Pre-workout powders are gaining increasing popularity
If you’ve trained your social media algorithms to deliver even minimal fitness content, browsing your TikTok feed can feel like wandering the aisles of a vitamin store. Fitness vloggers often feature a prominent package of so-called pre-workout powder: Just mix one scoop in a glass of water, drink it before a workout, and you’ll instantly become more efficient and energized during your workout.
That’s the intended benefit, anyway. But the reality is more of a gamble.
“Pre-workouts,” packaged powders containing at least a dozen supplements—and usually more—began as a self-preparation craze among bodybuilders and weightlifters in the early 2000s. “There were only a handful on the market back then,” says Andrew Jagim, director of sports medicine research at the Mayo Clinic Health System, who has studied pre-workout supplements. By 2010, hundreds of pre-workout supplement brands had appeared on the market.
Now, social media platforms—particularly TikTok, where fitness “journeys” feature regular updates on what people are consuming—have helped these supplements reach a wider audience and become more widely available.
The pandemic has pushed things forward. When the COVID-19 pandemic closed gyms and dismantled workout programs, pre-workout powders seemed like an easy way for many to maintain their fitness.
What are pre-workouts?
While protein powders help provide a single nutrient during workout recovery, pre-workout supplements promise a different set of ingredients designed for immediate use during exercise.
Mixtures generally fall into two categories: “stimulant” and “non-stimulant.” Pre-workout stimulants, or energizers, contain caffeine, while non-stimulant options claim to enhance alertness and focus through one or more nootropic ingredients like taurine, whose benefits have not been conclusively proven. Both types of pre-workout supplements often contain a few other key ingredients, including beta-alanine, an amino acid that helps produce a compound that prevents muscle burn (but can cause a tingling sensation that some users dislike). Formulas also often contain creatine for energy, as well as citrulline, another amino acid that, in specific doses, may help increase blood flow.
But even if you read the ingredients on the back of a pre-workout supplement, you may not be any closer to knowing what’s in it or what benefits you’re getting, says Jagim. “Studies consistently show that the actual content of some of these products doesn’t always match what’s on the label,” he adds. Dosages—and even ingredients—aren’t always clearly labeled, because dietary supplements, like pre-workouts, aren’t subject to the same stringent FDA regulations as pharmaceuticals.
Manufacturers can obscure the quantities and information about key ingredients by labeling them as part of “proprietary blends.” In a 2019 study examining the top 100 pre-workout products on the market, Jagim and his colleagues found that of the 18 ingredients in the supplement, approximately eight to ten were listed as such blends, so their quantities were not disclosed. Of the ingredients whose quantities were disclosed, some, such as beta-alanine, were added in very small quantities, potentially reducing their effectiveness.
Aside from caffeine, many of the ingredients included in pre-workout supplements only become effective after reaching certain levels of repeated dosing. In other words, if you take a pre-workout supplement once a week before a fitness class, “you’re just paying for the really expensive caffeine,” says Jagim.
Health Risks of Pre-Workout Supplements
Jajim says the biggest risk of wasting money is that the mix you buy may contain substances not listed on the label, including illegal substances with documented health risks, such as “amphetamine-like compounds and anabolic steroid derivatives.” He adds that more than 30 studies conducted over the past two decades have “pulled these products off the shelves, tested them in the lab, and looked for these different types of illegal substances.” The results are often alarming. A 2021 study that analyzed 30 different commercially available sports supplements found that more than a third contained traces of anabolic steroids. For this reason, products like pre-workout supplements are often discouraged among college and professional athletes. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued regular warnings regarding bodybuilding products such as pre-workout supplements. Although it has sent warning letters to some companies found to be using illegal ingredients, the agency is unable to monitor the entire industry.
Methylhexaneamine, also known as DMAA, is one of the most common illegal ingredients in pre-workout products. It is an amphetamine derivative similar to the active ingredients in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medications. While you’re unlikely to find a pre-workout product advertising its DMAA content in stores, dozens of brands—mostly based outside the United States—advertise the chemical and its analogues in their blends, and many are even sold on sites like Amazon. DMAA, which constricts blood vessels, can pose risks to the heart, lungs, and other organs. These effects can also be exaggerated when combined with other stimulants, such as caffeine, making its presence in unlabeled blends even more dangerous.
Jajim says this doesn’t mean there’s no safe way to use a pre-workout. Independent organizations, such as Informed Sport and BSCG, run programs to test and certify the contents of popular supplements on the market. Products that guarantee they contain only what they claim carry a seal of approval on the label. Jajim says that if you’re shopping for supplements, always pay attention to third-party verification marks. It’s equally important to stick to the company’s recommended dosage, because some ingredients that are safe and effective in small amounts can be dangerous if you double or triple your pre-workout scoop. Jajim adds that caffeine, in particular, can quickly add up in some of these scoops.
Caffeine is also a major reason why experts don’t recommend pre-workout scoops for teens. “It’s not the healthiest habit for younger athletes,” Jajim says. Most of the individual supplements in these blends haven’t been adequately tested in children or teens, and large amounts of caffeine alone in some blends can lead to sleep disturbances and more.
Who Uses This Substance?
Because companies can’t make unsubstantiated health claims about their products regarding disease risks and treatments, pre-workout brands market them as lifestyle products—invoking aspirational ideas about who you are and what you do. Some popular brands have names like “I Am God,” “Superpump Aggression,” and “Harambe’s Blood”—and that’s because companies understand their customers’ language. Angela Espersen, senior brand strategist at creative agency Mormer, says that the growing purchasing power of Gen Z is driving wellness trends now. “They’re more fitness-oriented than millennials, and I think we’re seeing a big shift in the direction of many brands because they don’t want to miss out,” she says.
While millennials may have shamelessly shunned such artificial products during the “natural”-oriented health movements of years past, the current popularity of pre-workouts reflects shifting priorities. “Psychologically, our awareness of our physical appearance is higher than ever,” Espersen says. “There’s this eye-catching personality, and I think that’s why these products are being used.”
Wellness products are also being exploited for sensational social media hype, leading people to use pre-workout supplements in potentially dangerous ways. TikTok videos show them being added to jello drinks, slushies, and homemade fruit snacks. People add two or three tablespoons of water, envelop the fruit, mix them with alcohol, and even inhale them. The most popular of these tricks is “dry scooping,” which means skipping the water altogether to get a dose of dry powder. (Jajim says dry scooping can be counterproductive, since many pre-workout ingredients, including creatine, require adequate hydration to work in the body.)
Given their widespread popularity online, it can be easy to feel like you’re not a true fitness pro unless you’ve used a pre-workout supplement. But many people—Jajim included—have been lifting for years without these ingredients. A sip of coffee with your favorite snack will fuel you well.
