THE Pre-Workout Plus: Myprotein’s Most Powerful Pre-Workout to Date!

Myprotein has a ton of these types of products in Europe, and is now bringing many of them to the America shores!

A few months ago we covered THE Pre-Workout, Myprotein’s signature stimulant-based pre-workout supplement. THE Pre-Workout is the flagship product in Myprotein’s Pro Range — a line of supplements formulated for more experienced gym-goers and athletes. THE Pre-Workout features a solid blend of ingredients designed to boost strength, endurance, energy, pump, and focus.

If there is one downside to THE Pre-Work, it’s that the formula contains 150 milligrams of caffeine per serving, which may be low for some people. We’ve heard from many readers that they prefer 200 milligrams or more per serving in their pre-workout. Apparently, Myprotein is on the same page because they’ve just released a more potent version of THE Pre-Workout— called THE Pre-Workout+. While it does contain an extra shot of caffeine, that’s not the only difference between the two pre-workouts…

What Makes THE Pre-Workout+ Different

THE Pre-Workout+ is loaded with 300 milligrams of caffeine, twice as much as its earlier iteration. derived. The caffeine is derived from a blend of fast-acting caffeine anhydrous and slower-to-digest caffeine beadlets. This sustained-release mixture is designed to quickly raise energy levels and keep them elevated. Myprotein isn’t the first to use caffeine beadlets, but it’s extremely rare to see. It’s not the only way this pre-workout stands out from the competition!

Myprotein’s most powerful pre-workout to date!

Here are more comparisons: In addition to the bump in caffeine, THE Pre-Workout+ has higher doses of beta-alanine, tyrosine, AstraGin, BioPerine, and L-citrulline, but no creatine monohydrate or TeaCrine. It also contains alpha-GPC, VASO6, L-theanine, taurine, and hawthorn berry fruit extract to further boost your mind-to-muscle connection, focus, pumps, and performance.

For those days where you want less caffeine try a half serving of THE Pre-Workout+ and stack it with one serving of THE Pump, a stimulant-free pre-workout with a similar ingredient profile.

One thing we really appreciate about Myprotein Pro Range is that nearly every product has a fully transparent label. So instead of concealing dosages behind a “proprietary blend” classification, the company clearly identifies the amounts of each ingredient in the formula. Furthermore, several supplements in the Pro Range line use patented or trademarked ingredients from some of the top ingredient suppliers, including NuLiv Science, Sabinsa Corp., and Compound Solutions.

Keep reading to learn more about THE Pre-Workout+ and sign up for Myprotein news and deal alerts below to receive notifications when new supplements, flavors, and sales go live. If you want to pick up any of Myprotein’s products, use code PLOW40 for 40% off!

THE Pre-Workout+ Ingredients

Myprotein recommends mixing one serving of THE Pre-Workout+ with 10 to 14 ounces of cold water. For best results, consume 30 to 45 minutes prior to your training session. If you’re sensitive to stimulants, start with half a serving to assess your reaction. Each serving of THE Pre-Workout+ is 18 grams, which is a pretty hefty scoop size. There are approximately 20 servings per container.

Here’s what one serving (18g) of THE Pre-Workout+ contains:

• L-Citrulline – 6g

  

  THE Pre-Workout+ has 2x the amount of caffeine as THE Pre-Workout.

  THE Pre-Workout+ starts out with 6 grams of pure L-citrulline—one of our favorite nitric oxide boosters. L-citrulline is an amino acid that the kidneys convert into L-arginine, which is then converted into nitric oxide by an enzyme called nitric oxide synthase.^[1]

  Nitric Oxide causes blood vessels to expand—also known as vasodilation.^[1] This allows working muscles to receive a greater amount of blood, oxygen, and nutrients. Moreover, vasodilation helps ensure the body more efficiently expels metabolic waste, such as the lactic acid that accumulates in muscles during exercise.

• Beta-Alanine – 3.2g

  Along with L-citrulline and caffeine, beta-alanine is one of the most commonly used ingredients in pre-workout supplements. It’s a naturally occurring beta-amino acid that’s primarily used to produce carnosine, a dipeptide molecule found in skeletal muscle.^[2] Carnosine helps reduce lactic acid build-up in contracting muscles and by boosting carnosine levels, beta-alanine can increase muscular endurance.^[2] Lactic acid accumulation is one of the primary things that lead to exhaustion.

