Is Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Pre-Workout underdosed?

• Vitamin D (Cholecalciferol)Per scoop 500 IU, as printedStudies Not setNot gradedEvidence: Not graded

  Not graded: a vitamin or mineral. We grade a pre-workout’s ingredients against exercise studies; vitamins and minerals are graded only on their own supplement pages.

• Thiamine (Thiamine Hydrochloride)Per scoop 2 mgStudies Not setNot gradedEvidence: Not graded

  Not graded: we have no research dose for it from exercise studies.

• Niacin (Nicotinic Acid)Per scoop 20 mgStudies Not setNot gradedEvidence: Not graded

  Not graded: a vitamin or mineral. We grade a pre-workout’s ingredients against exercise studies; vitamins and minerals are graded only on their own supplement pages.

• Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine Hydrochloride)Per scoop 2 mgStudies Not setNot gradedEvidence: Not graded

  Not graded: a vitamin or mineral. We grade a pre-workout’s ingredients against exercise studies; vitamins and minerals are graded only on their own supplement pages.

• Folic AcidPer scoop 200 mcgStudies Not setNot gradedEvidence: Not graded

  Not graded: a vitamin or mineral. We grade a pre-workout’s ingredients against exercise studies; vitamins and minerals are graded only on their own supplement pages.

• Vitamin B12 (Cyanocobalamin)Per scoop 10 mcgStudies Not setNot gradedEvidence: Not graded

  Not graded: a vitamin or mineral. We grade a pre-workout’s ingredients against exercise studies; vitamins and minerals are graded only on their own supplement pages.

• Pantothenic Acid (D-Calcium Pantothenate)Per scoop 10 mgStudies Not setNot gradedEvidence: Not graded

  Not graded: we have no research dose for it from exercise studies.

• Creatine MonohydrateLabel: Creapure (Creatine Monohydrate)Per scoop 3 gStudies 3–5 g/dayEffective doseEvidence: Strong

  Contains 3 g; studies use 3–5 g/day.

• AstraGinLabel: AstraGin (Astragalus membranaceous Root Extract, Panax notoginseng Root Extract) [Proprietary Blend]Per scoop 25 mgStudies Not setNot gradedEvidence: Not graded

  Contains 25 mg. Not graded: added to help the body absorb other ingredients; it has no dose of its own to judge.

• Beta-AlanineLabel: CarnoSyn (Beta-Alanine)Per scoop 1.5 gStudies 3.2–6.4 g/dayBelow research doseEvidence: Strong

  Contains 1.5 g; studies use 3.2–6.4 g/day. Beta-Alanine works through daily use over weeks; a lower amount still builds up, just more slowly.

• L-CitrullineLabel: L-Citrulline, MicronizedPer scoop 750 mgStudies 4–5.33 gBelow research doseEvidence: Weak

  Contains 750 mg; studies use 4–5.33 g.

• Acetyl-L-Carnitine HydrochloridePer scoop 375 mgStudies Not setNot gradedEvidence: Not graded

  Not graded: we have no research dose for it from exercise studies.

• N-Acetyl-L-TyrosinePer scoop 250 mgStudies Not setNot gradedEvidence: Not graded

  Contains 250 mg. Not graded: a form of L-tyrosine, which isn't graded either (see the L-tyrosine guide).

• CaffeinePer scoop 175 mgStudies 3–6 mg/kgBelow research doseEvidence: Strong

  Contains 175 mg (2.3 mg/kg at 75 kg); studies use 3–6 mg/kg.

• Citrus Bioflavonoids [complex]Per scoop 100 mgStudies Not setNot gradedEvidence: Not graded

  Not graded: we have no research dose for it from exercise studies.

Use “Check it for your dose” to see this table for your own scoops and bodyweight. Only caffeine is dosed per kilogram in the studies we cite; the other research doses are fixed amounts, so your weight doesn't change them.

How many scoops would it take?

To reach the low end of the research dose for each underdosed ingredient.

Taking more doesn't fix this product. Reaching those doses means more than 400 mg of caffeine from the scoops alone, above the FDA's 400 mg daily reference for most adults, before any coffee.

Where the reference doses come from

1. Beta-Alanine, 3.2–6.4 g/day: Harris et al., 2006Hobson et al., 2012Trexler et al., 2015.
2. Caffeine, 3–6 mg/kg: Guest et al., 2021.
3. Creatine Monohydrate, 3–5 g/day: Kreider et al., 2017.
4. L-Citrulline, 4–5.33 g: Gough et al., 2021Vårvik et al., 2021.
5. Daily caffeine reference, 400 mg: US FDA, Spilling the Beans.
6. Label data: National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements. Dietary Supplement Label Database, 2026. https://dsld.od.nih.gov/. Label 308428.

Assumptions used on this page: The label doesn't say how many scoops make a serving, so one serving is counted as one scoop.

Methodology 1.11. Read the full methodology or the corrections log.