• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
The BarBend Logo in white.

BarBend

The Online Home for Strength Sports

  • News
    • CrossFit
    • Strongman
    • Bodybuilding
    • Top Athletes
    • Powerlifting
    • Weightlifting
    • HYROX
    • Competition Results
    • Latest Research
  • Reviews
    • Recovery
      • Best Cold Plunges
      • Best Saunas
      • Best Mini Massage Guns
      • Individual Recovery Reviews
    • Supplements
      • Best Protein
        • Best Vegan Protein Powders
        • Best Whey Isolate Protein Powders
        • Best Mass Gainers
        • Best Protein Bars
      • Best Pre-Workouts
        • Best Pre-Workouts for Women
        • Best Pre-Workouts for Men
        • Best Non-Stim Pre-Workouts
        • Strongest Pre-Workouts
      • Best Creatine
      • Best Electrolyte Supplements
      • Best Greens Powder
      • Best Meal Replacements
      • Best Nitric Oxide Supplements
      • Best Fat Burners
        • Best Fat Burners for Men
        • Best Fat Burners for Women
        • Best Non-Stim Fat Burners
      • More Supplements
        • Best Supplements for Muscle Growth
        • Best Supplements for CrossFit
        • Best Supplements for Weight Loss
        • Best Supplements for Bodybuilding
        • Best Supplements for Men
        • Best Supplement Stacks
      • Individual Supplements Reviews
    • Equipment
      • Cardio
        • Best Treadmills
        • Best Rowing Machines
        • Best Exercise Bikes
        • Best Ellipticals
        • Best Recumbent Bikes
      • Strength
        • Best Adjustable Dumbbells
        • Best Dumbbells
        • Best Kettlebells
        • Best Barbells
        • Best Squat Racks
        • Best Free Weights
        • Best Weight Benches
        • Best Resistance Bands
        • Best Slam Balls
        • Best Weighted Vests
        • Best Leg Extension Machines
        • Best Cable Machines
        • Best Power Racks
        • Best Pull Up Bars
      • Best Home Gyms
        • Best Smart Home Gyms
        • Best Gym Equipment Under $100
        • Best Home Gym Essentials
        • Best Home Gym Flooring
      • Individual Equipment Reviews
    • Fitness Accessories
      • Apparel
        • Best Weightlifting Shoes
        • Best Cross Training Shoes
        • Best Gym Bags
        • Best Gym Shorts
      • Training
        • Best Weightlifting Belts
        • Best Knee Sleeves
        • Best Lifting Straps
        • Best Grip Strengtheners
        • Best Wrist Wraps
        • Best Lifting Gloves
      • Individual Fitness Product Reviews
    • Certifications
      • Best Sports Nutrition Certifications
      • Best Personal Trainer Certifications
      • Best Nutrition Certifications
      • Individual Certifications Reviews
    • Programs
      • Best Online Workout Programs
      • Best Workout Streaming Services
      • Best Home Workout Programs
      • Individual Program Reviews
  • Nutrition
    • Diets
      • Carb Cycling
      • Vertical Diet
      • Reverse Dieting
      • Carnivore Diet
      • Ketogenic Diet
      • Intermittent Fasting
      • IIFYM Diet
    • Fat Loss
      • Macros for Fat Loss
      • Calorie Deficits
      • Natural Fat Burners
      • Cut 2 Pounds Weekly
    • Muscle Gain
      • How to Dirty Bulk
      • Go From Cutting to Bulking
      • Eat These Carbs
      • How to Eat for Muscle
    • Supplement Guides
      • Pre-Workout
      • Whey Protein
      • Mass Gainers
      • Greens Powders
      • Creatine
      • BCAAs
    • Nutrition Tips
      • Daily Protein Needs
      • Pre- and Post-Workout Nutrition
      • Foods With Creatine
      • Bulking Tips
  • Training
    • Workouts
      • Back Workouts
      • At-Home Workouts
      • Chest & Back Workouts
      • Full-Body Workout
      • HIIT Workouts
    • Exercise Guides
      • Deadlift
      • Bench Press
      • Back Squat
      • Overhead Press
      • Bent-Over Row
      • Lat Pulldown
      • Crunches
      • Farmer’s Carry
    • Best Exercises
      • Shoulder Exercises
      • Back Exercises
      • Chest Exercises
      • Glute Exercises
      • Ab Exercises
      • Hamstring Exercises
      • Quad Exercises
      • Calf Exercises
      • Biceps Exercises
      • Triceps Exercises
    • Programs
      • Push-Up Program
      • Pull-Up Program
      • German Volume Training
      • 5/3/1 Program
      • Powerbuilding Program
      • The Cube Method
      • 5×5 Program
      • Bodybuilding Programs
      • Build Your Own Program
    • Fat Loss
      • How to Burn Fat
      • Spot Fat Reduction
      • How to Train on a Cut
      • Body Conditioning
      • Workouts
        • Kettlebell Circuits
        • Dumbbell Complexes
        • Farmer’s Carry Workouts
    • Muscle Gain
      • Muscle Hypertrophy Explained
      • How to Build Muscle
      • How to Maintain Muscle
      • What Researchers Say About Muscle Gain
        • Workouts
          • 20-Minute Workouts
          • Kettlebell Circuits
          • CrossFit Workouts for Muscle
          • Bodybuilding Workouts
  • Calculators
    • Protein Intake Calculator
    • Macros Calculator
    • BMR Calculator
    • Squat Calculator
    • Calorie Calculator
  • Community Forum
Home » Supplement Reviews » MuscleTech Vapor X5 Next Gen Pre-Workout Review — What's Nitrosigine®?

