Best Pre-Workout Boosters, our Opinion

Pre-workout boosters are stimulants that improve grip during workouts. They are usually taken beforehand. It brings more tonus, energy, resistance and endurance. In short, a small miracle product that makes your life easier and gives you the possibility to go further in your training. And therefore in the bodybuilding. However, not all pre-workout boosters are the same and some are better pre-workout boosters than others or adapt more easily to your exercises. That’s why we decided to take a look around and find the ones that are really worth it: the best pre-workout boosters.

Our uninhibited comparison of the best pre-workout boosters

It is impossible to determine which is the best pre-workout boosters without having a common thread and knowing how to evaluate them. This is why we have chosen objective criteria such as the composition of the product, its stated purpose and how it should be taken. So we did not limit ourselves to the color of the pot to stop our judgment! Below, we propose you the 3 best pre-workout boosters according to our opinion, with a detail of their advantages and disadvantages, but also a quick reminder of the criteria to take into account.

Our favorite and N°1 choice, the Gold Standard Pre-Workout Booster from Optimum Nutrition, for its quality

Features

Optimum Nutrition’s Gold Standard Pre-Workout Booster is one of the best on the market today. Its formulation is designed to provide all the nutrients and vitamins needed by bodybuilders. Moreover, the Optimum Nutrition brand is very well known in the industry. This American brand produces all its products in its factory in the United States and always makes sure to use the best ingredients available. With this Booster, you have 175 mg of caffeine of natural origin as well as 3 g of creatine. You also have a package of vitamins that contribute to a normal energy metabolism. Finally, it contains building ingredients for the body to create and repair muscles: CarnoSyn, Beta-Alanine (1.5g), Citrulline, L-Carnitine & N-Acetyl-Tyrosine.

Benefits

• A perfect formulation: Optimum Nutrition always takes great care of its products by using the best ingredients on the market and by paying attention to the manufacturing process. It often takes years before a product is finalized. This is why their products are always performance-oriented, with respect for the body.
• A real booster: with 175 mg of caffeine in one dose, don’t worry. You will be motivated! It will improve your ability to concentrate and pay attention during training.
• More than just a booster: Optimum Nutrition’s Gold Standard Pre-Workout Booster is not only there to boost you, it also seeks to give your body a certain balance. And that your body finds everything it needs in it. That’s why there are many vitamins incorporated, including vitamins B1, B6 and B12. But also creatine and building ingredients.

Disadvantages

• The price: for a product of this quality, it is inevitably necessary to count more to buy it. Several criteria are taken into account. There is the marketing and packaging of the brand, there is the quantity of ingredients included (and there are many) and there is the quality of the ingredients. It is probably the latter that will be the biggest expense… But, nothing beats the use of naturally occurring caffeine… Just like, nothing beats the use of egg proteins in a mass gainer… The body can only react better.

Our opinion in a few words

With this Gold Standard Pre-Workout Booster from Optimum Nutrition, we are really on a very good product! Everything is there, from the assurance of having a serious manufacturer to the quality of the ingredients. With this product, you have everything you need to start your workout serenely. The recommended consumption is one serving a day. And one serving corresponds to 1/2 teaspoon (about 6g) in a shaker of 350 ml of water.

In addition, we can only emphasize the creatine content of the product. About 3 grams per dose. This ingredient gives you everything you need to boost your power and performance. It should be emphasized that a pre-workout booster is not a real pre-workout booster if it does not contain creatine. And here, with the Gold Standard from Optimum Nutrition, you have your dose!

Our challenger and choice N°2, The Curse dietary supplement from Cobra Labs, for its value for money

Features

You don’t have to look very far to realize what this product brings to your body. Just reading the name “The Curse” is a sign of a powerful product that will bring you everything your body needs to survive a workout. The product is also designed to be used “as needed”. “This means that it is possible to intensify the dose taken per day depending on the type of sport practiced, but also if it doesn’t have enough effect to your liking. You can go up to 3 doses per day! With its fruity lemon taste and quite sweet, it goes very well.

Advantages

• Good congestion: The Cobra Labs Curse offers very good congestion and therefore allows you to achieve your goals.
• A high performance brand: Founded in 2010, the Cobra Labs brand has already released several products, including The Curse! and they are available worldwide and target a tough audience that only wants the best. That’s why the brand has specialized in the niche market of high performance products.
• An immediate effect: unlike other products, the effect is immediate. From the very first dose, we feel the energy flowing into the body and invading us. It is therefore a very good product when you are looking for something that will work right away and not in 3 weeks?
• Creatine and simple ingredients: Here too, creatine is present in the product and brings its benefits to this pre-workout booster. Moreover, the list of ingredients is not kilometre long… We know what we take and we know that it has an effect!

