Pre-workout supplements promise explosive energy, insane pumps, laser focus, and gains that’ll finally get you noticed at the gym. Most contain 30 ingredients with impossible-to-pronounce names at doses that sound impressive but accomplish basically nothing. Marketing teams craft elaborate stories about exotic compounds discovered in remote mountains, tested by elite special forces, proven by “proprietary research.” Reality is way less thrilling. A handful of ingredients actually work; most do nothing whatsoever, some are just there to make the powder tingle so you feel like something’s happening.
1. Caffeine Works, But Does Actually Matter A Lot
The only pre-workout substance that has overwhelming evidence of improving exercise performance may be caffeine. boosts power and endurance, reduces perceived exertion, and increases attentiveness. Most people find that 3-6 mg per kilogram of body weight is a reliable dosage. About 200-400 mg is beneficial for a person weighing 180 pounds.
Many pre-workout supplements either drastically overdose on caffeine to provide a powerful “feel” that persuades consumers the product works or underdose it to prevent making them jittery. Caffeine is undoubtedly useful, but once you reach effective doses, more isn’t always better.
2. Beta-Alanine Creates Tingles That Mean Nothing
That tingling in your face and hands about 20 minutes post-consumption? Beta-alanine can cause paresthesia, a harmless side effect that makes people think the supplement is “activating” or “kicking in.” The tingles are real but completely unrelated to actual performance benefits. The genuine benefits of beta-alanine come from increasing muscle carnosine levels, which buffer hydrogen ions during high-intensity exercise and delay muscular fatigue.
This adaptation requires weeks of consistent supplementation to build up properly. One pre-workout dose may cause immediate tingling, but it doesn’t improve performance until carnosine levels increase through regular use over time. Marketing absolutely loves the tingles because they’re immediately noticeable, even though they’re just a weird side effect.
3. Citrulline Malate Improves Blood Flow At Proper Doses
Citrulline is converted to arginine in your body, increasing nitric oxide production and improving blood flow to working muscles. Can enhance nutrient delivery and create that “pump” feeling people obsess over. Actually works to improve endurance when dosed at 6-8 grams. Most pre-workouts contain 1-2 grams, enough to list on the label but not enough to accomplish much.
Proprietary blends hide these pathetic underdoses behind impressive-sounding total amounts. You’re getting some citrulline technically, just not enough to matter for actual performance.
4. Creatine Works Great, But Timing Doesn’t Matter
Creatine monohydrate legitimately improves strength and power through well-understood mechanisms involving ATP regeneration. Works great, extensively researched, dirt cheap to produce. Including it in pre-workout makes sense, except timing is completely irrelevant for creatine.
Taking it pre-workout, post-workout, at breakfast, or at bedtime produces identical results. What matters is maintaining elevated muscle creatine levels through consistent daily supplementation. Pre-workout companies include it because it works and people expect to see it, not because pre-workout timing provides any special benefits whatsoever.
5. Everything Else Is Basically Window Dressing
Pre workouts list 20+ ingredients to appear comprehensive and science-based. Tiny amounts of various amino acids, exotic plant extracts, trademarked compounds with impressive official-sounding names. Most exist in doses too small to accomplish anything except padding the ingredient list. Some research in specific contexts doesn’t translate to pre-workout benefits at all. Others have zero good research supporting their use period. They’re there for marketing appeal, not to enhance performance.
What Actually Matters For Performance
Effective pre-workouts contain caffeine at appropriate doses, beta-alanine if you want tingles and commit to taking it consistently, citrulline at actually effective doses around 6-8 grams, and maybe creatine, though timing is irrelevant. Everything else is negotiable at best, completely useless at worst.
Simple formulas with properly dosed active ingredients consistently outperform complex formulas with 30 underdosed ingredients and proprietary blends hiding inadequate amounts behind fancy labels.