ULTIMATE Pre-Workout Tier List: 25 Products Tested

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I spent two years testing 25 pre-workouts.  Some I loved, some I hated.  Some got results, some didn’t.

If you are familiar with my review process, I rank my pre-workouts across a wide range of criteria. 

These include the dosage and quality of ingredients, taste, mixability, quality assurance standards, price, and advertised benefits vs. actual results. 

To date, I haven’t compared any of these pre-workouts head to head to find out which products stand out among the crowd and which ones are better left on the shelf. 

Until now. 

This is the ultimate pre-workout tier list.  

(Note: You can find detailed articles and videos that dive into my experience using each product if you want more justification for my rankings).  

The Tiers

Here’s a quick guide to my five pre-workout tiers, from best to worst.

1. King of Gains– This top tier is reserved for the best of the best. These pre-workouts deliver fantastic results without negative side effects and had the biggest impact on my training. These pre-workouts have earned a permanent spot in my supplement stash, and I feel confident about recommending them to others. 
   
   
2. Pre-Workout Paradise– This pre-workout tier is excellent in virtually every aspect: quality, dosing, taste, and mixability. However, some tiny tweaks could be made to optimize these products.  That said, if you own one of these pre-workouts, you can consider your money incredibly well spent.
   
   
3. Middle of The Stack – This is your pre-workout middle ground. These products are reliable and generally do what they are supposed to without significant side effects. They may not rank 5/5 across every category, but they are usually good at 1-2 aspects of performance. They are dependable products that find a happy middle ground between quality, effectiveness, and value.
   
   
4. Rough Reps – This tier includes pre-workouts that are good, but have a few red flags that are keeping them out of the higher tiers. This includes formulas that fall short on adequate dosing for key ingredients, or have significant negative side effects (like nausea, stomach upset, or extreme crashes). These are pre-workouts that I wouldn’t necessarily throw in the garbage, but I wouldn’t want to pay for either. 

5. Hang Up The Scooper – This bottom tier is reserved for the few products I wouldn’t want to spend money on and 100% do not recommend. These products are not harmful or dangerous, but the doses of ingredients are so low that it is almost offensive for these products to sit in the same category as other pre-workouts. In an attempt to be generous, I have found one specific use case for each of these products, but I can still think of a better pre-workout for each of those circumstances.

The Rankings

Legion Pulse

Tier:  Pre-Workout Paradise

Legion Pulse was one of the first pre-workouts I did an in-depth review of, and it remains a stand-out product for me. 

I found that Legion Pulse gave me phenomenal energy and focus. I memorably took this pre-workout for some early morning workouts. I had so much energy and motivation to get things done that I was reorganizing my basement between sets and carried on after my workout for so long that I ended up almost being late for work. 

I also felt incredibly strong and had great recovery between sets, meaning I didn’t fatigue as much and could get back to the next set without difficulty.  . 

The formula is simple, but Legion uses clinical doses of the most proven ingredients for pump, mental focus, strength, and endurance. It’s also available in 19 different flavors, making it likely that you will find one you enjoy.

This one is high in caffeine, with 350mg per 2-scoop serving (which is the serving size required to get clinical doses).  For some people, 350mg of caffeine is not required, but I tolerate high caffeine just fine, so for an experienced pre-workout user like myself, this dose is great.  

Because of this 2-scoop serving size, Legion’s big downfall, and the reason it doesn’t make King of Gains, is that it comes at a fairly high price point of $2.25 per serving.  For context, I analyzed over 50 pre-workouts, and the average cost was $1.61. 

Legion Pulse is third-party tested with no artificial ingredients and remains committed to using high-quality ingredients, so for individuals who prioritize those qualities, the high cost may be justified. 

Read my full detailed review of Legion Pulse here

4 Gauge Pre-Workout

Tier:  Middle of The Stack

4Gauge pre-workout is a unique one for me because I think that has many redeeming qualities, and I really appreciate the brand’s vision and commitment to quality. 

When it comes to my my personal experience using this pre-workout, I wasn’t blown away, but I wasn’t necessarily disappointed. 

4Gauge, despite its “explosive” marketing, definitely didn’t hit the way that intense products like Ryse Godzilla or Woke AF do and may feel too mild for more experienced users. 

