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Fuel Up For Your Workouts with the Best Formulations on the Market
With the 2010’s behind us, it’s time to look forward to a spankin’ new decade.
Of course, you’re bringing the old you with you into the 2020’s, with all old you’s baggage, but hey! that’s okay!
Because 2020 is all about turning the old you into the new you, and, dayyym, the new you’s looking pretty damn sexy …I imagine.
However, the new you won’t have to be imaginary, so long as you get the jump on the new decade early with a hard-hitting workout regimen supported by the Best Pre-Workout Supplements of 2020.
And in this Best5 Guide, we’ll be covering the new fitness trends to look for in 2020. As well as the best pre-workout stacks that will help you reach your 2020 goals.
Let’s get to it, doods.
Quick List: Best Pre-Workout Supplements 2020 Edition
The best pre-workouts feature superior stacking and ingredients which help customers reap the most benefits.
More on these later, but for now here is a quick list of the best pre-workout supplements for 2020:
#1. Performance Lab SPORT Pre-WorkoutIn a nutshell, this is the cleanest and highest quality pre-workout on the market whose synergistic design goes a long way. To Buy, Visit: |
#2. Performance Lab Stim – The most intelligent ‘smart-caffeine’ formula that includes natural caffeine, l-theanine. As well as the B-Vitamins in the exact dosages shown to be depleted by caffeine in scientific studies. Check out the product here. |
#3. 4 Gauge – Meet the world’s only shotgun-shell-shaped pre-workout whose smart caffeine formulation will fire up your engine without the unwanted jitters. |
#4.ALTIUS– This is, simply put, a versatile pre-workout which combines great dosing, a smart formulation, and a clean label. |
#5. LEGION PULSE– Another well-rounded pre-workout which boasts of an all-natural formula without the dreaded crash |
Or, read on to learn about the trends, ingredients, and other features behind the Pre-Workout Supplements.
New Pre-Workout Trends in 2020
Though many of the same ineffective pre-workout supplements have somehow very successfully survived the past decade, seemingly due to brand name alone, the pre-workout supplement genre is evolving in a positive direction.
And that direction seems to be both forward and backward in the following ways:
- Forward: emergent clinical research and manufacturing processes has given rise to increasingly potent, easy-to-absorb, bio-active compounds and extracts with minimal to no risk of side effects with long-term use;
- Backward: much of today’s health trends follow the paleo line of thinking, as fitness enthusiasts and supplement companies look to imitate the conditions of primitive man, our hunter-gatherer roots—conditions that our bodies are still primed for.
Due to the increasing artificiality and overwhelmingly unnatural comforts and conveniences of modern living, discipline and discomfort have achieved peak virtue among today’s fitness crowds. Turns out that the natural world, the world our bodies still believe we live in, doesn’t have a McDonald’s on every street.
This is why health trends like intermittent fasting and cold showers have taken off. They imitate the natural conditions of primitive man, re-engaging certain biological pathways that are otherwise turned off in the face of constant eating and warm baths.
In the world of pre-workouts, this has resulted in supplement companies resorting to more natural ingredients and compounds that, ideally, assist with the goals of, say, intermittent fasting.
This emphasis on “natural” seems an immensely positive evolution (or, perhaps, devolution) in pre-workout supplements. So the best pre-workout supplements of 2020 should, by our measure, demonstrate exceptional naturalness as well as efficacy and safety.
Which Pre-Workout Benefits are Customers Looking for in 2020?
Much of the same pre-workout benefits we’ve been looking for in previous years remain today.
However, with intermittent fasting hitting the mainstream, no doubt there’s a new list of pre-workout benefits that customers are particularly on the lookout for. Or think they should be looking for.
For most pre-workout buyers, the general range of in-demand pre-workout benefits are:
Energy
Again, with naturalness in mind, pre-workout energy in 2020 sides more on the side of mitochondrial ATP energy over synthetic stimulant energy. The former promoting natural cellular energy throughout the body.
Why is mitochondrial ATP energy better? Well, stimulants can result in energy that offers short, temporary bursts that tend to follow with a post-energy crash – you don’t want that.
Caffeine reigns supreme as the most popular stimulant. However, over consumption may result in some side effects. Unfortunately, these don’t sit well with everybody.
As a result, we recommend choosing a non-stimulant pre-workout. You can then ‘stack’ a non-stim pre-workout with a smart-caffeine now-and-then without over consuming caffeine every time.
Remember, there should be much more to pre-workouts than just stimulants.
Many pre-workouts on the market offer the same benefits as a cup of coffee, but this shouldn’t be the case.
