Pre-workout is one of the most popular fitness supplements on the market for the extra energy and better pump it brings to your workout. But when it comes to pre-workout, there are 2 different types of users. Some are just looking for a better pump, perhaps with a bit of caffeine (100-200mg) to provide some extra energy to push a little harder in the gym. This list is for the other group: the stim fiends, the addicts, the degenerate caffeine abusers — call them what you will. In other words, the people who want to lift weights feeling like superman ready to run through a brick wall. Today we’re interested specifically in the best high-stim pre-workouts available today.
If you prefer pre-workouts without caffeine, make sure to check out our list of The Best Stim-Free Pre-Workouts in 2023.
Now before we get to the list, let’s take a look at the main ingredients that we’ll be looking at in order to assess the pre-workout.
Caffeine: Clearly this is one of the biggest factors when considering a pre-workout, and as a stim fiend you wouldn’t settle for anything less than 250-300mg/serving.
Beta-alanine: Beta-alanine is probably most famous for the tingling it can give. These effects vary from person to person, but many people actually enjoy the tingling as it can boost the stimulant feeling. If the tingling(paresthesia) bothers you, look for a dose <800mg, or at most ~1g.
Note: we should acknowledge that the potential performance benefits of beta-alanine, which are reduced muscle fatigue and increased exercise endurance, are unlikely to be felt just from a pre-workout dose. Research has repeatedly found that 4-6g daily (ideally split up into multiple doses) is needed to significantly increase muscle carnosine levels, while studies with 2-4g daily failed to show any significant benefits over placebo groups. So if you are looking to get these benefits from beta-alanine, I would suggest supplementing directly with beta-alanine.
Citrulline: Research has shown that citrulline can be effective in doses ranging from 3-10g per day, with the effects potentially being more potent when taken around the time you exercise. If you are taking it only before you work out, try to go for a high dosage such that your average dosage per day is at least 5g. It can increase blood flow and reduce nitric oxide levels, resulting in less muscle fatigue and, more importantly, a better pump.
L-tyrosine: L-tyrosine helps to improve focus and can act as an anti-stress agent, reducing potential jitters and/or anxiety from stimulants. Look for doses between 500-2000mg.
Glycerol: Glycerol isn’t found very often in pre-workouts, because you typically need a lot of it to get results. If you see a gram or 2 thrown into a pre-workout, it probably doesn’t matter. If you want to get better pumps from glycerol, buy a glycerol powder and supplement with it directly.
Creatine: Everyone loves creatine, but do you really need it in your pre-workout? It’s rare to find more than 2-3g of creatine per scoop in a pre-workout, and the average person needs ~5g daily to get the most out of creatine. In fact, I’d rather not have creatine in my pre-workout so that I know exactly how much I need to supplement with every day.
DMHA: A very potent stimulant that should be approached with caution. It is the very similar and perhaps slightly less potent substitute for DMAA, which has recently been removed from many stimulants due to legal concerns.
Others: Other notable but less common ingredients include alpha-gpc, alpha yohimbine, betaine anhydrous, taurine, and Eria Jarensis extract (dopamine and noradrenaline promoter, i.e., mood enhancer).
So let’s get to the best high-stim pre-workouts available in 2023. Based on my personal experience, online reviews, and social media recommendations, I’ll rate the best options from 0-10 based on taste, pump, and stim content. It goes without saying that if you’re taking more than a scoop at a time, you might not need as high dosages of some ingredients like citrulline. If you’re interested in protein powder recommendations, check out this list of The Best Tasting Whey Protein Powders in 2023.
The Best High-Stim Pre-workouts, Ranked
10.
Ghost Legend
Notable ingredients in a 2-scoop serving:
Caffeine: 250mg
L-Citrulline: 4000mg
L-Tyrosine: 1000mg
Taurine: 1000mg
Beta Alanine: 3200mg
Alpha-GPC: 300mg
Rauwolfia/Alpha Yohimbine: 1.5mg
Overall, this pre-workout has great ingredients and tastes great, but it could use a bit more caffeine and more L-Citrulline to get a greater pump. Check it out on the Ghost website or on Amazon.
9.
REDCON1 Total War
Notable ingredients in a 1-scoop serving:
Caffeine: 320mg
Citrulline Malate: 6000mg in 2:1 ratio = 4000mg Citrulline
Beta Alanine: 3.2g
Taurine: 1g
Agmatine Sulfate: 1g
Total war comes in with a whopping 320mg of caffeine. It is notably lacking L-tyrosine, but it does include Agmatine Sulfate which may have similar calming/focusing effects. It is also a bit low in Citrulline content. Still, this should definitely knock your socks off and help with getting a great pump. Check it out on Amazon today.
8.
Pre JYM X Tiger’s Blood Advanced Pre-Workout
Notable ingredients in a 1-scoop serving:
Caffeine: 300mg
Citrulline Malate: 8g (ratio not listed)
Citrulline Nitrate: 2g (ratio not listed)
Beta Alanine: 4g
Betaine: 3g
Betaine Nitrate: 1g
Taurine: 1g
L-Tyrosine: 1.5g
Alpha-GPC: 300mg
Lots of effective ingredients, with a particularly high dose of beta alanine and betaine, which can be beneficial for endurance and a better pump. Depending on the citrulline malate/nitrate ratios, the citrulline content is probably between 5g and 7g, which is certainly effective at enhancing your pump.
Check this out on Amazon today.
7.