I really like the quality ingredients of 4Gauge though, and I think that individuals looking for something more natural and less intense will find a lot to like from 4Gauge. 

This formula is definitely targeted for energy and endurance, and I felt like it didn’t provide really noticeable increases to pump or strength, despite having quite a few nitric oxide boosting ingredients. 

At $1.50 per serving, 4Gauge is below the average cost per serving of $1.61 making it a budget-friendly option. 

The taste did leave a lot to be desired. They use beetroot to color the pre-workout instead of using artificial colors.  The beet taste was incredibly prominent in the fruit punch flavor that I tried, and even though I like beets personally, the overall experience was that of a fruity borscht. 

Back when I tested 4Gauge, it was only available in one flavor. They’ve since added Frozen Lemonade and Pina Colada, so I would be interested to see how those compare. 

Overall, 4Gauge provided a really clean energy with no negative side effects. This pre-workout could be a great option for individuals who are new to taking pre-workout or commonly experience negative side effects like jitteriness or anxiety from pre-workout. 

Read my full review of 4Gauge here

Transparent Labs Bulk

Tier:  King of Gains

Transparent Labs Bulk has been my favorite pre-workout since I had the opportunity to first test it back in early 2023. I find that I end up comparing every new pre-workout to this one and so far, no products have been able to dethrone this one as my go-to product. 

What I appreciate most about Bulk is that it has clinical doses, is third third-party tested with publicly available results (like all Transparent Labs products). What this means is you can see the exact lab results on what’s inside your specific bottle of pre-workout after you buy it. 

It also comes at a great value ($1.66 per serving) and in a good variety of flavors. In fact, I’ve tried every single flavor, and made a separate video talking about my favorite ones, which you can read here. 

The reason it takes my number one spot over Bulk Black (which I’ll talk about later) is because of the 200mg of caffeine. Having a reasonable caffeine level is important to me because it adds versatility to the product. For instance, I can take this pre-workout in the evenings after my work day and still have no problem falling asleep afterwards. Any more caffeine, and I might think twice.

Alternatively, I can take this pre-workout first thing in the morning and still enjoy a cup of coffee or an energy drink without reaching into unsafe caffeine consumption territory, which, according to the FDA is 400mg daily. 

The formula is a well-rounded one with clinical doses of ingredients that support strength, power, endurance, energy, and mental focus. It has one of the best all-around formulas and will be effective for the broadest audience of consumers, which gives it a top spot in my rankings. 

I dive into my full experience with Transparent Labs Bulk here

Huge Supplements Wrecked Pre-Workout

Tier:  Middle of The Stack

Wrecked Pre-Workout by Huge Supplements is definitely a heavy hitter. This pre-workout delivers 31g of total ingredients. This is a bigger serving size than many protein powders. 

I personally had some really uncomfortable digestive side effects with this product. While these side effects did typically settle after about 30 minutes, allowing me to continue with my workout, this issue happened with nearly every single workout. 

Note: This same side effect also happened with Gorilla Mode Pre-Workout. One common ingredient in these two products is Eria Jarensis, which is banned in Canada, where I live. Since these are the two products that gave me the most significant negative side effects, I think it may be due to a personal sensitivity to this particular ingredient. You might not get the same side effects. 

This product is jam-packed with a ton of ingredients, with a 2-scoop serving giving you clinical doses for all of the key ingredients. 

I felt a noticeable mood-boosting/euphoric effect with this pre-workout, and despite the extremely high stimulants, I didn’t notice any jitteriness or anxiety. I will say that this pre-workout provided the most prolonged energy I felt from a pre, keeping me energized from 6am all the way through my workday into the evening. This is definitely not one that I would recommend for anyone who works out in the evening. 

The 2-scoop serving costs $2.50 per serving, but since it provides some of the highest doses of ingredients, users looking for a really intense experience might find that cost justified. 

This product falls to the middle of the pack because it may be too much (both in cost and intensity) for many users. 

Read all about my experience with Wrecked here

Ghost Legend

Tier:  Middle of The Stack

The Ghost brand looks really cool, and I always get excited to try their products. I think they have one of the most engaging customer rewards programs and the fun packaging and unique flavor collaborations make this brand a fan favorite. 

If I am being honest, though, this product was disappointing for me. It tasted great, which is no surprise there, and it mixed up relatively well, but I didn’t find it provided great enhancements to pump or strength. Aside from decent energy and mental focus, I didn’t feel much additional benefit. 

