Pre-workout supplements are a difficult subject because even though they work, most of them are extremely overpriced.

 

Why exactly?

 

Well, even though they often want to make you believe that their effects are due to the newest discoveries in nutrition research or some kind of increase in testosterone in reality in 99% of the cases the boost comes caffeine. 

 

Yup. That’s all there is to it. Yes, there are some other ingredients like l-tyrosine and Citrulline that will also add to this, but the heavy lifting is almost always done by the caffeine. This is also why most people feel almost no boost when taking caffeine free pre workout supplements.

 

Virtually all preworkout supplements contain 100-300 milligrams of caffeine anhydrous in each serving. This by itself is nothing bad, of course.

 

As long as you don’t overdose and go off it every few weeks caffeine is a safe supplement. BUT, you don’t need to pay 30 or 40 bucks for a supplement to get it. This is why most of the “mainstream” pre-workout products are a waste money. Plain and simple.

 

You will save a lot of money if you simply buy caffeine and maybe L-Tyrosine separately and take both 30 to 45 minutes before your workout (100-200mg caffeine and 1000-3000mg of L-Tyrosine).

 

That way you will be able to test out different dosages and adjust the potency depending on your energy levels, mood, or on the specific type of exercise you’ll be doing.

 

It’s simple, easy to consume and will replicate the majority of the effects you’d get from a standard commercial pre-workout, but at a much lower price.