When you take your training seriously, you start to realize how many supplements just don’t match your intensity.

I’m Daniel Russo. I’m a nationally ranked powerlifter, 2024 NAPF Sub-Junior Champion in the 83kg class, and former Sub-Junior Bench Press World Record holder. I’ve spent the last few years pushing my body and brain to their limits—and what frustrated me the most wasn’t my own performance, but the supplements I was supposed to rely on.

Most pre-workouts feel like flavored stimulant powder. They give you a jolt, then leave you overstimulated, jittery, and honestly... kind of useless. They don’t help you perform. They don’t help you focus. And they definitely don’t help you think.

I created Kathartik because I wanted something different. I was still in school, training hard, managing long days and heavy lifts. I needed a pre-workout that wouldn’t just wake me up—I needed one that would keep my mind sharp and my body strong throughout the entire session. And beyond that, something that actually supported performance and recovery, not just energy.

So I started mixing ingredients myself. I tested formulas on myself and other lifters, tracked how they made us perform, and scrapped what didn’t work. I researched everything. I paid attention to how real lifters respond to different compounds. I tried the trendy high-stim stuff. I threw out two pre-workouts after realizing they were just flavored caffeine bombs with no value.

What frustrated me more than anything was that none of the formulas I saw on the market were truly optimized for strength sports. Brands either chased trends or leaned heavily on ingredients that made you feel something, but didn’t actually translate into better performance under the bar.

A perfect example is beta-alanine. It’s popular because it makes you tingle—but it’s really only useful for endurance athletes. In powerlifting, we almost never train in the rep ranges where it matters. Brands still include it because it feels like it’s doing something, even if it’s not actually helping your performance.

Most companies won’t even take the time to realize that—because they’re more focused on selling a feeling than building something that works.

It took about six months to lock in the formula for Kathartik. The goal was a little bit complicated: a pre-workout that actually helps you train better—by fueling your brain, your muscles, and your recovery all at once. A formula that enhances focus, increases blood flow, strengthens performance over time, and still tastes good without wrecking your stomach.

The name, Kathartik comes from the adjective cathartic—a release. And for a lot of us, that’s exactly what lifting is.

It’s where we go to put everything we’ve got into something that matters. A place to channel focus, discipline, and raw effort. Not just training—but an outlet for whatever drives you.

Powerlifting takes that feeling even deeper. It rewards focus, patience, and precision. Tiny changes in technique can lead to massive jumps in performance. And that pursuit, the process of mastering your body under pressure, is what keeps us coming back.

Kathartik was built for lifters who train with intention. Who show up with purpose. Who turn effort into strength

Because when you give everything to the bar, you create something that gives back.

Kathartik is produced in a GMP-certified, NSF certified facility and is third-party tested. We never use WADA-banned substances, and every batch is made with quality and athlete safety in mind.

This isn’t a brand for people looking for a shortcut. It’s for athletes who are already putting in the work and want to maximize the return. Kathartik exists because I wanted a supplement company that actually cared about performance and health—not hype. We built what we couldn’t find.

And we’re just getting started.

If you’re serious about strength, I made this for you.