Most memorably, the beta-alanine tingles I got from this product are the worst I have ever experienced from any pre-workout.  I was so itchy that I was scratching uncontrollably at my legs and face and the feeling of my clothes against my skin was very uncomfortable. 

One thing that’s important to note is that the Ghost website indicates that they are now on “Version 4” of this pre-workout. When I did my initial review in August of 2023, I got Version 2, and they had just started to roll out Version 3.

The most notable changes include now having a clinical dose of citrulline, a clinical dose of betaine, and 300mg of caffeine (up from around 200mg). 

At only $1.33 per serving, Ghost Legend is a phenomenal value, especially now that Version 4 contains clinical doses of key ingredients. 

These improvements to the formula might nudge Ghost Legend up to the pre-workout paradise category, but I can’t say this for sure until I get a chance to test the newest formula. I’d love to hear your experience in the comments if you’ve tried it.

Read my full Ghost Legend review here

Ryse Loaded Pre

Tier:  Rough Reps

There was so much hype around Ryse Loaded when I got my hands on it. Unfortunately, this product fell flat for me. 

For a high-stimulant product (Ryse Loaded Pre has 390mg of caffeine), the $1.33 price point is an attractive one. Many other high-stim pre-workouts cost between $2.25 and $3.00 per serving. 

Ryse Loaded Pre also tasted really great. They have some unique flavor collaborations like Bazooka Grape, Country Time Lemonade, and Ring Pop Cherry, which keep things fresh and exciting. 

Unfortunately, aside from the increase in energy from the caffeine, I didn’t really notice much of a performance boost from Ryse Loaded. In fact, I felt my performance almost decreased with this product and I struggled to hit my prescribed sets and reps, especially for my heavy lifting days.

Out of 8 key ingredients, 6 of them are responsible for energy and mental focus. Of the performance-enhancing ingredients, only beta-alanine was clinically dosed. This can contribute to increased endurance or stamina, but there isn’t much in the Ryse Loaded Pre formula to support strength or pump. 

With so much caffeine, and one of the caffeine sources being a timed release one, this product really shouldn’t be used by anyone who works out in the evening. 

Two key side effects I noted were headaches about 8-10 hours after taking a full serving. Other reviewers noted this same side effect, and it’s possible that choline was the culprit (I elaborate on this in my in-depth review). 

For me, this pre-workout left a lot to be desired. However, if you consider yourself a stim-junkie on a tighter supplement budget, then Ryse Loaded Pre might still be a suitable option for you! 

Read more about my experience with Ryse Loaded Pre here

ProSupps Mr Hyde Signature

Tier: Rough Reps

The Mr Hyde formula varies based on which country you are ordering from. The product that I received in Canada has a formula that is different from the one listed on the ProSupps website (I go into this in more detail in my in-depth review).

Even with some recent improvements to the Mr Hyde Signature formula, it still falls flat on clinical doses for every single ingredient. 

Working to its advantage, Mr Hyde Signature is very inexpensive, only $0.62-$0.67 per serving. This cost per serving is what’s keeping Mr Hyde in the Rough Reps category and keeping it out of the bottom feeders. 

Also, to its credit, Mr Hyde Signature is third-party tested, which does add a level of security that it is free from banned substances, and it avoids the use of food dyes, which may be linked to negative health outcomes. 

While it doesn’t contain clinical doses of performance-enhancing ingredients, it has as much caffeine as a medium to large cup of coffee and is almost half the price of said coffee. This makes Hyde Signature a good option for individuals just looking for a pre-workout energy boost and don’t care about the other benefits like strength or pump. 

Read my breakdown of Mr Hyde Signature Pre-Workout here

Bucked Up

Tier:  Middle of The Stack

Bucked Up pre-workout is a decently well-rounded formula with ingredients to support energy, pump, strength, and mental focus. 

This pre-workout was the first product I ever used by the brand Bucked Up, and I could not get over how good I felt when taking this pre-workout. I felt happy, almost euphoric, and very energetic. At the same time, I was calm and incredibly dialed into my workout, squeezing the most out of every single rep. 

I was also relieved that even though it had 2g of beta-alanine in it, the tingling sensation was barely noticeable. 

