2019
March
C4 Extreme Energy by Cellucor Review
C4 Extreme Energy is a pre-workout supplement manufactured by Cellucor. It ranks 1,770 out of 1,898 pre-workout supplements and earned an overall thumbs-down recommendation based on seven factors including nutrition label transparency, ingredients, dosing, claims, research rating, and ranking.
Thumbs-down
C4 Extreme Energy earned a thumbs-down recommendation. This recommendation is based on the criteria listed below. To earn an overall thumbs-up recommendation, a product must earn a thumbs-up in at least four of the seven areas below. Click on a graded area for an in-depth analysis.
| Graded Area | Thumb Up or Down |
|---|---|
| Effectiveness Rating | |
| Ingredients | |
| Ingredient Dosing | |
| Claims | |
| Research Rating | |
| Nutrition Label Transparency | |
| Ranking Within Category | |
| Overall Recommendation |
Vote Statistics
1 to 5 Star Rating Votes Votes for products are cast in two ways. First, visitors can rate each product with a 1 to 5 star rating. These votes are cast on a product's rating page (this page - below).
| 1 to 5 Star Rating Votes | |
|---|---|
| Total Votes | 2 votes |
| Overall Average | 0 stars |
Add Your Vote
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Comparison Votes Visitors can also vote on which product works better on comparison pages. Comparison pages are a side-by-side analysis between two supplement products. The votes below illustrate whether visitors prefer C4 Extreme Energy, or the products listed in the table below. The number next to the thumb up is how many votes C4 Extreme Energy won; the number next to the thumb down is how many votes it lost to the other product.
| Comparison Votes | |
|---|---|
| Total Votes Won/Lost | 15 / 38 |
| vs. C4 Original | 4 / 1 |
| vs. Vapor X5 Next Gen | 2 / 8 |
| vs. Lipo-6 Black Training | 1 / 3 |
| vs. N1-T | 2 / 3 |
| vs. Darkside | 1 / 0 |
| vs. Nitrosurge | 1 / 5 |
| vs. The Curse | 0 / 1 |
| vs. Psychotic Hellboy Edition | 1 / 1 |
| vs. Napalm Fat Incinerator | 1 / 0 |
| vs. Psycho Stim | 1 / 0 |
| vs. Superhuman Supreme | 0 / 1 |
| vs. Blood and Guts | 0 / 1 |
| vs. Batch 27 | 0 / 5 |
| vs. Ape Shit | 0 / 2 |
| vs. 5150 High Stimulant Pre-Workout | 0 / 1 |
| vs. Animal Rage XL | 1 / 1 |
| vs. Animal Pump | 0 / 1 |
| vs. B4 Extreme | 0 / 4 |
Table of Contents
C4 Extreme Energy Simple Report
C4 Extreme Energy Detailed Report
The detailed report provides an in-depth analysis of the product's rating. In addition to showing ratings for each area, this report also provides the required criteria for a thumbs-up in each section.
Effectiveness Rating
C4 Extreme Energy earned a thumbs-up in this category because its effectiveness rating is 1.76. A product's effectiveness rating must be at least 1.5 to receive a thumbs-up in this area. This effectiveness rating means C4 Extreme Energy is made up of a mix of both high and low-quality ingredients and may lead to some positive results.
This category illustrates how well a product works based on what the research says about its ingredients. Researchers conduct studies on supplement ingredients to gauge effectiveness. The database grades products on how effective their ingredients are. The effectiveness rating of supplement products is evaluated on a 3 point scale: 3.0 is the most effective, 1.0 is the least effective.
Ingredients
C4 Extreme Energy earned a thumbs-down in this category because it contains 56% extremely and/or moderately effective ingredients. A product must contain at least 75% extremely and/or moderately effective ingredients to receive a thumbs-up in this area.
This category rates a product's ingredient makeup. A product should contain mostly extremely and/or moderately effective ingredients with little or no ineffective ones. The database categorizes ingredients as extremely, moderately, or ineffective based on conclusions from research articles.
