Best Nootropics Pre Workout At A Glance
Best L-Theanine Supplement
L-Theanine By Double Wood
L-Theanine is a unique amino acid and an excellent component of pre-workout supplements as it enhances recovery and also lowers blood pressure, allowing people with high blood pressure to participate in activities that would otherwise be dangerous.
Best Taurine Supplement
Taurine By Life Extension
Taurine is a naturally occurring amino sulfuric acid that is especially abundant in your eyes, heart, and muscles. Studies show that taurine removes waste products that cause fatigue and muscle burn. It can also help in fat burning during exercise, making it an excellent pre-workout supplement.
Best Alpha GPC Supplement
Alpha GPC By Double Wood Supplements
Alpha GPC boosts energy and output as well as promotes rapid post-workout recovery.
Best L-Tyrosine Supplement
L-Tyrosine By Thorne
L-Tyrosine is an amino acid that improves cognitive capabilities under stress and sharpens focus.
Best Huperzine A Supplement
Huperzine-A By Double Wood Supplements
Huperzine A is a substance derived from a plant called Chinese club moss (Huperzia Serrata). It is used as a workout enhancer because it improves focus and is usually combined with other supplements in bodybuilding.
Best Theobromine Supplement
Theobromine By Bulk Supplements
Theobromine is a bitter-tasting alkaloid from the cocoa tree. The main advantage of theobromine over caffeine is that it provides a slow-onset, mild, and long-lasting energy.
Best Ginseng Supplement
Panax Ginseng Extract By Double Wood Supplements
Panax Ginseng has been used since ancient times by the Chinese And Koreans to help with inflammation, as it reduces oxidative stress by triggering the antioxidant enzymes. It is also known to boost energy and reduce both physical and mental fatigue.
Best Yohimbe Supplement
Yohimbe Extract By Bulk Supplements
The libido booster Yohimbe is sometimes used as a pre-workout supplement due to its ability to aid in weight loss and physical performance. It contains yohimbine, an active ingredient that promotes weight loss by blocking the alpha-2 adrenergic receptors found in fat cells.
Nootropics are taking the fitness world by storm because of their numerous benefits to the mind and body. Although nootropics are specifically designed to boost cognitive performance, many athletes are turning to nootropics because they help in training and bodybuilding. Nootropics support improved physical strength, focus, and muscle recovery without the post-workout ‘crash’ that follows the use of most traditional pre-workout supplements.
While traditional pre-workout supplements have stolen the limelight because of the “hype” they give to the user, they can actually hinder your performance. Most pre-workout powders contain a lot of sugar and caffeine which raise your heart rate and impair both physical and cogntive function.
On the other hand, most nootropics deliver a cleaner energy boost that lasts longer rather than giving you a temporary boost of energy. They are mostly made out of ingredients extracted from different plants or other natural substances. They enhance mental functions such as memory, creativity, motivation, and attention.
Nootropic Pre Workout
Nootropic supplements can be derived both naturally and synthetically. They generally don’t contain caffeine, which is why the fitness industry has seen a massive boom in nootropics. They provide all the benefits of caffeine like focus, motivation, and alertness without the adverse effects such as energy crashes and extreme nervousness.
Best Nootropics For Energy And Best Nootropics For Weight Loss
Whether you want to improve focus while training, build more muscle, or lose fat, nootropic pre-workout supplements can help provide an edge on your competition. Below I’ve compiled the best nootropic pre-workouts for energy and the best nootropics for weight loss so that you can decide which ones are best for your specific goals.
Best L-Theanine Supplement
L-Theanine By Double Wood
L-Theanine is a unique amino acid and an excellent addition to pre-workout supplements because it promotes good sleep and allows the body to recover much faster. It also lowers blood pressure, allowing people with high blood pressure to participate in activities that would otherwise be dangerous.
Double Wood’s L-Theanine comes with 120 capsules and each capsule contains 200mg of l-theanine. This product is valued at $18.95, making it come out to just under $0.16 per serving.
It is recommended for adults to take 1-2 capsules per day.
Dosages should be spaced out by at least 3-4 hours and consumers should not exceed the use of 8 capsules within 24 hours.
Best Taurine Supplement
Taurine By Life Extension
Taurine is a naturally occurring amino sulfuric acid that is especially abundant in your eyes, heart, and muscles. Studies show that taurine removes waste products that cause fatigue and muscle burn. It can also help in fat burning during exercise, making it an excellent pre-workout supplement.
Life Extension offers 90 vegetarian capsules of taurine for only $9.75. Each capsule contains 1,000 mg of L-taurine and it is recommended to take one capsule one to three times daily.
Although taurine has been discovered to be effective at doses as low as 500mg, it is advised for most people to take 1,000-2,000 mg per day.
Best Alpha GPC Supplement
Alpha GPC By Double Wood Supplements
Alpha GPC, also known as L-Alpha glycerylphosphorylcholineis a nootropic that promotes rapid post-workout recovery. Several studies have shown that it boosts energy, including one in which a subject was given a 600mg dose of Alpha GPC 90 minutes before performing a bench press. It increased the weight lifted by 14%. Another study also concluded that it effectively increases lower body force production after six days of supplementation.
Alpha GPC by Double Wood is available in capsule form for $19.95. Each bottle contains 60 capsules with each capsule providing 300mg. It is recommended to take 2 capsules per serving and consumers should not exceed a dosage of 1200 mg per day.
Best L-Tyrosine Supplement
L-Tyrosine By Thorne
L-Tyrosine is an amino acid that improves cognitive capabilities under stress. L-tyrosine, when taken as a supplement, has been shown to significantly improve cognition in stressful situations, effectively canceling out deficits in memory and information processing caused by environmental stressors such as extreme weather or intense cognitive demand. Since exercise puts an individual under a lot of stress, L-Tyrosine is usually included in pre-workouts.
