Taking Pre-Workout Before Work: A Good Idea?

Are you looking for a little extra pep in your step before heading to work? Pre-workout supplements, popular among gym-goers, are now catching on as a morning pick-me-up for the workday too.

In this article, we'll discuss whether taking a pre-workout supplement can really help you feel more alert and focused at your job.

We'll take a look at what's in these supplements, how they might help your workday performance, and discuss if there are any downsides.

Whether you're a fitness buff or just curious about a new way to energize your day, let's dive into the world of pre-workout supplements and see if they could be a good addition to your morning routine.

Key Takeaways

• "Can I take pre-workout before work?" Yes, but it may only be a good idea if you use well-formulated, high-quality supplements and your profession allows for it.
• Smart use of pre-workout supplements before work could help productivity by enhancing energy, intensity, physical strength and endurance, mood, focus and more.
• Pre-workouts with megadose caffeine (including energy drinks) are generally discouraged before work due to the risk of jitters, irritability and other counterproductive side effects.
• If you want to try a pre-workout for work, look for products that use brain-boosting nootropics and low-to-moderate dose caffeine. We recommend one below.
• Read labels carefully and follow dosage instructions exactly. Exceeding recommended serving size may deliver too much caffeine stimulation that isn't always helpful at work.

What is a Pre-Workout and What Does it Do?

A pre-workout supplement is a type of formula taken by individuals before exercising or engaging in intense physical activity.

If you take a pre-workout, it can work in many different ways -- including boosting cell energy, raising stimulation and alertness, enhancing muscle performance, and sharpening overall cognitive function.

Since you're reading this article, you may wonder if these pre-workout benefits for athletes might apply to workplace performance, too. In short, they do. As long as you choose the right supplements, you can take pre-workout without working out and transfer its performance-enhancing benefits to your workday.

Let's take a look at some pre-workout supplement ingredients that make sense for the workplace as well as the gym.

Ingredients in Pre-Workout Supplements

Caffeine: Enhances alertness and energy. It's one of the most common stimulants found in pre-workouts and the most popular "pre-work" supplement in the world, usually as coffee.

L-Theanine: Found in green tea and often paired with caffeine, it helps smooth out the stimulant's harsher effects, promoting a more focused and balanced energy boost.⁽¹⁾ Learn more about L-Theanine

Citrulline: Improves blood flow to body tissues, enhancing exercise performance, muscle strength and muscle endurance.

Beetroot: Contains nitrates that improve blood flow, oxygen delivery and nutrient supply to the muscles as well as the brain -- potentially supporting both physical and mental performance.⁽²⁾

Creatine: Creatine supplementation enhances both cognitive function and physical performance by boosting energy production and improving brain and muscle efficiency.⁽³⁾

B-Vitamins: B-vitamins are in pre-workout supplements to help convert food into energy, boosting metabolism and energy levels during exercise. Find out why B-Vitamins are used in advanced pre-workout supplements

In addition to these traditional physical performance boosters, some pre-workout supplements are now incorporating nootropics.

Also known as cognitive enhancers, nootropics' potential benefits include support for focus, motivation, short term memory (working memory), mood and mental endurance.

Outside the gym, nootropics are already well-known for supporting workday productivity.

Today's advanced pre-workout supplements are curating top nootropics and tapping brainpower to add extra performance enhancement to their formulas.

Nootropics Found in Pre-Workouts

Rhodiola Rosea: Adaptogen helps body handle stress better, boosting mental clarity and stamina during strenuous activities.⁽⁴⁾ It's a great herb for reducing fatigue and smashing through workday stress.

L-Tyrosine: Amino acid that raises neurotransmitters like dopamine and adrenaline, L-Tyrosine helps improve attention, focus, and alertness under stressful conditions. Learn more about L-Tyrosine benefits

Lion’s Mane Mushroom: Supports brain health, enhances focus, and improves nerve regeneration, which can be beneficial during physical and mental stress.⁽⁵⁾

Bacopa Monnieri: Known for improving cognition and memory functions, Bacopa Monnieri helps in reducing anxiety and stress levels, which can be beneficial during intense training or work.

