The 6 Best Pre-Workouts Without Creatine (2023)

Pre workout is an interesting supplement category because there are so many different ways that manufacturers approach formulation. There’s a nearly endless list of various ingredients that can be found in pre workout supplements, including creatine.

For various reasons, some folks simply don’t want any creatine in their pre workout.

This can be because they are already supplementing creatine separately or they want to avoid side effects of creatine supplementation, which can include some water weight gain.

Here is our curated list of the best pre-workouts without creatine.

The 6 Best Pre-Workouts without Creatine

1. Hooligan Pre-Workout – Apollon Nutrition
2. Lean Pre-Workout – Transparent Labs
3. Sicario Pre-Workout – ASC Supplements
4. Wrecked Pre-Workout – Huge Supplements
5. Superhuman Burn Fat Burning Pre-Workout – Alpha Lion
6. Flame Pre-Workout – Dark Labs

Hooligan Pre Workout – Apollon Nutrition

Hooligan is one of my all-time favorite pre workout supplements. It’s featured on my list of the best pre workout supplements, my list of the strongest pre workouts, and my favorite pump pre workouts.

So if you’re looking for a pre workout without creatine, Hooligan is easy to recommend.

In terms of effects, it delivers a ton of energy thanks to the 600 mg of caffeine.

On top of that, you’re getting excellent focus from the 1.5 grams of L-Tyrosine, 2.5 grams of Betaine Anhydrous, and 600 mg of Alpha GPC.

But we’re not done yet!

For pumps, Hooligan delivers 7 grams of L-Citrulline, 1.5 grams of Agmatine Sulfate, and 250 mg of Himalayan Pink Salt for muscle hydration.

And we still haven’t mentioned half of the ingredient label…

In short, Hooligan delivers time and time again without any banned ingredients or sketchy stimulants. It checks all of the boxes.

For more info, check out my Hooligan review.

Lean Pre Workout – Transparent Labs

Lean Pre Workout by Transparent Labs is an excellent choice for those seeking a creatine free pre workout supplement that also provides some nutritional support. In particular, Lean focuses on providing nutrients that support the thyroid. The thyroid is a critical hormonal gland that helps control metabolism (among other things).

Of course, Lean does not contain any creatine.

So it’s kind of a two-in-one, pre workout + thyroid support supplement, which is pretty cool. It was developed with athletes that are “cutting” (losing weight while keeping muscle) in mind.

For the typical pre workout ingredients, Lean contains a clinical dosage of 6 grams of Citrulline Malate 2:1, 210 mg of caffeine, and 2 grams of beta alanine.

They key ingredients that make up the thyroid support matrix are iodine, zinc, selenium, copper, and guggulsterones.

Supplementing with these ingredients is can aid with thyroid functioning in those who are deficient. If you’re already getting enough of these ingredients, additional supplementation isn’t going to provide much benefit. Lean is a sort of “insurance policy” in that way.

For more information, check out my full review of Lean Pre Workout.

Sicario Pre Workout – ASC Supplements

If you’re looking for an effective stim free pre workout without creatine, then Sicario from ASC Supplements is a great choice.

Sicario does an excellent job of blending effective pump ingredients at clinical doses with a slew of focus ingredients to keep you in the zone during your training session.

On the pump side, Sicario delivers 4 grams of L-Citrulline, 2.5 grams of betaine anhydrous, 2 grams of glycerol powder, 1.5 grams of agmatine sulfate, 300 mg of VASO6, and 200 mg of pine bark extract.

Yeah… it’s super loaded and does not contain any creatine.

For mental focus, you’re getting 2 grams of L-Tyrosine, 600 mg of Alpha GPC, and 600 mg of Lion’s Mane.

Another thing I love about this supplement is that it comes in flavored and unflavored options, making it great for stacking with a caffeinated pre workout (if that’s your thing) or simply taking by itself.

If you love looking vascular and staying focused during your workout, Sicario is for you.

For more info, check out my full Sicario review.

Wrecked Pre Workout – Huge Supplements

Wrecked burst onto the supplement scene in 2020 with Wrecked, a versatile creatine free pre workout with a monster ingredient label. Huge Supplements definitely came to play with Wrecked.

I personally like Wrecked because I don’t always want all of the caffeine that Hooligan has, but I still want to keep full doses of the other pump and focus ingredients. It’s also just nice to switch it up from time to time.

While Wrecked definitely hits with energy, it’s not overwhelming or super “stimmy.” For the average pre workout user this would be an extremely strong pre workout, but for a stim junkie this would be more of a daily driver.

I don’t use “daily driver” in a negative way either – these should be the pre workouts you use most of the time. It’s not a super smart idea to be taking heavy hitters like Assassin or Excelsior every time you work out, or you’ll seriously jack up your tolerance.

