Gaspari sp250 review

Gaspari SP250 Review: Legit or Another Superdump?

SP250’s ingredients

In one paragraph: You’re going to itch the crap out yourself if you take two scoops. With a gram of both creatine and L-citrulline, the only thing that appears to be fully dosed is the beta alanine.

And with 750mg of stimulants and 250mg of caffeine, SP-250 seems like a pre workout that is more focused on energy, itching, and some pumps.

Each scoop is only 10 grams, whereas the old Superpump 250 formula had 20 grams. It seems like every pre workout they come out with decreases in serving size. But hey, hold your horses. Don’t buy it just yet…

Laughable at the first glance but wouldn't they hide the underdosed ingredients (creatine, citrulline) if it was that bad?

Proprietary blends at it's finest.

As expected from Gaspari, they are going backwards and have put most of the ingredients in proprietary blends. Why? Probably because they feel like it. Pre-Jym is one of the bestselling pre workouts, but yet they don’t hide their ingredients.

Pre Jym is a pretty good alternative to SP250, all ingredients are disclosed and has everything basically.

Top 10 Pre-Workouts for Muscle Gains

Although Pre Jym isn't available everywhere, it's a pretty good damn alternative to SP250 as it has a solid ingredient profile without the fluff or fillers. If you know your ingredients in supplements, you'll know this is a great option.

Let’s get down to it and dissect these ingredients…

I always like to see vitamin C in a nitric oxide product or a pre workout as it helps with the pump.

It protects against oxidative stress because it’s an anti-oxidant and plays a role in increasing vascularity.

Vitamin B6 and B12 are basically for energy, but nothing too crazy like caffeine.

And Niacin is responsible for that “flush” feeling you might experience. It could use more potassium as it has only 50mg but hey, it could be enough.

Now to the core ingredients Carnosyn Beta alanine (3.2g)

Brief explanation. Carnosyn Beta-Alanine can help delay muscle fatigue and failure by buffering lactic acid. It’s a non essential amino acid that attaches to histidine to make muscle carnosine. It can improve performance during high intensity exercise. In one scoop of SP250 you’re getting a full dose of beta-alanine.

But if you’re a stim lover and you use 2 scoops for a total of 500 mg of caffeine, you’ll be getting more than 6 grams of BA, which is just asking for an itchy workout.

You shouldn’t need two scoops and if you do, take a stim break already! Bottom line: You’ll feel the tingles even at small doses, so either try to deal with it or find a pre workout without beta-alanine if it bothers you. This along with creatine is a great combination for any pre workout.

Creatine HCL (1g)

(check here for best forms of creatine: http://www.muscleforlife.com/which-form-of-creatine-is-most-effective/)

In one line: Creatine has been proven for many years to be a powerful muscle and strength builder. The HCl form of creatine is said to be more water soluble and doesn’t cause any bloating or water retention.

There is no hard evidence to back this point up other than reviews and claims. Creatine monohydrate will never fail you so it isn’t less powerful than the HCl form.

BUT there isn’t even enough creatine in here to make you notice that much of a difference. Not sure what Gaspari was thinking on this one. He shouldn’t have added in any creatine or at least hid the dosing because this is just embarrassing to look at.

Bottom line: Add another 2-5g of creatine for maximum benefits.

L-Citrulline Malate

L-Citrulline Malate can increase workout duration, enhance recovery, and decrease soreness. It can increase nitric oxide as it can increase the amount of airginine in the blood.

Supplement with l-citrulline malate and you can expect skin-tearing pumps, better workouts and overall more energy. But only if it’s dosed properly (3g to 8g), 6g is the minimum to notice clinically studied benefits.

Unless this is like l-citrulline malate that’s found on the moon, there’s absolutely no reason to include this in SP250 if it’s only dosed at 1 gram.

Seriously, no one is that foolish to buy a supplement that is only partially dosed, might as well might your own homemade pre workout!

Bottom line: What was the point of this? Is Gaspari trying to prove that we would help make him profit if he gives us a teaspoon of l-citrulline malate? Or did he forget that it isn’t a part of a propertiery blend?

