Cellucor C4 Sport Or Original Pre-Workout

Cellucor C4 Original or C4 Sport? If you are reading this, you are probably wondering which is best for you between them. This article is going to be comparing the two different products, and what they offer to help you to decide which might be the best option for you.

Cellucor is a big brand when it comes to pre-workout supplements and their C4 brand is one of the most well-known on the market. While I will be focusing on 2 of the supplements in this article, at the time of writing I count, 10 varieties of C4 pre-workouts plus 3 energy drink types. Our review of C4 Original covers the most popular variety in great depth.

Cellucor – The Company

Both of these products are obviously manufactured by Cellucor, a major US brand in the sports supplement market. This company has been around for over 20 years and released its first C4 pre-workout in 2011. Cellucor C4 Sport was released in 2014.

Cellucor C4

Key Product Differences

Cellucor C4 Original

  • Contains 150mg of caffeine per serving
  • 9 active ingredients
  • Available in 7 flavors
  • Available in 30 and 60 serving sizes

Cellucor C4 Sport

  • Contains 135mg of caffeine per serving
  • 10 active ingredients
  • Available in 3 flavors
  • Only available in 30 serving size
  • NSF certified

From the basic facts, it’s obvious that these supplements have a lot in common. The Sport variety has limited flavors available and a slightly lower amount of caffeine per serving.

C4 Sport packaging

But the big aspect to be aware of is that the C4 Sport version is NSF certified for sport. I personally believe that this is the reason for the existence of the product.

NSF Certified For Sport

NSF International created the Certified for Sport program to meet the demands of coaches and athletes concerned about supplement safety and banned substances in supplements. The organization tests products for ingredients that might be considered dangerous to consumers.

man lifting weights

They also test ingredient quality for contamination, heavy metals, and this testing is performed annually. So having this certification on the C4 Sport pre-workout, demonstrates the company’s commitment to product safety and gives consumers a bit more confidence in the quality of the supplements.

C4 Original is not Certified For Sport which makes me wonder what is included to prevent it from being certified

Cellucor offers a Sport version of BCAAs and whey protein that are also Certified For Sport.

C4 Original and Sport Ingredients

There is a lot of similarity in the ingredients list for these two products, but there are some differences that we need to look at.

C4 Sport supplement ingredients

Unfortunately, the US version of C4 Sport masks some of the ingredients using a proprietary blend labeled as a Performance Blend and Energy Blend. But it is visible that they both include vitamin B12 and B6 although the is less B6 in C4 Sport. They also both contain similar amounts of calcium.

caffeine formula

C4 Sport makes use of the mineral magnesium in its formulation while C4 Original does not contain it. however, C4 Original contains Vitamin C for its antioxidant properties.

As mentioned, C4 original contains more caffeine anhydrous at 150mg compared to 135mg per serving in C4 Sport

They both contain more caffeine than a standard cup of coffee. C4 Sport contains Creatine Monohydrate while C4 Original contains Creatine Nitrate. Nitrate is absorbed slightly better in the body. However, note that the UK version of C4 Original contains Monohydrate and not Nitrate.

In summary, the most likely thing that you will notice when taking these 2 supplements is the slightly lower caffeine amount in C4 Sport.

Original Vs Sport

Key Ingredients

Below is a comparison of the key ingredient amounts per serving:

C4 Original C4 Sport
Caffeine Per Serving 150mg 135mg
Creatine Per Serving 1g (Nitrate) 3g (Monohydrate)
Beta-Alanine Per Serving 1.6g 1.0g

Taste

Both of these supplements are mixed easily with water in a shaker with no clumps left behind. Since C4 Sport has limited flavors available, I compared the Blue Raspberry flavor of each.

Drinking pre-workout supplement

I found that there was actually very little difference in taste between the two. Neither of them was overly sweet and neither had the artificial sweetener aftertaste that is present in some supplements.

If I need to be very picky, I would say that the Original version tasted slightly better with a slightly less gritty taste. This is probably due to the type and amount of creatine used in it along with the use of sweeteners which may contribute to it not being certified.

Performance

I tried out both of these supplements before heavy weightlifting sessions. The usual pre-workout focus and skin tingling sensations kicked in within a similar time of taking both. But here are the differences between the two:

C4 Original gave me a feeling of being more stimulated and a more increased heart rate. It made me feel physically more ready to lift. I also felt a bit more energized at the beginning of my workout when compared to C4 Sport. After my gym session, I had a little bit more difficulty concentrating since I was already exhausted after a heavy workout.

C4 Sport made me feel less stimulated than C4 Original. But the effects were smoother and an I felt like the effects lasted longer. While I felt like the effects of the Original version started to wear off after around 3 quarters into my workout, I didn’t feel that way with the Sport version. Instead, I felt like the effects continued to rise throughout my whole workout.

Comparison

C4 Original C4 Sport
Stronger stimulants effect that works quickly Fewer stimulants but a longer-lasting stimulant effect
Tastes slightly better Certified For Sport so safety and quality are assured
Creatine nitrate has a marginally better effect Better for first-time pre-workout users
Not tested for banned substances More suitable for athletes

 

Cellucor C4 Sport or Original? Which Is For You?

In conclusion, I believe that the majority of people should be going for C4 original. It is slightly stronger in terms of stimulants and has been around for a long time.

But if you are an athlete and are concerned about banned substances in supplements, you should go for C4 Sport. The Sport version lacks the heavy metals and contaminants that may be present in the Original version. This makes it a safer product to take and it is also great for those who are hesitant about using a pre-workout.