As a result, it’s great to see the demand for stim-free pre-workouts continue to rise. This comes as no surprise: people want efficient workouts with the dreaded spike-crash effect, jitters, nervousness, palpitations, and sleeplessness.
Muscle Pumps
If there’s one primary benefit consumers want in a pre-workout supplement, it’s muscle pumps – the feeling when your muscles are engorged with blood while you’re pumping iron.
In other words, when you’re experiencing vasodilation (the widening of the blood vessels) to allow more blood & oxygen to be pumped into your muscles.
The most popular approach to the beloved “muscle pumps” is nitric oxide (N.O.) boosting. This is a bio-mechanism that increases N.O. activity which helps relax blood vessels for increased circulation throughout the brain and body (and sex organs, too, if you’re looking to get those muscles extra pumped as well).
When you’re looking for a pre-workout supplement, try one with nitric oxide boosters such as l-citrulline (avoid L-Arginine due to its poor absorption rate).
Increased nitric oxide (which bodybuilding enthusiasts simply call “N.O.”) levels in the body has several crucial fitness benefits:
- Healthier circulation
- Better blood pressure levels, and consequently, cardiovascular function
- Improved nutrient uptake and exercise performance
- Decreased muscle soreness
- Facilitate the elimination of waste products such as lactic acid
The trend of including nitric oxide boosters in pre-workout supplements continues in 2020. Whether you’re a regular joe who wants to become vascular or a bodybuilder who wants to step up his game at the gym, there are plenty of pre-workouts which will help increase your muscle pumps.
Strength
If you want to build muscle mass, it’s imperative you increase your strength levels. When that happens, you not only build muscle mass, but you also strengthen your bones.
More strength also means you can conquer the toughest workouts imaginable. Pre-workout supplements can help you achieve those goals.
In 2020, pre-workout supplement manufacturers aim to increase consumers’ strength via pathways such as muscle hydration and cellular energy, among other things.
Neurological Function
Pre-workout supplements continue to evolve every year. It comes as no surprise more pre-workouts include nootropic components which fire your mind up.
These ingredients help sharpen your focus and increase your motivation on days when your mind is not up to it.
In other words, the best pre-workout supplements cover all of the bases – they jack you up physically and mentally. You can conquer your workouts day in and day out.
Anabolic Muscle Gains
When pre-workouts improve your mental prowess and increase your strength levels and stamina, they can also help you ramp up muscle growth.
Perhaps the most important bio-benefit of pre-workout supplements to bodybuilders is optimizing a protein-synthesizing, muscle-building metabolism that favors anabolic muscle gains over catabolic muscle breakdown.
In 2020 you can find a heap of pre-workout supplements which can help you grow muscle and achieve your fitness goals. Try stacking a quality pre-workout with a BCAA to help you keep catabolism (muscle breakdown) at bay.
Stamina
If you want to get the most of your workouts, you need to go the full distance. The best pre-workout supplements help keep you going. No matter how tough your training sessions are, they can help you crank out more reps at the gym.
Today’s fitness programs such as CrossFit, high-intensity interval training (HIIT), spinning classes, and BODYPUMP require maximum stamina. The pre-workouts help you increase aerobic capacity and endurance.
Case in point: our Best 5 Pre-Workout Supplements for Runners. They contain key ingredients such as caffeine, beta-alanine, l-theanine, BCAAs, vitamin C, and coconut water which should help you go the extra mile.
Today’s first-rate pre-workout supplement contain some of these components to help ramp up your stamina for more efficient workouts.
Electrolyte-Enhanced Hydration
You simply can’t underestimate the importance of staying hydrated during a tough workout.
When we exercise, we sweat (if we’re doing it right).
And when we sweat, we lose water and electrolytes, risking dehydration.
Dehydration is awful for anabolic muscle gains, as well as many other health factors. So, it’s important to stock up on additional electrolytes prior to exercise to ensure healthy hydration levels.
In fact, the March-April 2010 issue of the Journal of Athletic Training (via NCBI.NLM.NIH.gov) says, “In laboratory settings, when athletes perform intense aerobic exercise in the heat and become hypohydrated to a level of two percent body mass or greater, or when they start to exercise at this level, physiologic strain increases predictably and performance decreases.”
With this in mind, the best pre-workout supplements include hydration factors such as coconut water and himalayan pink salt. When your go-to pre-workout has these, you’re sure to get the most out of your training sessions.
Pre-Workout Ingredients to Look for in 2020
Creatine
Okay, creatine has been arguably the best workout ingredient for many years before the year 2020.
This is true—but, having said that, water has arguably been the most important liquid to put in your body years, even millennia, well before 2020. And I’d still recommend water as the best liquid to put in your body in 2020.
