Great that you want to know more about pre-workouts. My name is Lauren Leijten, the owner of High End. My fitness adventure started over 20 years ago. When I started strength training 20 years ago, I didn't immediately understand why a pre-workout would be necessary and what the use was. Although it did sound interesting.

The first forms of pre-workout (and still a lot) mainly gave a lot of tingling and restless energy and caused a big crash after training, which made me feel listless. I was - and am - very disciplined to give what I agreed with myself every day. Both in life and in the gym and I did not immediately see why I needed a pre-workout.

20 years ago there were fewer distractions and the world looked very different. No Facebook, Instagram or smartphones constantly pushing the perfect bodies in our faces. You were less likely to be distracted by all kinds of temptations.

A pre-workout is now a full-fledged supplement with great benefits due to all the innovation. I will explain these further in this article.

Who doesn't know it? Dinner is behind you and that after-dinner dip is hitting you! You abandon
your plan to go to the gym and throw some iron around. You plop down on the couch, turn on your favorite Netflix series and you immediately feel guilty that you didn't go.
To still get the energy to train, you can take a STIM pre-workout (which means with stimulants). So we first distinguish pre-workouts with STIM and non STIM.

A pre-workout for energy contains stimulants (mainly caffeine) which provide your body with extra energy in a short time to be able to start a nice training session. After training, the energy is used up again and the boost is gone. Many people are afraid of a 'crash' after using a pre-workout. However, this is only the case with the cheaper variants with less good ingredients. At High End we have made a selection of only pre-workouts with the best ingredients. There is a wide range of pre-workouts in the assortment that help you take your training to the next level.

Within the pre-workouts we distinguish between various forms of STIM (caffeine, etc.). I have selected a number of STIM pre-workouts with energy for you.

ENERGY

The  Real Pre  is a great example of a real High End STIM pre-workout. The Real Pre is formulated to give you the positive rush of:

• The 300 grams of caffeine.
• The pleasant boost of Arginine and Thorsine
• The Citruline provides a good flow and a nice pump during your workout, but this beautiful fabric does so much more…

Let me tell you a little more about how L-citrulline works  .

L-citrulline is an interesting and versatile amino acid that has been gaining attention in the health and fitness community in recent years. Not essential in the traditional sense, as the body can produce it itself, l-citrulline plays a crucial role in several key functions of our body, including nitric oxide production and supporting blood circulation.

What makes L-citrulline special is its ability to combat fatigue and increase endurance. It does this by reducing the breakdown of muscle tissue during intense exercise and by removing ammonia from the blood more quickly. These properties make it a popular supplement among athletes and fitness enthusiasts who want to improve their performance and reduce their recovery time.

Furthermore, l-citrulline plays a role in promoting vasodilation, the process by which blood vessels widen. This is due to its ability to increase the body’s production of nitric oxide, which can lead to improved blood flow and oxygen delivery to muscles. This not only has benefits for athletic performance, but can also benefit people with certain health conditions, such as high blood pressure or cardiovascular disease.

Although l-citrulline occurs naturally in some foods such as watermelon, the amount the body can absorb through food is often limited. For this reason, many choose to increase their intake through supplements, which come in powder or pill form.

Please be careful with evening use and if you are taking medication, always ask your doctor for advice before using a pre-workout.

ENERGY + PUMP + FOCUS

Super Human by Alpha Lion  by is a plus with a normal dose of caffeine of 300mg, but this feels quite strong in combination with the 3200mg beta-alanine. The 7000mg Citruline is there for the pump and the quite unique ingredient Nitrosigine & S7 ensure a super focus that makes you want to blast out an exercise even after your last set.

Start with half a scoop, because this one is definitely not for beginners!

My advice: scoop out a few lumps, mix with water 20 minutes before your workout and keep a close eye on the mirror!

A pre-workout with 'pump' ensures that the pump that often occurs during training increases. There is sometimes discussion about the usefulness of a pre-workout with pump. The pump often disappears after training, which makes people think that this is just an ego thing.

I would always recommend a pre-workout with a pump and I use it myself every training. I only use stimulants when necessary, but a STIM free is always possible as far as I'm concerned. Except for a long cardio session, because then the pump can work against you.

The pump dilates your blood vessels. This ensures that amino acids are absorbed faster and that in turn ensures more muscle growth. I therefore believe that a pre-workout with pump ensures more muscle growth. You can read an extensive explanation of the operation of pump in  this article.
In addition, I believe that it motivates you and provides that little bit extra during your training. The mirrors in the gym are not there for nothing, right?

I am always honest with myself and I train for the satisfaction and fitness as well as to achieve a good body. During a nice training session, the pump gives me extra motivation and satisfaction. There is still a taboo on it, but we all get extra motivated when the mirror tells you that you are doing well.

So it provides both health benefits and helps boost your motivation.

If you find motivation less important but still want more muscle growth? Then I would go for a pre-workout without pump and combine it with a  Muscle Builder .

I've highlighted two non-STIM pre-workouts: Pump and Pump + Focus.

PUMP

Nitric Oxide – Black Market Labs
With a combination of 8800mg of pump stimulants, this pre-workout will give you a feeling like you've never experienced before. You'll feel your muscles filling up during sets in a way you've never experienced before. Take a scoop of  Nitric Oxide  and do a good  superset  workout and you'll  experience skinsplitting  pumps!

There is a third element that you are increasingly encountering in pre-workouts; focus.

Most pre-workout supplement shops don't have these because they are too expensive.
This focus is created by the addition of Nootropics. This ingredient improves cognitive functions and has a beneficial effect on the power of your brain for better focus. When you have completed all your sets, you often feel like doing another round with this supplement!

FOCUS + ENERGY + PUMP

Nootropic  from Blackmarket is actually the best we offer when it comes to a pre-workout that is really made to stimulate and motivate you for a blast workout. This can be with irons or endurance sports. It contains a good dose of caffeine and the pump has also been considered. This means that this pre is all-round with the focus on concentration.

BANNED SUBSTANCES

Unfortunately there are also a lot of pre-workouts with banned substances take the Menace from the brand Naughtyboy is a good all-round pre but contains Alpha-GPC a substance that has recently been on the novel food list. But also products that contain synephrine are only allowed in a low dosage. So pay close attention to this when choosing a pre-workout.