Pre-Kaged Stim Free Review (2024)

In this Pre-Kaged Stim Free review, we’ll be taking a look at Kaged’s caffeine-free alternative to their standard pre-workout. Overall, while most people will probably benefit more from a caffeinated pre-workout supplement, for adolescents, those who train late at night, and those who are sensitive to caffeine, this may still be a great choice!

Pre-Kaged Stim Free Review: Quick Summary

Pre-Kaged Stim Free

• Item Form: Powder
• Best for: High-Intensity Exercise Performance, Muscular Strength, Training Volume, Muscular Endurance, Reducing Fatigue, Enhanced “Pumping” Effect
• Flavor: Fruit Punch, Cherry Bomb
• Caffeine: 0mg
• Special Ingredients: L-Citrulline, Taurine, Betaine, Beta-Alanine, Creatine HCl
• Package Information: 558g
• Serving: 27.9g
• Company Founded: 2015
• Recommended by Athletes: Andrea Somer, Colt Nichols, Kris Gethin

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Kaged is a popular supplement company well-known for its wide range of high-quality products. One of their most popular offerings is their Pre-Kaged pre-workout. However, today we’ll be covering the stim-free alternative to this supplement. 

This supplement contains 5 main active ingredients for performance – L-Citrulline, Taurine, Betaine, Beta-Alanine, and Creatine. These ingredients all have slightly different effects on performance. In short, while L-Citrulline, Taurine, and Betaine are effectively dosed, Beta-Alanine and Creatine could be dosed higher. 

Overall, most people will want the added boost of stimulation from caffeine found in most pre-workouts compared to a stim-free formula. However, a stim-free option like this could still be beneficial if you’re very sensitive to caffeine and just want some active ingredients.

Who and What is Pre-Kaged Stim Free For

Pre-Kaged stimulant-free pre-workout, like other non-stim pre-workouts, prioritizes active ingredients like Citrulline and Betaine over caffeine in its formula. While this can be great for adolescents and those sensitive to caffeine, most people will prefer a solid hit of stimulation in their pre-workout. 

It’s also worth noting that L-Citrulline and Betaine are the only active ingredients dosed effectively, while Beta-Alanine and Creatine should be dosed slightly higher. This means you likely won’t be getting all the benefits possible from these ingredients. Despite this, Pre-Kaged is still a decent choice for a stim-free pre-workout formula in our opinion.

Pre-Kaged Stim Free Review

Below we’ll be doing an in-depth review of Pre-Kaged Stim Free’s formula so you can decide if it's right for you. We’ll be looking at its ingredients, flavor, value for money, and more.

1. Ingredient Breakdown

First, we’ll be looking at the 4 main active ingredients included in this supplement’s formula, including L-Citrulline, Taurine, Betaine, Beta-Alanine, and Creatine.

• L-Citrulline

First, Kaged contains L-Citrulline, which is shown to specifically improve recovery and endurance exercise performance. Pre-Kaged contains 6.5g of L-Citrulline which is a sufficient dose for producing both acute and chronic effects.

• Taurine

Taurine is another ingredient linked to improved endurance performance. Pre-Kaged contains 2g per serving, which should be sufficient for an acute boost to endurance performance.

• Betaine

Betaine is another common pre-workout ingredient, which is also used to improve endurance, as well as increase force production. Pre-Kaged contains 2.5g per serving, which is an optimal daily dose for these effects. Note that Betaine has no acute effects so you will need to take it consistently for these effects. 

• Beta-Alanine

Beta-Alanine is primarily used as a supplement for reducing fatigue. As a result, it can lead to more total output during your workouts, leading to better results with consistent supplementation. Similar to betaine, beta-alanine only has a chronic effect. 

It’s also worth noting that the 1.6g dose included here is slightly lower than what’s recommended for optimal effects, but it should still produce some effects with consistent use.

• Creatine

Finally, Pre-Kaged also includes Creatine HCl. While Creatine is one of the most effective sports supplements around, we typically recommend monohydrate over HCl. Also, you need at least 3-5g/day to produce any meaningful effect, as a result, the 1.5g included here is largely useless. Also, creatine has no acute effect, so it’s probably better taken on its own instead of as part of a pre-workout supplement.

2. Stimulation

This supplement contains no caffeine whatsoever so it will have no stimulating effects.

3. Taste/Flavor

From our experience, Pre-Kaged Stim-Free has a decent flavor, but it probably won’t appeal to everyone. It does mix pretty well, but it also has a strong chemical scent. Overall, it has a sour flavor, sort of like an energy drink mixed with iced tea. It comes in 2 flavors, Fruit Punch and Cherry Bomb.

4. Nutrition Label Transparency

Kaged is a very trustworthy brand when it comes to its nutrition labels. This product is Informed Sport certified, meaning it has been tested for banned substances and potentially harmful contaminants. This is a great certification if you’re concerned about the quality of any supplement you’re buying. To learn more about Informed Sport’s certification process, you can check out their site here.

5. Value for Money

Pre-Kaged Stim-Free is fairly pricey, costing about ~$2.25 per serving. Especially considering the standard Pre-Kaged costs the same, we believe the added stimulation will make that a much better choice for most people.

How Do You Use Pre-Kaged Stim-Free?

Below we’ve made a table showing the recommended doses of each active ingredient included in this formula. For most people, a single serving of Pre-Kaged Stim-Free should be sufficient for producing noticeable effects, although you may want to take a higher daily dose to maximize the effects of Beta-Alanine and Creatine specifically.

