Pre-Workout (Performance)
About this protocol
Where to start
Take 30-60 minutes before training.
Citrulline malate at 6-8 g for the pump and endurance effect. The Trexler 2019 meta-analysis confirms effect on power output and perceived exertion at proper doses. Commercial products often contain 1-3 g (sub-effective).
Beta-alanine at 3-5 g daily (chronic loading; effect builds over 4-6 weeks). Buffers muscle pH in high-intensity 1-4 minute efforts. Causes harmless paresthesia (tingling) at higher acute doses — split AM/PM if uncomfortable. Effect is NOT acute — must be taken consistently for weeks to load muscle carnosine.
Caffeine at 3-6 mg/kg body weight (200-400 mg for most adults). The most-evidenced ergogenic in sports nutrition. Effect on strength, power, endurance, and perceived exertion is well-established.
Taurine at 1-2 g for synergistic effect with caffeine. Modulates calcium handling in muscle and may attenuate caffeine''s blood pressure effect.
Skip the commercial pre-workout if it doesn''t list these ingredients at proper doses without proprietary blends. Save money by buying these individually.
4 nutrients
Start here
Strongest evidence — the foundation of the stack.
Citrulline Malate (or L-Citrulline)
6-8 g citrulline malate (or 4-5 g L-citrulline), 30-60 min before trainingCitrulline raises plasma arginine and nitric oxide production more effectively than arginine itself, improving blood flow and reducing perceived exertion. The Trexler 2019 meta-analysis confirms benefit on strength endurance, power output, and perceived effort at the 6-8 g citrulline malate dose. Most commercial pre-workouts contain 1-3 g — sub-effective. Pure L-citrulline at 4-5 g is equivalent.[1, 2, 3]
Beta-Alanine
3-5 g daily (chronic; effect builds over 4-6 weeks)Beta-alanine is a carnosine precursor; carnosine buffers muscle pH during high-intensity exercise. Effect is on 1-4 minute efforts (high-intensity intervals, sprint work, late-set repetitions). CRITICAL: effect is NOT acute — must load muscle carnosine over 4-6 weeks of consistent supplementation. Causes harmless paresthesia (tingling) at higher acute doses; split into smaller doses throughout the day to avoid.[4, 5, 6]
Add if needed
Add these only if the foundation isn't enough.
Caffeine
3-6 mg/kg body weight (200-400 mg for most adults), 30-60 min pre-trainingCaffeine is the single most-evidenced ergogenic aid in sports nutrition — strength, power, endurance, anaerobic capacity, and perceived exertion all improve. Effects are well-replicated across trial designs. Tolerance builds with daily use; consider cycling (use only on high-intensity days) for sustained acute effects.[7, 8, 9]
Experimental
Emerging evidence — try last, only if curious.
Taurine
1-2 g, 30-60 min pre-trainingTaurine modulates calcium handling in muscle cells and has emerging evidence for endurance performance benefits. Often paired with caffeine in pre-workout formulations — may attenuate caffeine''s blood pressure effect. The 2023 Singh paper on taurine and aging generated renewed interest.[10, 11, 12]
Warnings
Lifestyle improvements
Train consistently first
No pre-workout substitutes for training program quality and consistency. The 5-10% performance edge from supplementation matters only on top of well-designed training.
Sleep > pre-workout
A single night of poor sleep tanks performance more than any supplement boosts it. Train rested, especially for important sessions.
Hydration
Even mild dehydration tanks performance. 16-20 oz water 2 hours before training, plus electrolytes for sessions over 60 minutes or in heat.
Don''t mega-dose caffeine
400 mg is the upper end for most adults. Higher doses bring diminishing returns and side effects (anxiety, jitters, GI upset, post-workout crash). Some pre-workouts hide 400+ mg behind proprietary blends.
Cycle caffeine
Daily use builds tolerance. Use pre-workout caffeine only on high-intensity training days, not recovery days. 5-7 day caffeine resets every 8-12 weeks restore acute sensitivity.
Beta-alanine takes 4-6 weeks to load
Don''t expect acute effects. Take it consistently for 4-6 weeks to load muscle carnosine before judging.
Skip pre-workouts late in the day
Caffeine half-life is 5-6 hours. Late-afternoon training + pre-workout = disrupted sleep. Stop pre-workout caffeine 8+ hours before bed.
Don''t stack with energy drinks
Most commercial pre-workouts already contain stimulants. Stacking with energy drinks risks dangerous caffeine doses.
Protein and creatine separately
Post-workout protein and daily creatine (3-5 g) are the foundational supplements for training adaptation. Don''t skip these in favor of pre-workout flash.
Read the label, not the marketing
Look for explicit doses of citrulline (5+ g), beta-alanine (3+ g), and caffeine (200-300 mg). Avoid "proprietary blends" — they''re always under-dosed.