Citicoline: Shown to increase energy metabolism in the brain.⁽⁶⁾ Also helps brain chemicals, including acetylcholine, for improving focus and mind-muscle coordination. Learn more about Citicoline

By integrating nootropics, advanced pre-workout supplements prepare the body and prime the mind, enhancing overall performance via improved mental sharpness. This holistic approach ensures that athletes and workers alike can push their limits both physically and mentally.

Taking a Pre-Workout Before Work: Pros and Cons

Depending on the formula you take, a pre-workout supplement before work can potentially have both positive and negative effects. Here's a breakdown of the pros and cons.

Pros of Taking Pre-Workout Before Work

Pre-workout benefits that boost gym performance can also boost work performance. It's the main reason why people give workday pre-workouts a try. Some examples of how they might help at work:

• Increased Energy: Many contain enough caffeine and stimulants to boost energy levels through an entire workout. This benefit can help you feel ready to tackle the workday.
• Enhanced Focus: If you take a pre-workout with caffeine and nootropics, you may improve concentration and focus -- making complex tasks and long meetings easier.
• Improved Mood: Some ingredients in pre-workouts might improve mood and overall sense of well-being, potentially making the workday feel less stressful.
• Better Stamina: For jobs that require physical activity, the endurance-boosting effects of pre-workout supplements can help you power through muscle fatigue.
• Health and fitness goals. Some pre-workouts, such as branched chain amino acids and creatine, may work better when taken over time. Taking them before work can help load up your muscles.

Tip: For a more peaceful experience and the best work performance benefits, avoid preworkouts that megadose their caffeine. Instead look for pre-workouts that use low-to-moderate dose caffeine combined with L-Theanine to smooth out jitters. Learn more about the caffeine + L-Theanine nootropic stack

Cons of Taking Pre-Workout Before Work

If you take a pre workout (or other supplements and energy drinks) with megadose caffeine and other stimulants, the effect can be intense!

The caffeine surge can enhance athletic performance and help you train harder through intense workouts, but it can also diminish performance or even cause problems at work.

Some cons of excessively intense pre-workouts taken before going to work include:

• Jitters and Anxiety: The high levels of stimulants in some pre-workout supplements can lead to unpleasant side effects such as jitters, anxiety, and heart palpitations.
• Dependency and Tolerance: Regular use of stim pre-workouts can lead to tolerance (you need more to get the same effects). Learn about how to reset caffeine tolerance
• Disrupted Sleep Patterns: Taking pre-workout supplements in the morning can still affect your sleep, especially if you are sensitive to caffeine.
• Digestive Issues: Some people experience stomach upset, nausea, or diarrhea from the ingredients in pre-workout supplements. Not good for work.

Before deciding to incorporate a pre-workout supplement into your pre-work routine, it's important to consider how these factors might affect your day at work, job performance and overall health.

Who might take a pre-workout before work?

Physically Demanding Job Workers: If you are on your feet all day, lifting heavy objects or otherwise physically hustling, taking a muscle-priming pre-workout formula can help endurance and strength.

Long Hourly Shifts: Taking a pre-workout either before work or midway through your workday as a sort of mid-day boost can help you enhance performance, stay focused and reduce fatigue.

Competitive Cognitive Demands: Nootropic pre-workout ingredients may help cognitive aspects of work to improve focus, attention, and calm control. Perfect for mentally demanding occupations.

Coffee Drinkers Looking to Upgrade: Many people start their workday with coffee but are interested in finding a better way. Pre-workouts with caffeine, including next-gen caffeine pills, can replace coffee.

Moderate caffeine dosage range may yield best performance benefits.

The International Society of Sports Nutrition recommends 3 to 6 milligrams of caffeine per kilogram of body weight (1.36 to 2.72 mg per pound), taken about 60 minutes prior to exercise. Researchers suggest this dosage significantly improves exercise performance, including endurance.⁽⁷⁾

When to Avoid Taking a Pre-Workout Before Work

Excessive caffeine intake, a common component in many pre-workout supplements, can lead to several adverse effects that hold back professional performance, particularly in certain occupations.

• Shaky hands from too much caffeine (or other stimulants), can impair precision in jobs that require steady hands such as surgeons, dentists and detailed craftsmanship or assembly work.
• Irritability, another side effect, can cause interpersonal problems that are especially disruptive to customer service, management, or any role that relies on teamwork and client interactions.
• Problems with decision-making can occur with overstimulation. This is bad for professions that require strategic thinking and good judgement, like pilots, drivers and high-level roles.

