From the RecordNº 001Pre-workout
What's actually in a pre-workout scoop.
We put 79 full labels side by side, out of 180 pre-workouts from 45 brands. The front of every tub says energy and pump. The back is where they stop agreeing.
Supplement Facts
Pre-workout · 180 products · 45 brands
- C4 Original caffeine
150 mgto 200 mg- Caffeine, 200 to 300 mg
- 3 of 56
- L-citrulline
- 0.5 to 10 g
- Price per scoop
- $0.50 to $4.58
THE SHORT ANSWER
Most pre-workouts carry either 200 mg or 300 mg of caffeine, with almost nothing in between. The most common beta-alanine amount is 3.2 g (31 of 63 labels), L-citrulline runs from 0.5 g to 10 g with a median of 5 g, and the median scoop costs $1.50 on the brand's own store. 3 of these products have a confirmed formula change on file.
Caffeine comes in two settings.
26 labels sit at 200 mg or less. 27 sit at 300 mg or more. 3 land in between.
Fig. 1 Caffeine per serving, 56 pre-workouts
See the numbers
| Caffeine per serving | Products |
|---|---|
| 0 mg | 1 |
| 1-150 mg | 0 |
| 151-199 mg | 8 |
| 200 mg | 17 |
| 201-299 mg | 3 |
| 300 mg | 11 |
| 301-350 mg | 11 |
| 351+ mg | 5 |
Switch brands and feel it hit harder? Check the back. There's a good chance you crossed from one camp to the other, and that's roughly a 100 mg jump.
The top of the chart is GHOST LEGEND ALL OUT and RAW Nutrition Thuper Thavage Pre-Workout, at 400 mg a serving. 17 labels say exactly 200 mg and 11 say exactly 300 mg.
For scale
Studies on caffeine and exercise used 2 to 6 mg per kg body mass, 15 to 60 minutes before exercise, shown here for a 70 kg adult: 140 to 420 mg. That is a research protocol, not a dose for you. Caffeine adds up across coffee, energy drinks and pre-workout, so talk to a clinician about what is right for you.
The same few numbers keep showing up.
Plenty of tubs with very different branding run on a similar spine.
Fig. 2 How often the most common amount appears
See the numbers
| Ingredient | Most common amount | Labels with it | Labels listing it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beta-alanine | 3.2 g | 31 | 63 |
| Betaine | 2.5 g | 22 | 50 |
| Caffeine | 200 mg | 17 | 56 |
31 of the 63 labels that list beta-alanine list exactly 3.2 g. 7 more list 1.6 g, which is exactly half.
One thing worth knowing. The research behind beta-alanine describes 4 to 6 g a day, taken daily for weeks (ISSN position stand on beta-alanine, 2015). The tingle shows up on day one. The studied effect takes a lot longer. 54 of 63 labels sit below 4 g a serving.
The pump ingredient has a 20x spread.
L-citrulline shows up on 57 of the 79 full labels, from 0.5 g to 10 g.
Fig. 3 L-citrulline per serving, 57 labels
See the numbers
| L-citrulline per serving | Labels |
|---|---|
| 0 to 0.9 g | 1 |
| 1 to 1.9 g | 3 |
| 2 to 2.9 g | 1 |
| 3 to 3.9 g | 8 |
| 4 to 4.9 g | 11 |
| 5 to 5.9 g | 6 |
| 6 to 6.9 g | 14 |
| 7 to 7.9 g | 0 |
| 8 to 8.9 g | 6 |
| 9 to 9.9 g | 0 |
| 10 g or more | 7 |
The middle of the pack is 5 g. 5 of 57 labels list less than the 3 g the studies started at.
So two tubs can both say pump on the front while one carries twenty times more citrulline than the other. The label is the only place that tells you which one you have.
Your tub can change without changing its name.
3 pre-workouts in the Record have a confirmed formula change, meaning two dated labels that disagree.
Beyond Raw LIT V2 Pre-WorkoutLabels observed August 1, 2025 and July 23, 2026
GHOST LegendLabels observed September 19, 2019 and July 23, 2026
Cellucor C4 OriginalLabels observed January 25, 2024 and February 26, 2024
Brands reformulate for plenty of fair reasons. The gap is on our side: almost nobody remembers what the label said the last time they bought.
