Best pre-workout for calisthenics

Firstly, this list is my personal top 3, as somebody that has a very high caffeine tolerance and has tried dozens of different pre-workout brands over the years. There are a lot of variables - such as your tolerance to certain supplements, the way you train, etc - so do not take this list as a definitive ranking, but more as a loose guide if you’re completely new to pre-workouts or are looking for a new one to try.

1 BSN NUTRITION NO XPLODE

This is one of the OG pre-workouts and I’ve always found it to be one of the best. The caffeine and beta-alanine combination makes me feel energetic and I’ve had a lot of good workouts after taking this.

✅ Provides a lot of energy
✅ Helps with explosive strength
✅ Can feel the difference after taking it
✅ Actual dosage is enough
❌ Do not take it straight after eating

2 CELLUCOR C4 PRE-WORKOUT

There used to be an ‘extreme’ version of this, but I don’t think it exists any more. This is another of the original pre-workouts and it still serves its purpose.

✅ Provides a lot of energy
✅ Strong taste at least helps with a placebo effect
❌ Need to double or triple dose
❌ Small containers that do not last long

3 GRENADE PRE-WORKOUT

The original Grenade pre-workout is by far my favourite. The current iteration is nowhere near as good, but it’s still one of the better pre-workouts overall. To me, it seems to have gone away from its roots and tastes like a No Xplode copy.

✅ High caffeine content
❌ Comes in a really small bag that’s hard to use
❌ It’s not the Grenade .50 Calibre preworkout

Some other points that I’d like to add:
- There’s a reason that most pre-workouts have a strong flavour and are a bright, artificial colour. I had a pre-workout not too long ago that had a really weak flavour and, once mixed, it was white, and it made me realise how important the placebo effect is.
- Most of the caffeine free pre-workout’s are rubbish.
- Do not use it for continuous exercise. I used to own a business that installed outdoor fitness equipment and it required long days of physical work. I tried taking pre-workout before working a few times and it just made me feel tired. Pre-workout is best used when you’re training in a way that has rest breaks (ie a structured workout with sets and reps).
- Do not use it for prolonged cardio. Same as above; it won’t help and it might give you a heart attack.

This is all based on my experience of using pre-workouts for over 10 years and no actual science, so this is definitely more anecdotal that science based.