For individuals in some fields, side effects of excessive caffeine consumption can not only diminish job performance but may also pose safety risks.

Taking a pre-workout with excessively high doses of caffeine before you go to work may not be the best idea for any occupation.

Instead, for improving workplace performance, consider stim-free energy pills, brain-boosting nootropic stacks, and "smart caffeine" that can increase productivity without having you bouncing off the walls of your office.

Learn more about stim-free energy supplements

Discover today's top science-backed nootropics

Find out what "smart caffeine" is all about

Best Pre-Workout Supplements to Take Before Work

If you're looking to take pre-workout to supercharge your workday performance, we have a couple of high-quality options for you to consider.

First, there's a moderately caffeinated, nootropics-enhanced pre-workout supplement that increases energy, sharpens focus and enhances endurance -- perfect for a workday boost.

We follow that with a precision-dose caffeine pill formulated to provide sustained and balanced energy without the risk of jitters or an afternoon crash. Let's check them out.

Top Pre Workout Supplement for Work: Pre Lab Pro®

“World’s smartest pre-workout drink": nootropic-enhanced sports nutrition for smooth energy, focus and peak performance with no jitters or crashes.

Ingredients: Red Beetroot Powder; Setria® Performance Blend; Natural Caffeine; L-Theanine; L-Tyrosine; Vitamin D3, Potassium and Iron (all as NutriGenesis®), Himalayan Pink Salt. Delicious natural berry flavor.

If you’re wondering, “can I drink pre-workout before work?” With this formula you can. Pre Lab Pro® supplies a moderate dose of sport-tuned caffeine (80 mg) with amino acids like L-Theanine (100 mg) and nootropics that balance energy with calm control.

With an additional nitric oxide boost for blood flow and muscle pumps plus natural hydration support, Pre Lab Pro® enhances performance throughout your session -- whether you're working or working out.

How to take: Add a single scoop to ¾ of a pint (300 ml) of water. Mix in a shaker bottle into a delicious berry flavored drink (no artificial flavors). No blender necessary; makes it easy to take pre-workout. Drink pre workout beverage 15-30 minutes before going to work or the gym.

Shop Pre Lab Pro®

Top Caffeine Pill for Work: Performance Lab® Caffeine 2™

"Smart caffeine" that delivers precision stimulation in a cleaner, healthier format.

Ingredients: Natural Caffeine (from Coffea robusta seeds), Suntheanine® L-Theanine, Ajipure® L-Tyrosine; NutriGenesis® Caffeine Balance B-Complex: Riboflavin+ (Vitamin B2), Vitamin B6+, Folate+ (Vitamin B9), Vitamin B12+

Performance Lab® Caffeine 2™ is a nootropic-enhanced caffeine pill. By pairing a minimally effective dose (50mg) of natural caffeine with mind-soothing L-theanine and brain chemical-replenishing L-tyrosine and B-vitamins, this dietary supplement enhances both athletic performance and cognitive performance without the usually jittery side effects.

How to use it for work: Take 30 minutes before work or as needed throughout the day for more energy and cleaner, clearer stimulation. It's equally effective whether you're heading to the gym, heading to the office or coming back from a lunch break. Stimulation will vary depending on number of capsules taken. One capsule (50 mg) up to five capsules (250 mg) is recommended.

Shop Performance Lab® Caffeine 2™

Conclusion: Is Taking a Pre-Workout Before Work a Good Idea?

Taking a pre-workout supplement as part of your morning routine can be a game-changer for healthy adults seeking workday benefits -- as long as you choose a formula carefully and take it strategically.

Whether you need a boost in energy, improved focus, or increased endurance, the right pre-workout can help you achieve more at work. But always keep in mind: pre-workouts are designed for training, and their greatest benefits are found in the gym.

*Tip: Take pre-workout supplement, train at the gym, and then go to work.

With a shower in between. The benefits of the pre-workout supplement will carry into your workday, along with many other workday performance benefits associated with early morning exercise.⁽⁸⁾

As always, healthy individuals should choose supplements that align with their health needs and sensitivities, combine it with a balanced diet, and share the supplement regimen with a healthcare professional.

With the right preparation and supplementation, you can step into your workplace (or gym!) energized, focused, and ready to excel.