Among many sports and fitness supplements, pre-workouts come in the most formulations, ingredients, and flavors making it a bit tricky for consumers to identify which product is the most suitable for their requirements and the legitimacy of its effectiveness.
A staple among bodybuilders and those in special muscle-building programs, pre-workouts are designed to give you a boost in your pumps, especially when you need that extra “in the zone” focus and stamina to finish your last rep. And there are great performing plant-based formulations that are suitable for vegans.
This article will cover the 5 best vegan pre workout supplements you’ll need to achieve your ideal fitness level while remaining healthy and strong in the long run. We thoroughly review our Top Pick, the Transparent Labs Pre-Workout, followed by a Buyer’s Guide and FAQs about the best vegan supplement, pros and cons, and much more.
Best Vegan Pre Workout at a Glance
If you're looking for a pre-workout supplement, this one from Transparent Labs might be worth a shot. It contains a sufficient amount and variety of essential amino acids to aid muscle growth, contains no unnecessary ingredients, and is simple to use. Clinical trials have shown that the majority of its ingredients are beneficial.
When looking for an affordable pre-workout supplements, Nitro Surge is one of the best value-for-money options. The most notable feature of Nitro Surge is that it contains the 'smart-caffeine' combination of Caffeine and L-Theanine.
When you need to "load up your guns" for intense workouts, 4 Gauge pre-workout is a good option. It is one of the most powerful options on the market based on the users who have tried every pre-workout on the market.
Transparent Labs Pre-Workout – Best Overall
What we like
- Third-party lab testing is performed on the products.
- The products specify how much of each ingredient is contained in each supplement.
- The majority, if not all, of the ingredients, have been linked to published research.
- Increases testosterone level for more pumps and weight cranks
- No jitters
What we don’t like
- Caffeine is present and can cause side effects.
- Only available for purchase on the internet
- A little expensive
The supplement contains significant pre-workout ingredients such as citrulline, beta-alanine, and betaine, which can increase stamina and energy levels. The attention on testosterone levels here could be suitable if you’re looking for a powerful formula that can aid in lean muscle growth.
The combination of vitamin D, zinc, and boron, which can greatly boost testosterone, is unusual in the industry, allowing the product to stand out from the crowd. Furthermore, this formula contains powerhouses like citrulline, beta-alanine, tyrosine, and caffeine.
While the price reflects its extensive ingredient list, we believe it is worth it for the potential gains you can expect if you use this pre-workout consistently.
Jacked Factory Nitro Surge – Best Value
What we like
- It’s effective in reducing fatigue caused by beta-alanine and l-theanine doses.
- The powder’s ease of use makes adjusting the dose much easier.
- Great fruit and vegetable flavors
- Helps you crank more weights and pumps from the boost of energy and focus
What we don’t like
Jacked Factory NITRO SURGE is an excellent vegan pre-workout supplement for those on a limited budget who still want a well-dosed supplement containing many main pre-workout components.
NITRO SURGE contains a moderate dose of caffeine that should not cause excessive palpitations, and almost all of its additional ingredients are well-researched and treated.
Furthermore, there are over 13 flavor options to choose from, which is well above the current market average.
And while this supplement does not contain creatine, and the citrulline concentration is slightly lower than advised if you use a single scoop, NITRO SURGE provides a solid product at a reasonable price.
4 Gauge Explosive Pre-Workout – Best Caffeine Free
What we like
- Excellent Ingredients
- Increases blood flow for more energy, oxygen, and focus to let you pump more
- Helps you train longer with increased stamina
- Zero caffeine so there are no jitters and crashes
What we don’t like
- Some users report intolerance to coconut ingredient
- Available in only one flavor
4 Gauge is a pre-workout supplement that uses a specific blend of natural components to improve physical performance and athleticism and overall physical performance in the gym.
Overall, the 4 Gauge pre-workout supplement seems quite impressive because it contains a strong number of ingredients in reasonable doses.
It’s encouraging to see ingredients like L-Citrulline DL-Malate, Creatine, and Caffeine included in the formula, and it’s also encouraging to see the doses for each ingredient.
Vega Sport Energizer – Best Caffeine Energizer
What we like
- Ingredients are derived from natural components.
- Vegan, gluten-free, and free of artificial sweeteners and flavors.
- Carbohydrates provide long-lasting energy.
- Natural sugars and caffeine provide an energy boost.
- Improves mental focus and endurance
- Each serving contains 60 calories.
What we don’t like
- Expensive
- It contains more sugar than other pre-workout supplements.
- Caffeine content is a bit higher with the tendency for crashes
- BCAAs are not present.
