The 5 Strongest  Pre Workouts In 2023: Our Tested Reviews

Well here we are, another version of Hooligan, another #1 ranking here on Fitness Informant. If you weren’t aware, Hooligan V5 was #1 on this ranking guide for quite some time, and the only thing that was able to replace it was the V6. 

Hooligan is a very popular pre-workout. While many know that it has high Caffeine content, it also has an impressive profile in other areas. Starting off you get your standard pump and performance ingredients. These include Citrulline, Beta-Alanine, and Betaine Anhydrous. These are all dosed well, and are going to help with pumps, endurance, and power output. This is followed by a solid dose of Tyrosine at 2 grams. 

To add to the Nootropic aspect to Hooligan V6, you get some Lion’s Mane and 600mg of Alpha GPC. These are popular Nootropic ingredients that have been well-studied. Next up comes why this is really #1 on this list.

Hooligan V6 is #1 on this list because not only does it have great dosages of proven ingredients for pumps and focus, but you also get 500mg of Theobromine, and 450mg of Caffeine Anhydrous. The Caffeine is actually lower than the previous version, but 450mg is still high, and Theobromine is another xanthine, making it similar to Caffeine. At 500mg, you are definitely going to feel something, and to our knowledge this is the highest dose we have seen in a product. 

We may be getting ahead of ourselves, but we have to mention the other forms of Caffeine in here. You get 200mg of Di-Caffeine Malate, This is an extended release form of Caffeine, so that you get longer lasting energy and it may also stave off a crash. Since it is 75% Caffeine, you get an extra 150mg. You also get 100mg of Coffeeberry®, which gets you 70 extra mg of Caffeine, bringing the total up to 670mg!

Back to other additions… we have Grape Seed Extract, which contains antioxidants that may help expand blood vessels. You also get Rhodiola, which is an adaptogen that can help with mood, reduce stress, and cognition.

Finally you get some ElevATP® and AstraGin®. ElevATP can help with performance by aiding with ATP production. To keep it simple, it may help with cellular energy. AstraGin has been added to aid with the absorption of certain nutrients. 

Hooligan V6 has rightfully taken the top spot on this list, and we don’t see another brand coming anywhere close to it soon. While it is certainly not for beginners, we know every stim junkie will love this one. Well worth having around for days where you want to go all out… we just don’t recommend taking it every day.

Who Makes It?

Apollon Nutrition is a hardcore supplement line that isn't afraid to go places other brands haven't. Not only are they hardcore, they know how to make great products and care about providing clinical doses of ingredients. Certainly not a brand for beginners, however seasoned veterans and supplement nerds will certainly be impressed with what they do.

STIM Daddy is another loaded formula from the popular brand RYSE. This is a product under the Noel Deyzel Signature Series. The first product was their popular Godzilla pre workout, then towards the end of 2022 they launched their non-stim formula Pump Daddy, which makes several appearances on our ranking guides as well. 

STIM Daddy is a powerful pre-workout, and it is certainly going to be enough for many of you stim-junkies out there. The profile starts off with what many loaded pre-workouts start with, that high amount of Beta-Alanine at 6.4g. Following this you get 6g of Citrulline, which is enough to provide a pump. Another ingredient they have added is Betaine Anhydrous, which can help with power output and is at 4g… more than what is necessary to benefit from.

Of course we are all here for the “STIM” part of this formula. Well they have a combination of ingredients that are going to provide a powerful boost in energy and focus. You get 4g of Tyrosine, which is a popular nootropic ingredient that helps with dopamine production. You typically see this at 500mg-1,000mg, so at 4,000mg you are going to notice a difference. Following this you get 500mg of Citicholine, which is a high quality form of Choline and works quite quickly in our experience. Next you get 400mg of Caffeine, which is on the higher end, and definitely lets RYSE use the word “STIM” for this product. 

Another energy boosting ingredient is Dynamine, which helps with clean energy and we love this one during workouts. AstraGin has been added to the formula to aid with bioavailability, and is at the recommended 50mg. Finally STIM Daddy gives you Alpha-Yohimbine, which can give a strong energy boost and may even aid with fat loss. 

STIM Daddy certainly deserves a spot on this list, as it not only provides plenty of Caffeine and other ingredients to aid with energy/focus, but also great doses of ergogenic ingredients such as Beta-Alanine and Citrulline. 

If you are looking for something strong, this is certainly a Daddy you’ve been wanting in your life. 

Who Makes It?

RYSE Supplements is a booming brand due to their soft approach to bodybuilding building loyalty through culture. RYSE Supplements also does a great job of formulating products including pre-workouts, proteins and other products like pump formulas. RYSE Supplements also launched RYSE Fuel, the brand's energy drink which is getting the brand into more households. 

