The Best Pre Workout for Men: Top Ingredients to Maximize Your Gym Performance

Understanding Pre-Workout Supplements

What Are Pre-Workout Supplements?

Pre Workout supplements are products taken 20-30 minutes prior to exercise that increase energy and workout performance. There are hundreds of pre workouts available, each with a slightly different formula tailored to different fitness goals and populations.

Pre Workout supplements are typically purchased in powdered form, then mixed with water and drank before the workout. However, pre workouts are also available in ready to drink bottles, cans, and gum. Pills taken before exercises are typically taken as “fat burners” and contain ingredients designed to increase core temperature and curb appetite.

When it comes to pre workouts, experience matters, and I have 20 years of experience taking them, dating back to the original Jack3D.

Benefits of Using Pre-Workout Supplements

The benefits using pre workout supplements may include increased energy levels, training intensity and volume, aerobic endurance, and focus. Pre Workouts aren’t about “need”. You may hear fellow gym goers say, “I don’t need pre workout. I’m just going to workout without it”. They are correct. You shouldn’t need a pre workout to get to the gym.

Pre Workouts are more of a “want” supplement: for those that want serious results and a true pick me up. Preworkouts come in a variety of tasty flavors so you can find what you’ll enjoy drinking.

How Pre-Workout Supplements Work

Pre Workouts containing caffeine are true stimulants. Caffeine is an adenosine receptor antagonist, in other words, the organic molecule itself (methylxanthine) mimics the shape of adenosine and fills its receptors. Yes, the whole “lock and key” thing. Adenosine, the byproduct of the breakdown of ATP, is a neuromodulator known to regulate sleep.

When caffeine fills the receptor instead of adenosine, this inhibits release of calming neurotransmitters such as serotonin and GABA. This results in central nervous system stimulation. Also, caffeine has an effect on calcium and free fatty acid mobilization which can affect neurotransmitter release but the doses needed are very high to see this effect.

After oral ingestion, caffeine is 99% absorbed within 45 minutes by the gastrointestinal tract. Caffeine’s half-life (the time it takes the body to eliminate one half of the caffeine dose) is anywhere from 1.5-9 hours depending on various factors such as obesity, pregnancy, smoking, etc, according to the National Academy of Sciences.

Caffeine is metabolized in the liver and peak blood concentrations can be found 15-120 minutes after oral consumption. Geneticists, people who study the biology of genetics, have figured out that a certain gene–CYP1A2–affects how people metabolize caffeine. Specifically, people with a variation of the gene called CYP1A2*1A are fast caffeine metabolizers, meaning the stimulant provides a short energy burst then the effects disappear. People who carry the CYP1A2*1F gene are slow caffeine metabolizers.

Pre workouts without caffeine are considered non-stimulant, but can still affect cognition and performance. Ingredients in these products are typically designed to increase pumps, focus, and hydration. Non-stimulant pre workouts may be best for people sensitive to caffeine or those already drinking caffeine from coffee/tea during the day but train at night. Now, let’s get into the performance benefits of caffeine and the other ingredients in popular pre workouts.

Key Ingredients to Look For in the Best Pre Workout for Men

Caffeine

There are thousands of pages of research surrounding caffeine and exercise but for now, look at the most recent research findings. You can visit the link in the references to read the exact study design and details. Most studies on caffeine use a dose of 3-5 mg per kg of bodyweight.

