High Stim Pre-Workout
Pre-workouts at 350mg of caffeine and above. Start at half a scoop whatever your tolerance, never more than one serving in 24 hours, and count your total across the whole day.
Read this before your first scoop
Intensity at this level is not predictable from how you handle coffee. Products in this range typically combine caffeine with additional stimulants, and how you respond to that combination is a separate question from your caffeine tolerance.
Half a scoop in 8 to 12oz of water, 20 to 30 minutes before training. Build to a full scoop only once you know how you respond. Never more than one serving in 24 hours, and count your caffeine across the whole day including coffee. The FDA cites 400mg daily for healthy adults.
Half a scoop of something in this range is stronger than a full scoop of many pre-workouts.
The tolerance trap matters most here. Run something this strong every session and within a few months you will need more than it to feel anything, and there is very little above this range. Keep an everyday product moderate and save these for the sessions that earn them.
Not for beginners. Not for anyone with anxiety, high blood pressure or a heart condition without speaking to a doctor. Not within six hours of bed. Not alongside another stimulant product, including energy drinks and fat burners.
Tested athletes should check every ingredient against their federation's list. Several ingredients common in this range are prohibited.
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Using high stimulant products safely
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Signs you have taken too much
Worth knowing before your first scoop rather than during it.
| Racing or pounding heart | Most common. Sit down, it passes Anxiety or feeling wired |
None of these mean the product is working. They mean the dose is wrong for you. Drop to half a scoop and stay there.
If symptoms are severe or persist, or you have chest pain or a heart rhythm that does not settle, seek medical advice. That is not a supplement question.
Who should not take these at all
We would rather lose the sale than have this go badly.
Anyone with anxiety or panic disorder. Products in this range frequently contain yohimbine or alpha yohimbine, which have been used in research specifically to provoke anxiety responses.
Anyone with high blood pressure or a heart condition, without speaking to a doctor first.
Anyone new to pre-workout. Start at 200mg and work up over months, not weeks.
Anyone already taking a fat burner, since most contain the same alpha-2 stimulants and doubling that mechanism is where problems occur.
Anyone training in the evening, and anyone on medication for mood or blood pressure without medical advice.
Tested athletes should check every ingredient against their federation's list. Several stimulants common in this range are prohibited.