What is usually in them
- Caffeine: the main active ingredient, usually 150 to 300 mg per serving.
- Citrulline malate: for blood flow and pump, often underdosed in blends.
- Beta-alanine: causes the tingling feeling, for short hard efforts.
- Creatine: sometimes included, though a separate daily dose is more reliable.
- Artificial sweeteners and flavoring, no real performance role.
How to read the label
Check for a 'proprietary blend' listing, which hides exact amounts of each ingredient. Products that list individual doses let you actually judge whether you are getting a useful amount of each one.
Avoid double-stacking caffeine
If you already drink coffee, check your pre-workout's caffeine dose before adding it on top. Stacking coffee plus a 300 mg pre-workout plus an energy drink later can easily push you over 500 mg a day, which causes jitteriness and poor sleep for most people.
A sensible homemade mix
- 150 to 200 mg caffeine, from coffee or a plain caffeine source.
- 6 to 8 g citrulline malate.
- 3 to 6 g beta-alanine daily, not just pre-workout.
- Separate creatine dose taken daily, timing does not matter much.