Veganism is going mainstream — and long-term vegans can find joy in that fact not just for ethical reasons, but also because more and more products that contain precisely zero animal products are hitting the shelves. It’s a win-win!
Thankfully, the old stereotype that vegans just don’t have the potential to become top-level athletes has well and truly been confined to the past. If you’re looking for the best vegan pre-workouts to boost your performance at the gym, a shortage of options is no longer your problem. You’re much more likely to have trouble because there are so many great vegan pre-workout options now that you just don’t know how to pick, or where to even start.
We’ll make that task a little easier for you! We’ll take a peek at the top 4 vegan pre-workout supplements on the market right now, and tell you what sets them apart.
What Makes a Pre-Workout Vegan?
What makes any product, including a top-quality pre-workout supplement, vegan? On the face of it, the answer is simple — vegan food products are those that contain no animal products of any kind. Because so many animal products are worked into almost everything most people consume, it’s an awful lot harder to make a product vegan than (lacto-ovo) vegetarian.
A vegan pre-workout supplement doesn’t just exclude the usual suspects, like ingredients based on cow’s milk, but also honey and many flavoring agents.
For a pre-workout product to truly be considered vegan, some would argue that it should also meet the following conditions:
- The product should be cruelty-free, meaning that no animal testing of any kind was conducted, animals were not exploited to create the product, and ecosystems and habitats are not routinely harmed to make the farming or manufacture of plant-based ingredients possible. This should apply to all ingredients individually.
- The brand that produces the product in question is committed to vegan principles.
- Products that do process animal-derived products are not processed on the same production line where a vegan product is made. This is also crucial to people who suffer from food allergies, so pay attention!
Why Go Vegan?
There are three primary reasons to consider going vegan — for the animals, for the planet, and for you.
To elaborate on those motivations in less simplistic terms, you choose, by being vegan, to play your own small role in fostering a world in which animals aren’t cruelly exploited for their meat and the other products they’ve been forced to provide for centuries.
In doing so, you likewise reduce your carbon footprint significantly, in turn helping to mitigate climate change. The meat industry and related industries are among the biggest offenders in terms of greenhouse gas emissions, and by boycotting them, you choose a better future.
You don’t need to be altruistic to consider going vegan, though, because veganism can also benefit your health in remarkable ways. Did you know? Vegans have lower rates of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and certain types of cancer.
Some fitness enthusiasts will want to consider a vegan pre-workout supplement even if they’re vegetarian or meat eaters, though, and that’s for two reasons. Vegan pre-workout options can help you find relief from gastrointestinal disturbances, whether you’re lactose intolerant or traditional pre-workout supplements just don’t tend to agree with you. In addition, vegan pre-workouts are often extremely clean, manufactured with only the most natural and healthiest ingredients.
Can You Still Build Muscle & Get Huge While Being Vegan?
Short answer, yes you can. There are a ton of famous vegan athletes and slightly fewer vegan bodybuilders but they still exist. The only difficulty in being a vegan bodybuilder is the market still hasn’t quite caught up to shifting consumer preferences and thus options, in terms of proteins, pre-workouts and vitamins have been pretty limited.
That is slowly changing though as more and more organic, vegan, artificial-sweetener-free products are coming to market, and when they do, they are more likely to have transparent labelling which has also been a thing the fitness industry has been very slow to move towards.
In terms of athletes who have proven the dietary success of a vegan diet include Venus Williams, Lewis Hamilton, Colin Kaepernick, Kyrie Irving, Nate Diaz, Abel Trujillo, and probably most famously Mike Tyson.
In terms of bodybuilders and strength athletes you have Barny du Plessis, Karl Bruder, Torre Washington, Jim Morris, Patrik Baboumian, and of course, the one and only Youtube legend Vegan Gainz.
Best Vegan Pre Workout Supplements of 2023
If you are decided that you don’t want any animal-derived ingredients in your pre workout or your diet in general we salute you. Below are some of the best-selling, most highly reviewed pre-workouts on the market that are also vegan.
- Pre Workout Powder for Energy, Strength, & Vascularity: Nitrosurge is a creatine-free pre-workout for men and women, formulated with evidence-based ingredients that boost nitric oxide (NO), energy, and strength for hours on end. As a best rated pre...