How citrulline works. Pretty simple right?

S-(2-boronoethyl)-L-Cysteine (200mg)

What in the Gaspari is this?

Well according to the man, he’s saying this will solve the “Arginase Problem” (we have that problem?) which is the reason why all the other nitric oxide supplements fail at delivering a serious pump.

Well that’s Mr. Fully-Doses-Creatine-At-1-Gram says.

So, what is this?

Apparently this has never been used in a pre workout before, so this is something that you can expect “Fresh” from a pre.

It’s something new. But it can also be the reason for the poor dosing of L-citrulline malate…check this out: This ingredient, S-(2-boronoethyl)-L-cysteine can increase arginine levels in the blood as it stops the breakdown of arginase, thus increasing nitric oxide production in the body. Bottom line: Interestingly enough, this would be something worth trying, but it’s literally unheard of in a pre workout.

We might start seeing more of it if it works as it claims.

CogniDRIVE Matrix (3g) Proprietary Blend

Alright this blend feels a little more like home, but it’s definetly on the lower dosed of ingredients as agmatine is placed at the very bottom of the 7 ingredients.

The doses aren’t for certain but the ingredients include:

Taurine
L-tyrosine
Glucuronlactone
DMAE bitartrate
Choline bitartrate
Glycerol monostearate
Agmatine sulfate

Taurine is a necessary ingredient for cell voluminization, though it isn’t all that expensive of an ingredient.

it’s an amino acid that reduces oxidative stress from workouts, helps with recovery and plays a role in cell volumization.

It’ll also help maximize VO2 which is the rate that the body can absorb and use oxygen. Taurine is a love/hate ingredient in the pre workout sector of supplements, but it really isn’t one to be slept on.

However in a 3 gram proprietary blend, it just looks useless because you’re suppose to get anywhere from 1-3 of taurine to notice any benefits.

Bottom line: How much of taurine is in SP250 is a complete mystery, but with 7 other ingredients, we’re guessing it can’t be more than 1.5 grams.

L-Tyrosine

It supports mood and well-being, increases healthy thyroid function and helps with adrenal functions. L-tyrosine is a great ingredient to have as a pre workout as it can help with concentration as well as dopamine production.

You can take anywhere from half a gram to 2 grams of l-tyrosine for benefits.

Bottom line. SP250 has it in a 7 ingredient proprietary blend of 3 grams. It would be fair to guess that there can’t be more than half a gram of it, but again, just a guess as there’s still 5 more ingredients to cover.

Glucuronlactone:

Usually found in energy drinks, glucuronlactone may play a role in energy production but it is only backed by claims, not research.

There are better ingredients that truly enhance mental performance to put in SP250 than glucuronlactone like Huperzine A but nooo, I guess not eh, Mr. Gaspari?

Bottom line: Sure it might help, but it isn’t going to make a big difference if it wasn’t present in this formula.

DMAE Bitartrate

DMAE increases acetylcholine which can promote better memory, focus and energy. This is one of those ingredients that are known to be nootropic, it’s probably one of the few that is actually certified to be a part of the “CogniDRIVE matrix” blend. The dosing recommendations can range from 300mg to 1.2 grams a day.

Seeing how Gaspari is willing to underdose certain ingredients like creatine and L-citrulline malate, we’re unsure if this anywhere near the minimum dosage.

Bottom line: A nice addition but again, it’s part of a propetiery blend. How much is in it is all hush-hush and secret.

Choline Bitartrate

Choline promotes memory and enrgy productions by increasing the activity of neurotransmitters. Another one that is all secret about dosage, choline bitrate is great and all but dosing could be low on this one.

Who knows as again, it’s part of a propertiry blend.

Bottom line: It’s a ingredient to have for congntive function, but the dose of it is a total secret.

Glyerol monosterarate:

Gylcerol is a salty tasting ingredient that can lower blood pressure, promote better thermoregulation throughout the body & increases vasodilation. In theory, glycerol monosterarate can increase nutrient delivery and enhance the effects that creatine monohydrate has, but that’s only in theory.