I also appreciate that Bucked Up only has 200mg of caffeine per serving. This allows me to reasonably consume other sources of caffeine in my day, like my ritualistic morning coffee, without going over the FDA’s recommended safe upper limit of 400mg daily. 

Bucked Up falls in the middle of the road for pre-workouts because while it is a well-rounded formula, it is underdosed in many key ingredients like taurine and alpha-GPC. That being said, when I compare the Bucked Up formula to other under-dosed pre-workouts, like C4 original, Bucked Up provides significantly more benefit. 

Overall, this is a great pre-workout for those who want energy and motivation in the gym, and with 20 flavor varieties with new ones regularly added, you’re sure to find one that suits your tastes. 

Read my full experience using Bucked Up here

Black Wolf Pre

Tier:  Middle of The Stack

If I were shopping around, Black Wolf Pre is a product that would definitely jump out at me. I really like their clean label design and the clinically dosed formula. 

What was interesting for me when I tested Black Wolf, though, is that it never really felt like it “kicked in” the way many other pre-workouts do. I didn’t get beta-alanine tingles from it, and I never felt a surge of energy. 

Despite this, when I looked back at my workout logs from the weeks when I tested Black Wolf Pre, I consistently did higher volume week after week, and I was taking less rest between sets than normal. 

Like Bucked Up, this pre-workout has 200mg of caffeine, which is good for individuals who like to have extra caffeine in their day, like coffee or energy drinks. I didn’t experience any negative side effects like jitteriness or a post-workout crash. 

At $2.27 per serving, this product is very expensive, among the heaviest hitters in the pre-workout category. The clinical doses do help justify the cost, but the website itself needs to be more modern. 

There is no indication that the product is third-party tested, and the website does not have a review section. When I pair this with the fact that there are no third-party retailers for Black Wolf Pre, it’s very difficult to find honest and transparent reviews of the product. 

Because of the lack of company transparency, the high cost, and the lack of quality guarantees like third-party testing from the company, Black Wolf Pre finds itself in the middle of the pack.

Read my full review of Black Wolf Pre here

Alpha Lion SuperHuman Pre

Tier:  Pre-Workout Paradise

I had never heard of Alpha Lion before trying their pre workout, SuperHuman, but I became a big fan! 

SuperHuman Pre tasted great, which isn’t always the case with products that are clinically dosed with lots of ingredients (I personally had the Orange Gainsicle flavor). The raw ingredients in pre-workout are naturally really sour or bitter, so it can be difficult to hide this taste. 

SuperHuman didn’t provide the same “euphoric” type of energy I got from products like Bucked Up and Woke AF, but my RPE was insanely low. That is to say, I was doing the same volume and intensity for my workouts as usual, but I felt like I was exerting very little energy. 

This was the opposite of what I experienced with Ryse Loaded Pre, for example, where I felt like I had a really noticeable increase in energy, but this didn’t translate to performance in the gym. With Ryse Loaded Pre, I found myself struggling to hit my usual sets and reps. 

The only thing really keeping this product out of the King of Gains tier is the cost. $2.38 per serving puts SuperHuman Pre among the highest cost per serving pre-workouts. Since other products,  like Transparent Labs Bulk, offer similar formulas and results at a much lower cost, SuperHuman Pre takes its place comfortably in the Pre-Workout Paradise tier. 

Dig into my full review of Alpha Lion Super Human Pre Workout here

Ryse Godzilla

Tier:  Pre-Workout Paradise

Ryse Godzilla fills in all the holes left by Ryse’s other pre-workout, Loaded Pre. 

A 2 scoop serving is required to get clinical doses for its ingredients, but that two-scoop serving delivers more than 36 grams of active ingredients – a bigger serving size than many protein powders. 

Technically speaking, you could get clinical doses from approximately 1.25 scoops of Ryse Godzilla, so those looking to find a sweet spot between budget and effectiveness can choose to go that route. 

This pre-workout was fantastic for strength and pump, which is a factor that was missing from the original (Ryse Loaded Pre)  formula. 

I was also really surprised that I didn’t get any negative side effects like an upset stomach or the urgent need for bathroom breaks, especially given the very large serving size. With other large scoop pre-workouts like Wrecked and Pre-Kaged, I experienced these negative side effects most of the time. 

