The 10 Best Pre-Workout Supplements to Buy
By Roger Lock
Fitness author and IFBB bodybuilding pro
What are the best pre-workout supplements?
Pre-workouts are designed to give you an extra boost of energy to kickstart your workouts and keep you going throughout.
If you’re interested in pre-workout supplements and want to know what the best ones are, then stick around, as we’re about to list the top pre-workout formulas on the market right now.
Here’s a list of the 10 best pre-workout supplements!
The 10 Best Pre-Workout Supplements to Buy
The list of pre-workouts and figures mentioned have been compiled from various sources around the web, such as Top 10 Supps, Leg Work & Rave Reviews.
These are the 10 best pre-workout supplements to buy:
1. PRIMAL® Pre-Workout
Best Pre-Workout Overall
Best Pre-Workout Overall: PRIMAL by Big Buffalo
PRIMAL: is the real deal folks; aiming to be the strongest and most complete pre-workout on the market. It is definitely not for beginners.
Developed by Big Buffalo; PRIMAL contains a ton of active ingredients, many of which aren’t found in most pre-workout powders available for purchase.
One scoop of PRIMAL includes:
- L-Citrulline (8000mg)
- Beta-Alanine (3500mg)
- L-Tyrosine (2000mg)
- Caffeine Anhydrous (350mg)
- EnXtra™ (300mg)
- Cognizin (250mg)
- Huperzine A. (10mg)
- AstraGin® (80mg)
- Black Pepper Extract (20mg)
- L-Carnitine (200mg)
You can find out more about the ingredients list on the Big Buffalo website, as well as how to take it and when to take it. Big Buffalo is continuously working on new flavor variations for their PRIMAL Pre-Workout, and currently has two flavors available: Strawberry Melonade and Cherry Bomb.
2. Gorilla Mode Pre-Workout
Gorilla Mode includes some excellent ingredients, and even better dosages, provided you use 2 scoops per serving.
Whilst providing both a 1 scoop and 2 scoop info panel allows users to assess their tolerance, as well as allowing them to market it as 40 servings per container; most of the ingredients need the 2 scoops serving to get the most out of them. If we look at it as a 20 serving per tub product, then the value is still there given the top-notch dosages they include.
The only thing that tainted my experience with Gorilla Mode was the inclusion of Kanna, or so I believe. With that, it’s going to make it difficult for me to include Gorilla Mode in my regular pre-workout rotation.
One scoop of Gorilla Mode includes:
- Creatine (2500mg)
- L-Citrulline (4500mg)
- Malic Acid (1500mg)
- Betaine Anhydrous (1250mg)
- L-Tyrosine (750mg)
- Agmatine Sulfate (500mg)
- Caffeine Anhydrous (175mg)
- Kanna (250mg)
- Huperzine A. (200mcg)
- Plus another 3 less prominent ingredients
You can pick up a tub of Gorilla Mode pre-workout on their website for $49.99. Each tub contains 40 servings.
3. Godzilla Pre-Workout
Our testers tried the Godzilla Pre-Workout, which is a very high-stimulant pre-workout. Godzilla Pre-Workout is a trademarked collaboration between RYSE Supplements and Noel Deyzel, an IFBB Heavyweight Bodybuilder.
If you can tolerate heavy stimulation and you need or want a lot of assistance with focus and mental endurance in the gym, RYSE Pre-Workout is a good choice. The cost per serving is pretty standard if you take a one-scoop serving—about $1.42 per serving—but that skyrockets to nearly $3 per serving if you take the double scoop. Depending on your budget and stimulant tolerance, RYSE could be the right pick for you.
Our product tester Rose is a member of the Olympic weightlifting team that Kate Meier, GGR head of content and product tester, competes with. Rose has taken about a half-dozen different pre-workouts and says she “would definitely take this again.”