  As a result of beta-alanine supplementation, the body continues producing the adenosine triphosphate (cellular energy) needed to fuel activity.

  One thing you should know about beta-alanine, though, is that a 3.2-gram dose can cause paresthesia, which is a harmless tingling/itching sensation in the skin — usually on the face, neck, and back of the hands. But the feeling normally subsides with the more beta-alanine you use.

• Betaine Anhydrous – 1.5g

  Trimethylglycine, commonly known as betaine anhydrous, is an organic compound that acts as an osmolyte and methyl donor.^[3] By serving as an osmolyte, betaine can increase hydration levels and pumps by drawing more water into muscle cells. Through this mechanism, betaine can also increase cells’ resiliency to outside stressors.

  

  Looking for a lower stim option? Try out THE Pre-Workout.

  But the majority of betaine’s performance-boosting benefits are due to its ability to donate a methyl group to homocysteine. Homocysteine is a non-proteinogenic amino acid is produced when methionine (an essential amino acid) is metabolized. Homocysteine may seem harmless, but elevated levels can negatively impact muscle protein synthesis and other physiological functions.^[3,4]

  If that happens, betaine can help counteract and lower homocysteine levels. It donates one of its three methyl groups to homocysteine, which converts it back into methionine. The methionine can then be used to create more creatine, which is a molecule that plays an important role in ATP production. Several studies have shown that betaine supplementation is effective at enhancing power output, strength, lean muscle mass, endurance, and fat loss.^[3,4]

  Regarding these studies, however, it’s important to note that the researchers used at least 2.5 grams of betaine.^[3] Therefore, if you really want to get the most out of this ingredient, then adding an extra gram from another supplement would be a good way to go.

• Taurine – 1g

  To push muscular endurance even further, Myprotein added 1 gram of taurine to go along with 3.2 grams of beta-alanine. Taurine is a sulfur-containing amino acid that’s involved in several bodily functions, such as osmoregulation, bile production, and maintenance of calcium levels.^[5,6] It’s also highly concentrated in the brain and plays an important role in the central nervous system and in eye function.^[5,6]

  Taurine is classified as a conditionally essential amino acid, meaning that under specific circumstances, such as when stress levels are high or during an illness, supplementation can be beneficial. But in relation to fitness and exercise, taurine supplementation (anywhere from 1 to 6 grams) has been shown to improve muscular endurance.^[5,6]

  Researchers theorize that because taurine helps maintain calcium levels, supplementation may promote more efficient muscle contractions in both skeletal and cardiac muscles.^[5,6]

• L-Tyrosine – 1g

  L-tyrosine is primarily used in pre-workouts, energy drinks, and nootropics to boost mental focus and clarity. It also happens to be PricePlow’s preferred source of tyrosine. The non-essential amino acid serves as a precursor to several neurotransmitters, including dopamine, noradrenaline, and adrenaline. Neurotransmitters help carry signals from the central nervous system to the rest of the body and they’re crucial for cell-to-cell communication.

  

  Learn more about Myprotein’s newest athlete, Jeff Seid on the Blog!

  The body doesn’t necessarily need supplemental tyrosine, but there’s plenty of research to show it may be beneficial when someone is under high levels of physical or mental stress.

  In fact, a study published in Military Medicine found that low levels of neurotransmitters lead to a substantial decrease in cognitive and physical performance. The researchers found that supplementing before a stressful event, tyrosine can boost the production of neurotransmitters and increase cellular firing in the brain.^[7]

  The reason we prefer L-tyrosine over the other commonly used form, N-acetyl-l-tyrosine, is because it’s known to significantly increase plasma levels of tyrosine.^[8]

  If you want to learn more about these two forms of tyrosine, check out this article: L-Tyrosine vs. N-Acetyl L-Tyrosine: A Tale of Two Tyrosines

• Caffeine (as Caffeine Anhydrous and Caffeine Beadlets) – 300mg

  If you’re in the market for a pre-workout with higher caffeine content, but won’t lead to an energy crash, then check out THE Pre-Workout+. One of the most interesting things about this product is that it’s one of the few pre-workouts on the market that uses a combination of caffeine anhydrous and sustained-release caffeine beadlets. This is how THE Pre-Workout+ is able to quickly spike energy levels and keep them elevated long after training sessions are completed.

