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 most high-quality pre-workouts include high doses of caffeine and other stimulants that are too much for some people. So today we’re interested specifically in the best stim-free pre-workouts for focus, mood, and pump. If you are interested in high-stimulant pre-workouts, make sure to check out our list of The Best High-Stim Pre-Workouts in 2023.

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 preworkout.

Pump Agents: Citrulline, Glycerol, Arginine, Agmatine

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.

Glycerol: Glycerol promotes hyper-hydration in the muscles, which makes it a great addition to pre-workouts for facilitating a greater pump in the gym. Ideally you want a dose of at least 2-3g, and you might even consider supplementing directly with a glycerol powder to get the most effect out of it.

Arginine: It works very similar to citrulline but is a bit less optimal. Citrulline should be the primary pump enhancer, but arginine compounds can be an added bonus. Dosage depends on the specific arginine compound but generally ~1g or more is a good dose.

Agmatine Sulfate: Another great vasodilator which can also function as a mood enhancer. It can be effective between 500mg and 2000mg.

Others: Beet root extract, elevATP (ancient peat)

Focus, Anti-stress, and Mood:

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.

Taurine: Taurine can help with mood, energy, and endurance in the gym, with 2-3g potentially seeing the best effects.

Lion’s Mane: Effects can vary, but many people find it to be useful for focus anywhere from 500-3000mg.

Others:

Alpha-GPC: Alpha-GPC has been shown to increase GH levels in humans, promoting better recovery and more strength during a workout. A good dose is usually between 300-500mg.

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 have a sort of stimulant feeling. If the tingling(paresthesia) bothers you, look for a dose <800mg, or at most ~1g.

Note: Beta-alanine can also provide reduced muscle fatigue and increased exercise endurance, but these effects are unlikely to be felt just from a pre-workout dose. Research has found that 4-6g daily 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.

Betaine: Betaine can be great for muscle hydration, as well as muscular strength and endurance. Look for a dose of 3g or more for best results.

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. If you find a good pre-workout with at least 5g and you take it at least 5-6 times week, it may be enough, but otherwise you should be supplementing with creatine directly.

Electrolytes: The most important electrolytes for exercise are sodium and potassium. These can easily be supplemented with directly, but the convenience of having them in your pre-workout is definitely nice. As long as you get ~200mg+ of sodium and ~50mg+ of potassium, you should see a noticeable difference in pump and hydration.

Now, on to the best stim-free pre-workouts available in 2023.

The Best Stim-Free Pre-workouts, Ranked

8.

Type Zero — Clean

Notable ingredients in a 1-scoop serving (21 servings):

Citrulline Malate: 5g in a 2:1 ratio = 3.33g Citrulline

Arginine AKG: 2g

Betaine Anhydrous: 1.5mg

Beet Root Extract: 1g

L-Tyrosine: 500mg

Beta-Alanine: 400mg

This pre-workout is quite effective for a pump thanks to including 4 different pump products, but it seems like a missed opportunity to include more citrulline for even greater benefits. My other issue with it is the lack of taurine and low dose of l-tyrosine, but there is at least enough to get some good results.

Check it out on Amazon today.

7.

Jacked Factory — Pump Surge

Notable ingredients in a 1-scoop serving (20 servings):

L-Citrulline: 5g

Betaine Anhydrous: 2.5g

Taurine: 2g

Alpha-GPC: 150mg

This pre-workout is great as a relatively simple and condensed formula. It doesn’t waste space on creatine and beta-alanine which would be better taken directly, but it instead focuses on a few of the most studied ingredients to boost your pump and strength in the gym. That being said, it could be better if they added in some more citrulline and perhaps some l-tyrosine for focus.

You can check this out on the Jacked Factory website or on Amazon.

6.

Transparent Labs Stim-Free

Notable ingredients in a 1-scoop serving (30 servings):

Citrulline Malate: 6g in a 2:1 ratio = 4g Citrulline

Beta-Alanine: 4g

Betaine Anhydrous: 2.5g

Taurine: 1.3g

L-Tyrosine: 600mg

elevATP: 150mg

Try it out on Amazon today.

5.

Legion — Pulse

Notable ingredients in a 2-scoop serving (20 servings):

Citrulline Malate: 8g in 2:1 ratio = 5.33g Citrulline

Betaine Anhydrous: 2.5g

Beta Alanine: 3.6g

Alpha-GPC: 300mg

Sodium: 110mg

Potassium: 260mg

This pre-workout does include a good pump complex and some electrolytes, but it completely lacks in focus supplements, which makes it a little less optimal in my opinion.

4.

Alpha Lion — Super Human PUMP

Notable ingredients in a 2-scoop serving (21 servings):

Citrulline Malate: 8g at 2:1 ratio = 5.33g Citrulline

Beta Alanine: 3.5g

Glycerol (65%+): 3g

Lion’s Mane: 600mg

Alpha-GPC: 300mg

Sodium: 350mg

Potassium Citrate: 75mg

The inclusion of glycerol definitely aids in getting a pump, but using only lion’s mane for focus may not be the best, as the effects are not shared by everybody.

Try it out on Amazon today.

3.

Nutricost — Pre-SF

Notable ingredients in a 1-scoop serving (18 servings)

L-Citrulline: 6g

Betaine Anhydrous: 2g

Taurine: 1.2g

Arginine AKG: 1.2g in 2:1 ratio = 800mg Arginine

Agmatine Sulfate: 750mg

L-Tyrosine: 500mg

Alpha-GPC: 200mg

This is a great pre-workout option with quality doses of some of the best ingredients on the market. Along with the relatively low price, you should definitely give this a try.

You can check it out on Amazon today.

2.

NutraBio Stim-Free

Notable ingredients in a 2-scoop serving (20 servings):

L-Citrulline: 6g

Betaine Anhydrous: 2.5g

Agmatine Sulfate: 1g

Arginine Silicate: 750mg

L-Tyrosine: 1.5g

Taurine: 2g

Beta-Alanine: 3.2g

Creatine: 3.5g

Sodium: 60mg

Potassium: 80mg

This pre-workout is stacked with nearly all of the top proven non-stimulant pre-workout ingredients and is sure to give you the drive, endurance, focus, and pump that you need in your workout.

Try it out on Amazon today.

1

Gorilla Mode Nitric

Notable ingredients in a 2-scoop serving (20 servings):

L-Citrulline: 10g

Betaine Anhydrous: 4g

Glycerol (65%): 4g

Agmatine Sulfate: 1.5g

Arginine Silicate: 1.5g

Creatine: 5g

Sodium: 405mg

Potassium: 75mg

This is probably the gold standard for stimulant-free pre-workouts in my experience. The dosages are far higher than you could expect to see in any other pre-workout, and you could in fact get a great pump and focus just from a single scoop. There is no fluff, just effective and proven ingredients that will absolutely change your workouts.

Check it out today on the Gorilla Mind website or on Amazon.

So, those are the top 8 stim-free 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 pre-workouts that I missed!

— Mr. Bro

Other Recommendations:

Stim-free pre-workouts can be excessively pricey these days, often running you $2/scoop or more, including many of the selections here. If you are interested in seeing some more affordable options which are still very effective, I recently made a list of The Best Budget Stim-Free Pre-workouts in 2023.