Pre Kaged Elite Pre Workout Review

In September 2023, Kaged released an updated version called Pre-Workout Elite. Read the Kaged Pre-Workout Elite Review.

Pre Kaged Elite is a pre-workout supplement manufactured by Kaged (formerly Kaged Muscle). It is Kaged’s premium pre-workout offering, targeting more hardcore pre-workout fans while still maintaining a clean ingredient label.

Clocking in at over 35 grams per serving, Pre Kaged Elite is packing 388 mg of caffeine, 10,000 mg of L-Citrulline, 2,500 mg of L-Tyrosine, and 300 mg of Alpha GPC.

Like Pre-Kaged Pre-Workout, Pre-Kaged Elite is an “all-in-one” pre-workout. It delivers energy, pumps, power, focus, and hydration. The biggest difference vs. the original Pre-Kaged is the omission of any BCAAs from Pre-Kaged Elite, but that’s a small price to pay for everything else you’re getting.

For a more detailed comparison, check out our Pre-Kaged vs Pre-Kaged Elite comparison.

I enjoyed Pre-Kaged Elite and would recommend it to anyone that wants a strong, clinically dosed pre-workout without any banned ingredients. It’s 3rd party tested to certify that it contains no banned substances.

This is up there with Hooligan Pre-Workout in terms of overloaded, clean ingredient labels, though Hooligan is truly for caffeine fiends with 600 mg of caffeine per serving.

At 388 mg of caffeine per serving, Pre-Kaged Elite strikes a more “reasonable” middle ground in terms of stims while still delivering pumps, focus, power, and hydration.

Thumbs up!

Where to Buy

You can purchase Pre Kaged Elite Pre Workout directly from Kaged.

My Experience

All in all, Pre Kaged Elite is definitely a pre-workout I’ll be keeping in my personal rotation. The energy, focus, and pumps are on-point and I can use it to take a break from some of my strongest pre-workouts.

I don’t mean this to imply that Pre Kaged Elite is weak, just that it doesn’t contain any banned or exotic stimulants, which aren’t great to take on a regular basis.

Effects

I’ve taken Pre Kaged Elite a handful of times now and it’s delivered a consistently positive experience each time.

The 3.2 g of beta-alanine kicks in quickly, within 15 minutes. You can definitely tell that the quality here is excellent. The tingles are more pronounced than I usually get with other similarly dosed pre-workouts.

From there, the nearly 400 mg of caffeine starts to ramp up. Combined with the L-Tyrosine and Alpha GPC, I settle in to a nice energized focus. This lasts for three to four hours with no crash or adverse side effects.

If you’re looking to feel crazy or euphoric, this is not the pre-workout for you. This is focused purely on delivering a good workout, not blowing your head off.

The pumps are noticeably solid with this product too. While it would have been nice to see another pump ingredient included instead of, say, creatine, the L-Citrulline still does a good job.

Flavor

I tried the strawberry lemonade flavor of Pre Kaged Elite. It was quite tangy and pretty dang tasty! I’m a fan.

Scoop Size

One of Pre Kaged Elite’s most noticeable attributes is its absolutely massive scoop size. At 35.3 g, I think it’s the largest serving size I’ve ever come across in a pre workout.

Until I came across Pre Kaged Elite, I think the largest scooper was in the original Pre-Kaged Pre-Workout at 29.4g. Kaged is nothing if not consistent!

Ingredients

Below you’ll find the ingredient label for Pre Kaged Elite.

L-Citrulline – 10,000 mg

L-Citrulline is one of the most common pre workout ingredients. It has extensive evidence supporting its effects on increasing nitric oxide production, power output, and endurance.

Although most research uses a variation known as L-Citrulline Malate (2:1), anecdotal evidence supports that L-Citrulline delivers much of the same benefit.

When included as pure L-Citrulline, we like to see 4 grams as the dosage, but Pre Kaged Elite provides a whopping 10 gram dose. This is probably the most L-Citrulline I’ve ever seen in a single serving of pre-workout.

Beta Alanaine (Carnosyn) – 3,200 mg

Beta Alanine has been repeatedly shown to increase maximal strength levels when taken regularly. Like Citrulline Malate, it is one of the most common and best researched pre workout ingredients on the market today.

3.2 grams is 100% of the clinical beta alanine dosage and you definitely feel it. This is high-quality beta-alanine. The trademarked version, Carnosyn, definitely hits a bit harder.

