What can you expect from a hardcore booster? Definitely more than just a "wake-up call" feeling and a good pump during training – because boosters in the "hardcore" category are more powerful than almost any other supplement. Athletes who try a hardcore booster can expect, among other things, an enormous motivational boost, a strong urge to move, and a measurable increase in strength. But how do hardcore boosters actually work – and what ingredients are characteristic of them? We'll explain that to you here. If you want to buy a hardcore booster, you'll find out everything you need to know below!

Definition: What are hardcore boosters?

The term "hardcore booster" refers to boosters with stimulating ingredients and a resulting psychotropic effect. They stimulate the brain and the autonomic nervous system, which is why they are also called "stim boosters." In this respect, they are not dissimilar to amphetamine (in fact, they essentially function exactly like amphetamine), and just like amphetamine, they have their advantages and their downsides.

Among their benefits is the short-term generation of a performance-oriented mindset—for example, they improve concentration and lift the mood, even creating a sense of euphoria. In keeping with this, they also increase physical performance:

1. They relax the upper respiratory tract so that more air can enter the organism when breathing.
2. They cause the increased release of glucose (= optimal energy supply).
3. They cause the heart to beat faster, increasing blood flow and supplying the muscles with more oxygen.
4. They reduce the sensation of pain (which, from an evolutionary perspective, would be particularly important in combat situations; for workouts, it does have the advantage that muscle acidification can be better tolerated).

One of the downsides is that they have or can have significant side effects (see below: Side effects: Which hardcore booster side effects are known?).

Like pre-workout boosters and pump boosters, hardcore boosters are powder products, meaning they're mixed with water to create a drink. While there are now hardcore boosters in capsule form (like the rarely available "V2 WUNDERWAFFE Stim Caps"), these have so far been the exception on the market. The likely reason for this is that the many ingredients that make up good hardcore boosters are difficult to squeeze into a small capsule or tablet, at least not in significant quantities. Hardcore boosters in capsule form therefore tend to have low dosages.

Of course, there are stimulants in tablet or capsule form – such as ecstasy tablets or amphetamine tablets. However, these products have nothing to do with sports supplements. Rather, they are illegal party drugs.

Effect: What do hardcore boosters do?

As already mentioned, hardcore boosters primarily have a stimulating effect. This is comparable to what you feel when you kneel at the starting line of a 100-meter sprint and hear the words "Ready, set, go!": Your heart is pounding, your focus is razor-sharp—and you're literally itching to get into action.

While this isn't usually the only effect hardcore boosters have—they usually also have a pump-promoting effect and somewhat delay muscle fatigue—it's definitely the most important one. A hardcore booster that doesn't have an extremely stimulating and focus-enhancing effect is simply not a true hardcore booster!

How it works: How do hardcore boosters work and what do they contain?

The substances responsible for the stimulant effect described above are DMAA, DMBA, and DHMA. They stimulate the release of certain messenger substances in the brain – so-called neurotransmitters. The most important neurotransmitters are dopamine and noradrenaline.

Noradrenaline causes the adrenal glands to release the "alarm hormone" adrenaline into the bloodstream, which activates the sympathetic nervous system. The sympathetic nervous system (a nerve conduction system part of the autonomic nervous system that we cannot control voluntarily) in turn puts the body into a fight-or-flight mode – with the performance-enhancing effects already mentioned.

Dopamine, on the other hand, stimulates the brain's reward system, resulting in a temporary mood boost. You feel great, forget everyday worries, and are open to pretty much anything. Tiredness and lethargy disappear instantly; the "inner demons" that otherwise all too easily keep you from exercising don't stand a chance.

Depending on their composition, the functions of hardcore boosters go even further:

• Substances such as arginine and citrulline, which promote nitrogen production (see pump boosters), improve blood flow in the muscles and ensure an increased pumping effect.
• Added caffeine improves attention and reaction time.
• Beta-alanine delays muscle acidification, allowing more repetitions than usual to be completed.

History: Where does DMAA come from?

DMAA is the abbreviation for 1,3-dimethylamylamine. The substance, also known as methylhexanamine, was "invented" in 1944 by the company Eli Lilly. They used it as the active ingredient in a decongestant nasal spray called "Forthane." (Because adrenaline, among other things, constricts blood vessels to minimize blood loss in the event of an injury, methylhexanamine is very effective at reducing swelling.) The nasal spray remained on the market for decades; however, sales were discontinued in 1983 due to methylhexanamine's potentially addictive effects.