This is why I am putting Ryse Godzilla up with other hard-hitters in the Pre-Workout Paradise tier. It is more pricey, especially if you do the full 2 scoop serving, which puts the cost per workout to $2.84. 

If you have a more generous supplement budget and you want a product with some of the highest doses of ingredients available on the market, Ryse Godzilla is definitely worth a try. 

Note: with up to 400mg of caffeine per serving, this is another product that isn’t for late night lifters. 

Read my full review of Ryse Godzilla here

Naked Energy

Tier:  Hang Up The Scooper

I really appreciate what the brand Naked is trying to do with their supplements. They pride themselves on delivering high-quality products with zero unnecessary ingredients. 

Unfortunately, their pre-workout contains such low doses of every ingredient except for caffeine that I found it extremely underwhelming. 

Credit where it’s due, Naked Energy provides 200mg of caffeine for only $0.90. This is less expensive than most cups of coffee and the product does provide a really nice, clean energy. 

Naked Energy also contains absolutely no additives, including no flavoring or sweeteners. (They added a fruit punch flavor that uses natural ingredients like cane sugar and natural plant-based flavors, but the one I tried was completely unflavored.) 

If you are adamant about avoiding any preservative, additive, flavoring, or coloring, then Naked Energy might still be an acceptable option. 

However, none of the ingredients in Naked Energy meet clinical dose standards. This product will give you a boost to energy and stamina but don’t expect it to give any noticeable enhancements to pump, strength, endurance, or recovery.

Read more about my experience with Naked Energy here

Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Pre

Tier:  Rough Reps

Despite its name being Gold Standard, this Optimum Nutrition Pre-workout falls short in many ways, leaving quite a bit to be desired. 

ON Gold Standard Pre contains 3g of creatine monohydrate, which is on the low end of a clinically accepted dose (usually 5g is the standard). Aside from creatine, none other ingredients used in Gold Standard Pre are clinically dosed. 

This means that despite having a well-rounded formula, you are unlikely to experience a significant performance benefit from this pre-workout. 

It does contain a decent dose of vitamins and 175mg of caffeine, a combination that provides a nice clean energy boost, but that’s about where it ends. 

This product was among my lowest scoring for strength and pump, and still only fell in the middle of the road for energy. 

Ever the optimist, I try to find some use cases for each product. 

ON Gold Standard Pre costs only around $1.10 per serving, below the average cost of pre-workout, and tastes really great. 

Another key benefit is that the brand Optimum Nutrition has fantastic global distribution, so this pre-workout is likely to be available in countries that otherwise can’t get pre-workout products. 

The combination of global distribution, reasonable price point, and the fact that this product is third-party tested is keeping Gold Standard Pre in the Rough Reps tier and out of the Hangup the Scooper tier. 

Read my full Gold Standard Pre review here

XWerks Ignite

Tier:  Middle of The Stack

Testing this pre-workout was such a bizarre experience for me. The low doses of ingredients had me all but certain that this wouldn’t be a good product. 

I learned not to judge a book by its cover, as I was really pleasantly surprised by XWerks Ignite. 

I set some personal bests for cardio-based activities like my 5k run time while testing XWerks Ignite, and I had great HIIT stamina. 

This isn’t a product that I took and felt like I wanted to increase my weights in the same way I did with products like Legion Pulse, but I felt like I recovered much faster and could add on additional sets to the end of my workout. It only has 150mg of caffeine, but gave me similar energy to pre-workouts that had 250-300mg. 

XWerks Ignite tasted great and the blend of adaptogenic ingredients helped prevent any feelings of anxiety or jitteriness. If you are fussy about mixability, this pre-workout didn’t mix very well; there was definitely some residue that settled at the bottom of my cup pretty quickly. 

XWerks Ignite is available for $1.63 per serving, putting it right around the industry average for cost per serving. 

Since it does have clinical doses for ingredients related to energy and mental focus, but falls shy on pump and strength-based ingredients like citrulline and beta-alanine, I think Ignite is a great option for cardio, endurance, and HIIT-based workouts specifically. 

If your priority is strength and pump, I’d pass on this one. 

Read more about my time with XWerks Ignite here

Transparent Labs Bulk Black

Tier:  Potent

You can take everything I love about Transparent Labs Bulk, and copy it right here for Bulk Black. 

Clinical doses, no artificial flavors or sweeteners, high quality standards, well-rounded formula, and fantastic cost per serving. 