One scoop of Godzilla includes:
- Choline (320 mg)
- L-Citrulline (4500mg)
- Beta-alanine (3200mg)
- Betaine (2500mg)
- Creatine (2500mg)
- Caffeine (175mg)
- zumXR extended release caffeine (25mg)
- VasoDrive-AP (150mg)
- Theobromine (100 mg)
- Thinkamine (10 mg)
A tub of Godzilla pre-workout is $56.99 on their website. Each tub contains 40 servings.
4. Wrecked Pre-Workout
Wrecked is an ideal pre-workout for anyone looking for an intense caffeine boost and a robust list of ingredients. It boasts a diverse formula that includes some classic ingredients (and some more unique ones), such as beta-alanine, betaine, lion’s mane mushroom, and alpha GPC.
This formula may be the difference between an average workout and performing optimally — but more on that below. If you exercise in the morning and need that extra kick of caffeine, or you just want a potent pre-workout to supplement your fitness routine, look no further than Wrecked.
One scoop of Wrecked includes:
- L-Citrulline Malate (9000mg)
- Beta-Alanine (3200mg)
- Agmatine Sulphate (2000mg)
- L-Tyrosine (1500mg)
- Lion’s Mane Mushroom (600mg)
- VasoDrive-AP (255mg)
- Caffeine Anhydrous (250mg)
- Plus another 11 less prominent ingredients
A tub of Wrecked pre-workout is $49.95 on their website. Each tub contains 20 servings.
5. SuperHuman Pre-Workout
SuperHuman Pre Workout is the OG Alpha Lion Pre Workout. It features a classic blend of energizers, pump/endurance enhancers, and focus ingredients on promoting great workouts. This version of SuperHuman also contains a 1-2 scoop formula, which is excellent for assessing tolerance. While we wouldn’t say this formula is “stim-heavy,” 2 scoops can be a lot for some individuals.
This formula isn’t crazy with doses or variations in stimulants. There’s 150mg of Caffeine per scoop, so 300mg per 2 scoops. Then there is Infinergy™ DiCaffeine Malate at 50mg per scoop. This ingredient may help improve the duration of this matrix.
One scoop of SuperHuman includes:
- L-Citrulline (4000mg)
- Beta-Alanine (3200mg)
- L-Taurine (1000mg)
- L-Tyrosine (1500mg)
- Betaine (2500mg)
- S7 (50mg)
- Caffeine (325mg)
- SantEnergy (400mg)
- Black Pepper Extract (10mg)
A tub of SuperHuman pre-workout is $49.99 on their website. Each tub contains 21 servings.
6. C4 Ultimate Pre-Workout
For over a decade the C4 has been leading the category and Ultimate is their strongest pre-workout yet. C4 Ultimate is a high stimulant pre-workout formulated to deliver lasting energy, pumps, and muscular endurance.
We have to say the flavoring on this one is incredible. We don’t usually talk about taste too much when it comes to pre-workouts, as we never judge them on it and only ever mention it when it’s good or bad. On this occasion it is good, with the one Orange Mango flavor we were fortunate enough to try tasting like a sweet, sugar filled drink despite having just five calories.
One scoop of C4 Ultimate includes:
- Caffeine + Rauwolfia (300mg)
- Beta-Alanine (3200mg)
- L-Citrulline (4000mg)
- Creatine (2000mg)
- Citrulline Malate (1000mg)
- Citrulline Nitrate (1000mg)
- Creatine Nitrate (1000mg)
- A-GPC (200mg)
A tub of Wrecked pre-workout is $44.99 on their website. Each tub contains 20 servings.
7. THAVAGE Pre-Workout
Products sold by high-profile athletes can often leave us disappointed, but that isn’t the case with Chris Bumstead’s Thavage pre-workout. If you aren’t familiar, Bumstead is a modern bodybuilding legend with three Mr. Olympia Classic Physique first-place awards and a huge social media following.