Sports Performance Benefits of Caffeine

• Weightlifting: Improved muscular strength, power and endurance performance, revealing a more pronounced effect at high-loads (≥ 75% 1RM) and in lower-body (back squat) than in upper-body exercise (bench press).
  • Compared to the placebo condition, isolated caffeine ingestion and co-ingestion of caffeine and citrulline malate significantly enhanced strength in 1RM bench press, muscular endurance in the squat, and bench press.
• Running: Increased time to exhaustion during a treadmill running test, meaning the participants were able to run for longer versus the control group.
  • Increased VO2 max in elite endurance athletes during a treadmill test.
  • Improved 100m sprint time in male collegiate runners. This seems like a simple finding but it’s actually the first time caffeine was proven to be ergogenic in a straight up 100m field test.
  • Improved 3k run performance and cognition in recreational runners.
• Rowing: Improved power output and recovery during 2000-meter rowing ergometer.
• Cycling: Improved time trial performance in 4 km cycling via increased power output.
• Combat Sports: Improved levels of strength, power and upper arm muscular endurance without an increase in rating of perceived exertion.
• Team Sports Performance: A recent systematic review looked at multiple studies of sports performance in soccer, basketball, handball, ice hockey, field hockey and rugby and found caffeine to be beneficial for more gross, physical tasks like running and jumping compared to fine, technical skills like shooting accuracy.
  • A study performed just on basketball performance found similar results: caffeine improved vertical jump, agility and sprinting but not so much benefit for three-point shooting or free-throws.
• Exercise in Heat: Elite soccer players saw an improvement in 90 minute intermittent sprint performance using a low dose of caffeine in 89 degree Fahrenheit and 70% humidity conditions. The low dose didn’t affect thermoregulatory responses compared to the placebo condition and, thus, did not attenuate its ergogenic effect on exercise in hot and humid environments.
• Female Studies: While sports nutrition research used to be scarce for women, it has seemed to increase in the previous 10 years. There are several studies examining the effects of caffeine on women.
  • A study found that a preworkout drink with 3 mg/kg of caffeine body weight improved female Rugby players’ performance, namely their running speed and jump height. Coincidentally, another study in the same journal on females and energy drinks found similar results. An energy drink with 3 mg/kg of body weight resulted in a higher jump and faster running speed.
  • A recent study sought to compare the effects of caffeine on a 15-second modified Wingate test (A test of muscular power on a bike) on men and women. The results were similar improvements in mean and peak cycling power.
  • Caffeine ingestion improved cognition and postural balance in middle aged women when combined with 12 weeks of Zumba fitness dance class.
  • Caffeine increased peak aerobic cycling power in the early follicular, preovulatory, and mid luteal phases of the menstrual cycle.

A systematic review published in Nutrients concluded that caffeine supplementation had a similar effect on aerobic performance in men and women. However, four out of seven studies showed that caffeine was more effective in anaerobic performance was higher in men than women: men were able to produce more power, greater total weight lifted and more speed with the same dose of caffeine than women.

Beta-Alanine

Beta-alanine is a nonessential amino acid (meaning our bodies can produce it) but it can also be found in protein-packed foods like beef, chicken, pork, and fish. Beta-alanine is a precursor to carnosine, a natural chemical we produce during high intensity exercise, which buffers hydrogen ions (H+) within muscle cells. More beta-alanine means more carnosine.

The cause of muscle fatigue is a H+ level increase coupled by a decrease in muscle pH during intense workouts. The buffering of the H+ results in a fatigue-fighting effect since the muscles are able to contract longer/more efficiently.

 According to a review in the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, there are studies that found beta-alanine may increase power output and working capacity, decrease the feeling of fatigue and exhaustion, and have a positive effect on body composition and carnosine content. Beta-alanine works best where large muscles are contracting quickly, like when running sprints, wrestling, high-intensity cycling (yes, spin class), and Olympic Weightlifting.

Creatine

Creatine is a nitrogen-containing compound that can be synthesized in the liver and kidneys and is consumed in the diet in meat and milk. Creatine may be able to assist in the performance in exercise lasting up to 10 seconds such as weightlifting, interval or sprint training, team or racket sports with intermittent work patterns such as soccer, football, basketball, and tennis.

Many athletes and bodybuilders report increases in lean body mass after taking creatine, possibly due its recovery benefits, enabling them to do more reps during the workout. For more information on creatine, check out this review from the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition.

