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

Hypermax Extreme is a top tier pre-workout from Performax Labs. Performax Labs has long been known for making some of the better formulated products on the market, and HyperMax Extreme is one of them.

HyperMax Extreme starts us off with 3 ingredients that are great for pumps. We get 6g of L-Citrulline, 1 gram of Agmatine, and 300mg of Vaso6. All three ingredients are dosed well, and we have nothing to complain about. This blend is followed by both Beta-Alanine, and Betaine Anhydrous. The Beta-Alanine is at 3.2g, and the Betaine is at 2.5g, so both are dosed correctly.

Next we have 3 different exotic stimulants. First off we have have 400mg B-Phentylethylamine HCl, followed by N,N-Dimethylphenethylamine Citrate at 250mg. Lastly, we have Hordenine HCl at 60mg. These are some hefty doses, and probably the reason why HyperMax Extreme is once again the #1 Strongest Pre-workout here on FI.

Lastly, we have the Extreme Energy and Drive blend, which starts us off with 1g of Tyrosine. Following this, we have 400mg of Caffeine Anhydrous, which is a hefty dose of Caffeine. The last two ingredients are Synephrine at 50mg, which is a solid dose, and 2mg of Alpha-Yohimbine. 

With solid dosages with proven ingredients for the categories we all want out of a pre-workout, there is no reason why this shouldn’t be in any websites’ strongest pre-workout list.

Who Makes It?

Performax Labs is a company that has been around for several years now, and they have always been respected for making EFFECTIVE products. It is one of the most underrated companies in our opinion.

FullBlitz from Build Fast Formula is a pre-workout gaining a lot of popularity due to its ability to elicit real full pumps. FullBlitz is a pump first stim-based pre-work that doesn't overdue the stims to ensure the pumps are some of the best you've ever had from a single supplement.

To start, it has 6 grams of Citrulline, which is a good dose. Good news is, they don’t just rely on Citrulline like many other companies do. You also get 2 grams of Arginine Nitrate! Nitrates are a surefire way to get powerful and dense pumps.

FullBlitz contains Betaine Anhydrous at 2.5 grams, Beta-Alanine at 3.2 grams, and Calcium Lactate at 2 grams. All help with performance, and all are dosed well. It’s common knowledge at this point that the clinical dose of Beta-alanine is 3.2 grams. Betaine at 2.5 grams is solid as well.

Now come the energy and focus boosters. First we have 335mg of Caffeine Anhydrous. This needs no introduction, as we all know and love the energy boosting effects of caffeine. 335mg is more than enough and it should please everyone, even stim-junkies. After that, we have 800mg of DMAE. This is a nootropic ingredient, and it’s the highest dose of DMAE we have ever tried, and needless to say, we LOVED it. It puts you on a different level of focus, and it should be felt. Lastly, we have Yohimbe Bark Extract at 2.3 grams. It’s a small dose of actual Yohimbine, however don’t let that fool you. You will notice an increase in sweating and perhaps a small jittery feeling.

Who Makes It?

Build Fast Formula is a brand I bet none of you heard of. The creators of this brand are the forces behind one of the greatest pre-workouts in history: The Original Jack3d. If you've ever experienced that pre-workout, you know that they can do some cool stuff with ingredients. They did just that with FullBlitz.

El Jefe is a pre-workout from a smaller company that really hit us hard this year. El Jefe is a pre-workout from a smaller company called ASC Supplements, and we enjoyed our experience with it. The pre-workouts is quite loaded, and for what is disclosed, we have little to complain about. 

El Jefe starts us off with 7g of Citrulline Malate, and 3.2g of Beta-Alanine. Both of these ingredients are pretty standard in pre-workouts these days, and both are dosed well in El Jefe. The next two ingredients are Betaine Anhydrous at 2.5g and Taurine at 2g. Both of these ingredients may aid in performance, and both are dosed effectively. Finally, we come to Nitrosigine® and ElevATP. Nitrosigine® at 1.5g is dosed perfectly, and it is one of our favorite ingredients here on FI. ElevATP at 150mg is dosed correctly, and we have nothing to complain about when it comes to the Performance & Pump Matrix in El Jefe.

