The Best Pre-Workout Supplements Of 2024, According To Registered Dietitians

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If you wake up for an early morning run or hit the gym after work for a long training session, the right supplement could make your workout more effective.

“Pre-workout is an option for those who want to help boost energy, focus, and stamina,” says Jenn Schmidt, RDN, a wellness and performance registered dietitian based in Twin Cities, Minnesota. Typically, pre-workout supplements have a combination of ingredients to help with energy, endurance, and strength. Common effective ingredients may include caffeine, L-citrulline, beta-alanine, and creatine.

While it could help you run faster or lift longer, pre-workout isn’t the magic cure for hitting your exercise goals. “Pre-workout is a good supplement option for those prioritizing sleep, hydration, food, and recovery. Without prioritizing these, pre-workout will have little impact on performance,” says Schmidt.

“Once these foundational elements are in place, generally healthy individuals can consider a pre-workout supplement to provide a slight boost in performance,” says Kristin Draayer, MS, RDN, NASM-CPT, a registered dietitian, certified intuitive eating counselor, and certified personal trainer. If you’re confused about what pre-workout to choose, you aren’t alone. New formulas are constantly hitting the shelves, online and in stores, but not all of them are effective or safe.

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

“A few ingredients in the formulas that can improve focus and energy during exercise include caffeine, beta-alanine, electrolytes, creatine, L-citrulline, and beetroot powder,” says Schmidt. You want a pre-workout that has clinically proven ingredients to provide the effect you’re looking for in the right amounts.

Caffeine

“Caffeine intake of 3-6 mg/kg body weight within 60 minutes of exercise improves aerobic and anaerobic running capacity, strength, and power output,” says Schmidt. While caffeine may enhance workouts for some people, not everyone needs or should have a caffeinated pre-workout. If you’re sensitive to caffeine or work out in the evening, you may want to choose a caffeine-free pre-workout.

Safety

“When selecting a pre-workout, I always recommend choosing a product that has undergone third-party testing, such as NSF Certification for Sport or Informed Sport, and that does not contain proprietary blends,” says Schmidt. Proprietary blends are unique to the product and include several different ingredients or nutrients, but they neglect to tell the user how much of each ingredient is used. “This lack of transparency makes it difficult to gauge the effectiveness and potential side effects of each component,” says Draayer.

How We Chose

To ensure all products recommended provide exactly what they say they do, we only selected pre-workout supplements certified by USP, NSF, or Informed Choice. After speaking to sports nutrition dietitians, we chose products they recommend to their clients and supplements featuring ingredients that experts prefer to see in an effective pre-workout supplement.

If you wake up for an early morning run or hit the gym after work for a long training session, the right supplement could make your workout more effective.

“Pre-workout is an option for those who want to help boost energy, focus, and stamina,” says registered dietician Jenn Schmidt, RDN. Typically, pre-workout supplements have a combination of ingredients to help with energy, endurance, and strength. Common effective ingredients may include caffeine, L-citrulline, beta-alanine, and creatine.

Best Pre-Workout Supplements

While it could help you run faster or lift longer, pre-workout isn’t the magic cure for hitting your exercise goals. “Pre-workout is a good supplement option for those prioritizing sleep, hydration, food, and recovery," says Schmidt. "Without prioritizing these, pre-workout will have little impact on performance."

“Once these foundational elements are in place, generally healthy individuals can consider a pre-workout supplement to provide a slight boost in performance,” says registered dietician and personal trainer Kristin Draayer, MS, RDN, NASM. If you’re confused about what pre-workout to choose, you aren’t alone. New formulas are constantly hitting the shelves, online and in stores, but not all of them are effective or safe.

What to consider

Formula

“A few ingredients in the formulas that can improve focus and energy during exercise include caffeine, beta-alanine, electrolytes, creatine, L-citrulline, and beetroot powder,” says Schmidt. You want a pre-workout that has clinically-proven ingredients to provide the effect you’re looking for in the right amounts.

Caffeine

“Caffeine intake of 3 to 6 mg/kg body weight within 60 minutes of exercise improves aerobic and anaerobic running capacity, strength, and power output,” says Schmidt. While caffeine may enhance workouts for some people, not everyone needs or should have a caffeinated pre-workout. If you’re sensitive to caffeine, or you exercise in the evening, you may want to choose a caffeine-free pre-workout.

