Are you consistently struggling to find the right pre-workout for you that doesn’t include the dreaded side effects of cold chills, beta-alanine itch, fatigue, or crippling anxiety?
Plot twist, maybe you’re into that sort of thing and are trying to find the exact pre-workout that will help give you these feelings.
Finding a top-notch pre-workout you can count on to help assist you with your workouts when energy levels are drained may be easier than you think.
To find the best pre-workout for you, a proper goal in mind is best when looking for the right one.
Whether you’re looking for a stimulant heavy pre-workout, thermogenic based energy igniter, clinically dosed muscle-building pre-workout, or even a non-stimulant based product, be sure to study the market and evaluate the endless selections ahead of you.
As the industry continues to evolve, flavor profiles have immensely improved over the past few years. For this topic, the taste won’t be heavily targeted as most pre-workouts now are typically on par with flavoring.
So, let’s take a look at the deciding factors you need to pay attention to before deciding to go full send and max out your credit card.
Related – What Type of Protein Is Best For You?
Muscle Building/Clinically Dosed Pre-Workouts
Beware of Proprietary Blends?
Often, proprietary blends can mask the complete transparency of what dosages you’re actually getting with each ingredient. However, prop blends aren’t always as bad as they seem like the majority of the reasoning behind this is to protect quality formulas from being stolen or ‘copied’ by other brands.
Clinically dosed pre-workouts are the most popular within the industry as full disclosure is everything when it comes to spending your money and knowing exactly what you’re getting. But, that’s not all the reason muscle-building pre-workouts are all the rage these days.
These specific types of pre-workouts contain ingredient properties that are helpful to maximize pumps, endurance, and muscle recovery while providing strong support for energy.
For example, Creatine Monohydrate, CarnoSyn® (or Beta-Alanine), and Citrulline Malate are likely to be found in one of these pre-workouts at the clinical dose for maximum effects.
Why are these important you might ask? Well, Creatine is without a doubt the most highly researched ingredient and has been proven to increase muscle recovery after the breakdown of tissue by pulling water into the muscle group for faster repair. Beta-Alanine delays muscle fatigue and enhances strength to help assist you with longer workouts. Citrulline Malate is the king of pumps and provides nitric oxide and cardiovascular benefits while helping shuttle nutrients through the bloodstream quicker.
So, if you’re looking for a well-balanced pre-workout that provides the benefits for muscle building while giving you an increased boost in energy and your flavor expectations aren’t incredibly high, the Clinically Dosed route is the best for you.
Nutrex Research Outlift is a great addition backed by scientifically researched ingredients at the clinical doses and is banned substance free.
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Stimulant Heavy Pre-Workouts
A Stim-Junkie’s Dream
Because nothing screams ‘life of the party’, like doming a gram of stimulants every day in order to function properly.
If you’re someone who consistently relies on heavy dosages of stimulants, you’re going to want to make sure you assess your tolerance before purchasing so that you understand what dosage you would need to get the most out of its effectiveness.
A combination of caffeine sources or energy compounds such as Theobromine, Dynamine™, TeaCrine®, and others will be something to look for when studying the back of a label. For example, Caffeine Anhydrous is fast-acting and will give you the effective boost you are looking for right away. Along with Caffeine Anhydrous, DiCaffeine Malate (or Infinergy™) is another great pairing as this is slower acting and helps sustain energy levels throughout your workout.
If you fall under the category of someone who needs a lot of stimulants to work out at the highest level, you also need to take into account serving size depending on the total dosage as the majority of pre-workouts range from 20-40 servings. If you need to take two total servings for maximum effects, odds are that your money will be consistently spent due to the shorter serving sizes in total.
For example, Outlift Amped and Outlift Concentrate fit the mold for anyone looking to get a giant energy burst that’s not only sustainable but gets the job done without feeling ‘over-stimulated’.
Stimulant-Free
Avoiding The Addiction
On the other side of the spectrum, stimulant-free pre-workouts are entirely popular for all of the right reasons. Even if you work out late at night and need to be able to have a good night’s sleep or you need the extra pump and decide to add it into your stimulant-based pre-workout, you can’t go wrong with this choice.
Ditching the stimulants and opting for a formula comprised of premium pump enhancing ingredients tends to be a better option for those who have a different work schedule and can only workout at a specific time during the night to avoid disruption in sleep patterns.
This specific type of pre-workout is highly beneficial with its ability to be added to your favorite pre-workout of choice since it is completely free of stimulants. By going this route, you can create a cocktail that is made up of a solid pump formula for a full spectrum addition to the energy blend you get from a regular pre-workout.
Going stim-free is also a solid substitute if you normally experience negative issues with caffeine or any stimulants alike.
Thermogenic Compound Pre-Workout
Increased Fat Loss Plus Energy
Dieting is a journey, there’s no disputing this. When you’re dieting hard and your caloric intake starts to take a nosedive into a deficit, there’s nothing worse than needing to go workout and not having the energy to even get through 20 minutes of a normal training session.
The depletion of energy and stamina is never a good thing. A great way to combat this and give yourself the much-needed boost while helping assist with your fat loss goals is to get your hands on a thermogenic based pre-workout.
Thermogenic weight loss products can be utilized to help assist with igniting your body’s core temperature to enhance the metabolism and make you sweat more. Appetite suppression is also another key effect of using this specific type of pre-workout, which in turn, helps fight off hunger cravings and will keep you focused on your workout and not the junk food you’ve been dreaming about.
Typically, a well-dosed thermogenic pre-workout will consist of many different ingredients that, when combined, help enhance your overall energy levels and will be sustained for quite some time even after your workout to ensure you’re getting the maximum effectiveness you’re looking for.
A great formula to look out for when searching for the right thermogenic pre-workout will consist of Acetyl-L-Carnitine or L-Carnitine, which is an Amino Acid that aids in fat loss. Other key ingredients to be found are:
- Black Pepper Extract or BioPerine® – to help ignite your body’s internal temperature
- Theobromine – Natural mild stimulant to assist with energy levels
- Green Coffee Bean Extract – Effective weight loss support when combined with proper ingredients
- Caffeine Anhydrous – Fast-acting caffeine for elevated energy support and overall endurance
- DiCaffeine Malate – Slow acting caffeine source to help sustain energy levels throughout your workouts
- KSM-66® or Ashwagandha Extract – Helps assist with mood support and also alleviates stress and anxiety levels Ɨ
Final Thoughts
Odds are, you’ve tried bountiful amounts of pre-workout products so far in your lifetime. Why not find the right one you can stick to without continuously breaking the bank for something you might not be able to trust after just a few uses?
By going over a mental checklist, you can study all ingredient panels and your goals that are set to make sure that you get the right pre-workout to help assist you with all of your fitness needs.
By following all of the previous steps, you can make an educated decision to help pinpoint the correct type of pre-workout that would work best for you.