Methylhexanamine was reborn in 2006, when American chemist and amateur bodybuilder Patrick Arnold launched a pre-workout supplement called "Geranamine"—because it contained DMAA (or methylhexanamine). In 2010, the first DMAA-containing booster, "Jack3d," from USPlabs, finally hit the market. This is now considered the first truly hardcore booster.

Legal situation: How “legal” are hardcore boosters?

Due to various incidents involving DMAA-containing boosters (in 2012, two elderly US soldiers died during a workout after consuming DMAA), the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) ordered all supplement manufacturers to stop using DMAA in 2012. An official ban finally followed in 2013, and boosters such as Jack3d and OxyElite Pro disappeared from the market. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) agreed with the FDA on its stance on DMAA.

A few years later, around 2015, hardcore boosters containing an ingredient called DMBA (1,3-dimethylbutylamine or AMP citrate) began appearing on the market. DMBA is a DMAA derivative that essentially works the same way as DMAA—and was therefore also banned. Since February 5, 2015, products containing DMBA have been banned from sale in Germany by order of the Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety.

At the latest since the further tightening of the legal requirements for stimulant substances in the USA in 2018, it has become clear: hardcore boosters are not welcome on the open market, and their procurement is correspondingly problematic.

Side effects: What side effects of hardcore boosters are known?

The reason American and European authorities are hesitant about hardcore boosters is the wide range of side effects: There have been cases of athletes fainting or suffering a stroke due to excessive doses of hardcore boosters; even deaths have been reported (see above). This is primarily related to the effects of boosters on the cardiovascular system: In unfavorable circumstances—for example, if an athlete who already has high blood pressure consumes a strong booster and then performs exercises where forced breathing is practically unavoidable—a stroke is not far away. Other possible [albeit less dramatic] hardcore booster side effects include:

• Tremble
• very heavy sweating
• Dehydration (due to sweating and as a result of suppressed thirst)
• Heart palpitations or rapid pulse
• Hypernervousness
• dry mouth

After the effects wear off, circulatory collapse and even collapse can occur, along with severe exhaustion. The initial euphoria can be followed by a drop in mood, which can also lead to confusion and panic attacks.

Taking: When and how?

Hardcore boosters, like pump boosters and pre-workout boosters, should only be mixed and consumed immediately before a workout. Since the effects of most hardcore boosters take effect very quickly, it's recommended to consume them in the gym's locker room. (If you consume your booster at home and then have to wait 20 minutes at the subway station before you can even get to the gym, you're already wasting a good portion of the duration of the effects.)

Use in competition: Are hardcore boosters doping?

Since the World Anti-Doping Code came into force in 2004, methylhexanamine has been considered a prohibited substance. Initially, it was not listed by name on the list of prohibited substances (instead, it was included in the stimulant group as "and related compounds"). In 2010, methylhexanamine was finally added to the list by name. Since then, the use of the substance in athletic competitions has clearly been considered doping. In competitions with doping tests, even small amounts of methylhexanamine in the sample can be enough to cause a positive test. Be careful when driving: If the police order a drug screening, prior consumption of a hardcore booster may result in the test indicating amphetamine abuse!

Where can you buy hardcore boosters?

Buying hardcore boosters isn't exactly easy due to current legal regulations. Unlike "regular" training boosters, which are now available at discount grocery stores and drugstores, hardcore boosters are only available online. The problem is that many supplement shops that carry hardcore boosters don't even know what they're selling – and therefore categorize their boosters incorrectly.

This is partly due to the often vague packaging labels: Manufacturers often hide the problematic ingredients behind chemical formulas or pseudonyms. It's also partly due to misleading product names: A name like "Instinct" might be primarily associated with natural, instinct-driven training by the uninitiated; however, it actually conceals one of the most powerful hardcore boosters on the market. On the other hand, many manufacturers also like to give their harmless pump boosters "dangerous"-sounding names like "Hardcore Workout Force" or similar, even though the products in question have nothing to do with hardcore.

For prospective buyers like you, this means: Don't buy from shops you're completely unfamiliar with or that only have a small selection of boosters. These shops are likely to lack great booster expertise. Instead, stick to expert shops like ours! At getboost3d.com, you'll always get exactly what you want!

Conclusion

Hardcore boosters aren't for everyone. Those who are sensitive to stimulants or who want to stay 100% natural should avoid such boosters. On the other hand, those who want to really "go wild" during training from time to time and enjoy testing their limits can get themselves in the perfect mood with stim boosters.