C4 Extreme Energy contains:
- extremely effective ingredients: 3
- moderately effective ingredients: 6
- ineffective ingredients: 5
- unrated ingredients: 2 (the database does not contain information on these ingredients)
- total ingredients: 16
The following table lists all ingredients found in this product as well as their effectiveness ratings and amounts (if listed).
| Ingredient | Effectiveness Rating |
|---|---|
| Folic Acid 500mcg | 3 out of 3 |
| Potassium 100mg | 2.7 out of 3 |
| Huperzine A | 2.7 out of 3 |
| Beta-Alanine 3.2g | 2 out of 3 |
| Caffeine Anhydrous 300mg | 2 out of 3 |
| Theacrine | 1.8 out of 3 |
| Citrulline Malate 1g | 1.6 out of 3 |
| Vitamin B6 (as Pyridoxal-5-Phosphate) 1mg | 1.5 out of 3 |
| Creatine Nitrate 1g | 1.5 out of 3 |
| Vitamin C (as Ascorbic Acid) 250mg | 1.3 out of 3 |
| Calcium (as Calcium Silicate) 20mg | 1.3 out of 3 |
| N-Acetyl-L-Tyrosine | 1.3 out of 3 |
| Niacin (as Niacinamide) 60mg | 1 out of 3 |
| Vitamin B12 (as Methylcobalamin) 70mcg | 1 out of 3 |
| Velvet Bean seed extract* | not rated |
| Rauwolfia vomitoria root bark extract* | not rated |
| Product Effectiveness Rating | 1.76 |
* These ingredients are not included in the Supplement Database.
Note: These ingredients are accurate as of March 06, 2019.
Ingredient Dosing
C4 Extreme Energy earned a thumbs-down in this category because 20% of its ingredients are dosed within the effective range. Seventy-five (75)% of product's ingredients must be dosed within the effective range to receive a thumbs-up in this area.
This category compares a product's ingredient dosing to effective doses found in research articles and doses used in other products. When researchers study the efficacy of supplement ingredients, they use specific doses. Manufacturers should create products with ingredient doses that fall within established effective ranges.
C4 Extreme Energy Dosing Compared to Research
This section is a comparison of ingredient doses found in C4 Extreme Energy to amounts used in research articles. The first column contains the name of the ingredient as well as the amount. The second column contains the range of effective doses for that ingredient. Note: not all ingredients in the database contain dosing information; only ingredients with scientific dosing information are included in this analysis.
A green checkmark is shown if the ingredient amount falls within the effective range.
A down arrow is shown if an ingredient amount is lower than the effective range.
| Ingredient & Amount | Effective Range |
|---|---|
| Vitamin B6 1mg | 20mg |
| Potassium 0.1g | 3g |
| Beta Alanine 3.2g | 2.4g - 6g |
| Creatine Nitrate 1g | 1.5g - 3g |
| Citrulline Malate 1g | 8g |
C4 Extreme Energy Dosing Compared to Other Products
This section is a comparison of ingredient doses found in C4 Extreme Energy to amounts used in other products. The first column displays the ingredient and amount. The second column displays the average amount of the ingredient found across all products in the database. The final column displays the range found across all products in the database.
An orange up or down arrow is shown if the ingredient amount is higher or lower than the average.
An equal sign is shown if the ingredient amount is equal to the average.
| Ingredient & Amount | Average | Range |
|---|---|---|
| Vitamin C 0.25g | 0.58g | 0g - 250g |
| Niacin 60mg | 26.31mg | 0mg - 500mg |
| Vitamin B6 0g | 0.01g | 0g - 1.7g |
| Folic Acid 0.5mg | 0.91mg | 0.02mg - 100mg |
| Vitamin B12 0g | 0.02g | 0g - 15g |
| Calcium 0.02g | 0.11g | 0g - 4g |
| Potassium 0.1g | 0.12g | 0g - 2.01g |
| Beta Alanine 3.2g | 2.44g | 0g - 6.5g |
| Creatine Nitrate 1g | 1.26g | 0.75g - 3g |
| Citrulline Malate 1g | 4.39g | 0g - 10.3g |
| Caffeine Anhydrous 0.3g | 0.56g | 0g - 350g |
Claims
C4 Extreme Energy earned a thumbs-down in this category because 64% of its claims are rated as either extremely or moderately effective. Seventy-five (75)% of a product's claims must be rated as extremely or moderately effective to receive a thumbs-up in this area.
The product’s effectiveness rating is an overall picture of how well a product does or doesn't work. Individual studies research an ingredient's effects on certain claims. For example: does creatine monohydrate increase strength, or does beta alanine improve running performance?
