The Best Pre-Workout Supplements for Men, According to Registered Dietitians

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NO MATTER WHAT your goals include, sometimes we all need a little extra power, a little more energy, or a boost in stamina to get to the gym and hit our goals. While nothing can replace a balanced diet and adequate hydration, pre-workout supplements may give you the extra “oomph” you need to get to the gym and hit your next PR.

“Pre-workout supplements can benefit athletes and gymgoers who need an extra boost of energy and focus before exercising,” says Melissa Boufounos, CHN, sports nutritionist and owner of MB Performance Nutrition near Ottawa, ON. “This may help them push harder and get more out of their training sessions, leading to enhanced training adaptations in the long run,” Boufouson adds.

Best Pre-Workout Supplements

While you don’t need pre-workout to build muscle, it can be helpful if you need an extra 'push' to get through your workout if you’re a bit more fatigued one day or if you’re in a calorie deficit, explains Nicole Ibarra, RD, LD, a registered dietitian specializing in sports nutrition, gut, and hormonal health. Pre-workout supplements include ingredients that supply energy, help you push harder, improve focus, and can help your body more easily build muscle and recover from your workouts.

We spoke to experts and reviewed over 10 popular brands for effective formulas, caffeine, testing, user experience, and overall safety to find the best pre-workout supplements to help support your workouts and fitness goals.

What to Consider

Formula

“Men should be looking for caffeine, beta-alanine, and some creatine in a pre-workout supplement,” says Ibarra. You want a pre-workout that has clinically proven ingredients in amounts that are effective to give you the desired effects of more power, more energy, and a better recovery.

Caffeine

While caffeine is not needed for a workout, it can help improve your performance and focus. Research has found that getting 3-6 mg/kg body weight of caffeine within 60 minutes of your workout can improve aerobic and anaerobic running capacity, strength, and power. High doses of caffeine (more like 9 mg per kg of body weight) are associated with negative side effects, and the benefits don’t seem to increase with higher amounts. If you’re sensitive to caffeine, work out in the evening, or have a heart condition, you may want to choose a stimulant-free pre-workout.

Safety

“I always recommend looking for supplements that are third-party tested, which ensures that the pre-workout contains what it claims and is free from contaminants or impurities,” says Boufounos. While, Ibarra adds that she would avoid any pre-workout supplement that includes a proprietary blend. Proprietary blends include a number of ingredients and lack the transparency of the exact amounts of ingredients used. This makes it difficult to know how much of a certain ingredient is included in the supplement.

How We Selected

To ensure all recommended products do exactly what they say they do, we only selected pre-workout supplements certified by USP, NSF, or Informed Choice. After speaking to sports nutrition experts, we chose products they recommend to their clients and supplements featuring ingredients that experts prefer to see in an effective pre-workout supplement. Continue reading to find the best pre-workout supplements to use before hitting your next set.

BULK

Based on our extensive testing, we found that Transparent Labs' Bulk Pre-Workout has everything you need to increase your reps, energy, and focus during your workouts. Each serving contains 8 grams of citruline malate, an amino acid salt that enhances blood flow to your muscles while removing waste and increasing nutrient delivery. All of these factors help to improve strength and recovery during and after your training sessions. We love that it includes the dose that most commonly produces study results.

I appreciate that each serving also has 200 milligrams of caffeine to enhance energy and L-tyrosine and Taurine to boost focus and cognitive performance as you focus on getting through your workout. “Plus, Transparent Labs lives up to its name with third-party testing and transparent labeling that discloses the exact amount of each ingredient,” says Boufounos. This pre-workout supplement has no artificial sweeteners, flavors, or colors and comes in 12 fruity flavors.

Read more: Best Supplements for Men

Gold Standard Pre-Workout

ON Gold Standard Pre-workout is budget-friendly, costing just over a dollar per serving, and widely available at most health food stores and large supermarkets as well as online. For the price, you really can’t beat the quality, especially as it’s Informed Choice certified so you know you’re getting what’s on the label and nothing that’s not.

