The Best Pre-Workouts for Fat Loss (After Testing 30+ Brands)

Some links in this article are affiliate links, which means we earn from qualifying purchases. Learn more.

Shopping for supplements to support fat loss can be tricky—should you go for a pre-workout or a fat burner? 

The good news: many products combine ingredients for both performance and fat loss. The bad news: many rely on buzzwords and underdosed formulas. 

After testing 30+ pre-workouts, I’ve found three that truly excel at boosting performance while supporting fat loss.

Editorial Note

Pre-workout alone will not make or break your goals.

It’s important to remember that the specific pre-workout you choose is just one small piece of the weight loss puzzle. 

Your overall diet, training routine, and ability to consistently maintain a caloric deficit over the long term ultimately determine your success in losing weight. 

Even if you pick the worst pre-workout, you can still achieve your weight loss goals, and conversely, even if you pick the best pre-workout, you can still gain weight if other aspects of your diet and lifestyle are not in check. 

Key Criteria

I used the following two key criteria to assess which products were the best pre-workouts for fat loss.

1. Effective Fat-Burning & Performance-Enhancing Ingredients

I assessed whether the pre-workout used ingredients that actually have research behind them to prove that they are effective for both fat loss and athletic performance. 

Prioritizing effective ingredients adds a level of certainty that you will actually experience the benefits the product claims to provide.

2. Effective Doses

It’s one thing to have effective ingredients, but this only matters if the product has effective doses. 

Effective dosing means that the product contains the same doses of ingredients that have been proven effective in research trials. 

This adds an additional level of certainty that your product will provide its advertised benefits. 

Key Ingredients and Effective Doses

Here is a list of the key ingredients and effective doses. 

Note: There isn’t one pre-workout that contains all of these ingredients, and we weren’t looking for that kind of product (that’s what you would find in a target fat-burning supplement). 

Instead, we were looking for a product that combined some of these ingredients and also had other ingredients that supported workout performance (not just fat loss). 

1. Swolverine Pre

• Caffeine: 0mg

• Key Fat Burning Ingredients: Betaine, L-Carnitine

• Clinical doses: 4/6 ingredients

Product Overview

Swolverine is a stimulant-free pre-workout. It does not contain any artificial flavors or colors and features natural food-based sources of electrolytes like coconut water and pomegranate to help fuel performance and recovery. 

Swolverine is a great option for individuals who train late in the evening since the caffeine-free formula won’t disrupt sleep. 

This low-stimulant formula is also suitable for anybody who has experienced jitteriness or anxiety from pre-workouts.

Key Fat Burning Ingredients 

1. Betaine

Betaine naturally occurs in the body and can be found in foods like spinach and beets. It helps the body make carnitine, a substance that converts fat into energy.

Studies have shown that supplementing with betaine can improve body composition by reducing fat mass and increasing lean (muscle) mass in active adults.

The clinical dose for betaine is 2.5g daily, which is the exact amount found in Swolverine pre-workout  

2. L-Carnitine

L-carnitine, mentioned above, plays a key role in energy production and can break down fat for the body to use as energy. Because of carnitine’s effect on fat oxidation, it is believed that carnitine supplementation can benefit fat loss. 

Preliminary research has indicated that carnitine supplementation did cause a reduction in body weight, BMI, and fat mass, but the consensus remains that more research needs to be done to confirm these benefits. 

The optimal dose for carnitine for fat loss appears to be 2g daily. Swolverine technically falls shy of that clinical dose, offering 1.5g per serving. It is possible that the dose of betaine found in Swolverine may increase carnitine levels in the body enough to compensate for this. 

My Experience

When I tested Swolverine, I definitely noticed that I sweat a LOT more than normal. I noticed increases in strength and endurance, but I didn’t feel a buzzy kind of “energy” that is commonly felt with traditional pre-workouts. 

In Swolverine’s defense, they don’t claim to be a high-energy product. Swolverine states that “it is not designed, formulated, or intended to give you a get-up and go, or energy like some other pre-workouts.”. 

While it doesn’t provide the traditional energy boost associated with caffeine, I felt I had more stamina and endurance, especially for cardio or HIIT-based workouts. 

The endurance boost, plus the additional sweating, made me feel like an absolute powerhouse during HIIT sessions. 

When I tested Swolverine, there was only one flavor available, mango lemonade, which I found to be really sour. They’ve since added strawberry dragonfruit, which sounds much sweeter and will definitely be the next flavor I try. 

The biggest downside to Swolverine is the cost. 

Swolverine comes in at $2.12 per serving, and while it isn’t the most expensive option on this list, it is well above the average cost of pre-workouts which falls around $1.61 per serving. 