The Supplement Database compiles the conclusions of these studies, and based on a product's ingredient makeup, calculates how well a product does on various claims. The claims below are organized by effectiveness (extremely, moderately, ineffective).
C4 Extreme Energy is extremely effective at:
C4 Extreme Energy is moderately effective at:
- improve running performance
- improve memory
- improve sports performance
- improve swimming performance
- improve rowing performance
- lower LDL (bad) cholesterol levels
- increase fat burning
- improve cognitive ability
- improve focus
- improve muscular endurance
- increase muscle mass
- improve cycling performance
- improve cycling sprint performance
- decrease fatigue
- improve immune function
- improve mood
- improve cardiovascular endurance
C4 Extreme Energy is ineffective at:
- improve sprint performance
- reduce muscle damage
- reduce muscle soreness
- increase strength
- decrease body fat
- improve recovery
- reduce severity of the common cold
- reduce duration of the common cold
- decrease cortisol levels
- increase pump (muscle swelling)
- increase HDL (good) cholesterol levels
- improve agility
- improve insulin sensitivity
Research Rating
C4 Extreme Energy earned a thumbs-down in this category because its research rating is 34. A product's research rating must be at least 60 to receive a thumbs-up in this area.
A research rating of 34 means there is an insufficient amount of research on the product's ingredients to ensure its effectiveness rating is valid.
The research rating is a measure of how much research has been conducted on a product's ingredient makeup. Manufacturers often rely on ingredients without adequate research backing. They may do this to compete with other products that are already using poorly researched ingredients. They may also only use a very small amount of cherry-picked research as a poor justification to use certain ingredients.
The amount of research contained in the database on a product's ingredients determines its research rating. Products with higher ratings are made up of thoroughly researched ingredients.
Nutrition Label and Ingredient Transparency
C4 Extreme Energy earned a thumbs-down in this category because it discloses 69% of its ingredient amounts. A product must disclose all ingredient amounts to receive a thumbs-up in this area.
Nutrition label transparency refers to how many ingredients are listed with amounts on the product label. Many supplement manufacturers hide ingredient amounts under the guise of great-sounding proprietary blends such as "Maximum Muscular Size Enhancer" or "Anabolic Cell Strength Matrix."
When manufacturers use proprietary blends, they can hide ingredient amounts making it difficult for consumers to know whether a product is effective.
C4 Extreme Energy contains:
- total ingredients: 16
- ingredients with amounts listed: 11
- ingredients without amounts listed: 5
- percent of ingredient amounts disclosed: 69%
Product Label
The label below was generated from the information contained in the database about the product's ingredients and amounts. Actual product labels may differ in appearance.
Ranking Within Category
C4 Extreme Energy earned a thumbs-down in this category because it ranks 1,770 out of 1,898 in the pre-workout supplement category (top third). A product must be ranked in the top two-thirds of its category to receive a thumbs-up in this area.
C4 Extreme Energy ranks 1,770 out of 1,898 in the Pre-Workout Supplements category and 4,936 out of 5,326 in the entire database. The table below lists comparisons with similarly ranked pre-workout supplement. Click on a link for an in-depth comparison between the two.
| Product Comparison |
|---|
| C4 Extreme Energy vs Pump Fuel Caffeine Free |
| C4 Extreme Energy vs WFO |
| C4 Extreme Energy vs BDS Grenade |
| C4 Extreme Energy vs Kratos Shock |
| C4 Extreme Energy vs Gym Molly PRO |
C4 Extreme Energy vs Other Cellucor Pre-Workout Supplements
Manufacturers often create multiple products within the same category. These products are sometimes similar but marketed to different consumers with varying prices. The following table allows you to compare C4 Extreme Energy against its sister products; products manufactured by Cellucor within the pre-workout supplements category.
See more comparisons: Is C4 Extreme Energy the best pre-workout supplement?
Summary
| Graded Area | Reason |
|---|---|
| Effectiveness Rating | rating is greater or equal to the required 1.5 |
| Ingredients | less than 75% of ingredients are rated as effective |
| Ingredient Dosing | less than 75% of ingredients are dosed properly |
| Claims | less than 75% of claims are rated as effective |
| Research Rating | research rating is lower than the required 60 |
| Nutrition Label Transparency | does not disclose all ingredient amounts on label |
| Ranking Within Category | ranks in the bottom third of category |
| Overall Recommendation | received a thumbs down in the majority of areas |
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