Let’s get one thing out of the way at the top. Ryse Godzilla is a fully loaded, highly-caffeinated pre-workout for the very experienced. I would not recommend this as your first pre-workout. But for those who appreciate a very high-stim, fully loaded pre-workout, this one is excellent.
| Function | Primary Ingredient(s) | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | Caffeine Anhydrous, ZumXR Extended Release, Theobromine | 89 |
| Focus | Cognizen Citicoline, Caffeine | 100 |
| Pump | L-Citrulline, Citrulline Nitrate | 94 |
| Endurance | Beta-Alanine, L-Citrulline, Electrolytes | 100 |
| Mood | Theobromine | 42 |
| Strength & Body Comp | Creatine, Betaine Anhydrous | 100 |
| Flavors | Four flavors as of this review | 79 |
| Ingredient Quality | Good ingredient selection, scientifically based doses | 97 |
| Feel/Vibe | A little over wired/jittery but great for stim junkies | 82 |
| Overall Score |  | 94 |
Ryse Godzilla is one of the most well formulated pre-workouts on the market. In fact, as a pre-workout connoisseur, I’d put it as one of the top 3 products on the market and certainly worth the try. Why?
The ingredients hit all the right notes for optimal performance.
First Impressions
The design of Ryse Godzilla’s tub is artful and exciting. Very well done. Riffs off some old Japanese art styles that I’ve always found pleasing.
The tub came very well sealed. Took me a bit to get the seal off but I count that as a positive because I can’t stand when tubs are poorly sealed or feel like they had an open gap under the seal.
Here I’m opening up Ryse Godzilla and you can see the seal
The color of the powder for this flavor of Ryse (Passion Pineapple) was pretty much a creamy white. The tub was a little more than half full.
I don’t mind this because when the tubs are too packed there’s no room for the scoop and when you open it up the powder gets all over. So I like about 1/2 to 2/3 full tubs. As you can see, the scoop and the desiccant are at the top. I like this because, for one, I didn’t have to dig around for my scoop but also moisture issues will occur at the top of the powder and I’ve never understood putting the desiccant at the bottom of the powder.
Here you can see upon opening the powder is 1/2 full with scoop & dessicant at the top
Ryse Godzilla has two serving sizes: one scoop and two scoops. Since it’s the two scoop formula that makes Ryse Godzilla stand out, I’ve decided to use two scoops.
Below you can see an image of the scoop size. I used two. Each scoop is 17.5g so two scoops is a whopping 35.7g. That is probably the largest dosage of pre-workout I’ve ever seen!
You can see the approximate scoop size for Ryse Godzilla in the photo above
When I first dumped the powder in it kind of bubbled / foamed up a little. I’m imagining that this is the pineapple in the natural flavoring because I’ve seen pineapple do this before in Starbucks drinks but I don’t know. I’ve not seen it before in a preworkout and it doesn’t really bother me. Just interesting!
Here is a photo of the bubbling. The photo didn’t translate the foaming all that well but maybe you can make it out:
You can kind of make out the bubbles, but there was also a foaming effect
Ryse recommends 6-8oz of water per scoop and I’m the kind of person who likes the higher end of water (less sweet) I added 16oz (for 2 scoops.
As you can see below, when I used a Blender Bottle to shake this up, the final color had a translucent, watery look. This works fine for a Pineapple flavor. For me, the only thing that matters is that the color of a supplement not look gross. And this one does not.
Ryse Godzilla mixes about as well as you can expect for more than 35g of powder
While there was a little bit of settling after I shook it vigorously for about 10 seconds, it’s surprisingly little settling for the serving size. For all pre-workouts I’m just in the habit of shaking it a little bit before each sip to make sure I don’t end up with a bunch of powder at the bottom when I’m done.
Ryse Godzilla mixes well and it does not have a major settling issue.
The First Sip
Very salty. So if you’re not into salty things, Ryse Godzilla may not be for you. I kind of like salty and so I’m not bothered by it. The pineapple flavor is good if not great. I do still catch an occasional bitter note from the L-Citrulline (it’s hard to hide the bitterness of citrulline when you’ve got 9g in your pre).