Disadvantages

• A lack of energy: some bodybuilders will find that a certain product lacks boost and does not deliver enough energy. This is possible, and this is why the dose to be taken is adaptable. As indicated on the back of the box, you can take up to 3 times the dose. Beyond that, it is not recommended, because the 3 grams of creatine must be taken into account.
• A correct diet: when you do bodybuilding, having a correct diet is an obligation. Because it is there that one finds all the vitamins and nutrients necessary for the growth of the muscles. But if you take The Curse, be careful. After fast food or food with a lot of fast sugars, you will feel bad. There is an adverse reaction going on in the body. So watch out for it…

Our opinion in a few words

The Curse brings a great solution to the pre-workout booster market. With its variable dosage, you can adapt your intake to the effects you feel. If it’s too strong, you stay on your level, if you lack effect, you can make it stronger.

In absolute terms, the product begins to work within 15 to 20 minutes after taking it, which is perfect for your training. You will immediately feel a tingling sensation after the first dose. This will tell you that the product is working! In addition, in terms of value for money, it’s hard to do better! The only drawback we have noticed is perhaps the lack of energy with a single dose. It can be annoying, but it is easily overcome as an obstacle.

Our N°3 choice, the C4 Ripped pre-training powder from Cellucor, for its ease of use

Features

C4 Ripped is a pre-workout powder that contains the ingredients needed to optimize a workout. The ripped blend is formulated and designed to increase fat loss. It does this by using L-carnitine, caffeine and other ingredients. In addition, it is a very easy to use powder since you only need to mix a spoonful of powder with water. According to the taste of each one, several flavors are available including lemon, multi-fruit and raspberry. For maximum effect, it is advisable not to exceed the recommended dose. Already at this point, you will feel the tingling in your fingers due to the beta-alanine.

Advantages

• A cleverly conceived formula: the formulation of the product for musculation is not complicated, but one finds all that one needs for a good training. There is caffeine, 150 mg per dose, which provides the necessary energy. There is arginine, L-carnitine, which are intended for cutting and therefore for the loss of fat mass, useless in bodybuilding. This makes it one of the best pre-workout boosters.
• Easy to use: Cellucor’s C4 Ripped Pre-Workout Powder is very easy to use as you simply take a pod and dissolve it in a large glass of water. A little extra, the miscibility of the product is excellent.
• Guaranteed results: the Cellulcor brand guarantees the effectiveness of its products. There is therefore a 30-day satisfaction guarantee, satisfied or reimbursed, on all products purchased. In addition, the powder is manufactured in a facility that conforms to the rules of good manufacturing practice, an English label that values respectful manufacturers.

Disadvantages

• No creatine: Unlike many of its competitors, Cellulcor does not use creatine to develop muscles. It’s a black spot on the board. However, for bodybuilding women, it’s perfect.
• Taste: You have to like it. Some will like it, others much less. But, in itself, it’s drinkable and there’s no disgust. But the flavors are very special and not everyone will find something to their liking. This is also partly due to the fact that the manufacturer does not add sugar to its preparation. So there is no sweet taste.

Our opinion in a few words

With this training powder, Cellulcor makes a very effective product that can be bought for cheap at a reasonable price. There is something for everyone… 30 minutes after taking the dose, you can feel the energy flowing in and the tingling sensation in your fingers. You know that you are ready. With this product C4 Ripped, there is a good boost of tonus and a good recovery afterwards. The bodybuilder doesn’t have that crash feeling you get with other products. There’s no dry run. On the other hand, it must be clearly emphasized that the product does not use creatine, which is a real drawback for bodybuilders. The efficiency is less, although compensated by other products. Finally, the taste, not great, but still masks the natural bitterness of this type of product.

What are the criteria to watch before buying a pre-workout booster?

The type of pre-workout booster

Each workout has its own schedule. Depending on the exercises practiced and the duration, you should turn to pre-workout boosters containing more specific products.

Stimulants (caffeine, for example) and creatines are perfect for intense sessions. HIT type. In a short period of time, you ask your body to provide a lot of energy. These ingredients make this easier. Be careful, you have to take into account the duration of assimilation.

Beta-alanine and BCAA’s are effective for long workouts, where the load is well distributed over time. They allow the body to hold on longer by masking pain and effort. Vasodilators are a good alternative as well. Your blood circulates optimally for a long time and delays the onset of fatigue.

The ingredients of a booster

For a booster to be effective, it must contain certain ingredients. In general, caffeine is the major ingredient. It stimulates the body and heart rate. It makes you feel excited and ready to get to work.

