Which Kaged Pre-Workout Supplement is For You?

It’s tough to put into words how exciting Pre-Kaged Elite is. It blew the doors down right at the start of 2022, and we consistently turn to it anytime we need a big day in the gym.

Our main article titled Pre-Kaged ELITE: The Next Evolution in Pre-Workout Supplements has the details, but the general gist is that this is what big lifters use when they need massive amounts of strength, pumps, energy, and focus. Pre-Kaged Elite has it all.

Kaged started 2022 with a bang, and did it amazingly during supply chain disruptions. Few would even attempt to try this in a normal environment, let alone in ’22… but Kaged doesn’t let anything stop their next evolution.

A few bullet points to get the idea across — all in one scoop:

• A whopping 10 grams of L-Citrulline supplemented with nitrates
• A total of 388 milligrams of naturally-sourced caffeine
• Clinical doses of creatine (CreaClear), betaine, and beta-alanine for muscle-building, performance, and more
• A high 2.5 gram dose of L-Tyrosine paired with Alpha-GPC + Huperzine A for focus
• Mitochondria-supporting taurine, carnitine, and elevATP to further synergize with creatine
• Supporting minerals and high-quality B-vitamins

Put simply, Pre-Kaged has it all. To get it all, though, you’ll need to be able to handle a hefty dose of caffeine, but we’ve noticed that the caffeine doesn’t strike as hard as you’d imagine thanks to the huge amount of vasodilation from the whopping creatine + nitrate dose.

If you’re going big, have the budget, and can handle the stim, Pre-Kaged Elite is basically impossible to beat. And with it, you won’t have to worry about separate creatine, betaine, or beta-alanine dosing – a great added bonus.

Again, read the full story in our main Pre-Kaged Elite article. This is a can’t-miss beast.

It’s true, Pre-Kaged Elite has a lot of caffeine and is on the pricey side. And even though it doesn’t feel like 388 milligrams of caffeine, and we believe the price is well worth the 20-25 insane training sessions we can get out of it, it’s still a lot of stim for many athletes. And possibly too much pump!

Thankfully, serious athletes still have a fantastic option: the classic option itself: Pre-Kaged!

Nearly identical to the original formula released years ago, Kaged was well ahead of the curve with the L-citrulline dose and then some, all thanks to Brian Rand‘s ingenuity!

The formula is nearly identical to the original version released years ago — and with its 6.5 gram fermented L-citrulline dose, it’s a formula that was well ahead of its time. Pre-Kaged sports the following main bullet points:

• A beyond-clinical and time-tested 6.5 grams of L-Citrulline
• 274 milligrams caffeine (naturally-sourced and organic)
• Clinical 2.5 grams of betaine paired with 1.5 grams creatine HCl
• High-dosed dual L-Tyrosine blend for focus
• High-leucine blend of BCAAs for mTOR stimulation in fasted athletes

There’s also a 1.6 gram dose of beta alanine, which is more friendly to those who don’t like the tingling sensation the ingredient can provide.

So as you can see, it’s a great pre-workout, yet a shelf down from the bombastic Pre-Kaged Elite. For some, this makes for a nearly perfect pre-workout. But for others, it’s worth scrapping together a few more bucks for the top shelf listed above.

Also, for those looking for the most flavor variety, Pre-Kaged is the one. You can read more in our article titled Pre-Kaged: Kris Gethin’s Monster Pre Workout.

The above two options are phenomenal – especially in terms of nitric oxide pumps – but not everyone needs a vicious blood-flowing pump in their workout. We’re talking about all you athletes, cardio beasts, and beginners out there.

Pre-Kaged Sport is the entry-level pre-workout supplement from Kaged, providing a more budget-friendly, athletic-friendly workout experience that won’t have your muscles too full to finish your run (which is literally what happens to us when we try to touch cardio after a Pre-Kaged Elite fueled workout).

Sports athletes, cardio trainers, smaller people, and beginners don’t always need 300+ milligrams of caffeine! In those cases, Pre-Kaged Sport is a better solution

Built for an athlete, we get smaller doses of nearly everything, especially citrulline and beta-alanine:

• 3.5 grams L-citrulline – still a clinical dose, just not as monstrous
• 188 milligrams of caffeine – naturally-sourced but lower dosed
• 2 grams of taurine to promote endurance (same dose as Pre-Kaged Elite)
• 1.6 grams of beta-alanine and 1.25 grams of betaine for added endurance support

As you can see, this is perfect for athletics, smaller weight lifters, women, and those getting after it on a budget. Performance and some pump, but not so much that it’s going to hold back athletic flexibility.

If you’re training for a triathlon, for instance, taurine and caffeine are incredibly useful, but do you want 6 grams of citrulline? The answer to that is definitively no as far as we’re concerned.

Of course, we always keep an eye out for deals. After all, if there’s ever a sale here, considering 1.5 to 2 scoops of Pre-Kaged Sport can still be an option for those who enjoy the Pre-Kaged Elite and classic Pre-Kaged options.

You can read our deeper-dive in our article titled Pre-Kaged SPORT: Built for an Athlete.

Of course, there are times when even 188 milligrams of caffeine in Pre-Kaged Sport is too much — such as those who are extremely stimulant-sensitive, training at night, or on a stimulant-break.

In that case, we present to you two reasonable options:

1. Pre-Kaged Stim-Free

   

   Same as Pre-Kaged, sans the caffeine!

   The same formula as the classic Pre-Kaged described above, simply without caffeine! This gets you 6.5 grams of citrulline for pumps alongside the added endurance-boosters… yet you can take it anytime, any place.

   The full story’s in our article titled Pre-Kaged Stim-Free Kicks the Caffeine.

2. Kaged L-Citrulline and Hydra-Charge

   Hydra-Charge has become one of the industry’s most popular electrolyte supplements – and to us, the Fruit Punch and Strawberry Yuzu flavors are easily some of the best flavor systems in the entire world. They’re that good.

   What most people don’t know is that Hydra-Charge actually started as a way to flavor Kaged’s unflavored single-ingredient supplements like their fermented L-Citrulline and glutamine supplements. So our simple and effective “custom” stim-free solution from Kaged is to mix your favorite flavor of Hydra-Charge with their vegan fermented L-Citrulline powder! Simple, effectively, and insanely delicious!

   We did a demo on this back in 2017 with Kaged’s BCAA and Hydra-Charge, another training option:

   

Finally, it’s worth mentioning that you can always take Clean Burn Powder if you’re in weight loss mode, but if you want to chase a pump, you’ll need to add some citrulline linked above.