Hosstile Supps Hosstility Amped is Hosstile Supps' high-stim pre-workout. It's not enough to have just one pre-workout these days if you're a brand. You need multiple pre-workouts with different formulas for various people. Some want the high-stim, some want the non-stim, some want something in-between. Obviously this one makes this list due to it being a a high-stim loaded formula. 

The profile is broken down into 4 different blends. The first is the Pump+Performance blend that contains your typical ingredients such as Citrulline, Beta-Alanine, and Betaine Anhydrous all at solid doses. You also have the Extreme Focus Matrix , which contains Tyrosine at 2g, which is great for dopamine production, as well as 250mg of Cognizin, a high quality form of Choline. Another interesting addition is the Uridine Monophosphate, which helps with Choline production. 

Now of course we have to talk about the Extreme Energy+Anti-Crash Matrix, which provides you with everyone's favorite ingredients for energy... Caffeine. You get two forms of it in here. One being straight Caffeine Anhydrous at 350mg. You also get Infinergy, and extended release Caffeine at 136mg. This gives you an extra 100mg of Caffeine that doesn't hit you all at once. SO a total of 450mg of Caffeine! To help stave off a crash, you get 100mg of Theanine, which some like and some don't. It may help prevent jitters you may experience from the 2mg of Alpha Yohimbine! This is quite a strong blend, which is why it's on this list.

Finally you get the Absorption Matrix, which is a blend of AstraGin and BioPerine. These have been added to help with the absorption of the ingredients in here. 

Who Makes It?

Hosstile Supps is a brand we are happy to see back on our ranking guides. Before the pandemic, Hosstile was making some noise with their formulas. As many brands during the pandemic, they got a little quiet as the world was a bit different. Now they are officially back! Not only with Fouad, but with some really popular influencers. We expect to see them makes waves in the industry in the coming years!

KLOUT Kaio certainly deserves a spot on this list, but before we get int9o tit, let’s just admire how cool the design is…

Klout is a newcomer to the scene, but they have really made a splash with their awesome looking products and great formulas. Kaio is their high stim pre-workout that impresses not just with high Caffeine content, but also has everything else you need to consider it a top-tier pre-workout. 

It starts off with Beta-Alanine at a clinical dose, which can help with endurance. This is then followed by Aquamin®. Aquamin® is a high quality source of minerals, and you get 300mg of it here. Now we have 300mg of Caffeine, which while we consider high, to also be standard for many pre-workouts these days. We will just get it out of the way now, you also get 150mg of Theobromine at 150mg, which is a Xanthine (just like Caffeine), and may help with energy as well. While not as strong as Caffeine, it may add a noticeable boost. It doesn’t end there, as you get an additional 110mg dose of Infinergy, which is Di-Caffeine Malate. This is a delayed-release Caffeine, that helps with longer lasting energy and may help prevent a crash. So you get an additional 82.5mg of Caffeine in here. Definitely what we would consider a high stim product here. 

With that out of the way, you also get ElevATP®, which can help with ATP production. ATP is the energy currency of cells, and at 150mg you are getting a clinical dose. You also get an additional 100mg of Pink Himalayan Salt. 

The Nootropic blend in here is quite impressive. It starts off with 1g of Taurine, which can help with blood flow and hydration. This is followed by 1g of Tyrosine, which is a popular focus ingredient and a precursor to dopamine. Alpha GPC is next, which is a high quality form of Choline. This converts to Acetylcholine in the brain, which is a neurotransmitter. The next two ingredients are CognatiQ, which is Coffee Fruit extract, and TeaCrine. CognatiQ can help with BDNF levels, and TeaCrine can help with long lasting energy while preventing a crash. 

Finally you have some pump ingredients. You get 3 forms of Nitrates! We have said this many times here on FI… Nitrates are our favorite ingredients to get pumps from. They simply work! You get 1g of Betaine Nitrate, 750mg of Arginine Nitrate, and 500mg of Sodium Nitrate (all as NO3-T®). All three of these combined should induce a nice pump during your workouts, while making this very stackable with a pump product, as there is no Citrulline, which every pump product seems to have these days.

Overall, this is a great one for you guys who want a strong dose of Caffeine while also getting everything else you need. Also great for you who like to stack a stim-based pre-workout with a pump product. All the flavors we have had are great, so you can’t go wrong with any of them! 

Who Makes It?

KLOUT is a relatively new brand to the market and it has already made quite a splash. Not just because they have some of the coolest looking products on the market. They have some very well done formulas and some well done flavors as well. We expect to see more from them in the future, and we can't wait for their approach, especially with whoever is doing their artwork.