Then comes creatine… It is found in fish and other protein-rich foods. It is a molecule that allows the muscle to regenerate quickly, and therefore to recover easily. The second is interesting.

The beta alanine is intended to delay the onset of fatigue, including muscle fatigue. Beginners in bodybuilding will therefore be fond of it since they will be able to train longer. Its main sign of recognition: tingling in the fingers, and sometimes redness. These are good signs!

Finally, we find vasodilators. Like arginine or citrulline. These are molecules whose purpose is to dilate the veins to facilitate the passage of blood. And thus the transport of nutrients and oxygen to the muscles. In addition, citrulline degrades toxins in the muscles, therefore less pain.

More than one booster

A pre-workout booster for bodybuilding can have a simple composition. But, it can also be more advanced… For example, some manufacturers add vitamins or other ingredients to make them more effective. For example, taurine (found in some energy drinks) is sometimes added.

Some manufacturers add carbohydrates, or sugar. The purpose of this is to give energy to the body. But pay attention to the quantity. A lot of sugar will induce a crash when blood sugar levels go down. That’s not good. Choose whey, made of protein, to last longer and not to play with blood sugar levels too much.

Finally, BCAA’s are a triple amino acid: leucine, isoleucine and valine. These 3 amino acids represent about 33% of the protein in the muscle. In other words, their intake greatly promotes muscle development and recovery after training. In addition, they increase strength, endurance and reduce abdominal fat.

The goal to achieve

To take a food complement makes it possible to increase force and endurance. But it is possible to choose between several products, and therefore several formulations, to choose the one that best suits the type of training you are following. This allows you to get the most out of your efforts and obtain better results. Since you will have chosen the best pre-workout booster!

Then :

• If you are looking for energy and weight loss, opt for caffeine and tyrosine.
• If you are looking for strength and power, opt for creatine and taurine.
• If you’re looking for muscle growth, go for BCAA’s and carbohydrates.
• If you are looking for physical recovery, choose glutamine, zinc, magnesium, etc.
• If you are looking for endurance, choose beta alanine and ornithine.

Where to buy your pre-workout booster at the best price?

Pre-workout boosters are sold everywhere in gyms and stores dedicated to fitness. However, you will not necessarily have a large choice. Most gyms work with a limited number of products. Sometimes in a very subjective way (the boss likes the brand or the profit margin is higher.

You can also buy them on the internet, but beware of the risk of fraud and counterfeiting. Amazon is therefore a security solution. What’s more, the site often offers promotions or sales that make the products even more attractive. And finally, you have the advantage of having access to many reviews left by other Internet users and consumers.

Why take a pre-workout booster when you work out?

To improve the efficiency of your training and maximize the gains in weight training. The choice of the best pre-workout booster is a determining factor in the effectiveness of your training. Depending on the type of training you do and the program you are following, you will have to choose one product over another…

For short and intense sessions, an explosive booster is required. Something that moves. Creatine and caffeine, or any other stimulant will be welcome. For longer sessions, look for something that gives you endurance. Products containing beta-alanine or BCAA’s are better.

What are they used for in weight training?

The pre-workout booster is the equivalent of a dietary supplement that will bring a little extra to the bodybuilder. You gain in endurance, determination, tonus, resistance, etc… In short, if you stagnate at one point in your bodybuilding training, this is the kind of product that will free you up and allow you to reach the next level. In short, the pre-workout booster allows :

• improve muscle congestion and get better sensations during exercise.
• to intensify mental aggressiveness
• to eliminate empty efforts that lead to mental fatigue and weariness
• to increase the tonus to hold longer or stronger.

How to take its pre-workout booster ?

The pre-workout booster is always taken on the days of the session… We never take a pre-workout booster on days off, because the usefulness is null and void. Preferably, it should be taken 30 minutes before the workout to give the body time to assimilate the booster. It has to work, otherwise you’ll miss out. Depending on the metabolism, the waiting time is more or less long. It can be found by trial and error…

To improve the effect, it can also be combined with other food supplements such as whey or malto.

Taking whey isolate with its booster can be beneficial, as these often have no protein resources. The body has to look for them elsewhere. If you opt for a mix with maltodextrin, you will have a prolonged energy intake. As is often the case, explosiveness is preferred, and the end of the sessions can be harder. With malto, you have a caloric intake until the end, which delays the appearance of fatigue and improves endurance.

Top 10 pre-workout boosters according to Amazon reviews and sales

And to conclude, nothing like a little Top 10 of the best pre-workout booster available on Amazon, according to the reviews and especially the number of sales :