10/14/2025
"Preworkout supplements are bad. They are not good for you."
I'm sure either you have said this or you have heard someone say it. Are they really bad for you? Let's break them down.
What is a preworkout? It is a supplement (usually in powder form) that you take to elevate performance, energy, endurance, and strength. Other effects can include better cognition, mood enhancement, and blood flow.
What are common active ingredients found in preworkouts? Citrulline, Betaine (Trimethylglycine), Beta Alanine, Caffeine, Tyrosine, Nitrates, Choline, Polyphenols, Taurine, Creatine, BCAAs, and a plethora of trademarked ingredients that have been proven to aid in a specific ergogenic effect.
Let's start with the most common ingredients that are found in 95% of all preworkouts: Citrulline, Betaine, Beta Alanine, and Caffeine.
Citrulline is almost always the first ingredient listed on a preworkout. Why? Because it is a proven vasodilator via the citrulline-arginine nitric oxide pathway. In layman's terms, citrulline enhances blood flow, improves strength, and can elevate performance.
Betaine Anhydrous (Trimethylglycine) has a variety of functions in the body, where it aids in cellular hydration, liver protection, and regulates homocysteine levels. Betaine has been shown to help with hydration levels, endurance, and strength.
Beta Alanine is an interesting one. It is an amino acid that elevates carnosine levels, which aids in muscle function and endurance. Most people know Beta Alanine as what gives them the itchy tingly feeling.
Caffeine is an easy one. This reduces fatigue and tiredness, while raising adrenaline, but this isn't the only reason it's in preworkouts. Caffeine has been proven to increase strength, focus, and overall exercise capacity.
Overall, the majority of preworkout ingredients actually IMPROVE organ function and total body health. The only ingredient to be cognizant of is caffeine and other stimulants, as not everyone responds to them the same. But there are options that include high amounts of caffeine, mid-range amounts of caffeine, low, or zero caffeine. The key is finding what is best for you.
Take the stimulants out of preworkouts and you have a concoction that can lower blood pressure, improve blood flow, brain function, hydration, liver function, kidney function, and overall muscle performance and endurance.
Even with stimulants, assuming you respond to them well and process them out well, you can experience the same effects.
So what makes a preworkout bad? Great question. I still haven't found the answer. Many "supplement snobs" love to bastardize what they deem "fillers and additives." But if you're making a powdered supplement don't you want it to taste at least tolerable? That's why there are sweeteners and flavors. Do you want the powder to last and not be clumpy? That's why there are flow agents and excipients.
Unfortunately, we are currently living in a time where people are hyper-focused on the inactive ingredients in supplements. My opinion on why this is happening- it's easy to be ignorant. It's easy to speak on something negatively. But generally these people can't tell you one thing about the ACTIVE ingredients- the part that actually makes it an effective supplement 🤣
But if after reading all this you still want to tell me that sucralose, natural flavors, and silica are what make preworkouts unhealthy, I have two words: educate yourself. These are doing NOTHING to you other than making the powder drinkable.
Do you need a preworkout? Absolutely not.
Can a preworkout improve your overall workout performance? Most definitely.
Is a preworkout healthy? There is a very strong argument to say YES.