Creatine Monohydrate (CreaPure) – 3,000 mg

Creatine monohydrate is the standard form of creatine. Supplemented daily at 5 grams per day, creatine monohydrate has been shown to increase power output. Harnessed in the gym, this can help you get stronger and build muscle.

Though the 3 grams in Pre Kaged Elite is below the clinical dose, there’s a second source of creatine: creatine nitrate.

Creatine Nitrate (NO3-T) – 2,000 mg

Creatine nitrate is an alternative form of creatine that is supposedly more water soluble than creatine monohydrate. The study I was able to find that compared creatine nitrate to creatine monohydrate declared that the they are roughly equal in terms of efficacy.

So, with 2 grams of creatine nitrate, you’re getting 5 grams of creatine, the clinical recommended dosage.

Betaine Anhydrous (BetaPower) – 2,500 mg

Betaine is included to help increase your power output. However, research is pretty inconsistent around this claim. 2.5 grams is a pretty high dose of this ingredient, which typically ranges between 1.5 g and 2.5 grams.

Carnipure (L-Carnitine Tartrate) – 1,500 mg

L-Carnitine L-Tartrate (LCLT) is a compound that has been shown to reduce exercise-induced muscle tissue damage.

2,000 mg is a clinical dosage of LCLT, so 1.5 grams is a little low, but not too bad.

Taurine – 2,000 mg

Taurine is often included in energy drinks and pre workouts after gaining notoriety from its inclusion in Red Bull. It can aid in blood flow, reduce cramping, and act as a booster to anti-oxidant defense systems (Examine).

I’ve always considered it a pretty insignificant ingredient in pre workout, but it doesn’t hurt anything either.

Coconut Fruit Water Powder – 500 mg

Coconut water powder contains significant amounts of electrolytes that help maintain hydration during intense workouts.

Most doses range between 500 mg and 2,000 mg, so 500 mg is at the low end of the range. Still, it’s not bad when you consider it’s paired with other electrolytes like sodium, magnesium, and potassium.

elevATP (Ancient Peat and apple fruit extract) – 150 mg

This is a proprietary blend comprised of ancient peat and apple extract that increases ATP, leading to increases in maximal power output (source).

Pre Kaged Elite gives you 150 mg, which is the exact the clinical dosage of elevATP.

L-Tyrosine – 2,500 mg

L-Tyrosine has been shown to boost cognitive performance in stressful environments. It is typically included in pre workouts as a focus ingredient.

2,500 mg is an excellent dosage of L-Tyrosine for achieving any anti-stress effects. It is beyond the upper bound of the typical dosage range (500 mg to 2,000 mg) for exercise, too.

This is always a nice ingredient to see and I’m impressed with the dosage that Kaged went with here.

Caffeine – 388 mg

The caffeine from Pre Kaged Elite is sourced from an PurCaf, which is a patented extraction process from organic green coffee beans. I didn’t really notice any difference, but it’s still cool.

Of course, caffeine has been shown to have all sorts of performance benefits in the gym, including increasing strength, power, and energy levels.

388 mg of caffeine is a nice, nice dosage. I personally like doses between 300 mg and 400 mg, so this was right on the money for me.

Alpha GPC – 300 mg

L-Alpha GPC creates choline, a molecule associated with increased cognition found naturally in eggs. This is the special ingredient found in the newest generation of Legion’s Pulse pre workout (300 mg) and Apollon Nutrition’s Overtime Nootropic (300 mg).

Some early research suggests a notable increase in power output is achieved from Alpha GPC supplementation. (More info: Examine)

It is less clear if 300 mg is a sufficient dose to achieve cognitive improvements, as a 2015 study using doses of 250 mg and 500 mg did not observe any measurable cognitive improvements in healthy test subjects.

AmaTea – 100 mg

AmaTea is described as a patented blend of caffeine and polyphenol antioxidants, standardized to 20% caffeine and 30% chlorogenic acids. This is meant to help provide sustainable energy without a crash.

This might make it seems like Pre Kaged Elite has 408 mg of caffeine in it, but if you look closely at the ingredient label you’ll see that the AmaTea is already taken into account when calculating the 388 mg dosage.

Huperzia serrata – 10 mg (1% yield)

Pre Kaged Elite included 10 mg of huperzia serrata, standardized to 1% huperzine A, which yields 100 mcg.

Like Alpha GPC, Huperzine A is a cholinergic that acts as a cognitive enhancer. It tends to be taken in doses of 50 mcg to 200 mcg, so the dose found in Pre Kaged Elite does fall within the clinically effective range (Examine).

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.