The 5 Best Pump Supplements In 2024: Our Tested Reviews

Pump Daddy V2 is a worthy successor to the original Pump Daddy from RYSE. If you remember that one, you know it was quite powerful, and was actually our #1 ranked Pump product for a bit. Well now we have Pump Daddy V2, and while some changes were made to the formula, not much has changed when it comes to effectiveness. 

The profile starts off with 9 grams of Citrulline, which is well above the 4g-6g average. Citrulline is the most popular ingredient for pumps, and this delivers more than enough. Now we have Beta-Alanine, which after Creatine is the most popular sports nutrition ingredient (that isn’t Caffeine). It helps with endurance by buffering lactic acid, and you typically want this at 3.2g. You get 6.4g in Pump Daddy... DOUBLE the amount.  

Following this you get 5g of Creatine Monohydrate, which is the recommended daily dose. Creatine needs no introduction, however if you didn’t know it is the most studied ingredient the supplement industry has, and helps with performance. 

Betaine Anhydrous has grown in popularity over the past few years in pre-workouts, and can help with power output. You typically see 1.5g-2.5g in pre-workout. Well you get 4g of it in here. Certainly a great ingredient to help you with performance. Next up comes Betaine Nitrate as NO3-T®, which is one of the higher-yielding nitrate forms. Nitrates are certainly a surefire way to increase pumps, and you get a solid dose in here at 2 grams.

VasoDrive-AP® are peptides that have been shown to help with blood pressure. It is becoming quite popular in pump products, and you get 508mg of it in Pump Daddy, which is the clinical dose. 

The two final ingredients are AstraGin® and CitraPEAK. AstraGin® is an ingredient from NuLiv Science, which may help the absorption some ingredients. It also reduces inflammation in the gut. At 50mg, you are getting the clinical dose. CitraPEAK is an antioxidant derived from orange peels that helps with NO production. At 200mg, you are getting a solid dose. 

We loved the first version, but this one is a worthy successor, and deserves its spot on this list. 

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. 

Hooligan Bare Knuckle is a true powerhouse that is well deserving of a spot on this list. In true Apollon fashion, it is simply loaded. Now some of you know the infamous Hooligan, the one that is known for being a Caffeine bomb… well Bare Knuckle is the yang to that yin. Bare Knuckle is a stim-free pre-workout that contains massive doses of everything else you see on this list. 

The formula starts off with 10g of Citrulline and 4.2g of Arginine Nitrate (as NO3-T). Both of these doses are massive and amongst the highest in the industry. In fact, we can’t think of another brand that uses more than 3g of Arginine Nitrate. Nitrates are our favorite form of pump ingredients, and to see it at this dose is great. Following this you get 3.2g of Beta-Alanine, which helps with endurance.

Tyrosine is in Bare Knuckle at 3g, which is a strong dose. Tyrosine is a precursor to dopamine, and can help with focus under stressful situations. This is then followed by Betaine Anhydrous, which is at the clinical dose of 2.5g. This may help with power output. To go along with the Tyrosine, you get another nootropic ingredient in Alpha GPC. This is a high quality form of Choline, which is a neurotransmitter. At 800mg, it is actually higher than the usual 600mg dose.

 Pink Himalayan salt has been added to aid with hydration and muscle function. It is more common in pre-workouts these days. You get another pump ingredient in the form of Grape Seed Extract. This may help with lowering blood pressure, and at 400mg is dosed well. 

Finally you get 2 well known patented ingredients. CognatiQ® is derived from Coffee Fruit extract. This can help with BDNF levels, and is actually quite popular these days. Finally we have AstraGin®, which may aid with absorption. At 50mg, it is at the clinical dose.

This is a powerhouse of a stim-free pre-workout, and if you really wanted to, simply adding a Caffeine pill would make this a top pre-workout on here. You can’t go wrong with Apollon if you want the best out of your product, and this one is no different. 

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.

ZimFit is a relatively new brand that we have covered on Fitness Informant in the past, and we really enjoyed our experience. So much so that it has now made our list here. Get PMPD is an interesting take on a pre-workout, although it really shouldn’t be. It is quite an impressive formula, and really is the king of “low-stim” pre-workouts. Some consider low-stim pre-workouts to be in the 200mg-250mg range, well Get PMPD shows that you don’t need that much to get a good workout in.

