What are the best pre-workout supplements (Performance Enhancing Supplements) for exercise?

Best Pre-Workout Supplements for Exercise Performance

The three supplements with the strongest evidence for improving exercise performance are caffeine (3-6 mg/kg body weight), creatine (20g/day loading, then 3-5g/day maintenance), and beta-alanine (65 mg/kg daily for 4-12 weeks), with caffeine and creatine having the most robust supporting data. 1

Evidence-Based Supplement Recommendations

Caffeine: First-Line Choice

Caffeine is the most well-supported pre-workout supplement with clear performance benefits across multiple domains 1:

• Dosing protocol: 3-6 mg/kg body weight consumed approximately 60 minutes before exercise 1, 2

  • For a 70kg person, this equals roughly 210-420mg
  • Lower doses (<3 mg/kg, ~200mg) can be provided before and at mid-session with carbohydrates 1

• Performance benefits: Reduces perception of fatigue, enhances endurance, improves repeated sprint performance, enhances skill and fine motor control, and improves cognitive function 1, 2

• Mechanism: Acts as a central nervous system stimulant and adenosine receptor antagonist 1

• Important caveats: Response is highly individual with potential side effects including anxiety, nausea, insomnia, tremors, and reduced sleep quality at high doses 1. More serious effects include tachycardia and arrhythmias 1. Start with lower doses to assess individual response 1

Creatine: Strong Second Choice

Creatine has robust evidence for improving high-intensity repeated sprint performance and training adaptations 1:

• Loading protocol: ~20g/day divided into four equal doses for 5-7 days 1, 2

• Maintenance protocol: 3-5g/day as a single dose for the duration of supplementation 1, 2

• Alternative approach: Lower dose of 2-5g/day for 28 days avoids the 1-2kg body mass increase associated with loading 1

• Performance benefits: Improves high-intensity repeated sprint performance, enhances training capacity and chronic adaptations (muscle strength, power, and lean body mass), and may support brain function 1

• Mechanism: Increases muscle creatine stores, enhancing phosphocreatine resynthesis 1

• Practical tip: Concurrent consumption with ~50g protein and carbohydrates may enhance muscle creatine uptake via insulin stimulation 1

Beta-Alanine: Conditional Third Choice

Beta-alanine has contradictory evidence and is less robust than caffeine or creatine 1, 3, 4:

• Dosing: ~65 mg/kg body weight daily (up to 6.4g/day) via split-dose regimen (0.8-1.6g every 3-4 hours) 1, 3, 4
• Duration: Requires 4-12 weeks of supplementation 1, 3, 4
• Potential benefits: May improve high-intensity exercise and repeated sprint performance 1
• Mechanism: Increases muscle carnosine, an important intracellular buffer 1, 4
• Side effects: Possible skin tingling (paresthesia) and rashes 1, 3, 4

Multi-Ingredient Pre-Workout Supplements (MIPS)

Multi-ingredient products are generally not recommended over individual ingredients due to proprietary blends, undisclosed dosages, and lack of superior efficacy 5, 6:

• Most MIPS contain proprietary blends where 44.3% of ingredients have undisclosed amounts 7
• Average beta-alanine content in commercial MIPS is below efficacious doses 7
• One study showed caffeine alone was more ergogenic than a MIPS containing caffeine 8
• Evidence for MIPS is "scant, inconclusive, or conflicting" 5

Critical Safety Considerations

Contamination Risk

15-25% of sports supplements may contain undeclared prohibited substances 1, 3, 2:

• Use only supplements that have undergone third-party testing 3, 2, 4
• Presence of a prohibited substance is not an acceptable excuse for athletes subject to testing 1
• Choose products recommended by sports dietitians or approved by medical professionals 2

Testing Before Competition

Always trial supplements during training before using in competition due to large inter-individual variability in response 3, 2

Nutritional Foundations (Often More Important Than Supplements)

Carbohydrate Strategies

• Pre-exercise: High carbohydrate snack 3-4 hours before exercise 1
• During exercise: 30-60g/hour for 1-2.5 hour duration; >90g/hour for >2.5 hours 1
• Post-exercise: ≥1.2g/kg/hour for 4-6 hours after glycogen-depleting exercise 1

Protein Requirements

• Daily intake: 1.2-2g/kg body weight distributed throughout the day 1
• Women exercising 1.5 hours/day need at least 1.6g/kg/day during follicular phase 1

Micronutrients

Only supplement when deficiency is identified 2:

• Vitamin D, iron, and calcium are most commonly deficient in athletes 1, 2

Practical Algorithm

1. Start with caffeine (3-6 mg/kg, 60 minutes pre-exercise) if no contraindications 1, 2
2. Add creatine if training involves high-intensity repeated efforts (loading: 20g/day for 5-7 days, then 3-5g/day maintenance) 1, 2
3. Consider beta-alanine only for specific high-intensity activities lasting 1-4 minutes, with realistic expectations about modest benefits 1, 3, 4
4. Avoid multi-ingredient proprietary blends in favor of individual ingredients with known dosages 5, 7, 8
5. Prioritize proper nutrition (adequate carbohydrates, protein, and micronutrients) before adding supplements 1, 2