  Caffeine is the most studied supplement ingredient and has been shown, time and again, to significantly stimulate both physical and mental performance across all types of activities from weightlifting to gaming and everything in between!9,10] Caffeine acts by prohibiting adenosine from binding to its receptors, which reduces neural activity and — results in boosting energy levels.^[9]

  Moreover, caffeine inhibits the enzyme that breaks down cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP), known as phosphodiesterase.^[9] Greater levels of cAMP increase ATP production, which also leads to an increase in energy. Studies have shown that caffeine decreases pain perception and supports fat loss.^[9,10] At 300 milligrams, one scoop of THE Pre-Workout+ should be enough to get anyone fired up for a big workout.

• Green Tea (Leaf) Extract (as VASO6) – 300mg

  The first trademarked ingredient in THE Pre-Workout+ is VASO6, a green tea leaf extract from Compound Solutions. VASO6 is a proprietary blend of six green leafy extracts that, together, promotes vasodilation of blood vessels.

  

  THE Pump from Myprotein features a solid blend of ingredients that boost pump, performance, and focus.

  Studies show that VASO6increases nitric oxide production. ^[11-13] (L-citrulline does the same thing.) Studies have also shown that the ingredients that make up VASO6 can expand blood vessel diameter by up to 15%.^[13]

  Instead of increasing levels of L-arginine like L-citrulline does, VASO6 interacts with nitric oxide synthase, which is the enzyme that creates nitric oxide.^[11] Therefore, combining VASO6 with L-citrulline may have a synergistic effect. Moreover, VASO6 supplementation has been shown to promote muscle protein synthesis and increase glucose uptake into skeletal muscle cells.^[11,12]

  VASO6 may be a relatively new ingredient in the sports nutrition industry, but the supporting research seems to indicate the compound has a lot of promise. Myprotein also uses 300 milligrams of VASO6 in their stimulant-free pre-workout, THE Pump.

• Hawthorn Berry Fruit Extract (10:1) – 150mg

  Hawthorn berry fruit extract is an ingredient we see often in health supplements, but rarely in pre-workouts. Historically, in traditional Chinese medicine, hawthorn berry fruit was used to treat high blood pressure.^[14] Today, it offers numerous health benefits, but Myprotein uses it mainly for its vasodilating effects.

  Hawthorn berry fruit extract is a rich source of flavonoids and procyanidins. It has been shown to promote vasodilation by increasing the release of nitric oxide from vascular endothelium cells.^[15]

  As an effective vasodilator, according to other preliminary studies, the ingredient helps promote greater blood flow, oxygen, and nutrient delivery to muscles.^[15] Before determining its effectiveness in boosting performance, we would like to see more research conducted on humans.

• Alpha-glycerophosphoryl choline (GPC) 50% – 300mg

  Choline is an essential nutrient that’s found in a variety of foods, including sunflower seeds, seafood, and egg yolks. It’s commonly used in sports nutrition supplements like nootropics, sleep-aids, multivitamins, energy drinks, and pre-workouts.

  

  Refuel after an intense workout with Clear Whey Isolate!

  There are several forms of supplemental choline, but alpha-glycerophosphoryl (alpha-GPC) is popular because it’s highly bioavailable and readily absorbed by the body.

  Supplemental choline is typically used to boost acetylcholine levels. Acetylcholine is a key neurotransmitter that’s involved in muscular contractions, memory, and learning. In their simplest form, neurotransmitters improve cell-to-cell communication between neurons and, thus, are essential for various physiological functions.

  Studies have shown that alpha-GPC, in particular, is capable of enhancing cognition, growth hormone levels, and power output.^[16,17] Not only can the compound increase focus, but it can also improve one’s physical performance! Although we would like to see the dose a bit higher, according to the literature, you should still see some benefits from supplementing with 300 milligrams of alpha-GPC.

• L-Theanine – 100mg

  THE Pre-Workout+ contains 300 milligrams of caffeine per serving, which may cause mild to moderate jitters, anxiety, and nervousness. To counteract these unwanted effects, Myprotein added 100 milligrams of L-theanine, which can help take the edge off the caffeine. L-theanine is an amino acid that’s derived from tea leaves and is most known for its calming effects.^[18-20] It may not sound ideal for a pre-workout, but the combination of caffeine and L-theanine has been shown to have powerful synergistic effects.

  A study published in the journal Nutritional Neuroscience found that consuming L-theanine alongside caffeine resulted in enhanced cognitive function, alertness, focus, processing speed, and accuracy.^[18,19] L-theanine on its own has been shown to increase levels of dopamine in the brain.^[20] Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that’s responsible for one’s sense of well-being, overall mood, pleasure, motivation, and reward. We really appreciate that Myprotein uses a 3:1 ratio of caffeine to L-theanine because too much L-theanine can negate the stimulatory effect of caffeine.