Transparent Labs Bulk Black is slightly more expensive than Bulk ($1.83 per serving compared to $1.66), but it has higher doses of caffeine and mental focus ingredients, which contribute to that cost. 

Other products dosed as highly as Bulk Black cost $2.25 to $3.00 per serving with lower quality standards.

The reason I put Transparent Labs Bulk Black in the Pre-Workoout Paradise tier and not the King of Gains tier comes down to caffeine content. 

Bulk Black contains 350mg of caffeine and 450mg of total stimulants. This might be too much for many pre-workout users, which makes this product less suitable for anybody who works out in the evening. 

It’s worth noting that despite the high amount of stimulants, I did not experience any negative side effects like anxiety, jitteriness, stomach upset, or a post-workout crash. 

If you consider yourself a stim-junkie, then Bulk Black might take the top spot over Transparent Labs Bulk. But, that’s not the case for me.. 

Read my full review of Transparent Labs Bulk Black here

Pre Kaged

Tier:  Rough Reps

My time with Pre Kaged was memorable, but not in a good way.

First of all, I didn’t like the flavor of Pre Kaged and it didn’t mix well at all, which left a bad taste in my mouth from the get-go. 

The most memorable part of testing Pre Kaged though is that it made me really sick. Like, stopping on the side of the road during a training run because I thought I was going to puke kind of sick. 

I tried this pre-workout several times for different types of workouts, including strength days, cardio training, and HIIT workouts. My experience was similar each time. I wasn’t really ever able to properly assess how well Pre Kaged impacted my strength or endurance because I had to abandon my workouts part way through. 

What I did notice for the few workouts where I was able to push through the nausea was that I had really good recovery between sets and I didn’t experience any muscle soreness after my workouts, even when I introduced new movements or lifted really heavy. 

While I won’t rebuying this pre-workout, it does have a lot of positive reviews online so my experience might not be a typical one and this product isn’t necessarily one to write off. 

It’s a bit pricey ($2.25 per serving), but it is clinically dosed and third party tested with a certification that guarantees it is free of banned substances and safe for use by drug-tested athletes. 

Read my full review of Pre-Kaged here

Cellucor C4 Original

Tier:  Hang Up The Scooper

C4 Original is another product where what you see as the formula online might not be what you get. There are several different formulas available under the same name (“C4 Original”) depending on which country you are in. 

When I tested C4 Original, the formula had 150mg of caffeine. The current formula shown on the Cellucor website lists 200mg of caffeine. 

Similar to products like Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Pre and Naked Energy, C4 is severely under-dosed. 

The caffeine content makes it a suitable coffee or energy drink substitute, but C4 Original won’t provide any significant benefit to strength, pump, or endurance. 

One step forward that Cellucor has taken is to remove food dyes from their products and use natural alternatives like vegetable juice powder and beta-carotene for coloring. 

C4 Original is available for around $1.16 per serving, which does make it relatively cheap, but when we compare it to other products, C4 drops lower down the desirability scale. 

Products like Transparent Labs Bulk provided clinical doses of a significant number of ingredients to provide real performance benefits for only $0.50 more per serving. 

On the other hand, products like Mr Hyde Signature and Gold Standard Pre which have formulas similar to C4 Original, do so at up to $0.50 less per serving. 

All in all, C4 Original is still a product worth keeping on store shelves. It can be a suitable pre-workout for beginners who don’t have access to some of the other brands mentioned on this list. 

Read my full review of C4 Original here

Transparent Labs Lean

Tier:  Pre-Workout Paradise

You already know: All Transparent Labs products are third-party tested and don’t use artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives. 

Where Bulk and Bulk Black are designed to support strength and muscle growth, Transparent Labs Lean is designed to support fat metabolism and has ingredients for supporting endurance and stamina. 

It costs $1.66 per serving, falling right around the average per serving for pre-workout. 

Lean has clinical doses for 7 of the 10 ingredients in its formula but does technically fall shy for clinical doses of 3 ingredients (betaine, theanine, and huperzine). 

I did have good energy from Lean, but I didn’t feel the same kind of mental focus that I got from the other Transparent Labs pre-workout (this is likely attributed to the lower doses of theanine and huperzine, two products that can impact mental focus and energy). 