1. NITROSURGE Pre Workout
NITROSURGE, manufactured by Jacked Factory, is a great vegan pre-workout powder that contains a potent mix of caffeine, citrulline malate, betaine, and beta-alanine. It won’t just increase your energy, your performance, and boost your pumps, but NITROSURGE is also designed to keep you mentally sharp, thanks to its L-theanine.
While this product does contain some artificial flavoring, many athletes will be happy to know that the NITROSURGE vegan pre-workout is available in a whole variety of different flavors that include blueberry lemonade, pineapple, and watermelon. Many athletes will want to double the dose to get the effects they are after.
- Mind-to-Muscle Pre-Workout: Genius Pre by The Genius Brand is a stimulant-free, nootropics-based pre- workout. Get your muscles into pump mode, support your endurance, and reduce muscle soreness after exercise with clean, scientifically-backed...
2. Genius Pre Workout
Made by the Genius Brand, Genius Pre is the perfect vegan pre-workout for folks in search of a stim-free option. That’s right; there’s no caffeine here. You will, on the other hand, find typical ingredients like citrulline malate, beta-alanine, and taurine, as well as some extras in the form of Alpha-GPC, rhodiola rosea, and L-tyrosine. Together, the ingredients in this mix will get you set for pumps as well as endurance.
We’re regularly including Genius’ preworkout in our best-of lists because we’ve personally ordered a dozen or so tubs at full price simply because in terms of bang-for-buck this one is hard to beat, regardless of whether you are shopping vegan or not, this PWO holds its own against some of the biggest, most expensive blends.
- DESIGNED FOR highly active individuals and those looking for a workout boost
3. MRM Nutrition Organic Pre-Workout
Vegans who are committed to organic and GMO-free nutrition will be thrilled to take a look at MRM’s Organic Pre-Workout. This unique supplement is packed full of all-natural ingredients that include cordyceps, guayusa tea leaves, green coffee bean extract, red beetroot, and schizandra berries.
Together, they’ll take your performance to the next level and increase your focus. Though this pre-workout option is very different than most, it’s every bit as good. While this organic and vegan pre-workout may not be potent enough for everyone, it’s sure to boost your general health in a way that other supplements simply can’t.
- CLEAN PRE WORKOUT SUPPLEMENT: Naked Energy is a vegan pre workout powder manufactured in the USA with 10 High-Quality ingredients using amino acids, vitamins and caffeine from unroasted coffee beans.
4. NAKED ENERGY Pre Workout
Naked? You bet! NAKED ENERGY more than earns its name, because this vegan pre-workout supplement takes you right back to basics. Only the cleanest and most effective ingredients made it into this special formula, including caffeine, a whole bunch of different vitamins to keep you strong and healthy (C, B3, B6, and B12), beta-alanine, creatine monohydrate, and L-arginine.
It’s soy based, gluten-free, and among the best in the business. Some, however, will dislike the taste; NAKED ENERGY is so clean that it doesn’t have any flavoring. If you’re committed enough, you’ll get used to it, especially once you see what it can do for you!
These aren’t the only great vegan pre-workouts on the market right now. Far from it! These picks do offer a look at what’s available today, and show you that effective vegan pre-workout supplements made for people just like you aren’t hard t come by any longer — no matter what your goals are at the gym!
Skinny Yoked Summary
Choosing to go vegan is a huge lifestyle choice with a long list of benefits, at the top of which include compassion for animals, lowering environmental degradation, and more pertinent to fitness, can result in a healthier functioning body.
Personally we’ve struggled with digestion issues after consuming whey protein concentrate for years, resulting in frequent diarrhea, which dehydrates and limits how much protein is actually absorbed to recover from intense workouts.
After switching to plant-based vegan protein powder and adding some corn husk fiber the digestive problems vanished. Today we mix about 40/60 plant/dairy based protein and it seems to be working well. If we had more money we’d happily go 100% vegan because brands like The Plant Era make plant protein actually taste good.
Pre-workouts are one of the last fitness-oriented food types to offer vegan options and while limited we feel the segment is growing as younger people’s consumer preferences shift towards more sustainable solutions and companies that offer product to satisfy this demand stand to benefit in the long-run.
Last update on 2024-09-01 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
