Updates:
November 2021: Yes Excelsior is super hard to find right now and has been out of stock since September. We have found something comparable, with equally strong focus that lasts all day and it's half the price. Check out Phenta Plex.
April 2022: We've heard from several sources that Excelsior won't sell in the US for a while, it'll only be available for purchase from the EU. Reportedly due to the FDA targeting them for investigations.
So where can you buy banned pre workouts? Check out this list.
You can still get Excelsior from the UK but the price is around $100.
Excelsior is one of the best pre workouts we’ve come across in years.
In fact, this is so strong that your appetite will be crushed, your focus will be at its highest peak, and you’ll want to workout for hours.
Excelsior will undoubtedly go down as a legend if it ever discontinues and it seems to be the case today.
The tiny 5 gram scoop is a mystery because it hits harder than any other pre workout with much more ingredients and stimulants.
The latest batch (expiring 08/2023), is the same as the previous batch but the only change is the directions state to only take one scoop.
The effects are the same and we recommend only using it for 2-3 times max per week, or even per month to be safe.
However, it's been some time since Excelsior disappeared from the market and Imperial Nutrition has failed to follow through with its promise to return.
What if I told you that you can get something comparable to Excelsior but at half the price?
Phenta Plex is the next best alternative.
It has comparable effects, similar to Excelsior.
Not better, but similar.
It works so well that even if you take it in super early in the morning, you'll have trouble sleeping at night.
You likely won't get euphoric vibes (you won't even have time to think about that).
But you'll get some super strong tunnel vision, similar to the original Craze, which was way back in 2010.
Again you can get Phenta Plex from here.
And another strong pre workout is Power Pre Workout, you can read the review here.
So back to Excelsior...
How far can a 5.3 gram scoop get you?
Surely not very far, you would think.
Excelsior features a big prop blend, with DMHA, caffeine, and a few other stimulants
But 5.3g?
Somehow, this pre-workout is stronger than anything you've ever tried.
Excelsior is a tiny pre-workout that delivers energy and focus better than anything you've ever tried.
And it's all in a laughable 5.3g serving.
Put the bottle in your hands and you would probably never believe this pre workout has been the strongest we've seen in the past 10 years.
And compare it to Dark Energy or Assassin, this pre doesn't have nearly as much caffeine but don't let that fool you.
Consider the best alternatives and check out the strongest pre workouts in the video below:
The formula just looks weak, and by logic it should just be your typical off the shelf high stim pre workout.
In fact, it has a bare minimum label, using only 7 ingredients, in a full prop blend without disclosing a single ingredient.
You'll be blown away. 110% you will try this, and will probably hang on to dear life while you try to fathom how such a tiny blend can be so strong.
To be honest, we don’t know what’s inside Excelsior that makes it so strong.
It’s unlike anything else.
There's 100% something else in this blend that's not on the label.
After about 10 bottles of this stuff, it's hard to say whether it's safe for the long term usage, but what goes up, must come down.
The crash is unbearable sometimes.
However it does last for hours, you need to take it really early in the day or you will struggle to sleep at night.
Before Excelsior, Imperial Nutrition was mostly unknown.
They established in 2016 and since then, they only distribute 2 supplements under their label:
Thermal Spark and Excelsior.
Excelsior is what made Imperial Nutrition as popular as it is today.
This isn’t a pre workout that contains over 400mg caffeine, and loads of stimulants.
Instead, it ignites focus and energy in waves and it comes with a bit of euphoria.
Excelsior is exactly like Craze.
So much so that you’d think they removed the label of Craze and slapped Excelsior’s branding on there.
Imperial Nutrition might have some connection with Driven Sports, but this isn’t confirmed and it’s purely speculation.
And like Craze, they are being targeted the FDA, making it harder to sell in the US.
So they are currently only available for purchase in the EU, and it isn't really cheap.
Nothing starts off a pre workout better than citrulline.
This pump inducing ingredient is not only good for endurance and strength but it helps with recovery as it can widen blood vessels, allowing for better blood flow, leading to better nutrient delivery to the working muscles.
Citrulline clinically starts working at 3g, with some pre workouts going as high as 8 grams for maximum efficiency.