MuscleTech Vapor X5 Next Gen Pre-Workout Review — What’s Nitrosigine®?

Written by Nick English
Last updated on August 19th, 2024

We receive free products and receive commissions through our links. See disclosures page.

Operated by Iovate Health Sciences in Delaware, MuscleTech is a pretty big name in the supplement business and they sell a ton of different products that are arranged under different product lines. They have the Performance Series, Lab Series, Essential Series, and Pro Series, all with their own products and focus. (They also have the female-focused FitMiss series.)

We’ve tried their whey protein power and one of their branched chain amino acid products, but today we’re looking at one of their pre-workouts in the Performance Series: Vapor X5 Next Gen. It’s part of the Performance Series, which MuscleTech says is for people who are “serious about performance and results.”

What makes it special?

 MuscleTech Vapor X5 Next Gen Nutrition & Ingredients

There are a lot of ingredients here and they’re mostly divided into five categories. I’ll discuss their benefits and effects in the next section.

Explosive Energy Matrix has the caffeine — 190mg, about as much as you’ll find in two small cups of coffee — and 100mg of choline bitartrate.

Musclebuilding Matrix has creatine (1.5g) and betaine anhydrous (1.25g).

MuscleTech Vapor X5
MuscleTech Vapor X5
MuscleTech Vapor X5
MuscleTech's inexpensive preworkout has a wider range of ingredients linked to focus and recovery than its competitors.
Shop Amazon

Performance & Endurance Compound has beta alanine (1.6g) and taurine (500mg).

Pump Matrix contains hawthorn berry extract (200mg) and 750mg of arginine inositol silicate, also called Nitrosigine®.

Finally, there’s the Neurosensory Blend of theanine (62.5mg), galangal extract (25mg) and yohimbe extract (20mg). The yohimbe extract is 6 percent yohimbine, so you’re getting 1.2 milligrams per scoop.

The other ingredients are mostly a little niacin (15mg, 75 percent of the daily intake) and some natural and artificial flavors, colors, and sweeteners. Note that it contains sucralose and acesulfame potassium, artificial sweeteners that some folks like to avoid, and several kinds of gum: carrageenan, xanthan, and cellulose.

MuscleTech Vapor X5 Next Gen Benefits & Effectiveness

There are a lot of ingredients here, so let’s start with the good.

There’s a solid amount of caffeine, and what’s nice is that this product also includes taurine and theanine, two ingredients that are known to help reduce the jitteriness and lack of focus that can accompany a big caffeine hit.

The Musclebuilding Matrix is also solid: it has research-backed doses of creatine and betaine anhydrous, both supplements that could add a significant boost to your power output. The beta alanine, meanwhile, has a strong link with endurance.