Overall, I’d rate the flavor a 7 out of 10. It’s good enough to finish, but I would not see myself craving it again. The best pre-workout flavors are so good I look forward to the next round. I’d probably want to try a few more flavors of Ryse Godzilla before settling on a preferred.
When I do a quick scan of Amazon, it seems like Monsterberry Lime is the most popular, so I might try that one next time. However, keep in mind that with 590g of sodium, every flavor will taste salty.
Now that we’re done with first impressions, let’s look at the ingredient details.
The Core Ingredients
At Pre-Workout World we evaluate pre-workouts by first focusing on how they approach what I call “The Big 3” pre-workout ingredients, Caffeine, Citrulline and Beta-Alanine. Once we’ve evaluated those key ingredients, we consider the wider context: ingredients for focus, pump, strength, mood, energy, etc. Here’s a quick rundown of Ryse Godzilla’s big 3:
| Product | Caffeine | Citrulline | Beta-Alanine |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ryse Godzilla | 400mg | 9g | 6.4g |
Pump Ingredients in Ryse Godzilla
Each serving of Ryse Godzilla comes with 9 whopping grams of L-Citrulline, the gold standard ingredient for the Argine nitric oxide pathway. 9g is on the high end of clinically effective doses for L-Citrulline an is a huge selling point for this product. The arginine nitric oxide pathway, supported by L-Citrulline, is one of two known pathways for increasing blood flow to the muscles during a workout.
The other pathway is via nitrates. And Ryse Godzilla contains 2g of Citrulline Nitrate (NO3-T). While I couldn’t find an exact breakdown of how much nitrate vs citrulline is contained in citrulline nitrate (common for branded or proprietary ingredients), I’m going to assume the composition is either 3:1, 2:1 or 1:1 so you have a range of actual nitrate from .5g up to 1.5g. This falls within a range of clinical doses for nitrates. Personally, I like to see 1-3g of nitrates for a good pump.
Although not included under their “Pump Fuel” complex, Ryse Godzilla has one additional pump enhancing ingredient called VasoDrive-AP. They include 150mg of this patented ingredient that is designed to help enhance blood circulation to the body and the brain.
Overall, Ryse is an exceptional product for producing pumps.
Endurance Ingredients
Ryse Godzilla has a massive 6.4g of Beta-Alanine making it the largest dose of beta-alanine we’ve reviewed in a pre-workout to date. Is 6.4g good when it comes to beta-alanine? Yes and no. From a purely functional perspective, 6.4g will get you extra reps over the standard 3-4g typically found in high-end pre-workouts. On the other hand, expect to feel uncomfortable from the Beta-Alanine tingles.
This is an important consideration: if you don’t mind the Beta-Alanine tingles, then Ryse takes you places you’ve never been. If you hate them, you may want to avoid Ryse Godzilla all altogether.
Energy Ingredients
Ryse Godzilla is a VERY HIGH STIM. 400mg of total caffeine. The good news is that 50mg of this caffeine is ZumXR Extended Release which means it doesn’t hit as hard and fast as the 350mg of caffeine anhydrous, letting you ride the benefits of caffeine a little longer.
Usually, I like BIG DOSES. But in the case of Ryse Godzilla, the 400mg of caffeine may be overkill and limit the range of people who can use it effectively.
Of course, you could always cut the Ryse Godzilla dose in half. But then you cut all the other massive ingredients (which I love) in half.
Another energy ingredient included in Ryse Godzilla is theobromine at 100mg. I’m not a fan of this ingredient. Having two different stimulants in the same pre-workout is a recipe for making you wired and jittery and I prefer to see pre-workouts stick with a single, proven stimulant: caffeine. When a pre-workout company includes an ingredient like theobromine I subtract a few points because in my opinion it does very little, and for many people ruins the vibe.