STEEL Amped AF
Notable ingredients in a 1-scoop serving:
Caffeine: 375mg
L-Citrulline: 4000mg
Beta Alanine: 3.2g
Betaine Anhydrous: 2.5g
Yohimbine HCL: 1.75mg
Mood enhancers: 300mg Senegalia Berlandieri, 250mg N-acetyl tyrosine, 50mg methylliberine
Between the caffeine and the yohimbine, this preworkout hits like a truck and tastes great. That being said, it could use more citrulline for a better pump and perhaps more tyrosine for greater focus.
Check out this preworkout today on the steel supplements website.
6.
Cannibal Ferox
Notable ingredients in a 1-scoop serving:
Caffeine: 450mg
Citrulline Malate: 6000mg in a 2:1 ratio = 4000mg Citrulline
Beta Alanine: 3200mg
Betaine Anhydrous: 2500mg
L-Tyrosine: 750mg
Yohimbine HCL: 3mg
Rauwolfia/Alpha Yohimbine: 2mg
A very high caffeine content with high amounts of betaine and yohimbine, but a bit lacking in citrulline and l-tyrosine. This is an insane stimulant and will blow your head off, but it tastes like shit and may not give you as good of a pump as some of the other options.
5.
YOLO Darkside
Notable ingredients in a 2-scoop serving:
Caffeine: 375mg
Citrulline Malate: 10,000mg (ratio not listed)
Beta Alanine: 4.5mg
Betaine Anhydrous: 4g
Eria Jarensis: 200mg
The high caffeine content and eria jarensis will get you screaming, and the 4.5mg of beta alanine may get you itching. That much beta alanine may actually provide some performance benefits, but only if you’re double scooping this several times a week. What’s more is the full 10g of citrulline malate. The ratio of citrulline to malic acid is not listed, but regardless there should be plenty of citrulline to give you a nasty pump while you’re shitting your pants from all the stimulants.
Try out this preworkout on the hypdsupps website or anywhere you can get your hands on it.
4.
Gorilla Mode
Notable ingredients in a 2-scoop serving:
Caffeine: 350mg
L-Citrulline: 9000mg
L-Tyrosine: 1.5g
Agmatine Sulfate: 1g
Betaine Anhydrous: 2.5g
Gorilla mode is one of the simplest and most effective pre-workouts on the market, with a whopping 9g of citrulline. It doesn’t have any possibly-dangerous-and-should-maybe-be-illegal ingredients, but if you’re looking for a good pump and high caffeine content, this is one of the best there is. It also tastes pretty solid.
Get in the Gorilla Mind website or on Amazon today.
3.
Dark Labs FLAME
Notable ingredients in a 1-scoop serving:
Caffeine: 400mg
Juglans Regia (DMHA): 300mg
Eria Jarensis: 300mg
Alpha Yohimbine: 1.5mg
Agmatine Sulfate: 1.5g
Beta Phenylethylamine (stimulant): 500mg
These last 3 pre-workouts are for true stim junkies only. They not only have a 400+mg caffeine serving, but also DMHA, a very potent stimulant meant to replace the now illegal DMAA. So only try these if you already have a very high stimulant tolerance. Dark Labs FLAME comes in 3rd place only because it lacks citrulline, which is very important for getting a great pump.
Try it out on the Dark Labs website.
2.
SUPER bioFREAK OMG
Notable ingredients in a 1-scoop serving:
Caffeine: 400mg
Citrulline Malate: 10,000mg at 9:1 ratio = 9000mg citrulline
Beta-Alanine: 3.5mg
L-Taurine: 2500mg
L-Tyrosine: 250mg
Agmatine Sulfate: 1.5g
Rauwolfia/Alpha-Yohimbine: 3mg
Juglans Regia (DMHA): 200mg
The name may come off as a bit odd, but it’s the only way to describe the insane amount of energy that one scoop of this will give you. That coupled with strong focus and an amazing pump from 9g of citrulline makes this one of the best options available. I wouldn’t try this unless you have built up a high tolerance to stimulants.
Try out this preworkout on the global formulas website.
1.
Dark Labs Crack: Gold Edition
Notable ingredients in a 1-scoop serving:
Caffeine: 500mg
Citrulline Malate: 5000mg in 2:1 ratio = 3333mg Citrulline
Beta Alanine: 2g
Eria Jarensis: 300mg
2-Aminoisoheptane (DMHA): 200mg
Alpha GPC (50%): 500mg
L-Tyrosine: 500mg
Agmatine Sulfate: 1g
Alpha Yohimbine: 1mg
Hordenine (stimulant): 50mg
This shit is not to be trifled with. The 500mg of caffeine is the least of your concerns if you choose to take a full scoop of this stuff. Sure, it’s a little low on the citrulline, so if getting the best pump possible is more important to you and you’re unwilling to supplement directly with citrulline, go with bioFREAK instead. But I promise you will want to try this — that is, if you can get your hands on it, as it’s typically sold out almost everywhere. Even if you’ve built up quite the tolerance, I would still ease my way into this as the effects can often be felt for up to 8-12 hours after taking it.
Try it out on the Dark Labs website.
Check it out today on the Gorilla Mind website or on Amazon.
So, those are the top 10 high-stim pre-workouts based on my experience plus the hundreds of polls and online reviews I read through. Please leave a comment below and let me know if you agree or disagree with my selections, and let me know of any amazing protein powders that I missed!
— Mr. Bro