The Vega Sport Pre-Workout Energizer is primarily intended to get you in the zone for your workout. The supplement is made entirely of plant-based ingredients, with no artificial flavoring agents, colors, or artificial sweeteners.
In other words, the product is gluten-free, sugar-free, and informed-choice certified. Most importantly, it is plant-based, so vegans can enjoy it, and its use of organic plant-based components is a significant plus, and the fact that it is vegan certified may impress vegans who are new to bodybuilding. There are also 11 grams of caffeine from green tea extract.
Naked Energy – Best Natural Ingredients
What we like
- Ingredients that are entirely natural
- A pre-workout formula with extensive research
- This will energize you.
- It can help with endurance
- It alleviates fatigue.
- Excellent value
What we don’t like
- Taste and flavor can be improved
- The inclusion of creatine is more suitable for men users
This supplement begins with 2g of CarnoSyn Beta-Alanine per serving. Beta-alanine increases carnosine concentration levels in your muscles, improving endurance and reducing muscle fatigue.
Naked Energy also contains 1g of creatine monohydrate per serving, which helps to slow the progression of muscle soreness while increasing overall muscle volume.
You also get 1g of AjiPure L-Arginine, which helps your body produce more nitric oxide. During exercise, this results in increased blood flow and massive muscle pumps.
The supplement also contains 333mg of vitamin C, which may help improve your immune system. This is combined with effective doses of B vitamins, which are required for energy production and to fight off the feeling of fatigue.
Naked Energy is highly desirable as it comes in two flavors: Fruit Punch and Unflavored. The unflavored variety goes well with smoothies, fruit juices, cereal, oatmeal, and protein shakes.
Final Verdict
Selecting the perfect vegan pre-workout can be difficult, especially because there are so many factors to consider, such as ingredients, effectiveness, flavor, and side effects.
And that is why we made certain that our selection of the top vegan pre-workout supplements only included the best-performing products on the market, ensuring that you get excellent results.
With that said, we highly suggest the Transparent Labs Pre Workout as the best vegan pre workout because it is very effective at boosting energy levels, promoting organic muscle strength, and focusing on your training. Alternatively, if you’re looking for the best value, you can also get the Jacked Factory Nitro Surge.
Buying Guide
Transparency of Ingredients
Most pre-workout supplements, and not just pre-workout formulas, use proprietary blends, which means you know the ingredients but not the total amount.
If you carry out research and discover that a particular component is only effective in certain volumes, it’s impossible to determine whether or not a product that contains a unique blend is efficient, and this demonstrates a complete lack of transparency.
As a result, we’ve only included those transparent with the components in the list above and have no problem revealing exactly what they’ve used in the process.
Ultimately, if what you prefer is not on the list above, be mindful of the product’s transparency of the ingredients included to prevent any complications in the future.
Effectiveness
The most noticeable and significant factor to consider when buying vegan pre-workout powder is how they function. The product’s effectiveness will be the most important factor to consider when purchasing. But to choose a pre-workout supplement for its effectiveness, here are some things to consider:
- Vitamin and Minerals
These are important for maintaining balance in your health, but they also impact your physical and mental performance, energy levels, and psychological well-being. Many pre-workout supplements contain supplemental doses, which can be extremely beneficial in having to balance out the increased stress and demand on your body.
- Caffeine Content
Caffeine is the central focus in most pre-workouts and has a wide range of stunning performance influences, including increased wakefulness, fatigue resistance, and even energy output. Your pre-workout should contain between 250 and 400mg of natural caffeine.
- Performance Enhancers:
Compounds like beta-alanine are essential for a good pre-workout because these substances, along with creatine, citrulline, and cholinergic compounds, all contribute to improving your workout performance.
Manufacturing Standards
Products should ideally be manufactured and stored in a cGMP facility to ensure quality. Some businesses will hire a third party to perform independent testing, such as NSF, Informed Choice, or Informed-Sport.
These large corporations will not only test products for banned substances but also the facilities where the products are manufactured.
Although you may not be an athlete, athletes will usually only use products and services from companies that conduct third-party testing because questionable supplements are likely to contain qualities or compounds that will cause the athlete to test positive for illegal substances.
Side Effects
Side effects are often unavoidable when it comes to using supplements, but this does not always indicate that there is something wrong with the product, as one person may encounter a side effect while another does not.
However, natural pre-workout supplement should only contain ingredients that are typically regarded as safe for most people and have a low risk of causing unpleasantness or other harmful consequences. User feedback can also be used to determine the overall quality of the product.
However, if we had to pick one ingredient, it would be caffeine, a stimulant for your nervous system. If you haven’t developed a strong tolerance to the dose, you may experience severe side effects such as jitters, anxiety, heart palpitations, and so on.
