Pre workout without L-Arginine

A quality pre workout will get you feeling on point in the gym Photo: Adobe Stock

If you’re looking for the best pre workout without L-Arginine then you’ve probably experienced some side-effects or heard some not-so-great things about this particular ingredient.

There are lots of pre workout supplements on sale these days and most of them are designed to work in a variety of ways to help you get the very most out of your gym and training sessions.

While most pre workouts are primarily used to boost energy levels and help you feel on point in the gym, lots of them also contain ingredients designed to help with muscle pumps.

Basically, they work to increase the blood flow to the muscles. This could help your muscles work harder and feel bigger during your gym sessions.

That’s where L-Arginine comes in. It’s known as a “conditionally essential” amino acid and plays a role in blood flow and Nitric Oxide levels.

However, when it comes to its pre workout benefits, it’s definitely not the most effective ingredient out there.

In this article, we’re going to explain exactly what L-Arginine is and why you should be looking for other ingredients in your pre workout supplement.

We’re also going to pick out the best pre workouts that don’t contain any L-Arginine.

So, with the introduction out of the way, let’s get straight down to business.

What is L-Arginine?

As we mentioned above, L-Arginine is an Amino Acid. Amino Acids are basically the building blocks or protein.

L-Arginine is usually obtained through your diet, and it can be found in foods such as meats and seeds.

Athletes sometimes take L-Arginine because it’s believed to raise Nitric Oxide levels in the body. However, the evidence for this is limited at best.

The evidence suggesting that L-Arginine can raise Nitric Oxide levels in humans is not particularly convincing.

The problem with taking L-Arginine as a supplement is that it’s not absorbed particularly well by the body in healthy individuals, meaning that its effects are usually limited.

L-Arginine is not absorbed very well by the body when taken as a supplement Photo: Adobe Stock

L-Arginine side effects

The one main thing L-Arginine is associated with in terms of side effects an increased risk of developing cold sores (you may have already read about this elsewhere, or even experienced it yourself).

You probably already know that both cold sores and genital herpes are caused by the HSV type 1 virus.

It’s believed that L-Arginine can cause this unwanted effect by lowering levels of L-Lysine when it’s orally consumed.

That’s because L-Lysine is thought to help prevent cold sores and genital herpes, so lower levels of this Amino Acid is not a good thing when it comes to this side effect.

With that in mind though, it’s believed that only dietary L-Arginine can put you at risk from this side effect.

Generally, L-Arginine isn’t believed to cause too many serious side effects. The main reason we’re not big fans of it is because it’s not just simply not a very effective ingredient for a pre workout.

What’s the alternative to L-Arginine?

You’ve probably already guessed this, but we don’t rate L-Arginine as one of the best pre workout ingredients.

Instead, our preferred ingredient in this category is Citrulline Malate.

If you’re wondering what the difference between L-Citrulline and Citrulline Malate is, then fear not. Citrulline Malate is simply L-Citrulline with added Malic Acid.

Citrulline Malate is our top pick for a pre workout in our opinion because it brings all of the benefits of L-Citrulline, with the added bonuses of Malic Acid.

There’s plenty of evidence to suggest that Citrulline is the better option if you’re looking for a quality pre workout supplement.

That’s why we recommend going for a pre workout that contains Citrulline Malate to help you get the most out of your gym sessions.

Best pre workout without L-Arginine

We recently updated our guide to the leading pre workout supplements on the market right now, most of which do not contain L-Arginine.

You can see the pre workout guide by following the link shown below.

Anything else to consider?

As we always like to remind you, remember that there is no ‘magic’ supplement that will give you the results you’re looking for.

Getting into great shape requires hard work, effort and dedication.

Before taking any supplement, we always recommend that you should make sure your diet and training regime is completely on point first.

It’s also always a good idea to speak to your doctor before thinking about taking any new supplement for the first time.

Wrapping things up – our final thoughts

So there we have it, our thoughts on L-Arginine as a pre workout supplement.

We’ve explained why we don’t think L-Arginine is the best pre workout ingredient around right now and why you should be looking for other things in your supplement.

Citrulline is the better option for a pre workout supplement in our opinion.