In the context of pre workouts, it’s important to know how caffeine and creatine interact. When people first start using creatine, or begin a new cycle of creatine use, sometimes they will do a load of 5-7 days taking about 10-20 grams per day (4 doses of 5 grams each). The purpose is to fully saturate the muscles before a maintenance dose of 3-5 grams per day.

A recent review examined the effects of taking both caffeine and creatine and it found that caffeine taken daily during the creatine loading phase provides no additional performance benefit. However, taking caffeine after the loading phase (during maintenance phase) is beneficial.

Citrulline

Citrulline is an amino acid produced by the body that when taken exogenously, serves as a precursor to nitric oxide. Nitric oxide may improve blood flow via vasodilation, contractility, and mitochondrial respiration. This improved blood flow provides a bigger “pump” while lifting weights in the gym, causing you to look more vascular, but also may provide performance benefits. Look at some research on citrulline:

• A recent review on citrulline supplementation concluded that although the studies varied in dosages and protocol, in general, an 8-gram dose may acutely “increase muscular endurance strength exercise.”
• Improved weightlifting performance in females following citrulline supplementation
• Improved upper body strength in males

According to a review in the Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, “several studies have reported that L-citrulline supplementation can enhance exercise performance and recovery. Based on the current evidence, chronic dosing (>7 days) seems to be more effective than an acute single-dose protocol for enhancing exercise performance.”

Other Notable Ingredients

Leucine

Leucine is an essential amino acid (meaning your body doesn’t naturally produce it) that acts as a metabolic trigger to stimulate protein synthesis and subsequent muscle growth. Leucine is more present in animal sources of protein like whey compared to plant-based sources. While research shows that whey protein supplementation builds muscle, taking leucine alone or in conjunction with other BCAAs is less studied.

Here are the results of two studies on BCAAs:

• Improved endurance performance and upper body power in canoeists
• Increased mean and peak power in trained and improved immune response in competitive cyclists during 10 weeks of training supplemented with 12g of BCAAs (6 leucine)

Taurine

Taurine is a nonessential amino sulfonic acid found in dairy products, meat, poultry, fish and eggs. Taurine is rarely taken or studied as a standalone supplement. In fact, it appears to be synergistic with caffeine, becoming more effective when it’s paired with the stimulant.

While there are small studies that found performance benefits of taurine such as this study on weightlifting, the jury is still out on the game changing effects and dosages related to taurine as a standalone product.

Pre Workout Ingredient Breakdown: NutraBio PRE

NutraBio PRE

NutraBio PRE contains 24 ingredients, including a mixture of performance and cognitive supplements. Let’s examine most of them below:

• Vitamin B3, B6, B12: B-Vitamins are typically found in lean beef, in fact, vegans may have a hard time getting enough B-Vitamins, specifically Vitamin B12. B-Vitamins help the body produce energy. This product has a huge dose of Vitamin B12.
• Vitamin C: At a 150mg dose, NutraBio PRE provides a good amount of this antioxidant vitamin.
• Leucine: 3.5 grams is the amount that is generally known to elicit the protein synthesis response in any given meal.
• Beta-alanine:2 grams is adequate to gain the lactic acid buffering effect that can improve endurance performance.
• Creatine: 3 grams: This is an effective dose during the maintenance phase of a creatine cycle. If loading creatine, you would want to use a separate creatine product too.
• Magnesium Creatine Chelate: Creatine MagnaPower is a patented version of creatine that is combined with magnesium to provide a product that improves cellular hydration (intracellular water). This type of creatine doesn’t require a loading phase since it is better absorbed into the muscle compared to creatine monohydrate. The 500mg dose will help retain the other three grams and keep the cells hydrated.
• Citrulline: The 6 grams in this product is what you would want out of a preworkout.
• Inositol Stabilized Arginine Silicate: Nitrosigine is a form of arginine that is mixed with silicate salts and inositol to increase its bioavailability compared to standard L-Arginine. 750mg may not seem like a lot, but it is plenty if you already have 6 grams of citrulline. One study compared the vasodilation effects of 8 grams of citrulline with 1.5 grams of Nitrosigine and they yielded similar results. In theory, that means 750mg is like adding another four grams of citrulline!
• Agmatine: Agmatine is a metabolite of arginine, so it plays a role in the production of nitric oxide. It has also purported mood benefits, which I’ve personally felt when taking agmatine as a standalone product. The one gram in this product makes it act as a synergist with citrulline and arginine.
• Caffeine: 350mg total with 250 mg coming from caffeine anhydrous and 100mg coming from dicaffeine malate, which allows for a longer, sustained release. 350mg is enough to get through any workout.
• Theanine: Theanine is a non-protein amino acid found in green tea. I wrote about this mood-enhancing ingredient at length in this article about Nootropic Ingredients. The 300mg dose of theanine is even more than in the NutraBio Calm Product. Theanine works as a synergist with caffeine, providing maximum focus and tunnel vision compared to using either product alone.
• Huperzine A: Derived from the Chinese herb Huperzia Serrata, Huperzine A is a nootropic ingredient that is studied for its neuroprotective benefits. The 100mcg dose is adequate to have the neurological effects.