The same principle applies for creatine, except in a pre-workout performance enhancement context. And here’s why:
- Creatine, an organic compound naturally stored and used in muscle tissue as energy, is one of the most popular, reliable ergogenic ingredients for boosting long-term fitness and strength performance. Essentially, creatine acts as fuel for ATP energy production in muscle tissue. Though creatine requires a “loading” period to reach peak effect, usually over the course of a week, well-manufactured creatine forms may better absorb into the body and muscle tissue, delivering an extra supply of natural, cellular energy that exercisers may quickly use to work out harder for longer.
Why do people take creatine?
Fitness enthusiasts take creatine before a workout to increase muscular power, stamina, and energy (creatine plays a key role in forming ATP). Let’s not forget creatine is also a proven lean muscle builder.
It’s a tried-and-tested bodybuilding supplement ingredient which helps take your training sessions to the next level and beyond.
However, don’t go for plain jane creatine in 2020. You e should know better by now than to take that bloat-inducing crap.
Go for a buffered creatine monohydrate form. That’s the good stuff.
- Creatine monohydrate (a combination of one creatine molecule and water molecule) is the best form of creatine on the market. Most scientific studies on this component involve this form. Ergo, most of creatine’s fitness benefits pertain to creatine monohydrate. While some naysayers say creatine monohydrate has sub-par bioavailability (with creatine hydrochloride getting the nod), other forms don’t have a stellar track record involving human subjects.
You can go one step further and look for pre-workouts that contain Creapure pH10; this is a 99.5% pure form of creatine monohydrate, making it the cleanest and highest quality form currently on the market.
Maritime Pine Bark Extract
Speaking of muscle pumps, here’s an interesting N.O. booster. Maritime pine bark extract, a natural herbal extract more often found in nootropic cognitive enhancer stacks than pre-workout supplements.
Though commonly classified as a nootropic, maritime pine bark extract does provide significant ergogenic advantages by way of this herb’s:
- O. boosting benefits, which promote both cerebral circulation and bodily blood flow for greater delivery of oxygen and nutrients to muscle tissue;
- Proanthocyanidin antioxidants, a rich complex of natural compounds that help reduce the negative impact of oxidative stress and free radicals.
No doubt that exercise is stressful. In fact, one of the primary functions of exercise is to subject the body to a healthy degree of stress. This keeps us quite literally “on our toes,” so to speak—and not sinking in our computer chairs.
Yet, too much exercise-induced stress may have a counterproductive effect on muscle gains and overall health.
Maritime pine bark extract’s mix of acute N.O. boosts and oxidative stress resistance makes it one of the best pre-workout supplements for mitigating the potential downsides to high-intensity training.
Himalayan Pink Salt
If you want a pre-workout ingredient which helps take hydration to the next level, it’s Himalayan pink salt.
To start things off, it has an incredible 84 trace minerals (the same ones you find in many sports drinks) without the fillers and other shady ingredients.
Long story short, it’s clean hydration at its best.
Himalayan pink salt also has other important health benefits:
- Detoxifies the body
- Wards off muscle cramps
- Regulates blood sugar and blood pressure levels
- Supports hormone balance
- Improves sleep quality
- Keeps allergies at bay
- Supports thyroid function and weight loss
L-Carnosine
All exercisers and bodybuilders may benefit by adding L-carnosine to their workout stack.
However, vegans should pay particular attention to this ingredient, given the lack of carnosine in their diets. (Think: carne = “meat.”)
This dipeptide molecule is highly concentrated in muscle tissue, namely fast-twitch muscle fibers.
This is why carnosine concentrations tend to be higher in anaerobic athletes, who rely more on fast-twitch muscle activity than your more endurance-based athletes and exercisers.
As a pre-workout ingredient, L-carnosine seems to work by:
- Inhibiting advanced glycation end-products (AGEs);
- Neutralizing exercise-generated oxidative stress;
- Buffering muscle-damaging acids.
Taken prior to exercise, L-carnosine employs these bio-benefits in such a way that may prolong exercise endurance by increasing tolerance to lactic acid build-up, that acidic state that precedes muscle failure.
Cordyceps Sinensis
Ever tried shrooms? No, no, not those shrooms, but these shrooms: Cordyceps sinensis, a parasitic fungus that grows on insect larvae.
I know, what you’re thinking: Why the hell would anyone want to try insect larva fungus??
Well, maybe you’re not into that. But plenty of health enthusiasts and gymgoers are getting into this stuff because, as it turns out, cordyceps is one of the best exercise enhancement ingredients around.
