Pre-workout supplements are the fastest-growing type of sports nutrition product on the market today, and they’re becoming top-sellers for a lot of good reasons. Whether you’re a hardcore bodybuilder, an athlete-in-training, or just trying to get into shape at the gym, pre-workout energy supplements fuel your body for the hard work you’re about to put it through.

The best pre-workout supplements with the optimal combination of ingredients have the power to help you overcome your fitness plateau and take your workouts to the next level. But unfortunately, some products on the market are packed with filler that’s all hype and no results. Rather than relying on stimulants that don’t deliver essential nutrients to your muscles, you need an expert blend of ingredients that are scientifically proven to boost strength, stamina, speed, and recovery.

So if you’re still shopping around, here are the top five ingredients to look for in a pre-workout supplement to amp you up.

Beta-Alanine

This is a powerful ingredient that enhances your muscular endurance so you can work out longer, stronger, and harder. It buffers hydrogen ions in the body, enabling you to keep up your intensity over time. It also helps control your blood pH levels during exercise to prevent fatigue and make you push yourself to the limit.

Creatine

Creatine is a powerful pumping compound that results in the explosive strength you’ve been craving. This ingredient helps saturate your muscles with energy so that you can make those heavy lifts and big gains. Creatine is an essential component of many bodybuilding supplements, not just for a pre-workout energy formula, but also for muscle strength and mass.

Citruline Malate

This is the fatigue-fighting compound that helps your muscles recover after intense workout sessions. Citruline malate is a non-essential amino acid that helps you both pre-workout and post-workout. Several medical studies have shown that it amps up your energy before you hit the gym and then quickens the healing process afterwards by removing muscular lactic acid build-up.

B Vitamins

B vitamins, especially vitamin B6 and vitamin B12, also help fight fatigue and are an essential component of any pre-workout supplement you choose. Vitamin B12, for example, also has the power to boost your immune system and speed up the recovery process. Top pre-workout supplements have a rich blend of B vitamins to keep you alert, energized, and motivated.

L-Arginine

This is a high-performance amino acid that helps your body synthesize proteins and eliminat waste. It also is a vasodilator, which means it opens up your blood vessels to help your muscles relax and give you that “pumped” feeling you crave. When taken before your workout, it continues to promote this healthy blood flow.

Challenger Nutrition’s The Pump Xtreme Pre-Workout supplement contains all of these key ingredients to deliver pure, powerful, and pumped-up nutrition directly to you. Experience the Challenger difference and amp up your workouts like never before.