It starts with  7 grams of Citrulline, which helps with pumps. At 7g, it is dosed well. Following this you get 3.2g of Beta-Alanine, which can help with endurance. At 3.2 grams, it is at the clinical dose. The first trademarked ingredient is GlycerPump™. This is Glycerol monostearate, which helps with cellular hydration and volumization, which in turn helps with pumps. You get 3 grams of it in here, which is a decent dose.

Now we come to Betaine Anhydrous, which is popular in pre-workouts because it may help with power output. At 2.5g, it is dosed well. Now we come to our first nootropic ingredient, Tyrosine! Tyrosine is a precursor to dopamine, and can help with focus. At 1.5g, it is dosed quite well. Following this is Taurine, which can help with blood flow and hydration. 

Another nootropic ingredient in Get PMPD is Alpha GPC, which is a high quality form of Choline. This converts to acetylcholine in the brain, which is a neurotransmitter. This is then followed by Theanine, which is an anxiolytic. This can help calm you down, and may even increase focus. At 100mg, it’s actually higher than the Caffeine content here, which isn’t common to see. You may or may not like this…. speaking of Caffeine…

Now we come to Caffeine, which is why this is one of our favorite low-stim products. You get 85mg of Caffeine, which is way lower than the average pre-workout. Most pre-workouts tend to have 300mg+, and low-stim these days is 200mg or so. Here, you have 85mg, which is about a small cup of coffee or even less depending on who you ask. This is in our eyes a true “low-stim” pre-workout. 

The last two ingredients are AstraGin® and Huperzine A. AstraGin may help with the absorption of certain nutrients, and Huperzine prevents choline from being broken down in the brain. 

This is a well-formulated pre-workout that really can be considered a low-stim pre-workout. Seriously, try to find a pre-workout with less than 250mg of Caffeine from a reputable brand these days, it’s actually harder than you think! Well worth having for workouts that are later in the day or if you’re trying to give your body a break from the constant bombardment of Caffeine. 

One thing we have to mention, while there are two flavors currently, they are well done. The Cherry Taffy isn’t just a basic Cherry… It literally tastes like Cherry Taffy! Well done ZimFit!

Who Makes It?

ZimFit is a relatively new brand that made a splash with their low-stim pre-workout GET PMPD, and loyal following. They have a lot of potential, and put a lot of effort into their supplements, not just the formulas, but the flavors as well. 

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. 

Muscletech used to get a lot of hate for some of the crazy claims they used to make back in the 2000s. Well now they are one of the top brands when it comes to a variety of categories, and we must say that we are impressed with what they have been able to come up with in recent years. 

Shatter makes this list, as it is a budget friendly pre-workout that gives you the essentials that every pre-workout has on this list, but also has some extras that give it a slight edge over pre-workouts that also could have been added. 

Shatter starts off with Beta-Alanine, Betaine Anhydrous, and Taurine. These are 3 common pre-workout ingredients, and each one is dosed well. Beta-Alanine for endurance, Betaine for power output, and Taurine for hydration and blood flow. 

Next comes the Pump blend, which starts off with a nice 4g of Citrulline. This helps with blood flow and is the most common ingredient in pre-workouts next to Caffeine and Beta-Alanine. 4g is a good dose! Following this you get Red Spinach extract (as NO3-T®), which is a source of Nitrates. Nitrates help with blood flow through a different pathway than Citrulline, and we like that it actually shows you the standardization. Next up comes CitraPeak™, which is an antioxidant that helps with pumps. At 200mg it is dosed well. You also get some Hawthorn, which has been used for a long time to aid with blood flow.

We love our stim/nootropic blends. Shatter has a solid one which starts off with Choline Bitartrate at 472mg. Choline converts to Acetylcholine in the brain, and is a neurotransmitter. You get 350mg of Caffeine, which of course helps with energy. This is actually quite high, especially for a budget friendly pre-workout. Muscletech kind of takes the hype away, as this is followed by 125mg of Theanine. Theanine is an anxiolytic, and is used to help stave off the less enjoyable side effects of Caffeine. 

Shatter also has some Japanese Raisin Tree extract, which is typically used for hangovers. Not a common ingredient for sure. Finally, you get some Alpha GPC at a small 50mg dose. This is a good form of Choline, however quite low. 

The profile is solid, and gives you some good doses of the essentials, while also providing some extracts that give it a slight edge. You can get this for $35 directly from the Muscletech website. If you use coupon code INFORMANT, you get an extra 20% off, which is an absolutely greta deal for this pre-workout.

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.