This is in large part due to two of cordyceps’ bio-mechanisms:
- ATP Enhancement: by activating muscle metabolic regulators related to ATP production, cordyceps seems to improve exercise energy and endurance;
- Oxygen Utilization: through an unknown mechanism, cordyceps also seems to improve oxygen utilization in muscle tissue, resulting in well-nourished muscle activity.
Using rats as animal subjects, the Journal of Ethnopharmacology’s June 2011 issue (via ResearchGate.net) concluded, “CS (Cordyceps sinensis) supplementation with or without exercise improves exercise endurance capacity by activating the skeletal muscle metabolic regulators and a coordinated antioxidant response.”
Of course, supplement manufacturers have found ways to supply cordyceps without the larva component. This is good news for both the squeamish and vegans interested in trying cordyceps without breaking their “no killing bugs” covenant.
All in all, this pre-workout fungus is great for overall health and seems to possess many metabolic benefits beyond those related to exercise.
L-Glutamine
The most abundant amino in the body, L-glutamine is highly concentrated in muscle tissue, which houses roughly 90% all your glutamine.
With that in mind, why then do we need to supplement L-glutamine, given that it’s already so prevalent in the body?
Plus, considering this amino’s role in protecting muscle tissue, wouldn’t it be better to take L-glutamine in a post-workout, not pre-workout, context?
Yes, L-glutamine certainly works as a post-workout supplement. However, this amino does possess significant pre-workout advantages, namely by:
- Increasing clearance of lactic acid in muscle tissue;
- Promoting antioxidant resistance to oxidative stress;
- Protecting muscle gains associated with glutamine depletion.
Similar to L-tyrosine, exercise depletes L-glutamine, leading to inefficient muscle gains and poor cognitive performance.
Supplementing L-glutamine works as a protective measure against glutamine deficiency, ensuring better muscle gains in the long run.
L-glutamine’s benefits fit well with this year’s trend of healthy anabolism. It’s not in every pre-workout supplement, but you if it’s in yours, consider it a huge bonus.
L-Citrulline
Simply put, l-citrulline is an excellent vasodilator – it helps dilate and widen blood vessels for increased blood flow to your muscles during your workouts.
This results in the incredible muscle pumps we discussed earlier.
The old school nitric oxide (N.O.) booster was L-arginine, and, in a way, that amino remains the top dogg N.O. booster for improving muscular circulation.
However, you don’t want to take supplementary L-arginine, due to its poor absorption rate, but rather L-citrulline, the precursor to L-arginine.
Unlike L-arginine, L-citrulline does a better job at surviving digestion and absorbing into the body, where, once absorbed, L-citrulline converts to L-arginine, delivering the amino’s vasodilation effects.
By helping relax and dilate blood vessels, L-citrulline increases blood flow throughout your exercising body, resulting in big ol’ bulging muscles. Mm yea.
L-citrulline gets the nod over l-arginine because of the latter’s poor absorption prowess.
You want to get pumped up in 2020?? Then go for L-citrulline.
Beta-Alanine
If you want to maximize your workouts, beta-alanine is the answer. This is a naturally-occurring beta amino acid which helps increase muscle carnosine levels.
This, in turn, helps keep muscular fatigue at bay and increase work capacity. You will work out longer and harder when you supplement with beta-alanine.
Experts believe beta-alanine’s exercise benefits stem from its ability to keep lactic acid buildup in check. If you’re into resistance or anaerobic training, you will benefit greatly from this amino acid.
- CarnoSyn® is the most popular and efficient branded form of beta-alanine on the market today. No other patented form comes close. If you’re keen on buying a pre-workout with beta-alanine, make sure to get one with the CarnoSyn® brand.
What’s the Verdict on Caffeine?
As opposed to L-citrulline and maritime pine bark extract, caffeine is a vasoconstrictor, meaning that it decreases blood flow by constricting blood vessels.
This is what makes caffeine great for alleviating headaches related to excess flow to the brain. Yet, for muscle pumps, caffeine’s vasoconstriction is counterproductive for obvious reasons.
Even so, many enjoy the benefits of caffeine’s stimulatory effects on focus and energy, as it’s one of the most reliable and safe stimulants you can take to improve exercise performance.
Not to mention caffeine seems to possess thermogenic properties, making it an effective fat burning option during exercise as well.
And so, with all that in mind, it’s perhaps best to take caffeine as an optional supplement to your primary pre-workout supplement stack.
So it can be taken on an “as needed” basis, rather than being forced to take it every time you take your pre-workout.