That is what a Locker is for. Save the tubs you buy and it keeps the dated label for each one, free. If you want someone checking, Signal Pro watches up to 10 of them for $1.99/month, billed $23.88 annually and emails you the day a change is confirmed.
One scoop costs $0.50 to $4.58.
We found a price on the brand's own store for 100 pre-workouts. The median was $1.50.
Fig. 4 Price per serving, 100 pre-workouts
See the numbers
| Price per serving | Products |
|---|---|
| $0.00 to $0.49 | 0 |
| $0.50 to $0.99 | 12 |
| $1.00 to $1.49 | 34 |
| $1.50 to $1.99 | 29 |
| $2.00 to $2.49 | 9 |
| $2.50 to $2.99 | 9 |
| $3.00 to $3.49 | 5 |
| $3.50 to $3.99 | 1 |
| $4.00 to $4.49 | 0 |
| $4.50 or more | 1 |
The cheapest was Six Star Pro Nutrition N.O. Fury at $0.50 a serving. The most expensive was RAW Nutrition Thavage RTD Pre-Workout at $4.58. Here's what the median costs if you train four days a week:
$1.50 per serving
x 4 training days a week
x 52 weeks
= $312 a yearBefore your next tub
- Flip it over. Caffeine and citrulline tell you most of what you're getting.
- Divide the price by the servings on the label, not the ones on the front.
- Photograph the panel on the tub you like, or save it to a free Locker, so you can compare next time.
Where to buy
Products in this article
Every product named above, with its dated label one tap away.
GHOSTGHOST LEGEND ALL OUT400 mg caffeine per serving
RAW NUTRITIONRAW Nutrition Thuper Thavage Pre-Workout400 mg caffeine per serving
APOLLON NUTRITIONApollon Nutrition TimeCop - Bareknuckle vs Overtime Nootropic Pre-Workout10 g L-citrulline per serving
SIX STAR PRO NUTRITIONSix Star Pro Nutrition N.O. Fury$0.50 per serving
BEYOND RAWBeyond Raw LIT V2 Pre-WorkoutConfirmed formula change on file
GHOSTGHOST LegendConfirmed formula change on file
CELLUCORCellucor C4 OriginalConfirmed formula change on file
As an Amazon Associate FormulaSignal earns from qualifying purchases. Every product named gets the same links, so a link is not a recommendation, and it cannot change a number in this article. A listing can show an older label than the one dated here, so check the Supplement Facts photo before you buy.
How we counted
Every number, and where it came from.
All figures come from the FormulaSignal Record: 180 U.S. pre-workouts from 45 brands, labels read through October 4, 2026. Ingredient counts use the 79 labels where every line has an amount. Caffeine counts the 56 products where it adds up line by line. Prices are as listed on each brand's store between July 23, 2026 and October 4, 2026.
This page recomputes from the Record each time it loads, so a newly read label changes it the same day. It is the set we track, not the whole market. We did not taste, test or buy these products, no brand paid to appear, and nothing here is dosing advice.
Questions
Pre-workout labels: common questions
How much caffeine is in a pre-workout?
Across 56 pre-workouts in the Record, 26 list 200 mg or less per serving and 27 list 300 mg or more. The highest is 400 mg. Check the Supplement Facts panel on your own tub, because the amount can change between formula versions.
What is a normal amount of beta-alanine in a pre-workout?
The most common amount on the labels we read is 3.2 g, on 31 of 63 labels that list it. Studies describe 4 to 6 g a day over weeks.
How much citrulline should a pre-workout have?
Labels in the Record range from 0.5 g to 10 g, median 5 g. The research the Record cites used 3 to 9 g. That is a description of studies, not a recommendation.
What is the cheapest pre-workout per serving?
On the brand stores we checked, Six Star Pro Nutrition N.O. Fury was $0.50 a serving. Prices change with sales, so the dated price is on each product's Record.
Do pre-workout brands change their formulas?
Yes. 3 pre-workouts in the Record have a confirmed change between two dated labels, including Beyond Raw LIT V2 Pre-Workout, GHOST Legend, Cellucor C4 Original.
Same name. A different formula.
Save the tubs you buy to a free Locker. We keep the dated label for each one and tell you when it changes.