Let’s face it, a pre-workout formula is one of our favourite supplements to elevate a workout to the next level. There are many great pre-workout supplements now available and many of them contain similar ingredients. Some of the most popular ingredients are stimulants including caffeine from different sources, including green tea extract.
It’s caffeine that often provides the energy boost that is used to stimulate a workout and lower perceived rate of exertion. But many of us are increasingly looking for a stimulant free alternative that can boost workout performance, without some of the negative effects of stimulants. During this post, we take a look at the best stimulant free pre-workout supplements.
The reason to use a pre-workout formula is to boost results during a workout. For the days where we are struggling with motivation or progress and results are starting to slow, a pre-workout supplement is ideal. Common ingredients include creatine to support short boosts of energy in muscles, ideal for squeezing out extra reps on weights.
BCAAs are also often present to provide the building blocks of muscle and reduce muscle soreness after an intense workout. Another popular ingredient is beta-alanine which increases carnosine production. There are also lots of great flavoured pre-workout supplements available
So why would you want to use a stimulant-free pre-workout? Many of us already consume a lot of caffeine during the day from drinks including tea and coffee. Regularly consuming too much caffeine could have negative health effects and also increase your tolerance. This would mean you need to consume more to have the same desired effect.
Furthermore, it becomes too easy to rely on stimulant-based supplements to get you through a workout, making it difficult to achieve the same results without using them. Pre-workout supplements without caffeine are definitely worth a try, and you may find yourself getting great results.
Best stimulant free pre-workout (caffeine free)
Below you can find our recommendations for the best stimulant free pre-workout supplements. All of the choices below are our favourites and most highly ranked based on our own research and knowledge. You should always consult a health professional before consuming a new supplement.
Bulk Powders Complete Pre-Workout Caffeine Free
For clearly labelled and great quality supplements, we often turn to Bulk Powders. The popular supplement brand has been around for many years and sells a wide variety of sports supplements directly through its website. Bulk Powders has also sponsored several high-profile athletes, so you may recognise the logo.
The ingredients in every supplement are clearly labelled and the product descriptions often explain the reasons for why each ingredient is included. We love this transparent approach which gives us users a clear indication of exactly what we are consuming.
Complete Pre-Workout Caffeine Free is a stimulant-free version of the popular Complete Pre-Workout. The formula is designed to allow you to get the maximum out of each training session with a range of powerful ingredients included. 5g of BCAAs provide the building blocks of muscle which are known to reduce soreness after an intense workout.
Creatine is included to boost physical performance by providing muscles with energy for short bursts, perfect for squeezing the last few reps on the bench. Many more exciting additions include beta-alanine, citrulline malate, vitamin B6 and electrolytes.
The overall list has everything we would look for in a caffeine-free pre-workout, and at great doses. Different flavours are available including lemon & lime and watermelon. A number of sizes are available starting at 100g, with the largest being 1kg.
The Protein Works Raze-Pump Pre-Workout
Products from The Protein Works are known to push the boundaries with exciting blends that can’t be found elsewhere. In fact, the brand now has a massive collection of sports supplements available for any goal. We are big fans of pre-workout supplements from The Protein Works and find ourselves using them regularly.
There are often promotions on the website which make them even better value. The Raze series contains three exciting different pre-workout formulas depending on your goal. As well as Raze Pump, there is also Raze Perform and Raze Burn.
Raze Pump is the caffeine and stimulant free version of this popular series. The goal is to deliver an incredible level of performance to your workout, without any gimmicks. The list of ingredients is super exciting, all at incredible doses. 5g of creatine in every serving provides powerful energy for short term bursts.
Combined with beta-alanine, which increase carnosine levels, to buffer PH levels and reduce potential muscle fatigue. Vitamin C is also included to contribute to the normal function of the immune system, which is important when increasing high-intensity activity.