Next we come to what makes El Jefe so impressive here. The stimulant blend in El Jefe is quite powerful. The whole blend, which amounts to 2642mg of ingredients, consists of Choline Bitartrate, Caffeine Anhydrous, Theobromine, Eria J, J Regia, Di Caffeine Malate, Hordenine HCl, Higenamine HCl, Alpha Yohimbine, and Huperzine A. Of course, we have to mention that we wish it was not in a blend, but we are happy that ASC provides the amount of Caffeine and Alpha Yohimbine. Caffeine comes in at 400mg total, while Alpha Yohimbine is at 1.6mg. All of this with some J Regia and Eria J shoots El Jefe onto this list. 

Who Makes It?

ASC Supplements is a Veteran owned company that makes some killer formulas. They are a smaller company, however their formulas can compete with some of the big dogs out there in this industry. One great part about ASC Supplements is that 15% of all profits are donated, something we can easily get behind here on FI.

Peak X from Core Nutritionals is one of our favorite products here on Fitness Informant, and for good reason. It is a very straight-forward product that gives you everything you need, and isn't redundant. 

It starts us off with Beta-Alanine at 3.2 grams, which is the clinical dose. This may aid with endurance and is pretty much a staple for pre-workouts these days. Following Beta-Alanine, is Peak O2, an ingredient from Compound Solutions. This blend of mushrooms may increase VO2 Max, which may aid in endurance, althoug through a different pathway than Beta-Alanine.

Now we come to Nitrosigine®, which has been shown to increase pumps. At 1.5g in Peak X, it is clinically dosed and we love seeing it in here. We also have Vaso6, which is an ingredient that has been shown to aid in pumps. At 300mg, it is dosed well. 

Finally, we have ElevATP, which helps your body produce more ATP, the energy currency for cells. At 150mg, it is dosed effectively. 

All around, Peak X is a great non-swim pre-workout, and honestly if you simply add a Caffeine source to it, it'd be a great pre-workout as well. One look at the profile, and it's simple to see why this is on the list. 

Who Makes It?

Core Nutritionals doesn’t do anything sexy about their packaging, but what’s inside of those units is sexy. Core Nutritionals focuses on creating and developing some of the best products on the market. Core ABC is just one example. With Core Nutritionals you can expect full transparency and top-of-the-line quality.

Inspired Nutraceuticals DVST8 WWWW is a pre-workout that is a bit different from the DVST8 we were used to. Inspired has long been known for their hard-hitting pre-workouts. While you can get away with that when you're a smaller brand, if you want to grow, you have to change your formulas to appeal to a wider audience. DVST8 WWWW does just that.

The formula start us off with a pump and performance blend, which starts off with Citrulline Malate at 6g, and is followed by 2.5g of Betaine Anhydrous. Citrulline can help with pumps, and Betaine can help with power output. Next you get the powerhouse of this product, which is the Arginine Nitrate at 1.5g. Nitrates are simply the best ingredients when it comes to getting pumps, and at 1.5g, you're getting a solid dose. Lastly, you get 1 grams of PeakO2®, which is a blend of mushroom that can help with endurance.

After that blend, you get the energy blend which consists of some nootropics, natural Caffeine, and some KannaEase™. You get decent doses of Choline Bitartrate and Tyrosine, two popular nootropic ingredients, as well as some Dynamine®, and ingredient from Compound Solutions. Dymaine is great for increasing energy and focus in the gym, and at 50mg, is dosed well. The KannaEase™ is an ingredient used to help with reducing anxiety, especially with stimulants. 

Overall, it is not the strongest pre-workout on the market, but it is still a great option for those won do not want creatine in their pre-workout, or an overload of stimulants.

Who Makes It?