Infected High Stim Pre-Workout

This is a training day product with a serious dose of stimulant, so these are the questions our naturopaths ask in store to make sure you pick the right one.

A good fit if

• You train early or want a strong lift before a short, hard session
• You do HIIT, strength training or circuits, which is where the evidence for beta-alanine fits
• You don't already drink much coffee or other caffeine on training days
• You'd rather have everything in one tub than take creatine, caffeine and beta-alanine separately

Check with us first if

• You take any prescription medicine, especially one that interacts with CYP1A2, because caffeine is processed by the same liver enzyme
• You already have coffee, tea or other caffeinated drinks on training days, because the totals add up quickly with a formula like this
• The product also contains Citrus aurantium or another stimulant alongside the caffeine. It's worth checking rather than assuming it's fine.
• Your skin tingles after taking it. It's usually harmless beta-alanine tingling, but it's worth confirming.
• If you take prescription medicines, check with your doctor, pharmacist or our naturopaths before starting.

• High stim (this family). Best known for: About 300 to 400 mg caffeine a serve, plus a full stack: beta-alanine, citrulline, creatine, taurine. Absorption: Caffeine's well absorbed orally, with effects usually felt 30 to 60 minutes after taking it. Typical use: Short, high intensity sessions, HIIT, strength and power work, where alertness and repeated hard efforts both matter.
• Moderate or low stim. Best known for: Roughly half the caffeine of a high stim serve, around 150 to 200 mg, with similar supporting actives. Absorption: Not covered in this register. Typical use: Caffeine-sensitive users, or afternoon and evening training where a full high stim dose isn't wanted.
• Stim-free. Best known for: No added caffeine at all, built instead on citrulline, beta-alanine, creatine and nitrate sources. Absorption: Not covered in this register. Typical use: Evening training, or once you're already at your daily caffeine limit from coffee or tea.
• Single ingredient equivalents. Best known for: Buying creatine, caffeine and beta-alanine separately instead of one pre-blended tub. Absorption: Same evidence base as the blend, just not combined. Typical use: Anyone who wants to hit an exact trial dose, like 3 to 6 mg/kg caffeine or 4 to 6 g beta-alanine, rather than whatever a blend happens to contain.

Reference values. There aren't any. Caffeine, creatine, beta-alanine, taurine and citrulline aren't essential nutrients, so the NHMRC Nutrient Reference Values don't cover them.

Typical supplemental range. A high stim serve usually contains 300 to 400 mg of caffeine, 3 to 5 g of creatine, 1.6 to 3.2 g of beta-alanine and 6 to 8 g of citrulline malate, but formulas vary a lot from brand to brand. There's no standard recipe, so always check the label.

Upper level. The TGA caps a single caffeine ingredient at 100 mg, and no more than 100 mg within any 3 hour period, although a blend that combines caffeine with guarana or green tea can add up to more than that in total. Citrulline is capped at 6 g a day as an active ingredient, and theanine, if it's included, at 450 mg a day. There's no cap for creatine, beta-alanine or taurine.

Worth knowing. Trial doses are often higher than one capped caffeine ingredient allows on its own, so compare the label's total caffeine, not just one ingredient line, with the evidence. What you need depends on your age, training and health, so talk to one of our naturopaths.

This list is the part of the page we will not shorten. If any of it applies to you, talk to one of our naturopaths or your doctor before starting.

• Pregnancy and breastfeeding. Caffeine above 200 mg a day isn't recommended, and theanine, where present, isn't recommended at all.
• Anyone under 18. Mandatory adults-only warning on every caffeine and theanine-containing product.
• Anyone on medicine metabolised by CYP1A2. A required warning above 80 mg caffeine advises checking with a health professional first.
• Anyone already drinking coffee, tea or other caffeinated drinks on training days. Totals stack across a multi-source formula.
• Beta-alanine users prone to tingling. Harmless, but splitting the dose usually reduces it.
• Products that also contain Citrus aurantium or another stimulant source. The combination with high dose caffeine hasn't been independently verified in this register.
• If you take prescription medicines, check with your doctor, pharmacist or our naturopaths before starting.