The high-quality ingredients and dual-use of Swolverine to support athletic performance and fat loss may help justify the slightly higher cost. 

Find my full in-depth review of Swolverine here

2. Transparent Labs Lean

• Caffeine: 180 mg

• Key Fat Burning Ingredients: Betaine, L-Carnitine, Choline, Caffeine, Chromium

• Clinical doses for 3/7 ingredients

Product Overview

Transparent Labs Lean is one of several pre-workouts offered by Transparent Labs, known for their high-quality ingredients and transparent third-party testing. 

Technically speaking, this product falls shy of clinical doses on some key ingredients (specifically, beta-alanine, betaine, and l-carnitine). 

However, there is some research showing that these key ingredients in Lean work well together and actually amplify each other’s effects, so perhaps hitting the individual effective dosages aren’t needed. For example, when choline is paired with L-Carnitine, it was noticed that there was increased fat breakdown compared to taking either product alone. 

You could take 1.5 scoops if you’re concerned with getting the exact effective doses for these ingredients.

However, as I’ll explain later, this product can be perfectly paired with other fat-burning products using a single scoop.  So if you’re stacking this pre-workout with other products, I wouldn’t increase the serving size. 

Key Fat Burning Ingredients

1. Betaine

I have already outlined the important role of betaine when it comes to supporting improvements in body composition when I discussed Swolverine. Lean contains 1.5g of betaine per serving, which falls below the optimal dose of 2.5g daily. 

2. Acetyl L-Carnitine

Carnitine, also outlined above, is a substance that helps convert fat to energy in the body and can, therefore, support fat loss.  However, this specific form, acetyl l-carnitine, can cross the blood-brain barrier and may provide enhancements to cognitive function as well. 

Lean contains 1g of acetyl l-carnitine per serving. This falls below the optimal 2g dose mentioned when discussing Swolverine, however, acetyl l-carnitine is more bioavailable and more effectively absorbed than regular carnitine, making this an effective dose. 

3. Choline

Choline is a nutrient that is required by the brain to regulate mood, memory, and muscle control. It is oxidized into betaine in the liver and kidneys. 

Choline can contribute to increased energy and mental focus and has been shown to support weight loss without contributing to decreases in athletic performance.  

The combination of choline, caffeine, and carnitine (which is found in Transparent Labs Lean) is particularly effective at supporting fat loss.  Studies have shown that these supplements increase the breakdown of fat into ketones, which were then used for energy or excreted.

Doses as low as 250mg and as high as 2000mg of choline have been studied. Typically the lower range is used for general health purposes, and a dose between 1g and 2g is recommended for fat oxidation and increasing cognitive performance.  

Transparent Labs Lean has a dose of 500mg. 

4. Chromium Picolinate

Chromium gets lost on the ingredient list because it gets placed up with vitamins and minerals instead of with the other key active ingredients. 

However, chromium affects insulin sensitivity, helping to stabilize blood sugars, and may also impact the neurotransmitters involved in the regulation of our eating behavior, mood, and cravings. 

Through the wide array of effects that chromium has on the body, it has been generally agreed upon that it can support fat loss in humans but that it is a very small piece of a much larger puzzle, such as how much chromium you already have in your body, how much you supplement with, how long you take it, and what you eat generally. 

The doses of chromium used in the studies ranged from 200µg to 500µg, which falls within the same range that Transparent Labs Lean contains. 

5. Caffeine

Caffeine, being a stimulant, stimulates the release of epinephrine, a hormone that is involved in fat breakdown. 

While it has been widely studied and validated as a fat-loss aid, researchers agree that there are too many variables involved in the way individuals process and tolerate caffeine to be able to paint a clear picture of exactly how much it helps. 

In a very simplistic way, caffeine can increase overall energy levels, allowing you to work out at higher intensities and/or for longer durations. This increased exercise volume can increase the calories you burn through physical activity and support fat loss. 

There is no established effective dose in the literature when it comes to fat loss, so this is largerly dosed based on one’s personal tolerance.  

My Experience

There is a lot to like about Transparent Labs Lean. First of all, the 180mg of organic caffeine plus the addition of L-Theanine gave me a reasonable energy boost without causing any feelings of jitteriness or anxiety. 

Many other pre-workout supplements on the market have twice this amount of caffeine, which can lead to an increased likelihood of upset stomach or insomnia. 

With 180mg of organic caffeine, Lean provides a moderate increase in energy but is unlikely to cause insomnia or jitteriness/anxiety, which can be side effects of higher stimulant pre-workouts. 

I personally like to enjoy coffee or energy drinks throughout the day, and the lower dose of caffeine found in Lean allowed me to safely consume those additional caffeine sources without going over the FDA’s safe upper limit of 400mg daily. 

