I’m a woman in her 30s, and I take pre-workout! So that answers the question, right!?
Yes, women can take pre-workout. But…
This is where it gets interesting. There are four main things to consider:
- Does your pre-workout have a proprietary blend?
- Does your pre-workout contain questionable ingredients?
- Are you pregnant or dealing with a medical issue?
- Are some pre-workouts better for women than others?
Let’s discuss each of these issues.
Just Say No To Proprietary Blends
Proprietary blends in a pre-workout are usually a way for the manufacturer to hide the dosage of any single ingredient in their blend. It’s usually a way for the company to cut costs and cut corners without being held accountable.
However, as a woman it is absolutely critical that you know the dosage of each and every ingredient because keep in mind: most pre-workouts are made for men. And men typically have bigger bodies, needing higher doses. Plus many pre-workouts are made for men who are willing to push extreme boundaries that a lot of women are not interested in pushing.
Does your pre-workout contain questionable ingredients?
The pre-workout market is competitive and companies try to get an edge by including ingredients that are the gray line of legality. Usually these ingredients provide some kind of euphoria or intense focus and drive type experience. Staying on top of which ingredients are questionable is difficult.
One shortcut is to only buy your pre-workout off Amazon where they try to stay on top of banned substances. You can also double check our ingredient list at PreWorkout.org which only includes legitimate ingredients.
Are you pregnant or dealing with a medical issue?
Most pre-workouts include ingredients that impact your nervous and cardiovascular systems. While there is no known evidence that a pre-workout will harm your developing child, it is worth using an abundance of caution.
Whether you are pregnant or dealing with a medical condition, we recommend first taking your pre-workout to your doctor and going over each ingredient. Ask your doctor whether ingredients like L-Citrulline (which improves blood flow) or Beta-Alanine (reduces perceptions of fatigue) could cause harm to the fetus.
While pregnant, a good alternative to pre-workout could be to just rely on coffee. While coffee does not have all the benefits of a pre-workout, it does still help.
Are Some Pre-Workouts Better For Women Than Others?
Yes. Many pre-workouts are designed for men who typically have bigger bodies and therefor higher tolerances and effective doses for many pre-workout ingredients. So it’s important to choose a pre-workout that is more in line with women’s needs.
First, become familiar with the most important ingredients for your goals. An excellent pre-workout for women should include at least:
- 150-250mg of Caffeine for energy
- 4-6g of L-Citrulline* for blood flow
- 1-3g Beta-Alanine for endurance
- 2-5g Creatine for strength
*keep in mind that Citrulline Malate is only 2/3 L-Citrulline so to get 4g of L-Citurlline you’d need 6g of Citrulline Malate
What are some good Pre-Workouts for Women?
We can recommend the following pre-workouts for women:
- Shifted Premium – the best bang for your buck and packs the most punch. has all core ingredients good flavors.
- BuckedUp Babe – good flavors, cute branding. good dosing for core ingredients. missing creatine.
- Alani Nu – lighter doses, good flavors and solid formula, but missing creatine.
