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Are You Hitting Your Full Potential in Workouts? Here's the Best Pre-Workout to Buy Right Now
These top-of-the-line options promise increased focus, higher energy, and better pumps.
Like protein powder and creatine, pre-workout is a staple for fitness enthusiasts worldwide. In fact, 78 percent of regular gym-goers have added this popular powder to their supplement stack in recent years. Why? The best pre-workouts yield undeniable performance enhancements.
Most importantly, pre-workout skyrockets energy, sharpens focus, intensifies muscle performance, and delays muscle fatigue—a huge boon when motivation is sapped.
Whether you’re chasing a new PR and need an extra boost in performance or want to shake up your usual shot of espresso, I tested the best pre-workout supplements on the market to find varieties for those seeking clean, stim-free, and great-tasting options. I also tapped industry experts to identify what ingredients to look for when shopping for brands.
Best Pre-Workout of 2025 at a Glance
- Best Pre-Workout Overall: Gorilla Mode
- Best-Tasting Pre-Workout Supplement: Ghost Legend
- Best Pre-Workout for Beginners: CBUM Signature Essential
- Best Clean Pre-Workout: Just Ingredients
- Best Stim-Free Pre-Workout: Transparent Labs Stim-Free
Best Pre-Workout Overall: Gorilla Mode
Courtesy of Gorilla Mind
There are about a million great pre-workout options on the market, but if you want the most bang for your buck, spring for Gorilla Mode. Crafted with 5,000mg pure L-citrulline, 2,500mg l-tyrosine, 400mg Alpha GPC, and 200mg caffeine, this formula gets you pumped and energized in no time. Plus, each scoop has 2,500mg creatine monohydrate, so you can skip your daily serving altogether. The flavor choices are decent, too, with Bombsicle, Tigers Blood, and Blackberry Lemonade among our top picks.
Best-Tasting Pre-Workout Supplement: Ghost Legend
Courtesy of Ghost
Any pre-workout lover has probably tried at least one of Ghost's full-flavor pre-workouts. The brand has some of the most unique on the market, with Warheads Sour Black Cherry, Welch's Grape, and Swedish Fish offering a welcome throwback to the 90s. The pre-workout formula includes commonly used ingredients like L-citrulline, beta-alanine, and 250mg of natural caffeine, in addition to unique elements like nitrosigine for an extreme pump and vitacholine for improved focus.
Best Pre-Workout for Beginners: CBUM Signature Essential
Courtesy of Get Raw Nutriton
If you're new to lifting or new to pre-workouts, it's best to start with the basics. Tons of pre-workouts have a laundry list of ingredients, but CBUM's Signature Essential Pre-Workout only has the bare necessities (hence the name). In the product, you'll find all basic ingredients, like L-citrulline, beta alanine, and caffeine, covered without the extras. Plus, flavors such as White Cherry, Raspberry Creamthickle, and Sour Watermelon are delicious.
Best Clean Pre-Workout: Just Ingredients
Courtesy of Just Ingredients
It's tempting to grab a pre-workout that tastes like candy. But in an effort to cut out synthetic dyes and reduce artificial sweetener intake, try Just Ingredients Pre-Workout. The product contains everything you need and nothing you don't: taurine, citrulline malate, caffeine, and beta-alanine, without artificial colors, flavors, or sweeteners. Plus, it includes maca root, which is believed to prevent the dreaded pre-workout crash that can happen with other brands.
Best Stim-Free Pre-Workout: Transparent Labs Stim-Free
Courtesy of Transparent Labs
Most pre-workouts contain a hefty dose of caffeine for that extra boost of energy. But if you're sensitive to caffeine or are a night-time lifter, there's a good chance you want to forgo stimulants to preserve your sleep quality. Transparent Labs Stim-Free Pre-Workout is non-caffeinated and includes evidence-based nootropics like taurine, L-tyrosine, and huperzine-A for laser focus without the crash. It's also free of artificial colors, sweeteners, and flavors and uses natural flavoring and stevia for taste.
Related: These Two Common Supplements May Slow Aging When Paired With Regular Exercise
More Pre-Workouts We Love
Naked Energy
Courtesy of Naked Nutrition
If you want a no-frills pre-workout, look no further than Naked Energy. This bare bones pre has only 10 ingredients, including L-arginine, beta-alanine, creatine, and 200mg of caffeine from coffee beans. It's also free of artificial sweeteners and additives, and is third-party tested for heavy metals.
C4 Original
Courtesy of Cellucor
It wouldn't be a list of the best pre-workouts without C4 Original. This OG pre-workout has all the basics like 200mg caffeine, beta-alanine, L-citrulline, L-arginine, and creatine. Plus, it comes in classic flavors, including Hawaiian Punch Fruit Juicy Red, Icy Blue Razz, Watermelon, and more.
What Is Pre-Workout?
"Pre-workout is a type of workout supplement used by both fitness enthusiasts and athletes that's designed to increase performance during training sessions," says Paul Kriegler, RD, LD, director of nutritional product development at Life Time. "It typically includes amino acids, ergogenic compounds—such as caffeine, and a blend of vitamins, designed to assist athletes with endurance, strength, and mental focus both before and during workouts. [It] also provides athletes and club members with a multitude of health and wellness benefits, including performance, increased energy, and focus during their workouts, regardless of their goal."
Related: How to Get 30 Grams of Protein at Every Meal
Common Pre-Workout Ingredients
Most pre-workout ingredients are categorized into one of four categories: stimulants, vasodilators, sensory enhancers, and carbohydrates, according to NASM exercise physiologist, molecular biologist, and biostatistician Brad Dieter. Below, he breaks down the ingredients and their uses.
Stimulants
"The stimulant category is perhaps the most well-known, and these ingredients make up the majority of pre-workout supplements on the market," Dieter says. "The most common stimulant found in pre-workouts is caffeine. Most supplements provide around 100 to 300mg of caffeine, which is around one to three cups of coffee and appears to be the effective dose." Other stimulant ingredients include things like synephrine, which is thought to boost athletic performance when combined with caffeine; theacrine, which enhances focus and reduces fatigue; and yohimbine, which may have the potential to help athletic performance and improve body composition.
Vasodilators
"These ingredients are designed to help dilate (expand) your blood vessels to deliver more nutrients and oxygen to muscles," Dieter adds. "This can help people experience 'the pump' that comes with higher-volume resistance training." The main ingredients in this category include L-arginine, nitric oxide, and beetroot juice or extract.
Sensory Enhancers
"These are ingredients that may not have any real performance benefit, but provide a distinct feeling that can help create a placebo effect. The most common ingredient in this category is beta-alanine, which can give a tingling sensation known as paresthesia when consumed in larger quantities (~5 grams in a serving)."
Carbohydrates
Consuming carbs pre- or post-workout is one of the single most effective ways to ensure you maximize performance—especially during longer sessions (over an hour) and high-intensity efforts. "These ingredients often include things like dextrose, maltodextrin, glucose, rice syrup, and waxy maize, which provide easily digestible glucose muscles and the rest of your body can use during a workout," Dieter explains.
Related: These Low-Sugar Yogurt Brands Can Help You Cut Calories Without Sacrificing Flavor
