7 Best Pre Workout

If you’re searching for the best pre workout to give you energy, a great pump, and help maximize your workout, we’ve got you covered. Here, we’ve rounded up the best options for men and women who are trying to get strong, build muscle, lose weight, or achieve other fitness goals. Check out our top picks. 

Many fitness fanatics argue that the right pre workout supplement can make or break their gym session. These powders that blend with water are built to give you a boost that ignites your focus, energy, and endurance when you’re lifting weights, doing cardio, or attending a class.

The tricky part is that there are hundreds of different products on the market, and they all have different ingredients in different doses which makes it difficult to decide which is the right option for your goals.

What’s more, many supplements contain potentially dangerous ingredients or high levels of caffeine which might not be suitable for everyone.

Luckily, we’ve scoured nutrition labels and done research on the most effective ingredients to narrow down the choices for you. In this article, we review the seven best pre workout supplements you can buy and give you insider tips on who will benefit most from the blend.

The best pre workout mix for your needs will vary based on your goals, but there are a few common factors that help narrow down the list.

We only included options that have clinically-proven ingredients that studies show to be both safe and effective. Components like beta-alanine that enhance anaerobic strength and citrulline that boost your endurance and blood flow are beneficial and included in most of our top options.

Our list eliminates any products that are loaded with sugar, artificial colors or chemical ingredients that might cause health issues. We also paid attention to options that are gluten-free and address other special dietary needs.

Although most of our picks include caffeine because it’s shown to provide a significant boost to your workout, we’ve noted which options have a lower dose and added a couple that don't contain the stimulant.

Finally, we took the price of the powder into consideration and made sure that you get a high dose of active ingredients at a reasonable price point.

Best Pre Workout - Comparison Table

Check out our list of the best pre workout blends for your goals. We’ve included notes about the ingredients, what types of effects you can expect, and the type of person who will benefit most from the supplement.

If you’re searching for a pre workout formula with high doses of all of the active ingredients, Legion Pulse could be the one for you.

This blend is strong and includes a hefty dose of caffeine that’s equal to about three and a half cups of coffee. In addition to the 350 mg of caffeine, it also boasts an enormous 8 grams of citrulline and 2.5 grams of betaine per serving.

The combination of these ingredients makes Legion Pulse an excellent pick for any type of workout, and it will boost both your strength and endurance during your session.

If you want a formula that doesn’t have artificial ingredients like sweeteners, colors, or flavors, Legion Pulse is a good option. It’s sweetened with the usual suspects like stevia and maltodextrin and gets its color from natural ingredients.

The Blue Raspberry flavor, a fan favorite, derives it color from spirulina, which is a newcomer to the health food scene. This algae is full of antioxidants and B-vitamins and gives you a dose of chlorophyll too. Although spirulina doesn’t taste great on its own, you won’t notice the flavor in this blend.

The recommended dose is two scoops, and the 21-serving tub retails for $35. Because of the high dose of caffeine, many people start with one scoop of the blend and report great results.

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Another top contender is Kaged Muscle’s Pre-Kaged formula. Slightly lower in caffeine, it has 247 mg per dose and also includes 6.5 g of Citrulline and 1.5 g of Creatine that supports muscle growth.

If you want to be super focused during your sweat sessions, the tyrosine and taurine in this blend will give you a boost. It also includes a hefty dose of BCAA’s which promote muscle recovery and also make this an option that’s a bit easier on your stomach than some of the others on this list.

The product certifies that it doesn’t contain any banned substances, which is especially helpful if you are training to compete.

They don’t use any harmful additives and use natural products like beetroot extract and stevia to color and flavor the mix.

The recommended dose of Pre-Kaged is one scoop, and you’ll pay around $38 for a 20-serving container.

Another top contender is Kaged Muscle’s Pre-Kaged formula. Slightly lower in caffeine, it has 247 mg per dose and also includes 6.5 g of Citrulline and 1.5 g of Creatine that supports muscle growth.

If you want to be super focused during your sweat sessions, the tyrosine and taurine in this blend will give you a boost. It also includes a hefty dose of BCAA’s which promote muscle recovery and also make this an option that’s a bit easier on your stomach than some of the others on this list.

The product certifies that it doesn’t contain any banned substances, which is especially helpful if you are training to compete.

They don’t use any harmful additives and use natural products like beetroot extract and stevia to color and flavor the mix.

The recommended dose of Pre-Kaged is one scoop, and you’ll pay around $38 for a 20-serving container.

If you’re looking for a caffeine-free option that doesn’t compromise on performance, Genius Pre is an excellent choice. It’s one of the more expensive blends on our list, but well worth it thanks to its plethora of scientifically-proven ingredients.

An excellent choice for both men and women, it utilizes the energy and focus-boosting properties of Rhodiola Rosea and theobromine to replace caffeine. Genius Pre also includes a hefty 6 gram of Citrulline, as well as pre workout staples like beta alanine and ATP that deliver a significant muscle pump and promote quicker workout recovery.