Different flavours include cola and green apple. Our favourite is the orange flavour, which tastes great and easy to consume regularly. Pouches start at 250g but are available at larger 1kg sizes. Raze-Pump is one of our favourites when it comes to the best stimulant free pre-workout.
Reflex Nutrition Muscle Bomb Caffeine Free
Reflex Nutrition has been one of our favourite brands for protein for a while, and now the range includes a stimulant-free pre-workout formulation. The brand is hugely popular when it comes to sports nutrition and is also widely available from many popular supplement retailers. Muscle Bomb caffeine free is a stimulant-free version of the popular formula, with 15 carefully selected ingredients.
7g of BCAAS provide a huge boost to muscle recovery and 8g of citrulline malate helps to maximise every workout. Additional ingredients include beta-alanine, taurine and vitamin B. The flavours available include fruit punch and black cherry. While this pre-workout is available widely online, we have found Amazon to provide the best value and quickest delivery. The 600g tub provides 20 servings.
MyProtein The Pump
When it comes to any sports supplements, one of the first brands we turn to is MyProtein. The extensive range of great-tasting products is often unrivalled. Since launching in 2004, MyProtein has gone on to be the number one online sports nutrition brand. If you have used whey protein, you will have most likely come across MyProtein before, for their hugely popular Impact Whey protein.
When it comes to pre-workout formulas, it can be difficult to stand out, and in the past, we have chosen competitor products over the selection from MyProtein. However, many new releases including this product really stand out.
The Pump is designed as a cutting edge pre-workout formulation without the caffeine. Ideal for those who already consume a lot of caffeine or wanting that jitter-free boost in the gym. All of the ingredients have been specially included to push workouts to the limits and achieve results.
The patented VASO6 ingredient contains over 90% polyphenol content. Iron and vitamin B12 is included to support circulation. Flavours include orange mango and rainbow sherbet. This supplement can be purchased directly from the MyProtein website.
PhD Nutrition Pre-Workout Pump
We are becoming more fond of PhD Nutrition all the time. The popular sports nutrition brand has a huge variety of products available for a range of goals. We often recommend PhD for a number of exciting products including protein bars and whey protein. Pump is one of three products in the pre-workout range and this is the version without caffeine.
The goal is to deliver awesome pumps by enhancing blood flow and circulation. The huge list of ingredients includes high doses of beta-alanine and arginine. There is also 1.6g of taurine and 2.2g of AAKG in every serving. When it comes to flavours, raspberry lemonade and fruit punch are available.
We have found this pre-workout formula does not appear to be the most widely available online. The best places we have found to purchase include Amazon and the PhD Nutrition website.
Ingredients in the best stimulant free pre-workout supplement
The main anomaly from stimulant free pre-workouts is caffeine. It is caffeine which is responsible for increasing energy and concentration in most stimulant based pre-workout formulas. Luckily, there are still many great ingredients which can increase performance.
While they may not provide the rush of energy which caffeine does, they still have a positive effect on workout performance. Take a look at some of the most popular ingredients below.
Creatine
Creatine is one of the most researched sports supplements in the world and has been shown to have a positive impact on sports performance. For this reason, it is often included in many popular pre-workout supplements. Creatine works by increasing ATP, a basic source of energy in the body.
During high-intensity workouts, muscles use this ATP energy to provide short boosts of high performance. But they only store enough to provide this energy for 8-10 seconds. Creatine works to increase phosphocreatine which is used to produce more ATP for high-intensity exercise such as weight lifting.
Therefore more energy is available to squeeze out the last few reps. While creatine can be supplemented separately, it is widely found in most pre-workout supplements
Branched-chain amino acids
Regularly found in pre-workouts, as well as many other popular supplements such as whey protein, BCAAS are a great addition. BCAAS are three amino acids which are leucine, isoleucine and valine. They are essential as they cannot be produced by the body, so need to be consumed either naturally in our diets or through supplements.
