The 5 Best Stim-Free Pre-Workout 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.

Core Nutritionals PUMP is a non-stim pre-workout that was released in 2020, as part of Core’s rebrand. It has easily taken over as one of the best products on the market, and we can’t praise it enough. One of the best aspects to the profile is that there are no overlapping/redundant ingredients. 

The profile starts off with 6 grams of Citrulline, and 3.2 grams of Beta-Alanine. Citrulline is great for pumps, as it converts to Arginine, which is a precursor to Nitric Oxide. As for Beta-Alanine, it is used for aiding in endurance. Both are dosed well.

Next up, we have the powerhouse behind this product, which is Betaine Nitrate (NO3-T®). Nitrates are very effective at causing vasodilation, and we get a solid 2.5 grams of Betaine Nitrate in here. This is the ingredient that really puts it over the top for us here on FI.

The next ingredient we have is PeakO2®, which is a blend of mushrooms from Compound Solutions. This is a blend of mushrooms that is used to increase VO2 Max, which can increase endurance. It is a great ingredient with solid research behind it, and at 2 grams, it is dosed well. Following this we have HydroMax®, which is a trademarked form of Glycerol Monostearate. This ingredient can help with cellular hydration, and is great for aiding with pumps. At 2 grams, it is dosed well. 

Finally, we have Alpha GPC, which is a source of Choline. Choline is converted to Acetylcholine in the brain which is a neurotransmitter. This can aid with focus, and the Alpha GPC is dosed well in here. 

Core PUMP is well deserving of being on this list, and we highly suggest grabbing it if you want a consistent non-stim pre-workout.

Who Makes It?

Core Nutritionals has recently gone through a rebrand, and they now look like a sexy brand, something they were kind of lacking beforehand. The brand has consistently come out with solid products, and are now killing it in 2020 with their new product launches. With a team that really cares about efficacious dosing and products that work, Core Nutritionals is a brand for everybody

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.

If you've ventured around our website, you've seen the brand NutraBio and may have seen their stimulant based pre-workout which is rated top 5. Their Stim-Free PRE is also amazing. They essentially looked at their award winning PRE Extreme and formulated it to remove the stims while still providing a great pre-workout powerhouse. 

When we say well-rounded, we mean that NutraBio tries to hit on everything from strength to endurance to hydration. We get a Power, Strength & Endurance Complex. They also give us a Pump Matrix. Then we get a Focus & Drive Matrix. Lastly, they cure our Hydration with several key ingredients.

You won't necessarily find high dosages of key branded ingredients like you may in other supplements, but they also include more to hit on all pillars a pre-workout should hit on. We are a huge fan of Stim-Free PRE from NutraBio because they truly care about you and your workout.

Who Makes It?

NutraBio won our 2017 Brand of the Year award for their commitment to label transparency and product consistency. They care about the consumer, and what we are putting into our bodies. They also care about creating best tasting pre-workout supplements.

NutraBio has a 3rd party testing website called CheckMySupps.com where you can track the validity of the supplements you buy. Can you find another company with that kind of commitment to the consumer? Good luck.