Another formula that uses natural sweeteners, this product contains organic stevia which is vegan-friendly and is tested by a third-party to certify its potency and purity.

The recommended dose is two scoops, and a 20-serving container costs around $40.

Men and women often have different fitness goals, but regardless of gender, if building muscle mass is your aim than Transparent Labs Bulk might be the perfect choice.

It has high levels of each of its 19 active ingredients including beta-alanine and citrulline which promote muscle building and recovery. There’s also a substantial amount of focus-promoting ingredients like tyrosine, theanine, and taurine which will keep you in the zone for the duration of your session.

One of the most compelling things about Transparent Labs Bulk is their testosterone-boosting blend. Rather than use illegal and dangerous ingredients, they’ve included significant doses of:

• Vitamin D
• Zinc
• Boron

These three elements have clinical evidence that suggests that they aid in the healthy and natural production of additional testosterone.

Anyone looking to bulk up and build a significant amount of muscle mass can benefit from this blend.

The packaging is another unique element of the Transparent Labs pre workout. It comes in an oversized resealable pouch rather than a plastic container with a lid. Each bag holds 30 single-scoop doses and retails for around $40.

Many products that are targeted at women don’t change anything about their formula. Instead, they put a pink label on it and market it to that demographic.

FitMiss Ignite takes a different approach, and we believe that their blend is a top contender for female athletes or people who want an effective formula with lower doses of proven ingredients.

The gluten-free blend includes 100 mg of caffeine which is about what you find in a single cup of coffee. FitMiss Ignite’s proprietary blend has all of the standard pre workout ingredients like glycine, taurine, beta-alanine, L-carnitine, and amino acids that support both strength and endurance training and can help to burn fat and build muscle.

It’s tested for banned substances and certified by the organization Informed-Choice as being safe to use.

Although all the pre workouts that made our list don’t taste unpleasant, this particular product has rave reviews from users about it’s flavor choices.

Another stand-out feature of this option is the price. The recommended dose is one scoop, and each container comes with 30 servings. It retails for around $16. If you want more of a boost, you can double your dose safely, and it won’t break the bank to do so.

If you’re on a weight loss mission, you can opt for a pre workout that will not only energize your sweat session but also give you some additional fat boosting benefits.

We love Evlution Nutrition Engn Shred for this purpose. It includes the usual suspects like caffeine, beta alanine, and tyrosine to pump you up and help you build lean, fat-burning muscle but also has a proprietary Egn Shred Matrix blend that promotes fat loss.

Included in the mix are ingredients like coleus extract which can help your body metabolize fat and improve hormone function, as well as yohimbine and red pepper extract which both have weight loss benefits.

One significant difference with this product is that it does not contain creatine. Although the ingredient can help boost your ability to boost power, it’s also known for causing water retention which is counter-intuitive if you’re trying to cut weight.

Thirty single-scoop servings will cost you around $35, and customers rave about the delicious flavor of the Cherry Limeade blend.

If you’re searching for a pre workout that’s designed for less strenuous fitness actives, the sugar-free Vega Sport product might be right in your wheelhouse.

The company produced this supplement specifically for lower-intensity exercisers who want a boost before their pilates or yoga class or those who aren’t looking to build muscle but instead want energy for their workout.

You won’t find any creatine or beta-alanine here. Rather, Vega includes a carbohydrate-rich formula that has natural energy boosters like yerb​​a mate and green tea extract. An easy to digest option, the product also has ingredients that could contribute to a healthy gut like ginger, turmeric, and ginseng.

It’s certified as both vegan and gluten-free and doesn’t include any banned substances or ingredients.

You’ll pay around $30 for 40 single-scoop servings.

Now that you have our top pics for pre workout formulas that will boost your physical and mental game, here are some additional tips to help you make the right choice.

Even if you’ve done all your research, you might not find the perfect pre workout on the first try. Ingredients that work from a scientific standpoint might not give you the results you desire, and a formula that one person loves could cause another to be jittery or experience stomach upset.

When you start taking a new supplement, ease into the dosage and keep notes on how you feel and perform. Pay attention to how your body reacts, and give yourself several weeks to acclimate to the effects.

If you’re training for a specific event, like a competition or race, take care not to make changes to your supplementation routine close to the big day so that you don’t have any unexpected reactions.

One factor that has a significant impact on exercise performance is your hydration level. Studies show that if you are dehydrated by as little as two percent, you could compromise your workout, strength, and fitness gains.

In addition, many pre workout formulas include a dose of caffeine which while useful, is also dehydrating. You may need to increase your water consumption during and after exercise to ensure you stay adequately hydrated.

Although there are dozens of products that are designed specifically for men or women, supplementation isn’t necessarily gender-specific.

Many ingredients are scientifically proven to have significant benefits to both sexes, and our top picks could work for anyone as long as the dosage, and potential effects match your needs and goals.

If a formula sounds perfect but has too much of an ingredient like caffeine, you can always take a smaller dose to get the same result.