L-Tyrosine by Thorne contains 90 capsules and is available for $22.00. Each capsule contains 500mg of l-tyrosine and it is recommended for adults to take 1 capsule three times daily.
Best Huperzine A Supplement
Huperzine-A By Double Wood Supplements
Huperzine A is a substance derived from a plant called Chinese club moss (Huperzia Serrata). It is typically used as a treatment for Alzheimer’s disease because it acts as a cholinesterase inhibitor, used to prevent the breakdown of acetylcholine, a chemical essential to learning and memory.
Huperzine A is used as a workout enhancer because it improves focus. It is usually combined with other supplements in bodybuilding.
Double Wood Supplements offers 120 tablets of huperzine-a for $19.95. Each tablet contains 200 mcg of huperzine-A and it is recommended to take one tablet 2-3 times per week or 1 tablet daily for 2 weeks, followed by 1 week off.
Best Theobromine Supplement
Theobromine By Bulk Supplements
Another great source of energy is Theobromine, a natural substance found in chocolate (cocoa). It is a close chemical relative of caffeine and could help improve workout intensity. It blocks adenosine receptors, leading to less fatigue and pain during exercise and allowing the user to exercise longer. It also increases blood flow which then delivers more oxygen to working muscles.
If you’re looking for a pre-workout alternative to caffeine, but want to have stimulating properties similar to caffeine, then theobromine is your best bet.
Bulk Supplements offers theobromine in pure powder form, ranging in quantities from 25 grams to 5 kilograms (11 lbs). Each 25-gram bag costs $14.96 and contains around 50-100 servings, assuming the average consumer uses around 250-500 mg daily.
Best Ginseng Supplement
Panax Ginseng Extract By Double Wood Supplements
Panax Ginseng has been used since ancient times by the Chinese And Koreans to help with inflammation, as it reduces oxidative stress by triggering the antioxidant enzymes. It is also known to boost energy and reduce both physical and mental fatigue.
It is best described as an adaptogen, which aids the body to “adapt” to stress. It can help in exercise recovery, particularly if your workout program places stress on your muscles and body that they are not accustomed to.
Double Wood Supplements offers 240 capsules of panax ginseng for $19.95 and each capsule contains 500 mg of Korean Red Panax Ginseng that’s standardized to 10%.
It is recommended to take 2-4 500 mg capsules per day and to not exceed 6 capsules per day.
Best Yohimbe Supplement
Yohimbe Extract By Bulk Supplements
The libido booster Yohimbe is sometimes used as a pre-workout supplement due to its ability to aid in weight loss and physical performance. It contains yohimbine, an active ingredient that promotes weight loss by blocking the alpha-2 adrenergic receptors found in fat cells.
This could promote flight or fight effects such as alertness, stimulation, energy, euphoria, and possibly accelerate fat loss. Another study from 2002 suggested that when yohimbine is taken in a fasted state before exercise increases lipolysis (fat burning) and serum-free fatty acid levels.
Bulk Supplements offers yohimbe extract in powder form. You can purchase it in quantities ranging from 3.5 oz to 11 lbs.
Each serving provides 250 mg of yohimbe that’s standardized to contain at least 2% yohimbine. It’s recommended to take one serving daily.
Studies And Research You Can Read About L-Citrulline
- Effects of Pre-Workout Supplements on Strength, Endurance, and Mood (Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice, 2018)
- The effects of a multi-ingredient cognitive formula on alertness, focus, motivation, calmness and psychomotor performance in comparison to caffeine and placebo (Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 2014 )
- Establishing Natural Nootropics: Recent Molecular Enhancement Influenced by Natural Nootropic (Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine, 2016 )
- L-theanine, a natural constituent in tea, and its effect on mental state (Asia Pacific journal of clinical nutrition, 2008)
- The effects of L-theanine (Suntheanine®) on objective sleep quality in boys with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial (Alternative medicine review, 2011)
- Effects of L-theanine or caffeine intake on changes in blood pressure under physical and psychological stresses (Journal of physiological anthropology, 2012)
- Effect of taurine supplementation on exercise capacity of patients with heart failure (Journal of cardiology, 2011)
- Role of taurine supplementation to prevent exercise-induced oxidative stress in healthy young men (Amino acids, 2004)
- The effect of acute taurine ingestion on endurance performance and metabolism in well-trained cyclists (International journal of sport nutrition and exercise metabolism, 2010)
- Acute supplementation with alpha-glycerylphosphorylcholine augments growth hormone response to, and peak force production during, resistance exercise (Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 2008)
- The effect of 6 days of alpha glycerylphosphorylcholine on isometric strength (Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 2015)
- Tyrosine improves cognitive performance and reduces blood pressure in cadets after one week of a combat training course (Brain research bulletin, 1999)
- Huperzine A in the Treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease and Vascular Dementia: A Meta-Analysis (Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2014 )
- The relevance of theobromine for the beneficial effects of cocoa consumption (Frontiers in pharmacology, 2015)
- Actoprotective effect of ginseng: improving mental and physical performance (Journal of ginseng research, 2013)
- The mechanism of action of alpha 2 adrenoceptor blockers as revealed by effects on open field locomotion and escape reactions in the shuttle-box (Psychopharmacology, 1997)
- Pre-exercise administration of yohimbine may enhance the efficacy of exercise training as a fat loss strategy by boosting lipolysis (Medical hypotheses, 2002)
Editor’s note: we are regularly updating this review. If you see any problems, weird interpretations of the data, or just want to say hi, please reach out to hello@the-unwinder.com.
Photo by Gabe Pierce on Unsplash