How Best 5 Supplements Rates and Ranks the Best Pre-Workout Supplements of 2020
Having all the right ingredients isn’t enough to qualify a pre-workout supplement as the best. Other considerations need to be taken to find the best of the best.
Our criteria for the Best Pre-Workout Supplements of 2020 include:
- Synergy: a smart stacking strategy that combines ingredients that interact well together and enhance each other’s effects produce the best results.
- Safety: conversely, a smart stack avoids ingredients that interact negatively and might compromise long-term health.
- Quality: easy-to-absorb ingredient forms and potent herbal extracts are just as important as which ingredients go into a pre-workout formula.
- Quantity: the amount of ingredients and the ingredient dosages need to hit that Goldilocks sweet spot—not too much, not too little, just right.
- Additives: most additives that go into supplements are crap and may compromise the formula’s efficacy as well as the customer’s health; the best pre-workouts use a minimal amount of only clean, green additives.
- Reputation: the reputation of the supplement’s company and manufacturers is important, especially if a company has a history of scamming their customers; avoid these A-holes and their products.
- Affordability: the value must match the price—even high-quality supplements may be overpriced, and it shouldn’t be too hard to find a cheaper alternative of comparable value.
Given that the best supplements tend to come from the best supplement manufacturers, we prioritize a list of supplements that not only demonstrate “smart stacking strategies” but also the ability to be smartly stacked together.
This is often the case with supplements formulated by the same company.
In the following section, we’ve identified the best pre-workout supplement to buy in 2020 based on the criteria above. As well as a couple more complementary pre-workout stacks supplied by the same company.
Each is the best at what they do. Together, they’re even better. And that’s pretty good!
Best Pre-Workout Supplements 2020 Guide
Hitting its stride in 2020, Performance Lab, an exciting mix-and-match line of supplements, is entering 2020 with momentum on its side.
Churning out new supplements left and right, Performance Lab seems to be quickly rising to the top of its game—or, rather, games, considering the diversity of health supplements these guys carry.
And their pre-workout supplements are no exception. Though they have only one supplement officially classified (by them) as a “pre-workout,” there are at least three that, when taken together, qualify as the best pre-workout supplement stack that money can buy.
Check ‘em out:
#1: Performance Lab Pre
Our number one pre-workout supplement.
Performance Lab Pre is a unique, stim-free performance enhancement stack that, unlike your usual PWO affair, comes packed in clean capsules (made from prebiotic fiber) and nothing else: no junky additives, FD&C colors, artificial flavors, etc.
So you don’t have to deal with a ‘bad tasting’ pre-workout powder.
Only the natural stuff here, baby.
Featuring creatine and L-citrulline—and much more—this stim-free PWO stack derives its power from many of the best pre-workout ingredients currently available. Altogether, this stack seems to improve:
- Anabolic Muscle Growth
- Cellular Muscle Energy
- O. Boosted Muscle Pumps
- Oxygen Utilization
- Muscle Acid Clearance
- Muscle Rehydration
And much more. The impressive range of benefits here are felt both acutely and long-term, as these ingredients altogether address all aspects of exercise health and fitness.
From performance to recovery, which, yes, is interesting, given that this is intended as a pre-workout supplement.
To Buy, Visit:
» www.PerformanceLab.com «
Performance Lab Pre Ingredients
To understand how all that works, we’ll need to check out the full list of this stack’s ingredients as well as their respective bio-effects.
- Creatine (as Creapure® pH10): the Creapure® brand is a 99.5% pure form of creatine monohydrate, one of the most advanced and bio-available forms of creatine. Thanks to the pH-balanced enhanced bioavailability of this creatine form, symptoms of bloating and GI distress simply aren’t present here. A major plus.
- Cordyceps Sinensis (as Cordyceps Super™): another superior ingredient form, Cordyceps Super™ delivers a potent concentration of Cordyceps’ bio-active constituents, producing a 16:1 potent extract of this nature-identical Cordyceps form. Produced without use of larvae, Cordyceps Super™ also impressively maintains this formula’s vegan-friendly status.
- L-Citrulline: smartly stacked with Performance Lab’s creatine, L-citrulline converts to L-arginine, which, in addition to boosting N.O. activity, is a precursor required for cratine synthesis. The L-citrulline + creatine combo here may synthesize for greater natural creatine activity.
- L-Glutamine (from Ajinomoto®): the most abundant amino in the body supplied by the world’s largest amino acid manufacturer Ajinomoto®. Using their patenteded Ferment-A-Pure tech, Ajinomoto® extracts L-glutamine from gluten-free vegetable-derived carbohydrates.
