Fitness
The best pre-workout of 2024 to take before your gym session
Forget snacking on a banana and quickly downing a coffee, if you’re really hitting it hard at the gym and feel like you could use a little extra oomph, then getting your hands on the best pre-workout supplement might just be the thing you need to give your muscles that extra push.
But what is pre-workout and what does it do? Alex Ward, head trainer at Sweat Society in Surbiton, describes pre-workout as a “sports nutrition supplement, designed to improve energy and enhance exercise performance”. Essentially, it’s a supplement designed to give you an energy boost. Just don’t chase it with a double espresso.
“Due to the various ingredients found in pre-workout, it can help stimulate the muscles, increase focus and concentration and make you perform at a higher intensity during sessions, with less fatigue,” says Ward. “It will generally keep you going through an hour’s workout of intense training such as a weights session,” he adds. The top rated pre-workouts are the ones that slowly release the energy – and prevent you from a ‘crash-and-burn’ scenario mid-workout.
With that in mind, I spent weeks testing the best pre-workout and you can read my full reviews below. Underneath that you can find advice from a nutritionist on when to take pre-workout and the effect of individual ingredients. If you’re in a hurry, here’s a quick look at my top five:
Which are the best pre-workout supplements in 2024? At a glance
What are the different types of pre-workout?
A pre-workout supplement typically comes in a powder or drink form (although pre-workout pills and bars are also options). The main two types of pre-workout are a stimulant (with caffeine) and non-stimulant (non-caffeine) – and often contain ingredients like beta-alanine, L-citrulline, creatine, and BCAAs (branch chain amino acids) to provide energy and stimulate the production of helpful nitric oxide in the muscles. These aim to enhance your performance when exercising – although the specific dietary formula varies between different brands.
If you’re looking to work out more, you might also want to read our guides to the best protein powders, best water bottles and best fitness trackers.