Safety

“When selecting a pre-workout, I always recommend choosing a product that has undergone third-party testing, such as NSF Certification for Sport or Informed Sport, and that does not contain proprietary blends,” says Schmidt. Proprietary blends are unique to the product and include several different ingredients or nutrients, but they neglect to tell the user how much of each ingredient is used. “This lack of transparency makes it difficult to gauge the effectiveness and potential side effects of each component,” says Draayer.

How we selected

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. All of the winners on this list has been tested and vetted by a registered dietician, and have been certified by trusted third-party institutions. Read on for our picks.

Bulk Pre-Workout Supplement

Transparent Labs Bulk Pre-Workout has everything you need to increase your energy during workouts, get more reps, and improve your focus and cognitive function. Each serving contains eight grams of citruline malate, an amino acid salt that enhances blood flow to the muscles, increases nutrient delivery, and removes waste from the muscles, improving strength and recovery. We love that it includes the dose that most commonly produces study results.

Each serving also has 200 milligrams of caffeine to enhance energy and L-tyrosine and Taurine to boost focus and cognitive performance as you hone in on your workouts. We love that this powdered supplement has no artificial sweeteners, flavors, or colors, and comes in 12 fruity flavors.

Read More: Best Electrolyte Drinks

Gold Standard Pre-Workout

Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Pre-workout is one of the most budget-friendly pre-workout recommendations, costing just over $1 a serving. We love that it's widely available, and is Informed Choice certified.

Each serving has three grams of creatine monohydrate. Creatine supports muscle growth and recovery from intense exercise, reduces muscle damage, decreases the risk of musculoskeletal injury, and even has neuroprotective effects when taken in doses of three to five grams. It also has 1.6 grams of beta-alanine, an amino acid needed for carnosine production. “Carnosine, in turn, helps to improve endurance during intense exercise, but it is important to note that its performance benefits are most effective for exercises lasting between one to four minutes,” says Schmidt.

While we don’t love that it contains a proprietary blend, it is made of only two ingredients: panax notoginseng and astragalus extract. The blend, called AstraGin, was evaluated by the European Union in 2018 to be safe in doses of up to 35 milligrams per day for the general adult population, while this pre-workout features a dose of 25 milligrams.

SuperBeets Sport Pre Workout Powder

SuperBeet Sport uses the power of beets to increase endurance by up to 18 percent (according to a clinical study they funded.) “The beetroot powder helps boost nitric oxide production, which increases vasodilation, providing more nutrients and oxygen to muscles for increased endurance and strength,” says Schmidt. It also includes coconut water powder that adds electrolytes for extra hydration—each serving has 10 percent of your daily value (DV) of sodium.

“This drink is a good option for those sensitive to caffeine and beta-alanine or who want a drink with fewer and more natural ingredients but still want to improve exercise outcomes,” says Schmidt.

Sport Pre-Workout Energizer

This vegan pre-workout relies on vitamins, herbs, and caffeine to provide energy throughout your workout. While Vega Energizer does have caffeine, it’s not as high as many pre-workouts, only 100 milligrams or about the same amount as a cup of coffee, and it comes from a combination of coffee fruit and green tea.

Instead of amino acids, herbs provide an extra boost of energy. Each serving contains 400 milligrams of eleuthero, aka Siberian ginseng, an herb that supports endurance capacity and improves cardiovascular function. In addition, Rhodiola rosea performs as an adaptogen, helping your body respond better to exercise stress. Some studies have found that doses of 200 milligrams can prolong the time to exhaustion in active adults.

Pre-Workout Energy Drink Supplement

If you want a pre-workout that requires no mixing, Zoa+ Pre-workout comes in 12-ounce cans, with four flavors to choose from. Just open like a can of pop and sip before your workout. This is ideal for people who are on the go and don’t want to carry around reusable bottle, or just want an easy option when rushing around before a workout.

Each can contains vitamins and minerals, including B vitamins to support energy and vitamins C and D for immune support. You’ll get three grams of L-citrulline to support nitric oxide production and Betaine anhydrous to support endurance. In one study, handball players took 2.5 grams of betaine daily for two weeks and experienced improved upper and lower body muscle endurance after acute high-intensity resistance exercise. One can of Zoa+ provides about half of the amount of betaine typically used in studies.

Meet the Experts

• Jenn Schmidt, RDN, is a registered dietitian based in Twin Cities, MN.

• Kristin Draayer, MS, RDN, NASM, is a registered dietitian, certified intuitive eating counselor, and certified personal trainer.

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