- L-Carnosine (N-beta-alanyl-histidine): Performance Lab’s carnosine comes from a combination of beta-alanine and L-histidine, forming a safe, pure form of carnosine that’s both highly bio-available and well-tolerated.
- Himalayan Pink Salt: an interesting addition to this stack, Himalayan pink salt is one of those pre-workout ingredients you didn’t realize you needed until you try it. Supplying sodium and other trace minerals, i.e. electrolytes, Himalayan pink salt helps replenish the electrolytes you lose through sweat, thereby maintaining a healthy minerally electric charge throughout your body to sustain anabolic water levels.
- Maritime Pine Bark Extract (std. min. 95% proanthocyanidins): a potent 95% proanthocyanidins standardized extract of this powerful, multi-faceted herbal extract. Performance Lab’s maritime pine bark extract delivers additional N.O. boosts and oxidative stress resistance that may improve both physical and cognitive performance.
Why Performance Lab Pre is the Best
Simply put, there’s no other pre-workout supplement that delivers such a complex arrangement of performance enhancement benefits quite like Performance Lab Pre.
And, more specifically, there’s no other PWO stack that delivers these benefits without also resorting to a cheap source of stimulants—e.g., a massive dose of caffeine.
All in all, Performance Lab Pre manages to address all the key aspects of pre-workout performance enhancement while also maintaining high standards of quality and safety and cleanliness.
Many supplements supply PWO creatine, but none do so with the same attention to quality and potency as Pre.
Because of this, you may take this creatine daily as part of your workout routine without having to worry about cycling this stack.
Everything here is safe and effective for consistent, long-term use.
How Much Does It Cost?
As with all Performance Lab products, the pricing of Performance Lab Pre involves an additional 5% saving with each additional bottle added to your order. When you buy this stack, the pricing works as follows:
- One Bottle: $35 for 120 capsules
- Two Bottles: $66.50 for 240 capsules (5% saving)
- Three Bottles: $94.50 for 360 capsules (10% saving)
To get the best deal for Performance Lab Pre, click here.
Performance Lab Pre Summary |
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Ingredients: Creatine (Creapure® pH10) 1000 mg, Cordyceps Super™ (50% Polysaccharides, 15% 1,3-1,6 Beta Glucan, 5% alpha glucan) 750 mg, L-Citrulline 500 mg, L-Glutamine (Ajinomoto®) 250 mg, L-Carnosine 300 mg, Himalayan Pink Salt 350 mg, Maritime Pine Bark (95% proanthocyanidins) 100 mg | ||
Clean Label: Yes. We daresay Performance Lab SPORT Pre-Workout is clean as a whistle. | ||
Advanced Delivery: Yes. This is a rare pre-workout which uses Plantcaps® pullulan capsules for excellent bioavailability. These capsules also have prebiotics for improved gastrointestinal function. | ||
Stimulant-Free: Yes. Instead of stimulants, Performance Lab SPORT Pre-Workout relies on non-stimulatory pathways to get you going. | ||
Price: $45 for one box (120 capsules; 30 servings) | ||
Any Deals? Yes. You can buy two boxes for $85.50 (five percent savings) and $121.50 for three boxes (10 percent savings) | ||
Service: The company offers 24/7 customer service and a 30-day money-back guarantee. They normally reply within 30 minutes. | ||
Our Full Review Here | ||
To Buy, Visit: » www.PerformanceLab.com « |
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#2: Performance Lab Stim
One of the newest supplements to the Performance Lab line-up, Performance Lab Stim is the stim option that pairs well with just about all Performance Lab’s stim-free products.
This is such a smart addition to the P-Lab line of supplements for a couple of reasons:
- Caffeine works, and it works quickly and reliably. As our go-to stimulant of choice, caffeine delivers reliable bursts of focus and energy that are, relative to other big-time stimulants, safe for daily use.
- Having a separate caffeine source allows you to sort of pick-and-choose when you would like to take caffeine, whereas caffeinated pre-workout stacks don’t allow you any option whatsoever. Either you’re taking it or you’re taking nothing at all, sucka.
By mixing a modest dose of caffeine with other brain healthy cognitive enhancing nootropics, Performance Lab Stim vindicates the term “caffeine pill” as a truly positive and worthwhile addition to your pre-workout stack—or pre-exam stack, for all we care.
In other words, Performance Lab Stim could be used really whenever you want, whether you’re working out or not. But to understand the full range of this stack’s PWO potential, let’s read the Supplement Facts.