The lower dose also allows you to combine Lean with other fat-burning products, like Transparent Labs Body Recomp (something I’ll be reviewing more in-depth soon), while staying within a reasonable caffeine intake. By the way, I tried this combination, and my cravings went away almost immediately.

Despite Lean’s clinical dose of citrulline (6 grams), I didn’t notice a significant muscle pump. This could be due to dietary factors, however, since I usually take fat-loss products combined with lower carb and calorie intake, which can influence muscle fullness. 

Like Swolverine, I sweat a TON while using this pre-workout, so it always fed into my ego to use this for HIIT and cardio workouts where I generally sweat more. 

I found that Lean tasted great and mixed really well. It’s available in 10 different flavors, and like all Transparent Labs products, it does not contain any artificial flavors or colors. 

Transparent Labs Lean is the most budget-friendly option on this list at $1.66 per serving. This falls right around the average cost for a pre-workout ($1.61), and less than both Swolverine ($2.12) and Alpha Lion ($2.38), which I’m going to cover next. 

Find my full in-depth review of Transparent Labs Lean Here

3. Alpha Lion SuperHuman Pre

• Caffeine: 311mg

• Key Fat Burning Ingredients: Betaine, SantEnergy Nu ™ 

• Clinical doses for 5/6 ingredients

Product Overview 

Alpha Lion SuperHuman Pre-Workout is a product for those who want to optimize athletic performance, with fat loss being a welcome companion. This product should only be used by adults with extensive experience taking pre-workout supplements. 

SuperHuman Pre has significantly more caffeine than the other two products on this list at 311mg per serving. For reference, the largest coffee at Dunkin’ Donuts has 270mg of caffeine. 

This is also the most expensive product, at $2.38 per serving, costing $0.25 to $0.72 per serving more than Swolverine and Transparent Labs Lean. This can be accounted for mainly by the fact that SuperHuman pre contains higher doses of almost every single ingredient than the other two pre-workouts on this list. 

In essence, you get what you pay for here, and for those who want to optimize performance may find the cost justified. 

Alongside its two key fat-burning ingredients, which I’ll explain next, SuperHuman pre contains clinical doses of beta-alanine, taurine, and another patented ingredient called S7®, which has been shown to support nitric oxide production, which combine to create a pre-workout that delivers on energy, strength, endurance, and pump. 

Key Fat Burning Ingredients

1. Betaine

I’ve already explained how betaine is beneficial for improving body composition, and as you can see, it’s a core ingredient in pre-workouts that are geared toward fat loss. As a reminder, the optimal dose of betaine is 2.5g, which is the same amount found in SuperHuman Pre. 

2. SantEnergy Nu™ 

SantEnergy Nu™ is a new ingredient we haven’t talked about yet.  It’s a patented extract of a plant called Santa Herba.

In clinical trials, this patented form has been shown to reduce body fat and increase metabolism. It also has energizing and stimulatory effects like caffeine, helping to increase overall energy and work output. 

One study in the Journal of Medicinal Food showed that women with obesity taking Santa Herba lost 4.6lbs more weight than those who didn’t over the course of 12 weeks.  As well, there was a trend toward reduced levels of leptin, a hormone related to hunger, and as such, participants reported eating less emotionally and feeling less food-focused. 

The clinical dose of SantEnergy™ Nu is 400mg, the exact dose found in SuperHuman Pre.

My Experience

At the risk of sounding cheesy, I really did feel Super Human while taking this pre-workout. I had incredible strength and a really nice muscle pump. 

I was increasing my training volume week after week while testing SuperHuman Pre, but my rating of perceived exertion was very low. In other words, I was lifting a lot more weight and doing a lot more work, but it felt incredibly easy. 

I loved the taste of SuperHuman Pre (I specifically tried the Orange Gainsicle flavor). I found it sweet without being overbearing, and it was a nice change from the overly sour flavors I had been testing. I really looked forward to drinking it in the mornings.

SuperHuman Pre has a very high amount of caffeine, but I never felt an insane or uncomfortable energy. Instead, I found it delivered on its promise to provide an anxiety-free, all-day energy. 

While on the topic of caffeine, this pre-workout should not be used for evening workouts, even for individuals who consider themselves caffeine-adapted. 

The patented SXT ™ Energy System in SuperHuman Pre is a blend of three different types of caffeine, designed to provide long-lasting, all-day energy without any jitteriness or crash. It contains patented forms of delayed-release and extended-release caffeine, which could negatively impact sleep quality. 