• AstraGin (Panax Notoginseng and Astragalus Membranaceus) Root – 50mg

  

  AstraGin is a combination of Astragalus and Panax Notoginseng that’s been shown to increase ingredient absorption, especially of amino acids!

  To ensure that users properly absorb and utilize all of the ingredients in THE Preworkout+, Myprotein added 50 milligrams of AstraGin, a patented ingredient from NuLiv Science.

  AstraGin is a proprietary blend of two potent plant extracts — Panax notoginseng and Astragalus membranaceus. They work together to increase the uptake of nutrients. AstraGin works by activating specific transporters in the small intestine.^[21]

  There’s also some evidence to suggest AstraGin promotes gut health and boosts the immune system by decreasing inflammation and improving the integrity of the intestinal lining.^[21]

  Because AstraGin is such a versatile ingredient, it’s used in a variety of health and sports nutrition supplements.

• Huperzia Serrata (Aerial) Extract (1% Huperzine A) – 20mg

  To complement alpha-GPC, Myprotein uses 20 milligrams of huperzia Serrata extract, which is standardized to contain at least 1% huperzine A. Also known as toothed clubmoss, huperzia serrata was used in traditional Chinese medicine as a medicinal herb to treat fevers and blood loss.^[22]

  Today, huperzine A is a popular ingredient in pre-workouts, nootropics, and sleep-aids because it can boost acetylcholine levels. Unlike alpha-GPC, which raises acetylcholine levels directly, huperzine A ensures that acetylcholine levels stay elevated by inhibiting the enzyme that breaks down acetylcholine (acetylcholinesterase).^[22]

  Huperzine A and alpha-GPC are quite the dynamic duo. They help maintain sufficient acetylcholine levels throughout an entire workout. This can result in better focus and a mind-to-muscle connection. Also, studies have shown that huperzine A possesses potent neuroprotective properties, so you’re getting some health benefits as well!^[22]

• Black Pepper (Piper nigrum) Fruit Extract (BioPerine) – 5mg

  

  Bioperine is the trusted, trademarked form of black pepper extract that promises 95% or greater piperine, the part of black pepper with all the activity!

  BioPerine is one of the only trademarked forms of black pepper fruit extract. It’s similar to AstraGin in that it’s added to supplements for the purpose of increasing nutrient absorption.

  However, it’s rare to see a product that contains both AstraGin and BioPerine. Since BioPerine works through a different mechanism of action than AstraGin, scientists have determined that combining the two results in superior absorption.

  BioPerine was developed by Sabinsa Corp. and is a black pepper extract that’s standardized to contain at least 95% piperine, which is the main bioactive constituent.^[23] This means that piperine carries out the majority of BioPerine’s absorption-boosting activities. Although more research is needed, it’s theorized that BioPerine increases the uptake of a variety of nutrients through modulating metabolic enzymes and enhancing thermogenesis.^[23] According to scientific literature, 5 milligrams is an appropriate dose.

THE Pre-Workout+ Flavor Variations

THE Pre-Workout+ was released in two flavors: Orange Mango and Rainbow Candy. We’ve never tasted a Rainbow Candy flavor from Myprotein before, so we’re excited to sample this one.

Here’s an updated list of all available flavors for THE Pre-Workout+:

Maximize Your Results with The Pro Range

Myprotein says they designed The Pro Range “for those who want it most.” We’re excited to see the company continuing to expand The Pro Range because it’s in line with what PricePlow readers are looking for.

To us, this means more advanced formulas that feature clinically-substantiated and science-backed dosages of well-regarded ingredients. From a more advanced line, we also expect to see fully transparent labels, which is exactly what Myprotein uses for The Pro Range. This allows consumers to better understand what makes The Pro Range stand out from the rest of the line.

Pick up the Myprotein Pro Stack!

So far, we’ve covered a majority of The Pro Range, including:

• THE Pump
• THE Pre-Workout
• THE Coffee Boost
• THE EAAs
• THE Neuro-Restore

If you want to pick up a tub of THE Pre-Workout+, or any other Myprotein supplement, use code PLOW40 for 40% off! Before you go, subscribe below for more Myprotein news, reviews, and deals from PricePlow.