Creatine supports muscle growth and recovery from intense exercise, reduces muscle damage, lowers the risk of musculoskeletal injury, and even has neuroprotective effects when taken in doses of 3 to 5 grams. Each serving of this pre-workout has 3 grams of creatine to provide this support and protection during tough workouts. It also has 1.6 grams of beta-alanine, an amino acid needed for carnosine production. Supplementing with beta-alanine increases carnosine production in the muscles, which then reduces oxidative stress and acid buildup in the muscles, especially in Powersports and exercises lasting between 1 to 4 minutes.

Stim-Free

“For men who are sensitive to stimulants or who exercise in the late afternoon or evening and want to avoid caffeine, Transparent Labs offers a stim-free pre-workout,” says Boufounos. While it’s caffeine-free, the rest of the ingredients are clinically dosed, meaning key ingredients like citrulline malate, beta-alanine, and betaine anhydrous are added in amounts proven to be effective for exercise performance, adds Boufounos.

We also love that it includes BioPerine, a black pepper extract, to help your body better absorb the active ingredients in the supplement. This stimulant-free formula comes in 7 flavors, is gluten-free, and contains no artificial sweeteners or colors.

Pre-Workout

This pre-workout contains 180 milligrams of caffeine from green tea and 150 milligrams of Asian Ginseng, which provides a natural boost of energy. Asian Ginseng is useful in this pre-workout as it may help act as an anti-inflammatory and reduce the accumulation of exercise metabolites that contribute to fatigue. You’ll also find ginger, beta-alanine, and branched-chain amino acids to help you build endurance and push yourself during workouts.

And while many users enjoy the taste, some feel it’s a little too tangy. While it’s free from added sugars and artificial sweeteners, it does have stevia added, which some people may not enjoy the taste of.

Read more: Best Vegan Protein Powders

Ultimate Pre-Workout

If you’re looking for a pre-workout that will give you a big boost of caffeine while still staying within overall safe amounts, All Black Everything Ultimate Pre-Workout is a safe choice. The FDA advises that 400 milligrams of caffeine a day is safe for healthy adults, although everyone has different tolerance levels. With 350 milligrams of caffeine per serving, one scoop of this pre-workout will give you the physical and mental energy needed to push through a tough workout.

It includes citrulline malate as a nitric oxide enhancer and beta-alanine to help reduce muscle fatigue. It also includes botanical extracts to support nutrient absorption, improve muscle strength, and reduce inflammation. AstaGin is made of Panax notoginseng and astragalus. It helps your body absorb nutrients, increases protein synthesis in muscle cells, and increases the absorption of the amino acid arginine.

What Are the Main Ingredients in Pre-Workout Supplements?

While all pre-workouts include different types of ingredients in different amounts, common ingredients include citrulline, beta-alanine, branched-chain amino acids, creatine, tyrosine, and a variety of botanicals that may help support performance or recovery.

Who Should Not Take Pre-Workout?

“Men with certain medical conditions, such as heart problems, high blood pressure, or sensitivity to stimulants, should avoid pre-workout supplements,” says Boufounos. Always check with your medical provider and pharmacist before adding a supplement to your routine.

Can I Take Pre-Workout Supplements If I Have a Medical Condition?

While pre-workout won’t interfere with all medical conditions or medications, it’s a good idea to check with your doctor before taking any new supplement if you do have a medical condition. If you take medications or other supplements, you may want to check with your pharmacist as well to make sure there are no potential medication interactions.

Are There Any Potential Side Effects of Pre-Workout Supplements?

Some ingredients in pre-workout products can cause side effects, depending on what ingredients are included and in what amounts. Beta-alanine, which may cause a tingling effect, and caffeine, which could cause nervousness or jitters, are common side effects.

How Do Pre-Workout Supplements Improve Workout Performance?

Various ingredients in pre-workout improve performance in different ways. Nitric oxide enhancers, like L-citrulline, beta-alanine, and betaine anhydrous, help increase blood flow to your muscles, while caffeine and ginseng improve energy and focus.

Meet the Experts

• Melissa Boufounos, CHN is a sports nutritionist and the owner of MB Performance Nutrition near Ottawa, ON

• Nicole Ibarra, RD, LD is a registered dietitian, brand consultant and entrepreneur

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