And really, “daily driver” is probably pushing it a little, as Wrecked is no slouch on the stims.

250 mg of caffeine anhydrous and 100 mg of di-caffeine malate combine for a 325 mg caffeine punch. On top of that you get 100 mg of Hordenine HCL, 75 mg of NMT, and 50 mg of Higenamine HCL.

For pumps you’re getting 9 grams of L-Citrulline Malate 1:1, which means a 1:1 ratio between L-Citrulline and malic acid, or 4.5 grams of L-Citrulline. This is still above a clinical dose for L-Citrulline, but I wanted to call this out, as the typical ratio used for citrulline malate is 2:1 and I’m sure the 9 gram dose has confused a few people. 2 grams of betaine anhydrous, 1.25 grams of agmatine sulfate, 255 mg of VasoDrive-AP, and 100 mg of S7 are included as well to aid blood flow and nitric oxide production.

In addition to all of that, Wrecked delivers 1 gram of L-Tyrosine and 600 mg for focus and mental wellness.

It’s a super well-rounded pre workout, contains no creatine, and is definitely worth checking out.

For more info, see my full Wrecked pre workout review.

Superhuman Burn – Alpha Lion

If you’re looking for a creatine free pre workout that also helps burn fat, look no further than Superhuman Burn from Alpha Lion. In fact, it earned a spot at the top of my best fat burning pre workouts for weight loss list.

A rare two-in-one supplement, Superhuman Burn combines the energy and pump of a pre workout with thermogenic ingredients shown to aid calorie burning.

On the pre workout side, the 4 grams of L-Citrulline, 3.6 grams of beta alanine, and 300 mg of total caffeine form a solid foundation that covers the basics.

What separates Superhuman Burn from the pack of average pre workout supplements is its fat burn matrix. This includes MitoBurn, Cocoabuterol, Advantra Z, and CaloriBurn GP – all trademarked ingredients to ensure the highest quality.

MitoBurn is a trademarked form of L-beta-Aminoisobutyric Acid (aka L-BAIBA or simply BAIBA). Oral supplementation of L-BAIBA, which is what we’re doing when taking SuperHuman Burn) has been shown to increase fatty acid oxidation in the liver, reduce fat gain, and improve glucose tolerance.

Cocoabuterol ingredient is touted as having fat burning, mood boosting, and energy enhancing effects, among others. It seems to be a different source of Theobromine, was is commonly seen in many pre workouts and can work well with caffeine to deliver nice mood and energy effects. I did some intense Googling and wasn’t able to identify any serious research showing how Cocoabuterol helps with fat burning, metabolism, etc.

Synephrine is a well-researched ingredient that has been shown to aid in weight loss.

“In general, bitter orange extract alone (p-synephrine) or in combination with other herbal ingredients did not produce significant adverse events as an increase in heart rate or blood pressure, or alter electrocardiographic data, serum chemistry, blood cell counts or urinalysis. p-Synephrine alone as well as in combination products were shown to increase resting metabolic rate and energy expenditure, and modest increases in weight loss were observed with bitter orange extract/p-synephrine-containing products when given for six to 12 weeks.”

Synephrine Meta Analysis

100 mg is plenty of Synephrine to see weight loss effects.

CaloriBurn GP (Grains of Paradise) has some promising research around it, but still needs additional evidence to support its fat loss effects. With that said, there is some interesting research that shows it can activate brown adipose tissue, which can help increase a body’s metabolism, burning more calories in the process.

At 12.5% 6-Paradol, the 40 mg dosage is the same used in human clinical trials that have shown up to a 5% increase in energy expenditure (source).

For more info, check out my full review of Superhuman Burn.

Flame Pre Workout – Dark Labs

If you’re looking for a super strong pre workout without any creatine, I fully recommend Flame Pre Workout by Dark Labs.

In short: it hits hard and lasts for several hours.

Flame provides a euphoric experience that any stim junky is sure to love. One look at is ingredients label helps explain why.

Flame combines several hard hitting stim ingredients:

• Eria Jarensis – 500 mg
• Caffeine Anhydrous – 300 mg
• DMHA (2-Aminoisoheptane) – 300 mg
• Caffeine Citrate – 100 mg

So yeah… you’re getting a massive 500 mg dosage of Eria Jarensis, a heaping scoop of DMHA (300 mg), and then two types of caffeine that combine for a total of 350 mg.

It’s stacked and it hits.

The 1.5 mg of Alpha Yohimbine is noticeable, but not overwhelming. I’d say it is not overpowering, but obviously if you hate alpha yohimbine you should avoid it.

For more information, check out my full Flame Pre Workout review.

About Creatine

Below you’ll find some additional information on creatine, how it can interact with pre workout supplements, and why some athletes prefer creatine free pre workout.