The hawthorn berry is known for its antioxidants, so it may reduce oxidative damage and improve blood flow. But there have been no human studies on this effect, so we don’t know what constitutes an effective dose — if indeed there is an effective dose.

I’m also not quite sure why galangal was included. It’s usually used to flavor dishes from Southeast Asia and when used medicinally, it’s typically for stomach pain or combating inflammation. It also has a lot of antioxidants, but MuscleTech says they included it for its “unique sensory effects” and didn’t provide more information than that.

Related: Best Pre Workouts

Choline bitartrate may improve time to fatigue, but the 100mg dose here seems on the low side, since many studies use doses of 600 milligrams or more.

The arginine inositol (or Nitrosigine) has a pretty strong link with energy and stamina, but research suggests a better dose would be the 1.5 grams you get in two scoops of Vapor X5, not the amount found in one scoop. The same goes for the stimulant yohimbine: for a buzz that may improve focus, you probably want 2.5 milligrams of the stuff. That’s the amount found in two scoops.

MuscleTech Vapor X5 Next Gen Price

You can pick up 30 servings for $21, so it’s 70 cents per serving. That’s pretty inexpensive; the average pre-workout costs somewhere between 80 cents and a dollar per scoop.

MuscleTech Vapor X5 Next Gen Taste

I tried the Blue Raspberry flavor, which tasted like raspberry candy. While the intense blue color suggested an intense blue flavor, I found that one scoop of Vapor X5 in 1.5 cups of water made for a pretty mild drink. This is good news for anyone who is interested in doubling up the serving size and using two scoops per drink, something the tub suggests as a viable option for those who want a stronger effect.

The Takeaway

There are enough ingredients in one scoop to say that this is a pretty effective and cheap supplement for energy, power, endurance, and focus. That’s because it has a good hit of caffeine, beta alanine, betaine, creatine, and theanine.

If you double the serving size, you’ll have a good amount of yohimbine and Nitrosigine, which will further boost focus and stamina. I found a couple of the ingredients unnecessary but for the price you’re paying, it’s an impressive product with a lot of effects.

MuscleTech Vapor X5 Next Gen

Per Serving: $0.70
MuscleTech Vapor X5 Next Gen
7.8

Ingredients

7.5/10

Effectiveness

7.0/10

Price

9.0/10

Taste

7.5/10

Pros

  • Solid dose of caffeine, creatine, and betaine for power
  • May improve endurance and focus
  • Inexpensive

Cons

  • Some ingredients are underdosed
  • Some ingredients not well supported by evidence
  • Artificial flavors, sweeteners, and colors
Find on Amazon

About Nick English

Nick is a content producer and journalist with over seven years’ experience reporting on four continents. Since moving to New York City in 2013 he's been writing on health and fitness full time for outlets like BarBend, Men's Health, VICE, and Popular Science.

View All Articles

BarBend

BarBend is an independent website. The views expressed on this site may come from individual contributors and do not necessarily reflect the view of BarBend or any other organization. BarBend is the Official Media Partner of USA Weightlifting.

  • About Us
  • Advertise With Us
  • Contact Us
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Pinterest

MuscleTech Vapor X5 Next Gen

Per Serving: $0.70
MuscleTech Vapor X5 Next Gen
7.8

Ingredients

7.5/10

Effectiveness

7.0/10

Price

9.0/10

Taste

7.5/10

Pros

  • Solid dose of caffeine, creatine, and betaine for power
  • May improve endurance and focus
  • Inexpensive

Cons

  • Some ingredients are underdosed
  • Some ingredients not well supported by evidence
  • Artificial flavors, sweeteners, and colors
Find on Amazon

Sections

  • CrossFit
  • Strongman
  • Bodybuilding
  • Powerlifting
  • Weightlifting
  • Reviews
  • Nutrition
  • Training

More

  • BarBend Newsletter
  • BarBend Podcast
  • The Ripped Report
  • 1RM Calculator
  • BMR Calculator
  • Macros Calculator
  • Protein Calculator
  • Squat Calculator

Policies

  • Accessibility
  • Advice Disclaimer
  • Cookies Policy
  • Disclaimers
  • Disclosures
  • Editorial Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use

Copyright © 2025 · BarBend Inc · Sitemap