However here it is in a prop blend.
We don’t know the dosage here, it’s just not disclosed and seeing how it’s in a 5.3g formula, we wouldn’t expect it to be any more than 2-4g.
The next ingredient is also a muscle volumizer….
Trimethylglycine, also known as betaine, is a powerhouse of a ingredient that increases strength, muscle size and power
Betaine works well with creatine as it has synergy with it.
However even on it’s own, it can increase hydration, power, strength and endurance quite well.
Since it can increase ATP production, it works synergistically with creatine.
If you’re going to have a strong pre workout, then including caffeine is a must.
It’s one of the most studied in sports supplements and is regarded to be an effective stimulant.
It works by inhibiting adenosine, an enzyme that is responsible for neurotransmission reduction, and it’s what makes you feel tired.
Caffeine is just one of the best ergogenic aids to have and it’s completely safe when keeping dosages under 400mg.
It takes more than 400mg to see negative side effects like elevated blood pressure and anxiety.
The grandfather of stimulants, caffeine.
It’s one of the best used and the best for providing a long source of energy.
Bauhinia is a thyroid booster, it improves thyroid hormones and turns it into a beneficial ratio.
Not only that but it can also improve resting metabolism, energy expenditure, mood and overall fat burning.
Bitter orange is usually standardized for synephrine.
Synephrine is a fat burning ingredient that can help suppress appetite and increase lipolysis.
But we’re not sure what it’s standardized here for.
Octopamine is a metabolite and relative of synephrine.
It works similar to ephedrine and it can trigger a positive for amphetamine on a drug test.
So it is banned for competitive sports, avoid using it if you’re being drug tested.
It works by restricting glucose uptake by fat cells by inhibiting beta-3 receptors.
Hawthorn extract comes from the hawthorne shrub, a shrub that grows bright red berries.
This herb helps with maintaining normal blood pressure level, hence why this extract is also known to be the hearts best friend.
It will help with basic cardiovascular functions.
A much needed benefit in a high stimulant pre workout like Excelsior.
I've only taken this while fasted in the morning.
Taking one scoop of Excelsior feels like nothing at first.
Between the 20 and 30 minute mark is when this stuff starts to elevate.
It's similar to how Craze was, where nothing would be felt for the first half hour, then suddenly, the waves of energy and euphoria start to kick in.
The energy isn’t jittery though and it is more of a tunnel focused wave of focus that comes with mental focus that is unlike any other pre workout, even ones with the same stimulants.
It completely destroys appetite.
What was once delicious, easy to binge food is now hard to eat or even to look at.
Some reviewers report a nauseating feeling, which is what I felt sometimes but I was ok with it for the cost of focus and energy.
I drink a lot of ginger, and I tried drinking it to help subside the nauseating feeling, but it makes little difference really.
It’s hard to stop training, what was once a repetitive workout, turns into something excited and the focus kicks in a tunnel-like fashion after I warm up.
There will be a time when Excelsior will discontinue and we will look back at this as the legendary pre workout.
Any other pre workout with similar ingredients will have no where near the same effects as Excelsior.
I've tried micro dosing excelsior as well with and it does work quite good.
Taking 1/10th of a scoop helps me get in the groove of work and so much that I lose track of time once I start.
Excelsior (and Hydrazine) are the only pre workouts that have hit this level of focus and energy.
Excelsior is a strong pre workout but it comes at a cost.
The high energy and focus lasts all day but some may experience a crash.
The crash can be decreased by using rhodiola or ingredients like theanine.
Excelsior is an amazing pre workout, but like the original Craze, very few report that they didn’t feel what others described.
This is expected as not everyone responds the same way to supplements, even creatine has non-responders.
Our guess is about 5-10% of users may not feel what everyone else experienced and that’s from hundreds of reviewers.
This has a 95% rating on Predator Nutrition from 55 reviews.
You can also get this from NutriCartel
Excelsior is a top performing pre workout offering high tier energy and focus.
It's what we've been looking for since the days of the original Craze pre workout.
While everything is in a prop blend, we don't know if there's more to the label but we do know it's one of the strongest pre workouts to date.
Get it while it's available.
