and recovering the way it needs to in order to grow.
A pre-workout formula with a bunch of vitamins in it is more likely to hinder your gains than help.
Many companies advertise their supplements as "pure" or "natural", hoping you won't go and read the ingredients list where you'll find artificial flavours and colourings. All of our supplements are only flavoured with natural substances, keeping the taste nice and natural and providing you one of the shortest ingredients list on the market.
Whatever the excuse the manufacturer and/or the distributor would use, we can assure you that a quality product won't need any of these toxic ingredients. We only use stevia as a natural sweetener and we don't use any filler or additive, not even the wide-spread silicon dioxide, which some recent medical literature has linked to health problems. Our commitment to you is to deliver a 100% natural product.
Overall rating: 4.909091 / 5 from 33 reviews.
Review topics: [].
"I saw the ads online and initially I thought it was just marketing gimmicks, as I had bad experiences with pre-workouts in the past. Then I decided to try it and I can tell this one delivers what it promises. I would rate it 10 stars if I could!"
"Was dragging before my session, took SURGE and thirty minutes later I was hitting numbers I hadn't touched in months. Energy came on clean and stayed consistent. The strawberry lemonade tastes great too, not overly sweet. Solid product all round."
"Energia pulita, niente formicoli, niente crash. Mi sono allenata meglio nelle ultime tre settimane da quando ho iniziato a usarlo rispetto al mese precedente. Il gusto tropicale è ottimo. Lo ricompro senza dubbio."
"Uso SURGE da circa sei settimane e devo dire che ha cambiato il modo in cui mi alleno. Niente picchi e crolli, solo energia pulita e focus sostenuto per tutta la sessione. Il pump è ottimo, sicuramente uno dei migliori che abbia mai ottenuto da un pre-workout naturale. Apprezzo molto la scelta di includere L-teanina per bilanciare la caffeina: si sente la differenza rispetto ai prodotti che sparano caffeina grezza senza alcun contrappeso. Formula intelligente, brand serio."
"Was using one of the well-known pre-workouts for about two years and kept telling myself it was fine. Tried SURGE on a recommendation and the difference was immediately obvious. The pump and vascularity on the first session were on another level. What convinced me to stay was how clean the energy feels throughout. No artificial junk, no crash, and the ingredient list actually makes sense if you take five minutes to look it up. Solid product from a brand that clearly knows what they're doing."
"Simple one. Mixes clean, tastes good, delivers a great pump and real focus without making you feel wired or anxious. The theanine balancing the caffeine is a smart touch. Had zero stomach issues even on an empty stomach which used to be a problem with other pre-workouts. On my second jar."
"I've been training seriously for about eight years and I've gone through more pre-workouts than I can remember. Most of them rely on a massive caffeine hit to make you feel something and then leave you crashing an hour into your session. SURGE is built completely differently. The energy comes on clean and steady, the pump is insane, and the focus from the nootropic stack is something I've never experienced from a pre-workout before. CDP choline and rhodiola together are no joke. I train in the morning and I'm still firing on all cylinders two hours later. No jitters, no crash, no tingling from beta-alanine because it's not even in there."
"Ho sempre evitato i pre-workout perché ogni volta che ne provavo uno mi ritrovavo con le mani che formicolavano, il cuore che batteva troppo forte e un crollo di energia a metà allenamento. Con SURGE non ho avuto nulla di tutto questo. L'energia è costante, la concentrazione è alta dall'inizio alla fine e il pump muscolare è notevole già dalla prima sessione. La formula è seria: ingredienti dosati clinicamente, niente beta-alanina, niente additivi. È il tipo di prodotto che si vede raramente sul mercato europeo e sono contenta di averlo trovato."
"Honestly was worried that without beta-alanine the performance would have been sub-par. It absolutely does not. Citrulline dose is serious and the vascularity shows it. The theanine keeps everything smooth, no edge, no anxiety. Just a really clean and effective pre. Would recommend to anyone who hates the tingle as much as I do."
"Nice mix of energy and pump without going overboard. I take one scoop on regular training days and it's the right amount. The focus from the nootropic stack is what keeps me coming back, it's not something you notice until you train without it and then you really notice."