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The Best Pre-Workouts for CrossFit

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20

Feb

The Best Pre-Workouts for CrossFit

Reading time - 9 mins

CrossFit is one of the toughest metabolically demanding sports, whether amateur or professional. Finding the right pre-workout for your needs is a must. If you are a CrossFit athlete, you know that you need the best supplement to help you get through the next WOD.

For a full lowdown on CrossFit and what to expect check out the blog from Verve on Everything You Need to Know: Equipment, Workouts and More. 

Knowing which supplements can help you improve your performance is a must to optimise how you perform. Adding a pre-workout to your protocols can help you get through the most challenging WODs you’ll come across. 

Pre-workouts are supplements designed to optimise your mind and body for maximal performance. Brands will use various combinations of ingredients for different goals, and you’ll also find that certain products have different amounts of a specific ingredient.

Are Pre-Workouts The Same?

The simple answer to that question is a big NO. There are various brands, flavours, and, most importantly, combinations of ingredients to choose from when it comes to pre-workouts. So, not all pre-workouts are the same, and choosing the right one is a must. Pre-workouts can be classified into three categories high, medium and low stimulants.

3 Types of Pre-workouts

Choosing the right pre-workout for your specific goals is a must before hitting your next WOD.

  • High stimulants: A high stimulant supplement is on the cards if you are a pre-workout lover and experienced. High stims are not for the faint-hearted, they are powerful as they will quickly give you a big energy kick, perfect for pumping you up for the most gruelling sessions. These supplements will have high amounts of caffeine, giving you a big energy kick when you want and need it most.
  • Medium Stimulants: these are the perfect combination of pump and energy. Medium stims contain the standard and well-balanced blend of ingredients for better energy, power and performance to get you through a session.  They will give you the right balance between high and low stims, which will provide you with the right combination to keep you in the zone while unleashing explosive energy.
  • Low Stimulants: if you are caffeine sensitive and prefer to take it easy, low stim pre-workouts are for you then. They are great to give you the right amount of energy without feeling jittery or crashed. These are also great for people that are just starting to take pre-workouts. Don’t be fooled! Low stims will deliver everything you need to smash your workout and achieve your goals.

Key Ingredients:

It’s important to remember that each brand will craft a pre-workout differently, but here are some of the most common/key ingredients you will find in pre-workouts.

  • Caffeine: gives you all that critical kick in energy, as well as strength, power, and endurance.
  • Beta-Alanine: gives you that tingly sensation, and it helps you get more reps out of every set.
  • L-Citrulline: it helps boost nitric oxide levels, delivering more oxygen and nutrients to muscles.
  • L-Tyrosine: helps with better energy and fight fatigue
  • L-Theanine: increase mental focus without the jitters that come with high levels of caffeine

Other popular ingredients found in pre-workouts include creatine, theacrine, bitter orange, taurine, acetyl l-carnitine, and glutamine, to name a few. Remember that not all pre-workouts are the same. You need to find the right one for your needs!

The Top 5 Pre-Workouts To Take Before Crossfit:

Freak3d by Anabolix Nutrition:

Stay in the zone doing what you love to do: lifting. Improve energy, muscle pump, focus and the strong feeling you get when you’re having the best day! With a body that feels better in the gym, you’ll want to put in more effort, and this effort will naturally lead to better results. So don’t go at it alone any longer. Freak3D is the best gym workout partner you could ever ask for.

  • Improve energy levels
  • Higher mental focus 
  • 300mg of caffeine anhydrous 

StimFx by Genetix Nutrition:

Muscle pumps, endless energy, unstoppable force production this pre-workout delivers! With a stimulant-based supplement, you’ll get the energy to perform more efficiently, faster, and with the feeling of more strength and power than without a stimulant pre-workout product. This helps you unlock your true potential and see better progress with each workout you put in.

  • Great energy levels
  • Improve endurance 
  • 250mg of caffeine anhydrous

Kamikaze by Athletic Sports:

If you aim to feel, look and perform like an athlete, you need to get the most out of each training session. Created to support your greatest performance with every rep you do, you’ll crush your goals and surpass what you think was possible. You’ll have a comprehensive formula made from industry-leading ingredients, including plenty of stimulants, nootropics, a vasodilator complex and adaptogens.

  • Support training intensity
  • Enjoy mental focus 
  • 350mg of caffeine anhydrous

Mayhem Rogue by Pharma Labs:

Developed using slower release caffeine, you’ll enjoy a sustained buzz without the dreaded crash often experienced from other pre-workouts. Smash out those reps with ease during a tough training session with these scientifically formulated ingredients that have been designed to help you reach your peak performance.

  • High energy levels
  • Clarity and focus
  • 350mg of caffeine anhydrous 

Disorder by Faction Labs:

Scientifically formulated to support better energy levels, pump, focus and performance. This pre-workout has a combination of ingredients for optimal performance and mental focus so you can “stay in the zone”. Disorder also has a matrix of ingredients, which will help get you ready to smash out the most challenging workouts.

  • Support energy requirements 
  • Support focus 
  • 250mg caffeine anhydrous 

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