I definitely noticed that I sweat a lot more during my workouts using Lean, and I ended up really enjoying this one for my cardio and HIIT sessions. 

I fell into a routine of using Transparent Labs Bulk for the majority of my training sessions, and then using Lean for cardio-based training and saving either Bulk Black or Woke AF for my big PR days or most intense training sessions. 

If you are looking for a product to deliver a significant muscle pump or enjoy feeling a pre-workout “buzz,” Transparent Labs Lean might be too subtle for you. 

Read about my time with Transparent Labs Lean here

Alani Nu Pre Workout

Tier:  Middle of The Stack

Overall, there’s not much to dislike about Alani Nu Pre-workout. 

It’s a pretty simple formula, but I don’t mean that in a bad way. It has just enough to support energy and endurance, and the low ingredient list (only five key ingredients) makes for a small scoop size. 

This small scoop size comes with the advantage of being a product that mixes well even in small amounts of water, and tastes really good. 

Even though the ingredient list is small, the ingredients are all clinically dosed, which helps to ensure that this pre-workout is effective despite the small scoop size. 

Alani Nu Pre is definitely not a stand-out product for strength or pump. Experienced pre-workout users may find this pre-workout to be too mild, and this isn’t going to be one that you reach for when you want to set a new personal best. 

However, Alani Nu pre provides a good boost to energy without a post-workout crash. This makes it a great pre-workout for beginners who want a better quality pre-workout than others commonly targeted to beginners (like C4). 

This is also a great option for those who are sensitive to taste/texture or who have experienced negative side effects like jitteriness or nausea with other pre-workouts. 

Read my full review of Alani Nu Pre Workout here

Pre Kaged Elite

Tier:  Middle of The Stack

Let’s get this out of the way: $3.00 per serving makes Pre Kaged Elite the most expensive pre-workout on this list. This is automatically going to put this product financially out of reach for many pre-workout users. 

However, Pre Kaged Elite has more than 20 ingredients, and all of them are clinically dosed, making this one of the highest-dosed products available on the global market which helps to explain the higher cost per serving. (In fact, the scoop size for Pre-Kaged Elite is almost the same size as the Kaged meal replacement powder). 

Unfortunately (though not surprising), I had the same negative stomach side effects that I did with the original Kaged Pre-Workout. What WAS surprising was that with Pre Kaged Elite, I was able to power through my workouts more often, and when I did, I experienced absolutely superhuman strength and endurance. 

Where Pre Kaged gave me debilitating nausea, Pre Kaged Elite sent me to the bathroom about 45 minutes after taking it, almost like clockwork. Once this initial discomfort passed, however, I could usually carry on with my regular workout, and the discomfort didn’t come back at any point throughout the day. 

Since I am not the kind of person who does 2 to 3 hour workouts on a regular basis, I really didn’t have time to schedule 30 minutes of stomach upset and bathroom breaks into my regular training schedule. 

The combination of negative side effects and high price point drops this to the middle of the pack for me. There is no denying that this pre-workout can deliver absolutely AMAZING performance enhancements, though, definitely more than the other Pre-Kaged formula, keeping this pre-workout from falling lower down the list. 

When scouring reviews online, only a few people online experienced the negative side effects I did. If you have a generous supplement budget and want one of the hardest-hitting pre-workouts available, I definitely think this one is worth a shot. 

Read my full Pre Kaged Elite review here

Redcon1 Total War

Tier:  Middle of The Stack

Redcon1 Total War is incredibly popular.  As a supplement store manager, I have customers coming in every week asking for this product by name. Due to its popularity, I was excited to put it to the test. 

Total War has a lot to like. It has clinical doses for several key performance-enhancing ingredients, is third-party tested, and costs only $1.43 per serving, making it a great value. 

Total War is also currently available in 25 different flavors (wow!). You could use Total War every single day, and it would take you more than two years to go through all of the different flavor varieties, which is insane. This makes it beyond likely that you will find a flavor (or 10) of Total War that you enjoy. 

My experience with Total War has one massive mark against it: I experienced the WORST post-workout crash from this product, more than any product I tested before or after it. I would take this for my morning workouts, and I crashed so hard afterward that I would set a 10-15 minute alarm when I got to work so that I could nap on my desk until my shift started because I couldn’t keep my eyes open.  