Performance Lab Stim Ingredients
- NutriGenesis® B-Complex: compared to your run-of-the-mill B-complex forms, NutriGenesis® pairs vitamins B2, B6, B9, and B12 with various cofactors to enhance their absorption and bioavailability. These B vitamins pair well with caffeine by replenishing B vitamins lost to caffeine’s diuretic effect, as well as L-tyrosine, which requires B vitamins to convert to catecholamine neurotransmitters.
- Natural Caffeine: more is not always better, especially when it comes to caffeine. To truly improve mental and physical performance, a modest amount of caffeine works, whereas the amounts you usually find in pre-workout stacks (200mg+) tend to have counterproductive effects on performance. With a modest 50mg caffeine, Performance Lab Stim could be taken as single, double, or even triple capsule servings, pending your personal caffeine tolerance. (Or not at all, if you’re not feeling the ‘feine today.)
- Suntheanine® L-Theanine: as far as I’m concerned, the only way to unlock caffeine’s full cognitive enhancement benefits is with L-theanine, an anxiolytic amino acid sourced from green tea leaves. Complementing caffeine’s stimulatory effects, L-theanine’s calming benefits result in an increase in focus and energy without sedation nor caffeine’s jittery side effects. Only smooth, focused energy here.
- Ajipure® L-Tyrosine: likewise, the addition of L-tyrosine may significantly improve caffeine’s effects by replenishing the catecholamine neurochemical stock spent by caffeine’s stimulatory effects. And this Ajipure® form of L-tyrosine is certainly one of the best, thanks to Ajipure®’s commitment to supplying clean, bio-enhanced aminos.
Why Performance Lab Stim is the Best
Many pre-workout supplements claim to deliver EXTREME or ADVANCED energy benefits, yet the only energy they provide is a cheap, overdosed supply of caffeine.
Likewise, many caffeine pill-type supplements offer a caffeine serving accompanied by some of the nastiest, shadiest additives and fillers and who-knows-what encasing their capsules.
Performance Lab Stim, on the other hand, delivers a clean, bio-enhanced supply of modestly dosed caffeine that you may either take or not take with your usual pre-workout supplement stack.
It’s all optional here, but, more often than, you’ll find yourself saying “Yes!” to this stack when the opportunity presents itself. And you won’t feel bad about saying “Yes!” to this stack, thanks to its additions of caffeine balancing and replenishing B-vitamins and amino acids.
How Much Does It Cost?
Similar to Performance Lab SPORT Pre, Performance Lab Stim’s pricing essentially splits into three order options (and more, if you add more than 3 bottles per order):
- One Bottle: $35 for 30 capsules
- Two Bottles: $66.50 for 60 capsules (5% saving)
- Three Bottles: $94.50 for 90 capsules (10% saving)
To learn more about Performance Lab Stim, click here.
Performance Lab Stim Summary |
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Ingredients: Vitamin B2 500mcg, Vitamin B6 750mcg, Vitamin B9 16mcg, Vitamin B12 2mcg, Natural Caffeine 50mg, Suntheanine® L-Theanine 100mg, Ajipure® L-Tyrosine 250mg. | ||
Clean Label: Yes. | ||
Advanced Delivery: Yes, NutriGenesis® Vitamins used. | ||
Stimulant-Free: Performance Lab Stim contains 50mg caffeine. | ||
Price: $35 per bottle (30 servings). | ||
Any Deals? Yes. You can buy 2 bottles for $66.50 (5% saving) or 3 bottles for $94.50 (10% saving). | ||
Service:The company offers 24/7 customer service and a 30-day money-back guarantee. They normally reply within 30 minutes. | ||
Our Full Review Here | ||
To Buy, Visit: » www.PerformanceLab.com « |
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#3: 4 Gauge
4 Gauge is the world’s only shotgun-shell-shaped pre-workout which harnesses the powers of Rhodiola rosea, creatine, l-citrulline, acetyl l-carnitine, coconut water powder, and beetroot. It’s a comprehensive and clean pre-workout formula. It doesn’t get any better than that.
Don’t worry about the dreaded jitters and spike-crash effect: 4 Gauge features a smart caffeine formulation (caffeine and l-theanine). This ensures you make it through your workouts without any side effects.
Wonder no more why 4 Gauge takes on the shape of shotgun shell. This is one pre-workout which will blow you away.
