Why Honey Badger Built Pre-Workout without Proprietary Blends
Look at the fitness supplement industry for long enough and a pattern emerges.
The faces on the labels are impossibly lean. The before-and-after photos come with asterisks. The influencer holding the product has a sponsorship deal, a personal trainer, a meal prep service, and lighting equipment that costs more than most people's monthly supplement budget. The marketing implies that if you buy this product, you'll look like that person — without mentioning that that person's job is looking like that person.
Most supplement marketing is not made for real people. It's made for an aspirational fantasy that sells product to real people by making them feel like they're one tub away from the version of themselves they see in the ads.
Honey Badger was built for a different consumer. The one who trains because they care about how they feel, not just how they look. The one who reads the label before they buy. The one who is tired of marketing that treats them like they're too uninformed to know the difference between a real formula and an impressive-looking one. The one who wants to perform better at the actual life they live — not at the performance of living in a fitness magazine.
That's who we built this for. Here's what that means in practice.
The Real Honey Badger Consumer
They are not all the same. That's the first thing worth saying.
They're the 28-year-old software engineer who trains at 6 am before work because it's the only hour in the day that belongs entirely to her. The 42-year-old marketing manager who fits in HIIT sessions between school pickups and client calls. The 35-year-old personal trainer who recommends products to clients and can't afford to recommend something that doesn't hold up to scrutiny. The 22-year-old college student who just started lifting consistently and is trying to figure out what actually works without getting burned by the first three products they tried.
What they share is not a body type or a training goal. It's a mindset. They approach their health with the same no-excuses, no-fluff attitude they bring to everything else they're serious about. They read the label. They ask why. They've been burned by products that promised more than they delivered. And they're looking for a brand that respects that intelligence rather than exploiting the gap between what marketing implies and what the formula actually does.
They are not looking for the most extreme product. They are looking for the most honest one.
What We Chose Not to Do
Every brand makes choices. Some of ours were choices about what not to do — and those choices are as much a part of who we are as anything we put in the formula.
We chose not to use proprietary blends. The practice of grouping active ingredients under a combined total weight — hiding individual doses from the consumer — is legal, common, and fundamentally incompatible with treating customers like adults. If we believe the ingredients in our formula work, we have to show you the dose. If we show you the dose, you can verify it against the published research. If you can verify it, the claim is accountable. A proprietary blend is a choice to avoid that accountability. We made the opposite choice.
We chose not to overstimulate. The arms race toward higher and higher caffeine doses — 300mg, 350mg, 400mg — is marketing math disguised as performance science. Based on articles retrieved from PubMed, the ISSN confirmed optimal caffeine dosing at approximately 3–6 mg/kg, 60 minutes before exercise (Lowery et al., 2023, JISSN) (doi.org/10.1080/15502783.2023.2237952). The consumer who feels the most intense stimulant rush is not necessarily performing better — they may simply be experiencing more adrenergic activation, more adenosine debt, and a steeper rebound that affects the quality of their evening and the next morning. We chose 150mg of natural plant-sourced caffeine because it delivers the ergogenic effect without the consequences. Not because it was cheaper. It wasn't.
We chose not to sweeten with sucralose. Based on articles retrieved from PubMed, a 2026 review found evidence that sucralose may cause gut dysbiosis, disrupt intestinal permeability, and produce long-term metabolic effects (Ni et al., Metabolic Syndrome and Related Disorders) (doi.org/10.1177/15578518251389399). We use stevia — a plant-derived sweetener that based on articles retrieved from PubMed showed potential gut microbiome benefits and anti-inflammatory properties (Kasti et al., 2022, Microorganisms) (doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms10040744). The consumer who takes a pre-workout five days a week is consuming the sweetener 260 times a year. We chose the option supported by the evidence.
We chose not to build a formula around a celebrity endorsement. We built it around the research. The consumer who reads the Supplement Facts panel and compares it to peer-reviewed literature deserves a formula that holds up to that comparison — not one that holds up to a photo shoot.
What We Put In Instead
Every decision about what not to do created space for something better.
Instead of a proprietary blend obscuring individual doses, every active ingredient in Honey Badger Pre-Workout and BCAAs is individually listed at its exact dose — verifiable by anyone who wants to open PubMed and check.
Instead of 300mg+ synthetic caffeine, we use 150mg of natural plant-sourced caffeine paired with Alpha-GPC for the acetylcholine system that caffeine alone never addresses. Based on articles retrieved from PubMed, a 2024 randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover RCT in Nutrients (Kerksick, Lindenwood University, n=20) found Alpha-GPC at 315mg and 630mg significantly improved Stroop cognitive performance versus placebo — the focused attention dimension that determines whether a training session is executed well, not just initiated (p=0.013 and p=0.046) (doi.org/10.3390/nu16234240).
Instead of the minimum effective dose of beta-alanine buried in a blend, we include it at the dose aligned with the ISSN Position Stand. Based on articles retrieved from PubMed, the ISSN established that four weeks of supplementation at 4–6g daily significantly augments muscle carnosine concentrations and improves exercise performance in tasks lasting 1–4 minutes (Trexler et al., 2015, JISSN) (doi.org/10.1186/s12970-015-0090-y).
