The Ultimate Pre-workout supplements
With the right pre-workout supplement you can maximally prepare your body for the coming workout, whether bulking, cutting, or any other stage.
By: Travis
Hi, I am Travis. My main focus in life is to understand training better and help others get better results too. I used to be about the least fit kid in school and would always be last to get picked for a team. It wasn't for a lack of trying, but all my efforts just lead to injuries
For years, I had completely given up on ever getting in shape. Then I began to use my brain before using my muscles. I read every popular book on exercise, and began to structure my training.
With the right training methods, and the right machines, I was able to rebuild my body from the ground up.
According to science, I would never be able to walk pain-free again. And I would never be able to do 20 pull-ups with the injuries to my rotator cuff. But they were al wrong.
This site is where you can find all my tips and recommendations.
Have you ever been to the gym and heard someone talk about pre-workout supplements? There are numerous supplements and exercise brands, and each has its own formula. Therefore, it is essential that you know the ingredients and its effects to choose the best one that suits your needs.
Some people may consider getting enough sleep or drinking a lot of water and fluids or even proper nutrition before working out. While these methods may help to improve your performance, it is crucial to consider a pre-workout to gain more from your workout. Getting the right supplements can go a long way in improving your workout.
The ingredients contained in these supplements are well studied, and they can help to improve your performance. Some of these supplements contain a mixture of chemicals and extracts from herbs for that have been specially made to improve power, boost endurance, focus, and improve blood flow muscles.
Benefits of Pre workout supplements
One of the most common ingredients is caffeine. It provides you with more energy, boosts endurance power, alertness, strength, and it is a great way to reduce fatigue. Caffeine helps to burn more fat to provide more energy, and this enables you to work out for longer durations before burning out.
Beetroot juice is another ingredient you often find, and it increases the levels of nitric oxide in your body to improve your cardiovascular function. Nitric acid is obtained from inorganic nitrates found in beetroot juice, and it increases blood flow by expanding the blood vessels. Beetroot juice causes your heart to work less during a workout and thereby reduce the risk of heart-related diseases.
Creatine is also another ingredient found in pre-workout supplements, and it can be produced by the body and stored in the muscles. Creatine monohydrate helps to build muscles when used in high doses and increases your strength during a workout. This reduces fatigue, boosts your anaerobic capacity, and improve recovery time.
There are other ingredients such as alpha GPC, pepper extract, L-Carnitine, L Tartrate, tyrosine, and choline bitartrate. They have a wide range of benefits, including improving the absorption of nutrients, reducing the risk of cognitive disorders, and reducing stress. These additions can help you to improve the quality of your workout and improve your results significantly.
A lot of research has been carried out on the effectiveness of pre-workout ingredients. There is enough evidence to show that this type of supplement indeed can help to increase energy availability and performance. However, other elements do not have sufficient evidence or research to support their effectiveness in improving performance.
When choosing a supplement, the final result of the product should be considered. We do not rule out some ingredients that lack scientific proof; instead, we asked ourselves, will the product be effective? If you have any pre-existing health conditions such as kidney problems, you should consult your doctor before trying these products.
We have listed our top recommendations based on the application and other aspects of your training.
Best Overall Pre workout
KAGED MUSCLE PRE-KAGED came up top in our pick for the best overall pre-workout supplement. It can be used for any type of workout since it is high in caffeine and other beneficial ingredients. It can be taken through mixing about 20 ounces of water with one scoop, then shake the bottle and drink between half an hour of mixing.
KAGED MUSCLE PRE-KAGED has a tasty apple flavor, and it contains branched amino acids that add a bitter aftertaste. Taking this supplement before a workout will increase your endurance, support hydration, sharpen focus, boost energy, and even raise your strength. To top this up, it also contains ground-up vegetables that provide antioxidants to decrease cellular damage while working out. Buy it here
Pre JYM came up second best supplement for use before workouts. It has fewer antioxidants and less betaine, tyrosine, and taurine than the PRE-KAGED. However, it contains more caffeine with 300 milligrams, higher doses of beta-alanine, tyrosine, taurine, and some black pepper extracts that might help absorption. Pre Jym comes with a variety of flavors ranging from Kiwi, Refreshing Melon, Strawberry, and Rainbow sherbet, and this gives it a great taste and a slightly higher price. Buy it here
Legion Pulse drops in third for our pick in the best overall. It has a higher caffeine content at 350 mg, beta-alanine, citrulline, and betaine, making it an all-round product suited for your exercise goals. Legion Pulse has a higher price tag than PRE-KAGED, but if you are looking for a supplement free from artificial food flavors colors to boost your workout and maintain good health, this is the right product for you. Buy it here
Best Pre workout for Pump
Legion Pulse clinches the top spot for muscle pump. It stands out from the rest because of its high level of citrulline at 8 g per dose, and it also has the highest levels of sodium at 144mg to help in hydration. Citrulline helps to improve blood flow. Buy it here
PRE-KAGED offers a good choice if you are aiming for a muscle pump. It has a citrulline dose of 6.5 grams and 75 mg of sodium. This is lower than the Legion Pulse but still sufficient to leave you in search of skin stretching pumps.