Not only does Bumstead (CBUM) know a thing or two about gains, he also has a knack for great marketing. Using his characteristic lisp as inspiration, Bumstead named this pre-workout after his pronunciation of the word “savage.”
According to Raw, Bumstead “personally designed” the flavor options—which include 3 Peat and Rocket Candy, our two favorites. But there’s more to Thavage than great taste – it also has an impressive ingredient list.
Two scoops of THAVAGE includes:
- L-Citrulline – 6000 mg
- Beta Alanine – 3200 mg
- Betaine Anhydrous – 2500 mg
- L-Tyrosine – 2000 mg
- Taurine – 2000 mg
- Nitrosigine (Inositol-Stabilized Arginine Silicate) – 1500 mg
- Agmatine Sulfate – 1000 mg
- Alpha-GPC – 400 mg
- Caffeine Anhydrous – 260 mg (of 305 milligrams total)
- L-Theanine – 150 mg
A tub of THAVAGE pre-workout is $49.99 on their website. Each tub contains 20 servings.
8. Powher Pre-Workout
Best Pre-Workout for Women: PowHer Powher is a pre-workout designed specifically for women. There aren’t too many pre-workout supplements on the market looking to target women, and put together with a female end user in mind.
We couldn’t put together a pre-workout list without including products beneficial for women, and that’s where Powher comes in.
There are 13 core ingredients inside PowHer, formulated to be a low-natural-stim product that reduces all the necessary side effects of high caffeine dosages.
Each serving weighs 10g, and there are 25 servings inside a single tub.
Here is the full ingredients breakdown:
- Vitamin B6 – 500%
- RDI Vitamin B12 – 833% RDI
- Pantothenic acid – 100% RDI
- Taurine – 2.5g
- L-citrulline malate – 2g
- Beta-alanine – 1g
- RedNite® – 500mg
- Lysine – 500mg
- Tyrosine – 500mg
- Coconut Water Powder – 500mg
- OxyJun® – 400mg
- EnXtra® – 300mg
- Natural Caffeine – 100mg
You can buy a single tub of PowHer on their official website for $45.00.
9. PREHD BLACK Pre-Workout
PreHD Black is a hard hitting, fast acting, stim-driven preworkout designed for the adrenaline junkies and stim enthusiasts at heart. PreHD Black is a comprehensive formulation containing optimally dosed sensory stimulating and blood flow enhancing compounds that provide unrivalled energy, focus, and intensity, for an unmatched workout experience.
One scoop of PREHD includes:
- Beta Alanine (3200mg)
- GlycerSize (3000mg)
- L-Tyrosine (2000mg)
- Arginine Nitrate (2000mg)
- enXtra (600mg)
- DMAE (500mg)
- Caffeine (250mg)
- zumXR Caffeine (85mg)
- Astragin (50mg)
- Synephrine HCL (24.6 mg)
- Huperzine (10mg)
A tub of Wrecked pre-workout is $39.99 on their website. Each tub contains 15 servings.
10. 5% 5150 Pre-Workout
Rich Piana founded 5% Nutrition with the sole intention of delivering high-quality products. Unfortunately, Rich Piana passed away in 2017, but his legacy still continues!
5% Nutrition is still adding new products to their line and improving older products, which is what they did with the 5150 pre-workout.
This pre-workout was launched years ago which could mean that it contained outdated ingredients.
5150 is said to be a pre-workout high in stimulants and more for the hardcore stim junkies.
One scoop of 5150 includes:
- L-Citrulline – 4000mg
- Beta-Alanine – 3000mg
- L-Taurine – 2000mg
- N-Acetyl L-Tyrosine – 750mg
- Choline Bitrate – 500mg
- Cocoa Alkaloid Extract – 200mg
- Synephrine – 45mg
- Toothed Clubmoss – 50mcg
- Caffeine – 400mg
A tub of 5150 pre-workout is $48.99 on their website. Each tub contains 30 servings.