The 5 Best Pre-Workout Supplements Without Creatine in 2023: Our Tested Reviews

Core Fury V2 deserves a spot on this list, and the makers are no stranger to it. In fact, Fury is has taken several spots on our ranking guides.

The new Fury V2 is a step up from the old version, and has really impressed the industry. It contains 5 separate blends, and hits everything you need without overlap. 

The first blend is the Fury Pump Blend, which contains Citrulline, VasoDrive-AP, and Citrapeak. All of these ingredients hit different pathways, and are all dosed well. While 6g of Citrulline is quite standard, the other two ingredients really push this to a great level

Following this you get the Fury Performance Blend. This blend has 3.2g of Beta-Alanine, 2.5g of Betaine Anhydrous, and 50mg of Senactiv. Beta-Alanine helps buffer lactic acid which aids in endurance, and Betaine Anhydrous can increase power output. Senactiv can help your body increase ATP production, healthy aging, and recovery. 

We all know how important hydration is, so of course Fury added a Hydration Blend. You get 2g of Taurine, 400mg of Albion, and 200mg of Sea Salt. These are all great ingredients that help you perform while not experiencing any cramping.

Next up we have the Focus Blend, which really sets this apart. You get the usual nootropic ingredients such as Tyrosine and Alpha GPC, and both are dosed well. However, just like the previous Fury, you get Pregnenolone. This is really interesting as no other brand uses this in a pre-workout. It is a neurosteroid, and can aid with focus. This is certainly felt when using this one. 

Finally you have the Energy Blend, because who doesn’t want caffeine before a workout? You get 250mg of Caffeine Anhydrous, it will hit you quickly. This is followed by Caffeine Citrate, and ZumXR. The ZumXR is a longer lasting caffeine, which will help with longer lasting energy, and may help prevent a crash. So this is def on the higher side for Caffeine, however it isn’t over-caffeinated. 

Overall, Fury deserves to be on this list because it simply hits on all fronts; Great energy, powerful pumps, amazing focus, and a noticeable performance increase certainly pushes this one to a top spot.

We also have to mention that the flavoring is amazing. This is important, because the more loaded a formula is, it simply becomes tougher to flavor. Fury has no issues here, and every flavor is enjoyable and we have no complaints. If there is one pre-workout to try in 2023, this is it.

Who Makes It?

Core Nutritionals company that has been around for a long time, doing things the right way since day one. Founded by natural bodybuilder Doug Miller (who has since founded Merica Labz and Arms Race Nutrition) he had a goal of making clean supplements that work. Fury V2 is one of those mastermind products behind Doug and his amazing team of employees.

GHOST Legend All Out could easily be side-by-side our #1 ranked as it is that damn good. GHOST did not have a higher stimulant pre-workout until they launched All Out. This is the most hardcore pre-workout supplement the brand has ever released, but it is 100% compliant and won't cause your heart to beat out of your chest.

The pre-workout contains key ingredients for improved pumps, focus and energy. Citrulline and Citrulline Nitrates as NO3-T are added for improved blood flow. 

Alpha GPC and Tyrosine are added for improved focus, both at higher dosages than we are typically used to seeing (a full 600mg dosage of Alpha GPC and 2,000mg dosage of Tyrosine).

The big thing here for GHOST was the stimulant complex. GHOST elected to go with 400mg of total caffeine from Caffeine Anhydrous and zumXR extended release caffeine. We love the ratio as well. Caffeine Anhydrous is the source of caffeine that hits first, followed by the tapering off impact of zumXR. Users get 300mg from Caffeine Anhydrous and 100mg from zumXR. The combination doesn't make you want to blow your heart out of your chest.

GHOST adds in Theobromine and Bitter Orange as well for a little extra kick in terms of energy. Users will for sure feel the energy burst from GHOST Legend All Out.

Who Makes It?

GHOST has taken over the sports nutrition industry since launching the brand. They combine a lifestyle approach culture with pretty labels and great formulas. Many brands do one or the other great but GHOST happens to hit on everything very well. GHOST won our Brand of the Year award in 2019, 2020 and 2021 (we did not do one in 2022.)

MuscleTech EuphorIQ has officially put the brand back on the map. It is one of the first product to feature the new ingredient Efinity, a branded version of Paraxanthine. Paraxanthine is a metabolite of caffeine, but not caffeine itself. It gives users the benefits of caffeine without the negative sides we experience (jitters). 

As if that was not enough to make this special, MuscleTech loads the nootropics up. They give users the full clinical dosage of Nutrition 21's nooLVL, which is a combination of Nitrosigine and inisitol. Users will experience a bump in cognition as well as improved blood flow. They also give you 100mg NeuroFactor (also known as CognatiQ). In addition you get 10mg Huperzine A and 300mg AlphaSize Alpha GPC. EuphorIQ will give you one of the best mind/muscle connections from a pre-workout.

Other ingredients like Taurine, Beta-Alanine and Betaine aid in strength and power output giving users a well-rounded pre-workout experience.

EuphorIQ is MuscleTech's best pre-workout in their history, in our opinion. Don't be fooled by the brand name, MuscleTech is making a comeback and it starts with formulations and impactful products like EuphorIQ.

Who Makes It?

MuscleTech is the one brand on this list that has been around the longest. They are what we call a "legacy" brand. When you think of that term you typically think the brand has lost focus. MuscleTech is not that brand. They are putting emphasis back on science and effective formulas. MuscleTech has informed us that they will continue down this path featuring more innovative products and formulas. 

Axe & Sledge Hydraulic V2 was a great step forward for the popular brand. While the first version was popular and sufficient as a non-stim pre-workout, it did have some room for improvement. Well,  that’s exactly what Axe & Sledge did with their V2. Hydraulic V2 starts off with 8 grams of Citrulline to aid with pumps, followed by a clinical dose of Beta-Alanine at 3.2 grams. So you have endurance and pumps already at a good start.

Glycerol monostearate is a hit or miss ingredient for some. We love it here, as it may help with cellular volumization. It becomes a miss when it clumps up a product. We haven’t had this is with Hydraulic V2, and at 3g, it is dosed well. Another ingredient add here to aid with performance is Taurine. Taurine can help with blood flow and hydration. 

Hydraulic is not just a pump product either, as Axe & Sledge has added a gram of Tyrosine to aid with dopamine production and alertness. You get a gram of it which is a good amount. 

It doesn’t end there, you get two more pump ingredients. VasoDrive-AP® may aid with lowering blood pressure and is dosed well at 508mg. CitraPEAK™  is another popular pump ingredient that is a source of Hesperidin. It may aid with NO production, and at 200mg, it is dosed well.

Next up comes CognatiQ®, which is Coffeeberry fruit extract that may aid with BDNF levels. This means it may help with learning and memory. The last ingredient is AstraGin®, which may aid with the absorption of some ingredients. 

Hydraulic V2 is a worthy successor to the popular Hydraulic, and they did a good job of making a loaded non-stim pre-workout with clinical doses of each ingredient all while making sure the flavor is on point and the Glycerol doesn’t clump up. This certainly deserves a spot on this list, and is one that is very stapleworthy and quite stackable as well.

Who Makes It?

Axe & Sledge is a blue collar brand making supplements for the hardest workers. Axe & Sledge continues to gain popularity and growth through their formulas and culture that the brand is building. The poster child and founder Seth Feroce represents a lot of what is good about bodybuilding and fitness: grinding and doing the MFing work. 

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.