A Better Afternoon Pre-Workout Supplement: MuscleTech EuphoriQ

Why is MuscleTech EuphoriQ a better pre-workout supplement to use in the afternoon or early evening? The answer is enfinity paraxanthine!

The pre-workout category is one of the most popular product segments on the market, and for good reason. Pre-workout supplements can provide a huge boost in the gym, and help you go harder and for longer so you can book those gains through increased volume and intensity.

The problem is that most pre-workouts have pretty big doses of caffeine, which isn’t ideal for those of us who work out later in the day. It would still be nice to have that pre-workout boost, but it’s not ideal if it messes up with our sleep – also known as recovery – schedule.

EuphoriQ: A Pre-Workout for the Evening

Victoria, a long-time PricePlow follower, noted in a recent video explaining that MuscleTech’s EuphoriQ pre-workout is an excellent choice for when you need a kick, even a bit after your “caffeine cut-off time”. With EuphoriQ, MuscleTech pioneered enfinity paraxanthine as a caffeine alternative, and since then, its popularity has skyrocketed, with good reason.

We’re going to dive into a little summary on how MuscleTech EuphoriQ works, and why it’s an option for slightly later pre-workout use, but first, let’s check PricePlow for good MuscleTech deals, and check out Victoria’s video:

Why EuphoriQ for afternoon training sessions?

Power up your workout with MuscleTech EuphoriQ! Packed with enfinity® paraxanthine, Beta-alanine, and L-citrulline for ultimate energy, focus, and muscle pump!

Note that while EuphoriQ is caffeine-free, it’s not stimulant-free — so please don’t go taking it at 9pm, expecting to get easy rest.

However, we agree with Victoria’s assessment that EuphoriQ can be used a bit later in the day compared to caffeine, and this has to do with its pharmacokinetics and metabolism.

No long-lasting metabolites to keep you up!

Reason being is that paraxanthine is one of caffeine’s metabolites — it’s the primary one that does much of the “heavy lifting”,^[1,2] in fact — so it still gives you nice energy support. However, by taking paraxanthine instead of caffeine, you side-step the two other caffeine metabolites, specifically theobromine and theophylline, which have much longer half-lives (about 6 hours and 7 hours, respectively).^[1]

With those two metabolites out of the picture, you get a stimulatory effect with a shorter overall half-life — about 3 hours for paraxanthine, compared to caffeine’s, which averages about 4 hours.^[1]

And that’s not even to mention the genetic variability, which, for some who are considered “slow metabolizers”, makes life even harder with caffeine.^[3-5] Details on the genetic side of the story are in our article titled “Why EuphoriQ: The Genetic Differences of Caffeine Metabolizers“.

With these two combined, we feel comfortable pushing our caffeine cut-off times back about an hour if using enfinity paraxanthine via EuphoriQ as a pre-workout. Simply put, you get fewer of the less-desirable and longer-lasting effects of caffeine’s other metabolites. This means you’ll be able to get a killer workout in, and can still get a good night’s sleep — just don’t overdo it and understand your limits and metabolism.

MuscleTech EuphoriQ – How It Works

As for the rest of the formula, you can read more about it in our main MuscleTech EuphoriQ article, but each 17g scoop of EuphoriQ contains the following ingredients:

• L-Citrulline (4000mg): a conditionally essential amino acid that, through its conversion to arginine, effectively increases blood levels of nitric oxide, which enhances athletic performance and facilitates better circulation and nutrient delivery to tissues.
• Beta-Alanine (3200mg): a performance-enhancing supplement that increases endurance by forming carnosine, which buffers lactic acid in muscles and reduces fatigue during high-intensity activities lasting 30 seconds to 10 minutes.
• Betaine Anhydrous (2500mg): enhances cellular hydration and improves methylation, significantly boosting strength, power, and body composition through increased cellular hydration and nutrient uptake.
• nooLVL (1600mg): an optimized form of arginine developed by Nutrition21 that’s stabilized with inositol and potassium silicate, offering enhanced arginine uptake to support higher nitric oxide levels and cognitive function.
• Taurine (1000mg): a conditionally essential amino acid that enhances cognitive performance, mood, and athletic endurance by acting as a potent antioxidant and optimizing neurotransmitter activity in various tissues including the brain and muscles.
• L-Tyrosine (500mg): an amino acid that supports increased focus by facilitating the production of adrenaline and dopamine, enhancing cognitive function and physical performance, especially in conditions like sleep deprivation.


MuscleTech’s Raza Bashir and Ingenious Ingredients (and NNB Nutrition CSO) Shawn Wells join the PricePlow Podcast for Episode #072 to talk about MuscleTech’s new iQ Series launch, using enfinity Paraxanthine!

• enfinity Paraxanthine (300mg): enhances mental and physical performance by providing a cleaner energy boost compared to caffeine, primarily by avoiding negative side effects associated with caffeine’s other metabolites like theobromine and theophylline. Paraxanthine has a shorter half-life than caffeine, making it a good alternative for later in the day.
• AlphaSize Alpha-GPC (300mg): a bioavailable source of choline that enhances cellular membrane function and significantly boosts the production of acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter crucial for memory, motor skills, and growth hormone secretion, thus improving both cognitive and physical performance.
• NeuroFactor (100mg): a standardized coffee fruit extract that enhances cognitive health by significantly increasing the levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which is crucial for the growth and function of neurons and offers protection against neurodegenerative diseases.
• Huperzine A (10mcg): enhances cognitive functions and learning by increasing acetylcholine levels, prolonging its action, and protecting neuronal mitochondria from oxidative stress.

Again you can read all of the details in our article titled MuscleTech EuphoriQ: Smart Pre-Workout with enfinity Paraxanthine.

All MuscleTech EuphoriQ flavors

Check out our up-to-date list of EuphoriQ flavors below:

Two other great resources to learn about enfinity paraxanthine are in our main paraxanthine article, as well as Episode #072 of the PricePlow Podcast with MuscleTech’s Raza Bashir.

Good Afternoon Workouts without Destroying Sleep

For years – well, centuries – caffeine has been king. When we want a reasonably safe pick-me-up, we knock back a cup of coffee, or an energy drink. It’s good at what it does.

Sometimes, though, caffeine can make you feel jittery and disrupt your sleep patterns, which is suboptimal for proper recovery.

Paraxanthine offers an alternative. While it still has a punchy effect, it isn’t overbearing. That’s what makes EuphoriQ such a great choice if you get your gym-time in after work.