Instead of animal-derived amino acids in our BCAAs, we use fermentation-derived EAAs — plant-origin, vegan-compatible, same amino acid profile, same mechanism. Based on articles retrieved from PubMed, BCAAs at ≤255mg/kg/day reduced DOMS at 24–72 hours post-exercise in trained subjects in a 9-RCT meta-analysis (Weber et al., 2021, Amino Acids) (doi.org/10.1007/s00726-021-03089-2). The sourcing is plant-based. The recovery outcomes are real.
Instead of token doses of prestigious ingredients fairy-dusted onto an impressive label, we include every active ingredient at the dose the research studied. The label is a document you can verify, not a marketing brochure.
The Performance Proof
We're not asking you to take our word for any of this. The research speaks for itself.
Based on articles retrieved from PubMed, the 2024 double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover RCT in Frontiers in Nutrition (Beyer et al., Ursinus College, n=20 resistance-trained athletes) found a calibrated, fully disclosed multi-ingredient pre-workout at clinical doses produced significantly more total reps (p=0.003) — 96.9 vs. 89.5 — improved bench press peak power (p=0.026), significantly faster reaction time throughout the entire session (p<0.001), and lower session RPE (p=0.002) versus placebo (doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2024.1323408).
More reps. More power. Faster reaction time maintained through the whole session. Less perceived effort. These outcomes belong to the 28-year-old software engineer fitting in her 6am session before a full workday. To the 42-year-old parent who has one hour and needs it to count. To the trainer who recommends it to clients who deserve the real thing. To the student who just wants to know it'll actually work.
They all trained in that study. They all got the result.
Who the HB Fam Actually Is
We use the phrase "HB Fam" at the end of every post. It's not a marketing affectation. It's a genuine description of who we're talking to.
The HB Fam is everyone who trains because they care — not because they're performing caring for an audience. Everyone who reads the label because they respect what they put in their body. Everyone who has been burned by supplement hype enough times to know the difference between a brand that's talking to them and a brand that's talking at them.
Everyone who showed up to the gym this week — whether that was Monday at 5am or Saturday at noon. Whether it was a PR or a bad session or just showing up when they didn't feel like it.
Fearless isn't a physique. It's a choice you make every time you decide to keep going anyway.
That's who we built this for. That's who we're building it for next.
→ Shop Honey Badger Pre-Workout — built for real people, every dose disclosed
→ Shop Honey Badger BCAAs — plant-sourced recovery for anyone who trains hard
Stay Relentless, HB Fam.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
Evidence at a Glance
| Study | Type | Key Finding |
|---|---|---|
| Beyer et al., 2024 | RCT, n=20, double-blind crossover, Front Nutr | Calibrated MIPS at clinical doses: +7.4 reps (p=0.003), ↑ bench power (p=0.026), ↑ reaction time throughout (p<0.001), ↓ RPE — for real athletes in a real trial. doi |
| Lowery et al. (ISSN), 2023 | Official Position Stand, JISSN | Optimal caffeine ~3–6 mg/kg — the basis for 150mg plant-sourced caffeine, not the megadose arms race. doi |
| Kerksick, 2024 | RCT, n=20, double-blind crossover, Nutrients | Alpha-GPC at 315mg and 630mg: significantly improved cognitive performance — the focus the real athlete needs through the whole session, not just the first set. doi |
| Trexler et al. (ISSN), 2015 | Official Position Stand, JISSN | Beta-alanine 4–6g daily: significantly augments muscle carnosine and improves performance — the real dose, not a token inclusion. doi |
| Weber et al., 2021 | Systematic review + meta-analysis, 9 RCTs, Amino Acids | BCAAs reduced DOMS 24–72h post-exercise; 7/9 studies significant — recovery that works for the person who trained hard and needs to go again. doi |
| Ni et al., 2026 | Review, Metabolic Syndrome | Sucralose: gut dysbiosis, intestinal permeability disruption — the reason we chose not to use it in a product built for real people's real health. doi |
| Kasti et al., 2022 | Review, Microorganisms | Stevia: potential gut microbiome alpha diversity benefits; anti-inflammatory properties — the sweetener choice that works with the formula, not against it. doi |
All studies retrieved from PubMed.
Citations
- Beyer KS, et al. A single dose multi-ingredient pre-workout supplement enhances upper body resistance exercise performance. Front Nutr. 2024;11:1323408. doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2024.1323408
- Lowery LM, et al. International society of sports nutrition position stand: coffee and sports performance. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2023;20(1):2237952. doi.org/10.1080/15502783.2023.2237952
- Kerksick CM. Acute Alpha-Glycerylphosphorylcholine Supplementation Enhances Cognitive Performance in Healthy Men. Nutrients. 2024;16(23):4240. doi.org/10.3390/nu16234240
- Trexler ET, et al. International society of sports nutrition position stand: Beta-Alanine. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2015;12:30. doi.org/10.1186/s12970-015-0090-y
- Weber MG, et al. The use of BCAA to decrease delayed-onset muscle soreness after a single bout of exercise: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Amino Acids. 2021;53(11):1663–1678. doi.org/10.1007/s00726-021-03089-2
- Ni D, Parihar A, Sen S. Effect of Sucralose on Cardiometabolic Health. Metab Syndr Relat Disord. 2026;24(1):1–16. doi.org/10.1177/15578518251389399
- Kasti AN, et al. The Effects of Stevia Consumption on Gut Bacteria: Friend or Foe? Microorganisms. 2022;10(4):744. doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms10040744