Pre-Workout 101: Everything You Need to Know

Pre-workout supplements are designed to boost your exercise performance by giving you a boost before your workout. There are plenty of pre-workouts out there, each with different ingredient blends for different goals. Here’s everything you need to know about them, from what they are and what’s in them to how they work and which is the best for you. Plus, read to the end for a deep dive into Myprotein's caffeine-free pre-workout THE Pump.

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What is pre-workout?

As the name suggests, pre-workouts are fast-acting supplements taken before your workout to boost short-term performance. They can help improve force production, power, strength, and endurance.1

What is in pre-workout?

Pre-workouts contain a mix of ingredients that can help boost exercise performance, saving you the hassle of taking multiple supplements before your workout.

The ingredients vary from product to product, but commonly include caffeine, beta-alanine, taurine, creatine, and nitrates.

Which ingredients should you look out for in pre-workout?

Each ingredient in a pre-workout enhances performance in different ways. If you're looking to boost strength and muscular endurance, caffeine, beta-alanine, and creatine are essential ingredients. For endurance athletes, like runners and cyclists, caffeine may be the more important ingredient.

How does pre-workout work?

How pre-workouts work depends on their ingredients. Caffeine is a key ingredient in most pre-workouts and has been shown to increase time to exhaustion, delay perception of fatigue, and reduce perception of pain.2

Creatine can also aid in recovery between sets and increase training volume, helping you do more work in your session.