When it comes to pre-workouts...
There are so many ways a company can go about with formulations.
This means you don't need to have certain ingredients to have a great workout.
You're here because you don't want creatine in your pre-workout.
It's a cheap ingredient to get in bulk so there's no reason why you can't have the choice to include it in your pre-workout or not.
Here we've collected the best pre-workouts without creatine...
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Wrecked is one of the few pre-workouts with 8g of pure citrulline and it packs over 30g of ingredients per serving.
Containing over 22g per serving, Bulk contains full doses of ergogenic aids and a range of nootropics as well as stimulants to help enhance energy.
We've looked and tried many pre-workouts and have found the best ones.
These pre-workouts without creatine will help reduce fatigue and improve performance and focus.
After months of research and testing, these are the ones that you should consider.
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Wrecked is one of the few pre-workouts with 8g of pure citrulline and it packs over 30g of ingredients per serving.
Wrecked is one of the best pre-workouts to come out recently.
Not only is it a monster formula, but it is disclosed completely.
Not a single ingredient is under a prop blend, it’s what we like to see.
It uses ingredients that will help with pumps, energy, and focus.
The stimulant blend starts with a big dose of caffeine at 300mg along with other forms of stimulants.
And it continues with eria jarensis, theobromine, and alpha yohimbine.
Wrecked also helps with pumps and size by using a huge blend of ergogenic aids like 8g citrulline, 3.5g beta-alanine, 3g betaine anhydrous, and much more.
This blend of stimulants and performance aids will help with long-lasting pumps and energy from all angles.
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PreSeries Bulk is one of those pre workouts that'll never fade away.
It's not a “buy it once, get the amazing-energy, and build up tolerance” type of preworkout.
It has no hype or marketing that leads it to it's success.
Because it's jam packed with massive but proven doses of ingredients like 6 grams of citrulline malate, 4 grams of beta alanine, 4 grams of BCAA's, 2.5 grams of betaine anhydrous, and a whole lot more.
Not to mention the nootropic and energy aspect…
It has 500mg of choline, 180mg of caffeine, and a little bit of theanine for Jedi-like focus.
21 ingredients all to support one goal and that's muscle gains!
PreSeries Bulk is one pre workout that is made with future-proof ingredients.
Testosterone support, nitric oxide boosters, BCAA's, this has got it all.
It gives some nice smooth, long lasting energy however with the help of the massively dosed l-theanine and caffeine.
Bulk is one pre workout that can seriously enhance performance and recovery.
If you can't handle the beta-alanine, try PreSeries Lean which has less beta alanine and less BCAA's but features a fat burning blend.
It’s hard to find a pre workout that is not only strong, but has a reputation for clean formulas without being too expensive.
Hooligan is the solution to these problems.
It uses a monster dose of caffeine at 600mg, along with performance aids including lion’s mane, alpha GPC and betaine HCl.
Nothing is underdosed.
It’s a lot and if you haven’t taken more than 300mg caffeine before, then you’ll definitely want to start with half a scoop.
This is easily one of the best pre workouts to get without exotic stimulants, and it even performs better than most exotic pre workouts.
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We’re not one to fall for flashy branding but Alpha Lion has superb formulas that are wrapped around cool looking branding.
While they look expensive, they are actually competitively priced, making it a worthy contender for this list.
For the muscle building blend, it has your basic citrulline malate and beta alanine, but it goes up another level with 750mg NitroSigine and 100mg S7.
Both of these are excellent nitric oxide boosters.
On top of the nitric oxide ingredients, there’s a big stimulant blend of 400mg caffeine, along with n-methyl tyramine and theobromine.
These together will create a strong energy blend and it’s smoothed out with the huge 350mg dose of theanine.
The focus coming from Superhuman will be long lasting and smooth, without a crash.
This means even after your workout, you’ll still feel that energy.
If you prefer the exotic version, containing DMHA and eria jarensis, then check out our review on the Supreme version here.