And if you don’t stay hydrated, it can work against you and actually become a DE-volumizer. It’s basically a way to stay “hyper-hydrated”.

Bottom line: You need anywhere from 3g to 6g to notice the benefits of GMS (glycerol monosterarate) I would guess there is pixie dust amounts of GMS in SP250.

Agmatine sulfate:

Agmatine sulfate increases nitric oxide by preventing NO inhibiters, and it promotes higher levels of anabolic agents like growth hormones and luteinizing hormones, and it also helps with muscle building, fat burning and recovery from workouts. So being in this propteritery blend, there can’t be more than 420mg of agmatine in SP250.

But if the S-(2-boronoethyl)-L-cysteine (200mg) delivers it’s promises of nitric oxide, then agmatine is probably dosed ‘fine’.

Bottom line: Seems like agmatine isn’t really needed but pumps can only be judged after trying this pre workout.

Conclusion of the first blend:

Honestly with the proprietary blend, we can only play as detectives with no solid answers. We could be getting a whole bunch of taurine while the rest of the ingredients could be completely pixie dust amounts.

With these magical blends that companies like Gaspari like to hide behind, we can only say there’s really only one way to find out (yep that means I’ll review it soon)…

Insane Energy Blend (750mg)

This ‘Insane Energy’ blend looks interesting with the relatively new ingredient Eria Jarensis.

It makes SP250 worth trying over but for now, we can only speculate and guess what these combination’s of ingredients are going to do for us.

Let’s start with what could be the next game changer for pre workouts…

Eria Jarensis Extract

Eria Jarensis extract supplies the source for N-phenthyl dimethylamine, a new ingredient to add into pre workouts, which will provide a nice uplifting, euphoric buzz. Gaspari claims that eria jarensis is the “…first truly effective stimulant used in the sports supplements industry as a substitute for the now-banned DMAA.”

Unless there’s something mystical and magical that this ingredient but the only thing you might get out of this extract is the europhic buzz. Is it going to be comparable to what the original Craze (by Driven Sports) delivered? Probably not, but it’s “good enough”.

Since Dexamine Black by Giant Sports contains the same ingredient you might get the same uplifting feeling.

Bottom line: While it’s not as powerful as DMAA, it’s legal and seems to be the best latest ingredient to be added to the supplement industry. Only 4 other supplements contain eria jarensis.

Supplements With Eria Jarensis Extract

Caffeine anhydrous (250mg)

Everyone should know by now that caffeine (an addictive stimulant) can improve physical/mental performance, strength and endurance while decreasing fatigue.

Looks Gaspari wanted to make that eria jarensis extract, “DMAA replacement”, complete with the high dose of 250mg caffeine.

There’s really no need to go over the 1 recommend serving. Okay maybe make that a heaping serving.

Bottom line: Even though SP250 says take 1 to 2 servings, I wouldn’t even take a full scoop for the first time as we can’t underestimate what eria jarensis ames may bring.

Theobroma Cocoa extract

Extracted from cocoa beans, Theobroma cocoa extract is basically caffeine and/or Theobromine. It can improve alertness and increase cognitive function.

High doses of 500mg to 1000mg is needed for clicnically studied benefits, but SP250 probably has way less than that.

Bottom line: it’s nice to have as it can decrease the crash associated with caffeine.

Citrus Natsudaidai Hyata Extract

Extracted from citrius fruit’s peels, Citrus Natasuaidai can increase nitric oxide levels and helps lower body fat.

This might help but it definetley won’t hurt to have it present in SP250. Dosage is unsure so there’s really only one way to find out…

Bottom line: With the proprietary blend hiding the dosage, we can’t say that this will have any benefits.

Citrus junos Sieb ex Tanaka

This is supposed to be a powerful source of antioxidants which is extracted from the citrus fruits of northeast Asia.

Bottom line: It’s good to have antioxidants in nitric oxide supplements.

Citrus natsudaidai, citrus limonium

Another citrus extract, citrus limonium is derived from the peel of lemons and can have the same fat burning benefits of citrus natsudaidai.