User Testimonials and Ratings

Here are some real reviews from some users of NutraBio PRE.

Best Pre Workout on the Market Today

“Nutrabio Pre is the best pre workout product on the market today second only to Unbound Unload (another Nutrabio pre workout product). The workout energy is smooth and effective. There are never jitters. The pump is solid. The effects last an entire workout without giving up.”

Great Pre-Workout

“Tastes great and smooth. Mixes quick and easy. Provides great energy without the jitters.”

Excellent Pre-Workout!

“Excellent Pre-workout. Tastes great and provides great energy to complete vigorous workouts. I highly recommend this product!”

Awesome pre

“Great product love the energy, focus, and pump it gives me!!!”

Making an Informed Choice

How to Pick Pre Workouts

When deciding what preworkout to pick, you’ll want to consider the following things:

• Ingredients: It’s OK to give your preworkout a boost of citrulline, creatine or leucine. But you shouldn’t have to add these ingredients to a preworkout to get an efficacious dose. The formula shouldn’t have any “proprietary blends” and should list out the exact dose of each ingredient.
• Price: Anything over $50 for a preworkout is probably a bit much. If your budget is too low, the formula will reflect that (small list of ingredients, low dosages). When buying a pre workout, it’s probably best to get another product too so you can take advantage of any promotions such as free shipping or BOGO.
• Flavor: This can be a big factor for people. Just because you tried a flavor you didn’t like, doesn’t mean you should think “Preworkout tastes bad.” NutraBio PRE comes in eight flavors.
• Servings Per Container: You would think that you want more servings per container. That may be the case for protein powder. But for preworkout, not so much. Too many servings (30+), and you get sick of the flavor and more importantly, the feeling of that product. And that’s counterproductive to the whole concept of why you might want preworkout in the first place which is to switch things up.
• Stim vs. Non-Stim: NutraBio PRE also comes in the stim-free version, which contains the identical ingredients above but with ZERO caffeine. So, if you’re sensitive to caffeine, you may want to try that product. Also, whether or not you’re sensitive to caffeine, always use a half scoop when trying a preworkout for the first time. This will help you assess your tolerance to that specific formula. Remember, it’s not all about caffeine. Other ingredients can make you feel a certain way too.

Final Thoughts

While staying energized throughout your workout and workday is key, hydration also plays an important role in exercise performance. When you sweat from exercise you lose sodium in the highest concentration followed by potassium, calcium and magnesium. This is why you need an electrolyte drink that has at least equal parts sodium and potassium, but especially sodium.

And it’s not that caffeine dehydrates you. In fact, several studies point to the fact that it doesn’t contribute to excess water loss. Hydration with water and electrolytes is especially important before, during and after exercise in the heat.

Now that you know everything you need to know about pre workouts, it’s time to hit the gym!