4 Gauge Summary |
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Ingredients: L-citrulline DL malate 6000 mg, Creatine Monohydrate 1000 mg, Acetyl l-Carnitine 500 mg, Red Beet Root Extract 300 mg, Coconut Water Powder 300 mg, L-Theanine 200 mg, Caffeine Anhydrous 150 mg, Rhodiola rosea Powder 100 mg | ||
Clean Label: Yes. 4 Gauge boasts of a clean ingredient profile. | ||
Advanced Delivery: No. The manufacturer uses regular pre-workout powder. | ||
Stimulant-Free: No. 4 Gauge has 150 mg of caffeine anhydrous. | ||
Price: $45 for a 280-gram shell (20 servings) | ||
Any Deals? Yes. You can buy two shells for $90 and three shells for $135 with free shipping to the U.S. and U.K. | ||
Service: Online customer service inquiry form and returns policy | ||
Official Website: www.4gauge.com | ||
Read our in-depth 4 Gauge review | ||
#4: ALTIUS
We dubbed Jack Factory’s ALTIUS “The No-B.S. Pre-Workout” – and with good reason. Eight grams of citrulline malate is just the tip of the iceberg. ALTIUS also includes powerhouse pre-workout components beta-alanine, creatine monohydrate, betaine anhydrous, and alpha-GPC.
If those weren’t enough, the manufacturer uses stevia (a natural sweetener which helps regulate blood pressure and blood sugar levels) and beetroot powder. Finally, it also relies on BioPerine® black pepper fruit extract for improved nutrient absorption.
Long story short, ALTIUS is a comprehensive and clean pre-workout which is worthy of a spot in your bodybuilding supplement stack.
ALTIUS Summary |
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Ingredients: Vitamin B12 500 mcg, L-Citrulline Malate 2:1 8000 mg, Beta-Alanine 3200 mg, Creatine Monohydrate 3000 mg, Betaine Anhydrous 2500 mg, Caffeine Anhydrous 325 mg, Alpha-GPC (Alpha-Glycerylphosphorylcholine) 150 mg, BioPerine 5 mg | ||
Clean Label: Yes. ALTIUS gives you clinically-dosed and clean ingredients. | ||
Advanced Delivery: Yes. The inclusion of 5 mg of BioPerine® per serving ensures you absorb the nutrients fully, | ||
Stimulant-Free: No. ALTIUS contains 325 mg of caffeine anhydrous per serving. | ||
Price: $35.99 for a 406.6-gram container (20 servings) | ||
Any Deals? Yes. When you subscribe to the company’s messenger list, you get a 10 percent discount on your next order. | ||
Service: Online customer service inquiry form | ||
Official Website: https://shop.jackedfactory.com/products/altius | ||
Read our in-depth ALTIUS review | ||
#5: LEGION PULSE
LEGION PULSE displaces the likes of Ghost Legend and Beyond Raw LIT from our Best Pre-Workout Supplements for several reasons. First off, it’s one of the best pre-workouts for bodybuilders and for vascularity – it has l-citrulline dl malate, beta-alanine, and betaine anhydrous.
Second, it boasts of a clean ingredient profile (something many pre-workouts don’t have). You won’t find any shady artificial food colorings, dyes, and fillers here. Instead, you’ll find natural components such as beetroot and stevia. What’s not to love?
Lastly, a 24.88-gram serving is one of the biggest among pre-workouts. While it takes two scoops to consume this much, it’s still huge.
Even though LEGION PULSE has been on the market for several years now, we expect it to make waves in and beyond.
LEGION PULSE Summary |
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Ingredients: L-Citrulline DL Malate 8 g, Beta-Alanine 4.8 g, Betaine Anhydrous 2.5 g, L-Ornithine HCL 2.2 g, Caffeine Anhydrous 350 mg, L-Theanine 350 mg | ||
Clean Label: Yes. LEGION PULSE contains no fillers and other shady ingredients. | ||
Advanced Delivery: No. The manufacturer utilizes regular pre-workout powder. | ||
Stimulant-Free: No. Contains 350 mg caffeine anhydrous (also available in stim-free version) | ||
Price: $40 for a 21-serving container | ||
Any Deals? Yes. Buy five products for a 10 percent bundle discount. | ||
Service: 100 percent money-back guarantee, free worldwide shipping, and customer service hotline | ||
Official Website: https://legionathletics.com/products/supplements/pulse | ||
Read our in-depth LEGION PULSE review | ||
Conclusion on the Best Pre-Workout Supplements of 2020
Though Performance Lab SPORT Pre is really the only supplement here that qualifies as the true best pre-workout supplement of 2020. All the listed supplements combine for total pre-workout fitness and health coverage.
Want some energizing, crash-free umph to your workout? Kazoom! Performance Lab Stim!
Everything here works really well, individually.
Together, they work even better.
And if you’re looking to get the most bang out of your buck, buying them together may get you that free shipping + 2-day delivery offered to big boy Performance Lab orders. Hey, that’s purdy good.
To see all Performance Lab supplements, head to performancelab.com.
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