What is creatine?

Creatine is a compound found naturally in your body’s muscle cells. It can be produced from the amino acids glycine and arginine, supplemented directly, or found naturally in foods like red meat and fish.

Creatine is stored in your body as phosphocreatine, which is essentially stored energy.

How does creatine work?

Creatine works by replenishing your body’s ATP levels, ensuring your body is able to produce more energy.

Let’s break that down.

In order to describe how creatine works, we need to quickly talk about ATP.

You can think of ATP (adenosine tri-phosphate) as the body’s energy source. It’s used for just about everything your body does (running, jumping, lifting, etc.).

After ATP gets used to help you provide your body with energy, it becomes ADP (adenosine di-phosphate). Your body can’t do much with ADP in terms of physical energy.

This is where creatine comes in.

Creatine, stored in the muscle cells as phosphocreatine, gives its phosphate group to ADP. This turns it back into ATP, replenishing the body’s ATP stores.

On top of that, creatine also increases protein synthesis by increasing muscle cell hydration.

So you’re increasing energy levels and protein synthesis by supplementing with creatine.

What are some negative side effects of creatine?

Here are some research-backed side effects of creatine, some of which could be perceived as negative:

• Weight gain as a result of increased water retention within muscles (i.e. “water weight”)
• Mild digestive issues (diarrhea, gas, bloating, etc.)*

*This was noted in larger doses (10 grams), but not 3-5 gram doses. However, anecdotal evidence suggests this is a relatively common side effect for some people, especially when taking creatine monohydrate. This side effect is less common when supplementing with creatine HCL.

Generally speaking, creatine is incredibly safe and well-researched. It’s safe for children, teens, and adults. Still, some people prefer to use creatine free pre workout supplements when they train.

What are the benefits of creatine?

The benefits of creatine are numerous and widely supported through multiple studies.

• Strong increase in power output
• Notable increase in hydration
• Minor increase in lean mass
• Notable reduction in fatigue

In terms of sports supplementation, creatine reigns supreme. No other supplement has the magnitude of effects, consistency of findings, and safety profile that creatine has.

Is creatine commonly included in pre workout supplements?

No, creatine is not typically included in pre workout supplements. This is because creatine should be supplemented daily and pre workout supplements are not always taken daily. For that reason, creatine is often supplemented separately.

Why is creatine in some pre workout supplements?

Some pre workouts, like Pre-Kaged by Kaged Muscle, pride themselves on being an “all-in-one” pre workout. Instead of needing to mess around with buying multiple supplements, they include caffeine, pump ingredients, BCAAs, and creatine all in one supplement, covering all of your bases.

While this is fine for training days, creatine still needs to be supplemented on days when an “all-in-one” pre workout is not taken.

There is no special reason to take creatine prior to training, as it builds up in your body over time. Once peak creatine saturation is achieved within your muscles, daily supplementation is used to maintain these levels, but again, timing of dosage does not influence the efficacy of creatine.

Is it bad to mix creatine and pre workout?

No, it’s fine to mix creatine and pre workout. Creatine will still work, regardless of the other ingredients taken alongside it.

Combining creatine and caffeine has no impact on lean body mass or performance, but may lead to some digestive discomfort. This why some people prefer creatine free pre workout supplements. Personally, I’ve never experienced negative side effects from taking pre workout supplements that contain creatine.

Is creatine a replacement for pre workout?

No, pre workout is taken for its short term effects, while creatine is taken for its long term effects.

Pre workout is typically taken 30 minutes prior to training and its effects last for a few hours. Creatine can be taken at any time and it gradually builds up in the body’s skeletal muscles. If creatine ingestion stops, it can take 4 to 6 weeks for your body’s creatine levels to return to their pre-supplementation state.

When is the best time to take creatine?

Generally speaking, you can take creatine at any time and see great results. You can’t really take it at the “wrong” time.

With that said, there is some research that suggests taking creatine shortly before or after exercise can lead to more strength and muscle gains vs. taking creatine earlier or later in the day.

More Pre Workout Reviews

Check out more pre workout reviews below!

• Best Pre Workouts
• Strongest Pre Workouts
• Best DMAA Pre Workout
• Best DMHA Pre Workout
• Best Pre Workout for PUMPS
• Safe Pre Workouts
• Best Caffeine Free Pre Workout (Stim Free Pre Workout)
• Best Pre Workout for Beginners
• Best Pre Workout for Women
• Best Pre Workout without Beta Alanine

About Kyle Risley

Kyle Risley founded Lift Vault in 2016 to make finding great powerlifting programs easier. Since then, the site has grown to include hundreds of programs for strength, bodybuilding, Olympic weightlifting, and more. He currently lives in Massachusetts and continues to compete in powerlifting.