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When it comes to pre workouts that come with everything, it’s hard to find them.
However El Jefe is quite literally the boss of pre workouts.
Its clinically dosed formula is made for enhancing performance and energy.
It starts off massive with 7g citrulline malate, then the tingles will kick in from the 4g beta alanine.
And it doesn’t end there.
The pumps are strong, with 1.5g Nitrosigine and 2g taurine. Both of these will help muscles fill up and look bigger.
ElevATP, along with beta alanine, betaine and citrulline malate will fight fatigue and help increase strength / power.
The stimulant mix is in a prop blend, but it’s a big mix from potent fast acting to smoother and longer lasting stimulants.
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If strength and energy is important to you, then perhaps you’ll want to be an Immortal X.
Puns aside, this pre workout is one of the best.
When it comes to energy, it has you covered with 550mg caffeine, along with theobromine, synephrine, halostachine and yohimbine.
There’s 3 forms of caffeine here, so you’ll not only get fast acting caffeine, but also medium to slow digesting.
Not to mention the hard hitters which include synephrine, halostachine, and yohimbine.
The yohimbine dosage is small at 2mg so if you’re sensitive to that, this might be a good dose for you.
Defiant unleashed is an exotic pre workout, but it still includes muscle building ingredients that will help with gains.
The problem with all around pre workouts is that they usually contain everything needed for increasing muscle growth but the stimulants are often an afterthought.
But Defiant Unleashed has turned this around by using 250mg eria jarensis along with 200mg DMHA with 3 clinically dosed performance boosters.
It uses 8g citrulline, 3.2g beta alanine, and 1g choline. These 3 ingredients will not only help with muscle size but it will also help fight physical and mental fatigue.
You’ll be able to squeeze out more reps and sustain higher intensity before giving out.
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One of the most researched supplements is creatine.
With hundreds of studies proving its safety and efficiency, it's no wonder it's such a reliable muscle builder.
Even more than turkesterone!
But it's not required to be in your pre-workout.
In fact, you can take it anytime in the day, so there's no reason why pre-workout companies need to have it in their formulas.
This means you can either combine it with your pre-workout, you can take it in your protein shake, or any other time without any issues.
You'll still be maximizing your creatine storage.
So what makes a good pre-workout without creatine?
A solid formula behind a pre-workout should be:
The part about the natural flavoring and coloring is completely up to you.
There are great pre-workouts with natural flavoring and coloring like Transparent Labs Bulk and Pre-Kaged.
What is creatine?
Creatine is a natural amino acid derivative that can be found in your body's muscle cells.
It can be created from glycine and arginine, or it can be consumed from a diet like red meat and fish.
But getting enough creatine from foods is unrealistic so this is where supplementation comes in handy.
How does it work?
Creatine works by increasing ATP production.
ATP production is the body's energy source for high-intensity exercises like jumping, sprinting, and lifting.
When you use ATP, it turns into ADP (adenosine di-phosphate).
When you have enough creatine, it can be stored in muscle cells as phosphocreatine which can help turn ADP back into ATP.
It can also boost protein synthesis by enhancing water retention in muscles.
Does it have any negative side effects?
Creatine doesn't have any serious negative side effects but it can cause unwanted issues like weight gain (water retention increases in muscles so it can increase body weight) and some digestive issues can occur (bloating, gas, diarrhea).
These side effects are unlikely to happen when consumed in moderate doses of 3-5 grams.
They likely happen if you consume 10 grams or more.
Creatine is still very safe and well-researched.
But it doesn't need to be in your pre-workouts so you don't have to consume it in a pre-workout.
Can I mix my own creatine with pre-workout?
Yes, you can.
This is not a bad thing to do, creatine will still work.
Can I replace my pre-workout with creatine?
You can but creatine is a single ingredient while pre-workouts are usually made out of multiple ingredients that can increase endurance, power, and strength.
Creatine doesn't have caffeine and it won't replace a pre-workout.
But it does go well with a pre-workout since it can be used for strength and energy.