Alpha Lion SuperHuman Pre definitely prioritizes aspects of physical performance like energy, mental focus, strength, and power output. That being said, the clinical doses of betaine and SantEnergy Nu™ make it likely that you will notice some great body composition benefits when paired with an appropriate diet and training program. 

Find my full in-depth review of SuperHuman Pre Here

Our Testing Methodology Explained

When I test products, I don’t stop at reading the label. I spend weeks testing each product, making sure to use them under a variety of circumstances. For my pre-workouts, that means testing them for a variety of workout styles (e.g. strength training, cardio, HIIT workouts) and at different times of the day. Having tested more than 30 pre-workouts, I also evaluate aspects like taste and mixability. Lastly, I consider aspects of the brand themselves like the purchasing experience, their shipping/return policies, and quality assurances like transparency and third party testing. 

Why Trust Our Recommendation?

I have been a supplement store manager for more than a decade and have been a personal user of pre-workout supplements for almost twice as long. This combination of experience gives me first-hand knowledge of the products themselves, but also gives me a lot of insight into the industry and what goes into making a great product. 

Our team at FeastGood.com is a diverse cast of professionals including Registered Dietitians and coaches who have PhDs in Human Nutrition. We have personally paid for, tried, and tested all of the products mentioned in this article. 

I do not receive any incentive or compensation from the companies mentioned in this article in exchange for my reviews. No brand has “paid” for their spot in this article. These are my personal recommendations based on my personal experience.

References

Van Every, Derrick W. BS1; Plotkin, Daniel L. BS1; Delcastillo, Kenneth BS1; Cholewa, Jason PhD2; Schoenfeld, Brad J. PhD1. Betaine Supplementation: A Critical Review of Its Efficacy for Improving Muscle Strength, Power, and Body Composition. Strength and Conditioning Journal 43(4):p 53-61, August 2021. | DOI: 10.1519/SSC.0000000000000622

Talenezhad, N., Mohammadi, M., Ramezani-Jolfaie, N., Mozaffari-Khosravi, H., & Salehi-Abargouei, A. (2020). Effects of l-carnitine supplementation on weight loss and body composition: A systematic review and meta-analysis of 37 randomized controlled clinical trials with dose-response analysis. Clinical Nutrition ESPEN, 37, 9–23. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clnesp.2020.03.008

Hongu, N., & Sachan, D. S. (2003). Carnitine and choline supplementation with exercise alter carnitine profiles, biochemical markers of fat metabolism, and serum leptin concentration in healthy women. The Journal of Nutrition, 133(1), 84–89. https://doi.org/10.1093/jn/133.1.84

Rosca MG, Lemieux H, Hoppel CL. Mitochondria in the elderly: Is acetylcarnitine a rejuvenator? Adv Drug Deliv Rev. 2009 Nov 30;61(14):1332-1342. doi: 10.1016/j.addr.2009.06.009. Epub 2009 Aug 29. PMID: 19720100; PMCID: PMC4120470.

Elsawy G, Abdelrahman O, Hamza A. Effect of choline supplementation on rapid weight loss and biochemical variables among female taekwondo and judo athletes. J Hum Kinet. 2014 Apr 9;40:77-82. doi: 10.2478/hukin-2014-0009. PMID: 25031675; PMCID: PMC4096089.

Tian H, Guo X, Wang X, He Z, Sun R, Ge S, Zhang Z. Chromium picolinate supplementation for overweight or obese adults. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2013 Nov 29;2013(11):CD010063. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD010063.pub2. PMID: 24293292; PMCID: PMC7433292.

Anderson RA. Effects of chromium on body composition and weight loss. Nutr Rev. 1998 Sep;56(9):266-70. doi: 10.1111/j.1753-4887.1998.tb01763.x. PMID: 9763876.

Tabrizi R, Saneei P, Lankarani KB, Akbari M, Kolahdooz F, Esmaillzadeh A, Nadi-Ravandi S, Mazoochi M, Asemi Z. The effects of caffeine intake on weight loss: a systematic review and dos-response meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2019;59(16):2688-2696. doi: 10.1080/10408398.2018.1507996. Epub 2018 Oct 18. PMID: 30335479.

Antonio J, Newmire DE, Stout JR, Antonio B, Gibbons M, Lowery LM, Harper J, Willoughby D, Evans C, Anderson D, Goldstein E, Rojas J, Monsalves-Álvarez M, Forbes SC, Gomez Lopez J, Ziegenfuss T, Moulding BD, Candow D, Sagner M, Arent SM. Common questions and misconceptions about caffeine supplementation: what does the scientific evidence really show? J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2024 Dec;21(1):2323919. doi: 10.1080/15502783.2024.2323919. Epub 2024 Mar 11. PMID: 38466174; PMCID: PMC10930107.