BUT. This is another brand whose formula listed on the website may not necessarily match the one you receive. The formula that I received was a Canadian one, and the current formula on the website fixes a lot of the shortcomings that I outlined in my in-depth review, which may include this terrible post-workout crash. 

These formula updates could technically bump Total War up into the Pre-Workout Paradise tier, but I can only speak officially for the specific product that I tried. 

Read more about Redcon1 Total War here

Bucked Up Woke AF

Tier:  King of Gains

I teased it before, but Woke AF is the other pre-workout that gets into my King of Gains tier and has become a staple in my supplement cupboard, and honestly, I was surprised. 

First of all, I didn’t think anything would come close to Transparent Labs Bulk for me. 

Secondly, I had already tested Bucked Up’s original pre-workout and I did really like it, but felt it had its shortcomings. 

I feel so good when I take Woke AF. This brand, and especially this pre-workout, really stand out for their incredible energizing mood-boosting properties. I feel so motivated and hyped up on this pre-workout, but it also comes with a really great focus that allows me to feel like I am squeezing every single muscle fiber for every single rep. 

Woke AF has 333mg of caffeine per serving, so it’s not part of my everyday repertoire, but I keep Woke AF on hand always for days or weeks when my overall energy and mood are feeling low, or when I feel like my motivation is wavering. 

Woke AF costs $1.83 per serving, which does fall above the average cost per serving but still provides a good value since other high-stim pre-workouts we’ve discussed already cost above $2.00 per serving.

Read my full review of Woke AF here

Gorilla Mode

Tier: Rough Reps

Gorilla Mode earns its spot next to Pre-Kaged in the Rough Reps tier, for pretty well the same reasons: high cost per serving and negative side effects. 

At first glance, Gorilla Mode is $1.25 for 40 servings, which is a great value. Unfortunately, a 2 scoop serving is required to reach clinical doses, which doubles the cost per serving to $2.50.

The two-scoop servings give clinical doses of key ingredients like citrulline, creatine, and betaine, which makes this a good formula for pump and strength.

I got sick close to 75% of the time I took this pre-workout, and sometimes, I was so sick that I couldn’t even finish my pre-workout. It didn’t matter whether I ate, changed my training time, or adjusted how fast/concentrated I drank the pre-workout; the side effects were the same. 

Again, my best guess is that this is a personal reaction to N-Phenethyl Dimethylamine or eria jarensis, which is also present in Huge Supplements Wrecked, another product that caused me this level of discomfort.

Despite the aggressive marketing and bold claims, I actually didn’t find this pre-workout to hit as hard as expected, and I felt better energy, strength, and pump from products with lower doses of ingredients. 

Overall, this one wasn’t for me. The combination of high cost + negative side effects + underwhelming performance boost put it on my “not worth rebuying” list and into the Rough Reps Tier. 

That doesn’t necessarily mean you should write it off, though. Users looking for a high-dosed, high-stim pre-workout might still enjoy this one. 

Read my full review here

CBum Thavage

Tier:  Middle of The Stack

I went into this product testing with a bit of a negative bias because I have seen some other products formulated by or endorsed by athletes that were, frankly, terrible. 

However, I ended up really liking Thavage in most aspects, including taste, quality, and effect. 

It’s a well-rounded formula with ingredients that support nearly every aspect of training, including strength, power, pump, mental focus, and energy. 

I experienced clean energy with no negative side effects and no post-workout crash. 

While some products like Transparent Labs Lean I found were better for cardio-based workouts, Thavage is one that I prefer for my strength training workouts. 

The only thing stopping this product from climbing into a higher tier is the cost. Like many others we’ve talked about today, Thavage requires a two-scoop serving to get clinical doses, which rockets the cost per serving up to $2.50. (I did try a single scoop serving but honestly felt practically no benefit). 

When I compare the results I get from CBum Thavage to products like Transparent Labs Bulk, two products with similar formulas, I found I got the same or better results from Bulk at only 66% of the cost. 

CBum Thavage could be suitable for beginners who would feel a performance boost from a single scoop serving, which makes this an attractive, high-quality product at a more reasonable cost. 

While I can appreciate the good taste, high-quality ingredients, and benefits of Thavage, the high cost per serving makes other products more attractive and keeps Thavage in the Middle of The Stack tier. 

Read my full breakdown of CBum Thavage review here