Key ingredient

Caffeine

Research dose

3–6 mg/kg

Evidence: Strong Taken before training: what counts is the amount in the serving you take. The amount scales with bodyweight; product pages use 75 kg unless you change it.

In our pre-workout label study, 44 of 52 best-selling pre-workouts list caffeine and 12 reach the research dose.

Upper reference: the FDA cites 400 mg a day for most healthy adults as an amount not generally associated with negative effects. Methodology rule: a single serving of 400 mg or more is "too much".

Our guide goes further: How much caffeine is really in your pre-workout?

Upper reference: 400 mg a day. One serving at or above it is marked “too much”.

Sources

Guest NS, VanDusseldorp TA, Nelson MT, et al. International society of sports nutrition position stand: caffeine and exercise performance. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2021;18(1):1.
Supports the research dose. Where: Abstract, position 3: "doses of 3-6 mg/kg body mass". Read the source, checked 7 Oct 2026.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Spilling the Beans: How Much Caffeine is Too Much? Consumer Update (content current as of 28 August 2024).
Supports the upper reference. Where: Section "Daily Caffeine Consumption for Most Adults": "400 milligrams a day". Read the source, checked 7 Oct 2026.

Caffeine pills we've checked

20 caffeine pills, each judged on how much a day its label's own directions give. See them all, ranked.

In the pre-workouts we've checked

Product	Per scoop	Verdict
1st Phorm Project-1	300 mg	Effective dose
Kaged Pre-Kaged Elite	388 mg	Effective dose
NutraBio PRE	350 mg	Effective dose
Alpha Lion SuperHuman Supreme	300 mg	Effective dose
BSN N.O.-Xplode Vaso	300 mg	Effective dose
Ghost Legend	300 mg	Effective dose
Legion Pulse	175 mg	Effective dose
Nutrex Outlift	380 mg	Effective dose
Transparent Labs BULK Black	275 mg	Effective dose
Bucked Up Mother Bucker	300 mg	Effective dose
Bucked Up Woke	333 mg	Effective dose
PEScience Prolific	160 mg	Effective dose
Psycho Pharma Edge of Insanity	350 mg	Effective dose
RAW Nutrition CBUM Essential Charged	350 mg	Effective dose
Redcon1 Total War	320 mg	Effective dose
RYSE Loaded Pre	390 mg	Effective dose
Beyond Raw LIT AF	300 mg	Effective dose
MTS Nutrition Clash	250 mg	Effective dose
Bare Performance Nutrition Flight	300 mg	Effective dose
Ghost Legend All Out	400 mg	Too much
Huge Supplements Wrecked	188 mg	Below research dose
Jocko Fuel Pre-Workout	200 mg	Below research dose
Transparent Labs BULK	200 mg	Below research dose
RAW Nutrition CBUM Essential Pre	200 mg	Below research dose
Thorne Advanced Pre-Workout	100 mg	Below research dose
Kaged Pre-Kaged	274 mg	Effective dose
RYSE Godzilla	175 mg	Below research dose
Beyond Raw LIT	250 mg	Effective dose
Cellucor C4 Ultimate Shred	300 mg	Effective dose
Ladder Pre-Workout	200 mg	Below research dose
Nutricost Pre-X Workout Complex	300 mg	Effective dose
VMI Sports K-XR	400 mg	Too much
Cellucor C4 Ultimate	300 mg	Effective dose
Alani Nu Pre-Workout	200 mg	Below research dose
Animal Fury	350 mg	Effective dose
Black Magic Supply BZRK	In a blend	Hidden in a blend
Bucked Up Pre-Workout	200 mg	Below research dose
EVLution Nutrition ENGN Shred	250 mg	Effective dose
GAT Sport Nitraflex	325 mg	Effective dose
Gorilla Mind Gorilla Mode Base	200 mg	Below research dose
Jacked Factory Wick Mode	150 mg	Below research dose
Nutricost Pre-Workout Complex	200 mg	Below research dose
ProSupps Mr. Hyde Xtreme	378 mg	Effective dose
BSN N.O.-Xplode	275 mg	Effective dose
EVLution Nutrition ENGN	300 mg	Effective dose
Gorilla Mind Gorilla Mode	200 mg	Below research dose
Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Pre-Workout	175 mg	Below research dose
Transparent Labs LEAN	180 mg	Below research dose
JYM Pre JYM	300 mg	Effective dose
1st Phorm Megawatt	150 mg	Below research dose
Alpha Lion SuperHuman	In a blend	Hidden in a blend
Alpha Lion SuperHuman Extreme	In a blend	Hidden in a blend
ANS Performance Ritual	200 mg	Below research dose
Apollon Nutrition Assassin	50 mg	Below research dose
Ascent Pre-Workout	150 mg	Below research dose
Axe & Sledge Seventh Gear	175 mg	Below research dose
Bloom Nutrition High Energy Pre-Workout	220 mg	Below research dose
Cellucor C4 Extreme	200 mg	Below research dose
Cellucor C4 Original	200 mg	Below research dose
Cellucor C4 Ripped	150 mg	Below research dose
Cellucor C4 Sport	135 mg	Below research dose
EHP Labs OxyShred	In a blend	Hidden in a blend
Gnarly Pre-Workout	180 mg	Below research dose
Huge Supplements Wrecked Enraged	200 mg	Below research dose
Insane Labz Psycho Sam	In a blend	Hidden in a blend
Insane Labz Psychotic	In a blend	Hidden in a blend
Insane Labz Psychotic Black	In a blend	Hidden in a blend
Insane Labz Psychotic Gold	In a blend	Hidden in a blend
Insane Labz Psychotic Hellboy	In a blend	Hidden in a blend
Insane Labz Psychotic SAW	In a blend	Hidden in a blend
Jacked Factory Nitrosurge	180 mg	Below research dose
Jacked Factory Nitrosurge Shred	180 mg	Below research dose
JNX Sports The Curse	155 mg	Below research dose
Jocko Fuel Go Pre-Workout	95 mg	Below research dose
Just Ingredients PreWorkout	150 mg	Below research dose
Kaged Pre-Kaged Sport	188 mg	Below research dose
MusclePharm Assault	200 mg	Below research dose
Naked Nutrition Naked Energy	100 mg	Below research dose
Nutrex Hemo-Rage	In a blend	Hidden in a blend
Nutrex Outrage	In a blend	Hidden in a blend
Old School Labs Vintage Blast	150 mg	Below research dose
Performance Lab Pre Lab Pro	80 mg	Below research dose
ProSupps Mr. Hyde	196 mg	Below research dose
RAW Nutrition CBUM Thavage	153 mg	Below research dose
RSP Nutrition AminoLean	In a blend	Hidden in a blend
Six Star Pre-Workout Explosion	135 mg	Below research dose
Thorne Pre-Workout Elite	70 mg	Below research dose