How to Pick a Pre-Workout (Without Getting Ripped Off)

The supplement industry has a problem. Too many products rely on big claims, fancy labels, and influencer endorsements instead of actually putting effective ingredients in the tub. And because most people don't know what to look for on a supplement label, they end up paying good money for something that barely works.

This guide is here to change that. Whether you're buying your first pre-workout or switching from one that's stopped doing its job, here's how to tell what's worth your money and what's just clever marketing.

Check the Label for Transparency

This is the single most important thing. If a pre-workout uses a "proprietary blend," that means the company is legally allowed to list ingredients without telling you how much of each one is in there. They'll give you a total weight for the blend - say 8g, but you have no idea whether that's 7g of maltodextrin and 1g of everything else.

A transparent label lists every ingredient with its exact dose. That's what you want. If a brand won't tell you what's in their product, ask yourself why. The answer is almost always that the active ingredients are underdosed and they don't want you to know.

Know Your Caffeine Tolerance

Caffeine is the backbone of most pre-workouts, and the dose matters a lot. If you drink two coffees a day, you've got some tolerance. If you barely drink caffeine at all, 300mg is going to feel like you've been shot out of a cannon.

For most people, 150–250mg is a solid range. It's enough to improve focus and performance without turning you into a jittery mess. Some products go up to 350mg or even 400mg - that's fine if you've built up to it, but it's not where you should start. And if you train in the evening, lower caffeine or stim-free options exist for a reason.

Clinically Dosed vs Fairy Dusted

"Clinically dosed" means the ingredients are included at the amounts shown to work in actual research studies. "Fairy dusted" is the industry term for sprinkling in a tiny amount of an ingredient just so it appears on the label. It's technically there, but it's doing absolutely nothing.

Here's what proper dosing looks like for the key ingredients: citrulline malate should be at least 6g, beta-alanine around 3.2g, L-tyrosine at 500mg or more, and caffeine in the 150–300mg range. If the product you're looking at falls short on these, the rest of the label doesn't matter much.

Proprietary Blends Are a Red Flag

We've already touched on this, but it's worth repeating because it's that important. Proprietary blends exist to protect companies, not consumers. The argument is usually "we're protecting our formula from competitors." In reality, there's nothing proprietary about mixing citrulline, beta-alanine, and caffeine, every pre-workout does it. The blend is there to hide the fact that the doses are too low.

If a company is proud of what's in their product, they'll put the numbers on the label. If they won't, take your money elsewhere.

Daily Use vs One-Off Use

Think about how often you train. If you're in the gym 4–5 times a week, you want something you can take consistently without building a massive tolerance or crashing afterwards. That means moderate caffeine, no exotic stimulant stacks, and ingredients that support performance over time rather than just giving you a one-session buzz.

High-stim pre-workouts have their place - maybe for a heavy squat day or a competition, but they're not sustainable for daily use. Most people are better off with a well-balanced formula they can rely on every session. That's the approach we took with Canny Buzz, and it's what we'd recommend to anyone who trains regularly, whether you're a beginner or experienced.

At the end of the day, picking a pre-workout isn't complicated. Transparent label, clinical doses, sensible caffeine, no proprietary blends. If a product ticks those boxes, it's probably decent. If it doesn't, it's probably not - no matter how good the branding looks.