Strength Ingredients
Ryse Godzilla has a solid 5g of Creatine Monohydrate. I like to see creatine in a pre-workout because it is one of the most well-researched and proven, naturally occurring performance-enhancing ingredients available on the market. I especially like to see that Ryse chose to use the monohydrate versions because A) it is the most well-researched and B) all the other versions are expensive marketing gimmicks.
In addition to creatine monohydrate, Ryse Godzilla also has 5g of Betaine Anhydrous. While the research is less clear on the effectiveness of Betaine Anhydrous relative to Creatine, we do see it included in many of the pre-workouts we love and think it’s one of those luxury ingredients that is not necessary but certainly gives you a slight edge.
Focus Ingredients
Cognizen Citicoline is an excellent choice as a focus nootropic. Some evidence suggests it is even superior to Alpha GPC. I like that Ryse chose to buck the trend of going with Alpha GPC and went with a more expensive, possibly more effective ingredient. At 500mg, the dose is going to make a big impact on your attention and ability to focus.
Electrolyte Ingredients
Sodium and potassium are the two main electrolytes that belong in a pre workout.
In my opinion, Ryse Godzilla went overboard with the sodium. At 590mg it overwhelms the flavoring. And too much sodium can also force a trip to the bathroom. I’d cut the sodium in half to improve the formula. I understand that some people believe that salt is a great pre-workout but for the average consumer, this will be a net negative. Of course, Ryse Godzilla isn’t for the average consumer. It’s for the hardcore.
On the other hand, 194mg of potassium is a good dose that will top off your potassium levels without going too far.
Ryse Godzilla Flavors
At the time of this review the available flavors for Ryse Godzilla included:
- Passion Pineapple
- Monsterberry Lime
- Blackberry Lemonade
- Strawberry Kiwi
I’m a sucker for Pineapple, so that’s the flavor I’ve decided to review.
Sweeteners in Ryse Godzilla
The sweeteners in Ryse Godzilla are sucralose and Ace K (acesulfame potassium). These are both artificial sweeteners commonly found in pre-workouts. Some pre-workouts use this combo to avoid having too much of either. While there is no strong evidence that artificial sweeteners are harmful, it’s useful to use caution in overconsuming anything (even natural sweeteners).
Does Ryse Godzilla Have Any Side Effects?
Everyone will respond differently depending on three main factors:
- caffeine tolerance
- beta-alanine tolerance
- sodium tolerance
Ryse Godzilla can easily overstimulate because of the caffeine dose and make you feel too jittery. It can also cause some discomfort with the beta-alanine tingles which are similar to a niacin flush. And excess sodium can increase blood pressure making you feel more irritable. It can also force a trip to the bathroom.
The Bottom Line
Ryse Godzilla is a strong pre-workout. It’s hard to find a better one. Any complaints I have about it are minor, especially when you consider its intended audience. Is Ryse Godzilla good for beginners? No. Is it good for people who have caffeine sensitivity? No. Does it have the absolute best flavors? No. Can it make you feel a little too wired? Yes.
But is it amazingly effective? 100% YES!
What We Love
- Massive doses of scientifically proven ingredients
- Carefully selected, effective ingredients
- Huge pump
- Great focus
- Powerful strength-enhancing ingredients
- Solid flavor
What We’d Improve
- Include taurine
- Half the sodium
- Drop the Theobromine
- Add an ingredient to mellow the stim a bit
- Add some L-Tyrosine
- Include a mood booster
Who Is Ryse Godzilla For?
- long time users of pre-workout who want to push the limit
- stim junkies
- pump chasers
- anyone going after a PR
- pre-workout connoisseurs
Who is Ryse Godzilla Not For?
- beginners
- people with caffeine intolerance
- people who hate beta-alanine tingles
- budget conscious consumers
- people who don’t like salty flavors
Related Posts:
- Six-Star Pre-Workout Explosion
- ProSupps Mr Hyde Signature Series Pre-Workout Powder
- GAT Sport Nitraflex Advanced Pre-Workout Powder
- MusclePharm Assault Pre-Workout
- Optimum Nutrition Amino Energy Pre-Workout
