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Pre-workout supplements are some of the most popular on the market with a wide range of benefits and effects. But does pre workout make you gain weight?
This is the big question we’re going to answer today, while explaining what pre-workout supplements are, what they do, and answering other questions about pre-workout and weight gain.
What are Pre-workout Supplements?
Pre-workout supplements are a group of popular supplements designed to improve workouts by increasing wakefulness, mental focus, and physical performance.
They typically involve mental support and physical performance boosting compounds – and may even offer post-workout recovery support.
There’s a pre-workout supplement for almost any fitness goal with a different combination of ingredients and a different overall design focus.
Benefits of Exercise:
According to Lucas James, there are many benefits of exercise, including mood improvement, muscle strengthening, and weight management.
What is Pre-Workout For? How Does It Work?
The key, defining theme is that pre-workout supplements support better workout performance. This always helps weight gain by improving the quality of workouts, which are the main driving force behind your muscle growth.
Muscle growth is the #1 factor in weight gain quality, especially as the main goal in the ratio of muscle and fat gains.
This is how you determine the quality of a bulk – how much did you gain? How much of it was muscle, and other useful tissues?
Pre-workout supplements’ effect on training produce more muscle growth and less fat-gain, if used as part of a smart training program, diet, and sleep routine.
They do this by improving workouts, as well as some pre-workout supplements supporting post-workout recovery.
These improve your ability to perform, which stimulates more muscle growth, and helps you produce better change after a workout.
Stimulant vs Stimulant-Free Pre-Workout Supplements
Pre-workout supplements come in both stimulant and stimulant-free variations. The main difference is that the former typically include caffeine or other psychomotor stimulants (like synephrine).
These are effective at boosting workout performance and metabolism.
Meanwhile, stimulant-free pre-workout supplements use non-stimulatory ingredients for their mental performance benefits. Some forgo mental support altogether in favor of better physiological support – but those are rare.
Ingredients in Pre-Workout Supplements: Variety And Effects
Other than these basic categories, the ingredients vary wildly between products. This means that there’s a lot of variety in the quality of pre workout supplements and some of them will support weight gain, some will be neutral, while others will support weight loss.
The actual benefits of pre-workout supplements are hard to characterize other than improving workouts.
You’ll find some support strength, others drive up endurance, and yet others are about improving your muscle pumps. Others support recovery, which are typically the best for weight gain.
Recommended: Checkout some great pre-workout meals to gain weight.
Does Pre-Workout Make You Gain Weight?
No, pre-workout supplements won’t make you gain weight. Most of them are likely to support weight loss, if they contain caffeine and other stimulants, which boost metabolic rate. Stimulant-free pre-workouts support weight gain more effectively.
The effect of a pre-workout on weight gain depends on the ingredient profile. Stimulant intake burns more calories at-rest, but performance-boosting ingredients like creatine and beta-alanine may support long-term weight gain as muscle mass – if your diet and sleep support weight gain.
Calorie surplus throughout the day is most important, and pre-workout supplements’ main benefit for weight gain is better workouts and post-workout recovery. Some key ingredients that can support weight gain quality include:
- Creatine
- Beta-alanine
- BCAAs
- Citrulline and/or Arginine
- A handful of others..
Dedicated weight gain pre-workout supplements like Transparent Labs Bulk are a good example of a deliberate focus on recovery after workout. This does mean a change of ingredients and, typically, a lower caffeine content than their non-weight-gain alternative.
The caffeine effects aren’t going to be make-or-break for weight gain, but they will require compensatory eating.
That means eating 100 calories or so more to account for metabolic changes, as well as the extra eating you need to do to account for your workout intensity and extra endurance!
Recommended: If you plan on using pre-workout supplements, checkout the best pre workout for weight gain.
Pre Workout And Weight Gain: FAQ
Conclusion: Our Final Thoughts
Pre-workout supplements are able to support your workouts and drive up your ability to train better. This can produce more muscle gain, support better training performance in the short term, and some will even deliberately improve your recovery afterwards to support better weight gain.
Take a look at some of the natural pre-workout alternatives you can use.
Dedicated weight-gain pre-workout supplements like Transparent Labs’ Bulk may be more useful. While they won’t cause weight gain, they can support it indirectly with better nutrient intake and muscle performance and recovery boosts.
It’s a small factor in your muscle and weight gain, but pre-workout supplements are popular for being effective ways to train better.
If you add a good weight gain diet and plenty of sleep, they can definitely improve your results – even if it’s indirect!
You Might Like:
- Transparent Labs Bulk Vs Lean: The Best Pre Workout?
- Transparent Labs Stim Free Pre Workout Review
- Transparent Labs Lean Pre Workout Review
- Transparent Labs Bulk vs Pre JYM – Best Pre-Workout
- Best Pre-Workout for Weight Gain in 2023

Rohan Arora is a Certified Personal Trainer and Sports Nutritionist and has been actively involved in sports and fitness for over 8 years. He now leads the team of fitness specialists and personal trainers who help people around the world with personalized workout and nutrition plans, along with providing the right information on sports supplements.