Kaged Stim-Free Alternatives

Below we’ll be taking a look at a few other popular stim-free pre-workouts from Transparent Labs and Legion. By comparing their formulas you can decide which option is best for you!

Kaged Stim-Free vs Transparent Labs Stim-Free Pre-Workout

Transparent Labs Stim-Free Pre-Workout

• Item Form: Powder
• Best for: Training Volume, Enhanced “Pumping” Effect, High-Intensity Exercise Performance, Muscular Endurance, Reducing Fatigue
• Flavor: Cherry Limeade, Sour Grape, Blue Raspberry, Green Apple, Orange, Peach Mango, Strawberry Lemonade, Tropical Punch
• Caffeine: 0mg
• Special Ingredients: Beta-Alanine, Betaine Anhydrous, Citrulline Malate
• Package Information: 1.5lbs (30 Servings)
• Serving: 23g
• Price Per Serving: ~$1.67
• Company Founded: 2015
• Recommended by Athletes: Hafthor Bjornsson,  Paul Sklar,  Sean Harris

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Transparent Labs’ Stim-Free formula is very similar to Pre-Kaged. It contains 8g of Citrulline Malate, which is just L-Citrulline bonded with Malic Acid. It also has 4g of Beta-Alanine, 2.5g of Betaine, 1.3g of Taurine, and no Creatine. This formula will likely produce most of the same effects as Pre-Kaged. It’s also much cheaper, only costing ~$1.67 per serving.

Kaged Stim-Free vs Legion Stim-Free Pre-Workout

Legion Stim-Free Pre-Workout

• Item Form: Powder
• Best for: Training Volume, Muscular Endurance, Reducing Fatigue, High-Intensity Exercise Performance, Enhanced “Pumping” Effect
• Flavor: Grape, Strawberry Kiwi, Sour Candy, Green Apple, Blue Raspberry, Fruit Punch, Tropical Punch
• Caffeine: 0mg
• Special Ingredients: Beta-Alanine, Betaine Anhydrous, Citrulline Malate
• Package Information: 1.04lbs
• Serving: 23.5g (20 Servings)
• Price Per Serving: ~$2.25
• Company Founded: 2014
• Recommended by Athletes: Gage Clark, Grant Tinsley,  Machaela Brabham

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Legion is another fairly similar formula to Pre-Kaged. It has 8g of Citrulline Malate, 3.6g of Beta-Alanine, and 2.5g of Betaine. It does not contain any Taurine or Creatine. This supplement comes at a similar price to Pre-Kaged at ~$2.25 per serving.

FAQ

What is Non-Stim Pre-Workout Good For?

Non-stim pre-workout is good if you want the effects of active ingredients like L-Citrulline and Betaine without the strong doses of caffeine commonly found in most pre-workouts. This type of formula will be ideal for anybody who’s sensitive to caffeine.

Is Kaged Muscle FDA Approved?

Dietary supplements are not subject to FDA review, so no supplements are FDA-Approved regardless of their quality. However, Kaged Stim-Free Pre-Workout is Informed-Sport certified, which is a very good gauge of its quality.

How Long Does Stim-Free Pre-Workout Take to Kick In?

We recommend taking stim-free pre-workout around an hour before hitting the gym, mainly to optimize the acute effects of L-Citrulline and Taurine. Most of the other active ingredients – Beta-Alanine, Betaine, and Creatine – only have chronic effects, so it doesn’t matter when you take them throughout the day.

Conclusion

Overall, Pre-Kaged Non-Stim is a solid stim-free pre-workout formula. With that being said, while it has optimal doses of L-Citrulline, Taurine, and Betaine, it could have higher doses of Beta-Alanine and Creatine. Overall, if you’re looking for a solid collection of active ingredients without any added caffeine, this will be a good, albeit somewhat expensive option. 

Have you ever tried any stim-free pre-workouts? Are you planning on trying Kaged Stimulant Free? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

Also read:

• Kaged Ferodrox Review
• Kaged Multivitamin Review
• Kaged BCAA 2:1:1 Review
• Kaged Whey Protein Isolate Review
• Kaged Creatine HCl Review
• Kaged Mindset Review
• Kaged Clean Burn Review
• Kaged Elite Pre-Workout Review
• Kaged Pre-Workout Review

References:

1. Wethington L. N., “The Ergogenic Effects of Acute Citrulline Malate Supplementation on Weightlifting Performance in Trained Females”, Health, Human Performance and Recreation Undergraduate Honors Theses (2016).
2. Kurtz J.A. et al., “Taurine in sports and exercise”, J Int Soc Sports Nutr 18, 39 (2021).
3. Apicella, Jenna M., "The Effect of Betaine Supplementation on Performance and Muscle Mechanisms", Master's Theses, 109 (2011).
4. McGonigle B., et al., "EFFECTS OF BETA-ALANINE ON ANAEROBIC PERFORMANCE," International Journal of Exercise Science: Conference Proceedings, Vol. 8, Iss. 8, Article 67 (2020).
5. Kreider R.B., et al., “International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: safety and efficacy of creatine supplementation in exercise, sport, and medicine”, Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, Jun 13, 14:18 (2017).
6. Informed Sport, “Informed Sport Supplement Certification Process,” Informed Sport, https://sport.wetestyoutrust.com/about/certification-process (Accessed Feb. 16, 2024).
7. All photos are made by our Torokhtiy Media Team.