Old School Labs Vintage Blast comes in third. This is a good choice if you are looking to build a lean mass since it has a dose of arginine AKG that helps to oxidize HMB. It also has a lower level of citrulline at 5grams and 50 mg of sodium.
Best Pre workout for Men
Transparent Labs Bulk is arguably the best pre-workout supplement for men. It has the best approach to increasing testosterone levels, in which it has high levels of zinc and vitamin D, which are linked with high levels of testosterone. It has high levels of ingredients, and it also contains boron, which also improves testosterone production.
Old School Labs Vintage Blast comes in second in our pick for workout supplement for men. It has high doses of citrulline, I-carnitine, I-tartrate, which improve endurance and focus. It contains d-aspartic, which some research has shown it may temporarily increase testosterone levels.
GAT Nitraflex comes in third but still a great option for male athletes. It has a lot of ingredients that improve focus, such as citrulline and high doses of caffeine of 325mg. Nitraflex contains calcium fructopyranose borate, which can temporarily boost testosterone, and as a bonus, it is pocket friendly.
Best Cardio Pre workout supplements
Old School Labs Vintage Blast is especially beneficial for cardio. It has a unique mixture of caffeine that contains 100mg of encapsulated caffeine, that slowly breaks down another 150mg of caffeine present in the product. This ensures that you are supplied with caffeine as you start your cardio, and as you progress, you get an additional dose of caffeine to help you last longer.
Pre JYM is also a preferred supplement for cardio. It has 2 grams of beta-alanine and contains beetroot juice extract, which can help to produce nitric oxide. Pre JYM has great taste and can help in improving endurance, performance, and blood flow.
Legion Pulse is our third pick for pre-workout cardio sessions. It has a large dose of beta-alanine of 4.8 grams, which can improve endurance. It also contains citrulline, which helps with blood flow and betaine anhydrous, which is useful when doing some high-intensity training.
Top 3 Pre-workout for losing weight
Transparent Labs Lean is full of ingredients that are also found in fat burners. One of the major ones is Synephrine, which research has shown that it can increase the number of calories burned as a result of hordenine present in the supplement. It also contains other nutrients to support thyroid health and other powerful ingredients such as beta-alanine, theanine, and citrulline.
Evlution Nutrition Engn Shred is highly recommended for people who aim to lose weight. It contains a vast number of ingredients that are associated with weight loss, such as pepper extract, coleus extract, yohimbine, and conjugated linolenic acid. It does not contain creatine, which is linked to weight gain.
MyProtein MyPre V2 comes in third as our favorite pre-workout for weight loss. It has two kinds of yohimbine and Capsimax®, which is a less spicy pepper extract. It has a low dose of creatine of just 2 grams to increase power but not enough to cause weight gain.
How Does a Pre Workout Help You?
Pre-workout supplements contain a wide range of ingredients and what they do depends on the specific ingredient in the product. Some ingredients increase blood flow, increase heart rate, and improve focus. Ingredients such as caffeine, creatine, and beta-alanine can enhance performance in athletes. Caffeine can also provide a physical boost before a workout and increase aerobic capacity for runners. Studies on creatine have shown that it can improve hydration and cause less cramping to football players. Pre-workouts change the way you feel while working out and help you to improve on your results. Pre-workouts can be beneficial for people involved in sports. This is because they can increase your energy and the productivity of your exercise.
How Much Caffeine is In a Pre-Workout?
Caffeine is the main ingredient in most pre-workout products. The caffeine concentration depends on the brand, but on average, a product can contain between 200 and 250 mg of caffeine. This is the equivalent of three cups of coffee and is enough to increase energy, focus, and performance.
Is a pre-workout bad for you?
The FDA does not regulate the ingredients of a pre-workout since it is regarded as drugs, and it is not put under strict safety measures. However, it is essential to note that every ingredient is legal. Third-party testing companies like LabDooor certify most of these pre workouts. Of all the ingredients, none of them poses a health risk except for caffeine. High levels of caffeine can cause a rise in blood pressure, and in rare cases, cardiac arrest. Proper precaution should be taken while using pre-workouts, but a healthy dose can help to improve workouts.
Is it better to drink pre-workout before or during workout?
A lot of supplements are mixed with water or a drink taken around 30 minutes before a workout. Longer sessions can be delayed for about an hour or so into the session to boost results. This helps to supply additional energy during a workout by providing your body with extra carbohydrates and raising blood sugar levels. To ensure maximum results, a pre-workout should be taken before consuming food to ensure that it is digested quickly. Continuous intake can make your body build tolerance for its side effects. This will help to increase muscle strength and power with better endurance performance.