They are known as the building blocks of muscles due to their effects to increase protein synthesis, the process to build muscle. A further reason to use BCAAS is for their ability to reduce the soreness of muscles after an intense workout. This may shorten recovery times and provide the ability to work out more frequently.
Although they are available as separate supplements, their use in pre-workouts ensures they reach the muscles when needed.
Citrulline malate
Citrulline malate and L-Citrulline are becoming increasing popular, especially in non-stimulant pre-workout supplements. As well as being produced by the body, Citrulline is an amino acid and can be found in watermelon. After it is consumed, it is converted to another amino acid known as arginine. The benefit of citrulline is that it can increase vasodilation, which is the widening of arteries and veins.
Arginine is converted to nitric acid which relaxes muscle cells which restrict blood vessels. Studies have shown citrulline can boost weight training and endurance performance. This is due to its ability to increase blood oxygen content. It has also been shown to reduce fatigue. Overall, this is an exciting ingredient to look out for.
Beta-alanine
Another non-essential amino acid, beta-alanine is used in pre-workouts to maximise workout performance. Beta-alanine is used for increasing performance and increasing muscle mass. Increasing beta-alanine raises levels of carnosine in muscles. This can reduce the acidity in muscles during exercise, by acting as a buffer.
Therefore stopping fatigue setting in as quickly. To get the best effects, it should be used for exercises which are short and so can make a good choice for weight lifting and resistance training. For some users, they may notice tingling of the skin in their face, neck and hands when consuming high doses of beta-alanine.
Further ingredients
As well as the common ingredients listed above, there are also plenty more great ingredients found in non-stimulant prep-workout supplements. Electrolytes such as calcium, sodium and potassium are often included. Allowing them to replace the electrolytes lost through sweat during a workout.
Each product will include all of its ingredients at different levels and qualities. Be sure to understand the active ingredients inside your next supplement before purchasing.
Finding the best stimulant free pre-workout
There is now so much choice available when it comes to purchasing supplements, it can be difficult to find the best products. Luckily, we have taken care of that with our recommendations in this post.
Pick a great brand
There are hundreds of supplement brands available online when it comes to finding pre-workout supplements. The brand or manufacturer actually tells us a lot of information about the supplement straight away. Firstly we can get a good idea of the quality.
Many well-known premium producers will offer great quality supplements that you can feel confident about. On the other hand, smaller brands with not many reviews can make it difficult to assess the quality in advance. We always recommend sticking with a well-known brand which you can trust.
The brand will also give you a good idea of the availability of the best stimulant free pre-workout supplements. Some big supplement producers including MyProtein sell directly through their website. This is great for convenience and purchasing multiple supplements at the same time. However, if they run out of stock and there’s nowhere else to purchase from, it can mean having to look for a different replacement.
Choose your favourite flavour
The taste and flavour when purchasing supplements are often overlooked, but we believe it makes a big difference. This is particularly true with pre-workout supplements were it can be difficult to find one that tastes good. Unlike protein supplements, many pre-workout formulas have a bad taste and can be quite sour. For this reason, we recommend a tester before to ensure you like the taste.
A wide variety of flavours are also often available. We find it best to pick flavours that are known to taste good such as orange or fruit punch, keeping away from some of the more unusual flavours. Remember, you can be using a stimulant free pre-workout supplement several times a week, so it’s important to taste great.
Summary of the best stimulant free pre-workout
There are a huge number of products to choose from when it comes to finding the best stimulant free pre-workout. Our favourites include Bulk Powders caffeine-free Complete Pre-workout and The Protein Works Raze-Pump. A stim-free pre-workout is ideal for those who are looking to boost performance in the gym, without the jitters which come with too much caffeine.
We often find ourselves drinking lots of coffee in the day, so a caffeine-free pre-workout is great for an evening gym session. There are many key ingredients to look out for to get the best results including creatine and beta-alanine. Always carry out your own research to decide which product is best for you.