References
- L-Citrulline — supplement research overviewExamine.com link
- Trexler ET, et al. Acute Effects of Citrulline Supplementation on High-Intensity Strength and Power Performance: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Sports Med. 2019;49(5):707-718.PubMed link
- Pérez-Guisado J, Jakeman PM. Citrulline malate enhances athletic anaerobic performance and relieves muscle soreness. J Strength Cond Res. 2010;24(5):1215-1222.PubMed link
- Beta-alanine — supplement research overviewExamine.com link
- Hobson RM, et al. Effects of β-alanine supplementation on exercise performance: a meta-analysis. Amino Acids. 2012;43(1):25-37.PubMed link
- Saunders B, et al. β-alanine supplementation to improve exercise capacity and performance: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Br J Sports Med. 2017;51(8):658-669.PubMed link
- Caffeine — supplement research overviewExamine.com link
- Goldstein ER, et al. International society of sports nutrition position stand: caffeine and performance. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2010;7(1):5.PubMed link
- Grgic J, et al. Effects of caffeine intake on muscular strength and power: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2018;15(1):11.PubMed link
- Taurine — supplement research overviewExamine.com link
- Kurtz JA, et al. Taurine in sports and exercise. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2021;18(1):39.PubMed link
- Waldron M, et al. The Effects of an Oral Taurine Dose and Supplementation Period on Endurance Exercise Performance in Humans: A Meta-Analysis. Sports Med. 2018;48(5):1247-1253.PubMed link
Related protocols
Other recovery protocols and protocols sharing ingredients with this one.
Hydration & Electrolytes
recovery
Most people drink enough water but consume far too little sodium relative to their activity level — particularly anyone exercising, low-carb dieting, in a hot climate, or drinking caffeine in volume. The result is "water-logged but mineral-poor" hydration that manifests as headaches, fatigue, muscle cramps, lightheadedness on standing, and poor exercise tolerance. This protocol focuses on the four electrolytes that matter most: sodium, potassium, magnesium, and chloride. Calcium gets a brief mention but is rarely the limiting factor in healthy adults.
Joint Health & Mobility
recovery
Joint discomfort is one of the most universal aging symptoms — and one of the most over-supplemented categories in the entire industry. The literature for glucosamine and chondroitin is genuinely mixed: some trials show modest pain and function improvements in moderate osteoarthritis; others find no effect over placebo. Omega-3 has more consistent evidence for inflammatory joint pain. Curcumin (with appropriate bioavailability enhancement) has rapidly accumulating trial evidence comparable to NSAIDs in mild-to-moderate osteoarthritis. UC-II (undenatured type II collagen) has small but clean trials for knee osteoarthritis. This stack is for everyday joint maintenance and mild-to-moderate osteoarthritis — not a substitute for orthopedic care of serious joint disease.
Post-Workout Recovery
recovery
Recovery determines your next training session, not the workout you just finished. The best-evidenced supplemental levers are unglamorous: enough protein to drive muscle protein synthesis, creatine to maintain phosphocreatine stores, and a small set of anti-inflammatory aids for high-volume blocks or competition stretches. This protocol assumes you are training consistently — three or more sessions per week — and want to recover better between them. If you train less, the protein you eat at meals is sufficient.
Migraine Prevention
recovery
Migraine has one of the best-evidenced supplement literatures of any condition — primarily because the field needed effective alternatives to pharmaceuticals with significant side effect profiles. Magnesium, riboflavin (B2), and CoQ10 each have multiple randomized trials supporting their use for migraine frequency and severity, and they appear in headache neurology guidelines as Level B (probably effective) or Level C (possibly effective) evidence. The stack is best used as PREVENTION (daily, ongoing) — not as acute migraine treatment. If you have not been formally diagnosed with migraine, the protocol still applies to general headache prevention but proper diagnosis is worth pursuing — migraines are often under-treated.
Endurance Athlete Stack
recovery
Endurance athletes (runners, cyclists, swimmers, triathletes, rowers) have specific nutritional demands that differ from strength athletes: massive sweat losses (electrolytes), iron depletion risk (especially in female endurance athletes — "footstrike hemolysis" plus menstrual losses), heavy oxidative stress, B12 needs from extensive Zone 2 work, and mitochondrial demands. The supplement category here has clear evidence: beetroot (nitrates) for oxygen efficiency and performance in events 5-30 minutes long, electrolytes for sweat replacement (mandatory in sessions over 60 minutes), iron when ferritin is confirmed low, B12 for energy metabolism, and CoQ10 for mitochondrial support. This is for serious endurance training (5+ hours/week aerobic work), not casual runners. Pair with proper carb fueling, hydration strategy, and sleep — supplements complement, never replace, the training-and-recovery foundation.
Heart Health Foundation
cardiovascular· 1 shared ingredient
Cardiovascular disease is the leading killer of adults globally. The supplement category for heart health is overrun with marketing, but a handful of compounds have legitimate long-term human evidence: omega-3 EPA/DHA, CoQ10, magnesium, vitamin K2, and taurine. None of these replace evidence-based pharmaceutical therapy (statins, ACE inhibitors, etc.) when one is medically indicated. They DO function well as a preventive baseline for adults without active cardiovascular disease, and as complements to medical therapy. This protocol is for cardiovascular maintenance and primary prevention — see Cholesterol Support or Blood Pressure Support for goal-specific protocols.
Track this protocol in Pilora
Add these supplements to your shelf, get smart dose reminders, and check for interactions — all in the Pilora iPhone app.
Coming to App StoreDisclaimer: These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. This protocol is educational, not a substitute for personalized medical advice. Talk to your doctor before starting any new supplement regimen — especially if you're pregnant, breastfeeding, on medications, or managing a chronic condition. Last updated 5/20/2026.