Vertex by ASCEND Review

2021 June

Vertex

Pre-Workout Supplements, ASCEND 0 Comments 0 Votes Updated June 12, 2021

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Vertex is a pre-workout supplement manufactured by ASCEND. It ranks 160 out of 1,898 pre-workout supplements and earned an overall thumbs-up recommendation based on seven factors including nutrition label transparency, ingredients, dosing, claims, research rating, and ranking.

Vertex earned a thumbs-up 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

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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 Vertex, or the products listed in the table below. The number next to the thumb up is how many votes Vertex won; the number next to the thumb down is how many votes it lost to the other product.

Comparison Votes
Total Votes Won/Lost	1 / 1
vs. Yolo Pre-Workout	1 / 0
vs. Prolific	0 / 1

1. Simple Report
2. Detailed Report
   • Effectiveness Rating
   • Ingredients
   • Ingredient Articles
   • Ingredient Dosing
   • Claims
   • Research Rating
   • Nutrition Label Transparency
   • Fat Content Transparency
   • Product Label
3. Ranking Within Category
4. Summary
5. Comments

• Product Name: Vertex
• Manufacturer: ASCEND
• Manufacturer Website: ASCEND's Homepage
• Manufacturer Social Media:
• Supplement Category: Pre-Workout Supplements
• Serving Size: 1 scoop (22.3g)
• Effectiveness Rating: 2.06 out of 3
• Number of Ingredients: 17
• Research Rating: 43 (above 60 indicates sufficient research)
• Nutrition Label Transparency Score: 100%
• Ranking within Pre-Workout Supplements: 160 out of 1,898 (top third within category)
• Ranking within all Supplement Products: 686 out of 5,326 (top third of all products)
• Similarity Index: Vertex shares at least 75% of its ingredient profile with one other product

Vertex shares at least 75% of its ingredient profile with one other product.

The Similarity Index is a measure of how closely one product matches another in terms of ingredients. A Similarity Index of 100% means the two products are made up the same ingredients. A Similarity Index of 75% means the products share 75% of their ingredients. The table below lists the products Vertex shares its ingredient lineup with. Click on a product to see a side by side comparison of both products' ingredients.

Read more: What is the similarity index?

	Matching Product Name	Product Type	Similarity Index
1.	Superhuman Pre by Alpha Lion	Pre-Workout Supplements	75%

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.

Vertex earned a thumbs-up in this category because its effectiveness rating is 2.06. A product's effectiveness rating must be at least 1.5 to receive a thumbs-up in this area. This effectiveness rating means Vertex 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.

Vertex earned a thumbs-up in this category because it contains 82% 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.

Vertex contains:

• extremely effective ingredients: 4
• moderately effective ingredients: 10
• ineffective ingredients: 2
• unrated ingredients: 1 (the database does not contain information on these ingredients)
• total ingredients: 17

The following table lists all ingredients found in this product as well as their effectiveness ratings and amounts (if listed).

Ingredient	Effectiveness Rating
Glycerpump 2g	3 out of 3
Agmatine Sulfate 1g	3 out of 3
Theobromine 50mg	3 out of 3
NeuroFactor 100mg	2.5 out of 3
Beta Alanine 1.5g	2 out of 3
Alpha GPC 600mg	2 out of 3
Vaso6 300mg	2 out of 3
Caffeine Anhydrous 125mg	2 out of 3
Sodium 118.2mg	1.9 out of 3
L-Taurine 500mg	1.9 out of 3
L-Citrulline 4g	1.8 out of 3
Coconut Water Powder 300mg	1.8 out of 3
Rhodiola Rosea 200mg	1.8 out of 3
Betaine Anhydrous 2.5g	1.6 out of 3
Vitamin C 300mg	1.3 out of 3
L-Tyrosine 2g	1.3 out of 3
Lions Mane*	not rated
Product Effectiveness Rating	2.06

* These ingredients are not included in the Supplement Database.

Note: These ingredients are accurate as of June 12, 2021.

Ingredient Articles

Vertex earned a thumbs-down in this category because 44% 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.

Vertex Dosing Compared to Research

This section is a comparison of ingredient doses found in Vertex 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
L-Citrulline 4g	2.4g
Beta Alanine 1.5g	2.4g - 6g
Agmatine Sulfate 1g	1.335g - 3.57g
Alpha Glycerylphosphorylcholine 0.6g	0.5g - 1g
Taurine 0.5g	6g
Green Tea Extract 300mg	856mg
Golden Root Extract - Rhodiola 0.2g	0.2g - 2g
Green Coffee Extract 100mg	46mg - 400mg
Theobromine 0.05g	0.85g - 1g

Vertex Dosing Compared to Other Products

This section is a comparison of ingredient doses found in Vertex 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 0.3g	0.58g	0g - 250g
Sodium 0.12g	0.19g	0g - 45g
L-Citrulline 4g	4.3g	0.01g - 286g
Betaine 2.5g	1.79g	0g - 5g
Glycerol 2g	2.14g	0.25g - 20g
Tyrosine 2g	0.8g	0g - 5.5g
Beta Alanine 1.5g	2.44g	0g - 6.5g
Agmatine Sulfate 1g	0.8g	0g - 2.5g
Lions Mane Mushroom 0.8g	0.43g	0g - 1.5g
Alpha Glycerylphosphorylcholine 0.6g	0.35g	0g - 1.2g
Taurine 0.5g	1.1g	0g - 4.24g
Coconut Water 0.3g	0.72g	0.01g - 15g
Green Tea Extract 0.3g	0.25g	0g - 2.5g
Golden Root Extract - Rhodiola 200mg	190.9mg	5mg - 680mg
Caffeine Anhydrous 0.13g	0.56g	0g - 350g
Green Coffee Extract 0.1g	0.17g	0g - 1.5g
Theobromine 50mg	106.67mg	1.5mg - 600mg

Vertex earned a thumbs-up in this category because 84% 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).

Vertex earned a thumbs-down in this category because its research rating is 43. A product's research rating must be at least 60 to receive a thumbs-up in this area.

A research rating of 43 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.

Vertex earned a thumbs-up in this category because its discloses 100% 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.

Vertex contains:

• total ingredients: 17
• ingredients with amounts listed: 17
• ingredients without amounts listed: 0
• percent of ingredient amounts disclosed: 100%

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.

Vertex earned a thumbs-up in this category because it ranks 160 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.

Vertex ranks 160 out of 1,898 in the Pre-Workout Supplements category and 686 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
Vertex vs Skull Crusher
Vertex vs Pulse Stim Free
Vertex vs Sledge Hammer*2
Vertex vs Thunderbolt
Vertex vs Premium Formula Pre Workout

See more comparisons: Is Vertex the best pre-workout supplement?

Summary

Graded Area	Reason
Effectiveness Rating	rating is greater or equal to the required 1.5
Ingredients	more than 75% of ingredients are rated as effective
Ingredient Dosing	less than 75% of ingredients are dosed properly
Claims	more than 75% of claims are rated as effective
Research Rating	research rating is lower than the required 60
Nutrition Label Transparency	discloses all ingredient amounts on label
Ranking Within Category	ranks in the top two thirds of category
Overall Recommendation	received a thumbs up in the majority of areas