Citrus Aurantium

Citrus Aurantium (AKA bitter orange) increases energy while reducing fatigue and can help increase efforts by reducing perceived efforts.

Bottom line: This combined with the other citrus extracts can have a nice effect on lower your body fat as it uses it as an energy source.

Theacrine is kind of like caffeine, except it provides more longer lasting energy and no tolerance build up. This one is way at the bottom of the stimulant list so dosage could be way below what would be recommended. If you’ve tried the latest C4 G4 then you might be familiar with the effects of theacrine.

Bottom line: It’s a little stronger than caffeine and lasts longer, but it’s at the bottom of the proprietary blend. Who knows if there’s enough of it to notice a difference? Combined with the other stimulants, it might have a synergy effect.

Best prices for SP250:

Get this straight, flavor should be the last thing on your mind, you want a supplement that works.

I’d rather have a supplement that tastes terrible but delivers it’s promises then a kool-aid tasting pre workout that does nothing but satisfy taste buds.

That being said, you won’t be disappointed with the flavors that SP250 brings as I hear they are frigging tasty. Happy? Hope so.

Blue Raspberry (Gaspari's specialty)
Fruit Punch
Pineapple

There you have it folks.

Gaspari has pumped out another Superpump product that promises to kick nitric oxide’s butt. The ingredients look underdosed, and the 10 gram serving sizes is tiny compared to their previous pre workouts (Superpump 250 was 20 grams!).

But hey, there’s some new ingredients in here, and a whole bunch of stimulants that seems to deliver a nice euphoric, energy boosting buzz.

What we’re interested in is what Eria Jarensis extract has to deliver as this it isn’t a researched ingredient at all and it’s new to the supplement industry.

Seems like it might be the ingredient of the year for 2015, and possibly 2016.

But will Eria Jarensis Extract Be Legal Forever?

Who knows, it depends if there’s undisclosed ingredients like how they did with the original detonate (I think Driven Sports hooked them up!).

What does the bodybuilding supplement community think of SP250?

Reviews By Reputable Users:

The new SP250 really good. The energy and focus is great, as implied by the profile. The pump is surprisingly great, despite the traditional pump ingredients being egregiously underdosed (and I don't respond to full doses of agmatine and cit mal anyway). Just know that it tastes horrendous, and dry scooping makes it more tolerable. (source)

(Source) The inclusion of the Eria Jarensis extract is intriguing, but until we can see some more research or studies on its effects we can’t really say much. It’s either going to put Gaspari right back on the pre-workout forefront or it’s not.

Sp250 has a feeling very similar to the top preworkouts with DMBA without the CRASH. That is the one thing I noticed. SP 250 left me with longer lasting energy well past the 2 or 3 hr marker. I dosed at 1 1/3 scoop and finished the fruit punch tub at 1.5 scoops total. It was an amazing experience and I did have decent pumps at 1.5 scoops. Nothing like a dedicated pump product but they we're adequate.

Couldnt agree with you more on this pre. But being a bodybuilder i felt the energy was a bit too much at times. Solid review as always. Thx guys.

Will this be a best seller for pre workouts?

Honestly this looks like the best thing Gaspari has had since Superpump 250, but if it’s going to be a best seller is a mystery.

It was only announced in May this year and has recently released in June or so.

Overall, SP250 looks like it’s trying to hit the market of people looking for that “high”/energy that Craze once delivered. With the addition of Eria Jarensis, there should be some uplifting buzzes after taking it.

Being a fan of Superpump 250, I will have to try this and do a complete review on it. I’ve already added it to my “to buy” list! So what are your thoughts?

What can I stack SP250 with?

Anything that is designed to increase your nitric oxide. You might want to try SP250 before deciding on stacking it. You could add Hemavol or even better, Hemavo2 with SP250 and you would have a skin ripping workout.

Other supplements that would make a great stack:

Creatine (2 to 5g more)
Agmatine (400 to 800mg more)
ALA (arachidonic acid)
Branch amino acids (4g to 8g)
And maybe others

But whatever you do, do not combine it with another pre workout that has stimulants or you're in for a lot of trouble.