Alani Nu pre-workout is clearly made for women. And if I were to judge it based solely on the ingredient list, it’s actually a decent product for that demographic, especially for those who are new to pre-workouts. If that’s you, you might want to give this pre-workout a go.

But it’s not third-party tested or Good Manufacturing Practice certified, so I can’t recommend it with a clean conscience.

If you don’t give a hoot about third-party testing, keep reading to find out if Alani Nu is for you. But first, some comparable alternatives that do prioritize quality control.

Alani Nu Alternatives

Transparent Labs BULK

A great pre-workout and decently priced at $1.66 per serving. It’s third-party tested and has the same amount of caffeine and 2,000 mg more L-citrulline malate than Alani Nu, which will likely benefit intermediate and experienced lifters. That being said, it has 4,000 mg of beta-alanine, which is too much if you don’t like the tingles.

Read my full review of Transparent Labs BULK here.

Outwork Nutrition’s Pre-Workout

A great pre-workout with minimal ingredients and third-party testing to back it up. But with 300 mg of caffeine, be careful of the crash. I felt that each time. I wouldn’t recommend this unless your caffeine tolerance is level: insane.

You can learn more about Outwork Nutrition by reading my full review.

Alternatively, you can browse all my previous pre-workout reviews.

In news that will not surprise anyone, the supplement industry is notorious for bending the truth well beyond the breaking point. So you can imagine my delight as I was doing research for this review and found an accurate promise on Alani Nu’s website: “Turn your workouts up a notch.” 

They’re not saying you’ll become Gal Gadot, Beyoncé, or Annie Thorisdottir when you take Alani Nu. No. Instead, you elevate your workout a “notch.” 

And that’s the whole point of taking a pre-workout. When you have your training, diet, and recovery sorted, pre-workout might improve your training by 1%. What it will not do is override your genetics and shitty diet.

As we dig into the ratings I gave Alani Nu, here’s something to remember. I like the doses of each of its ingredients for ladies who hover somewhere around 165 pounds and/or are new to pre-workouts. I am neither of the two, so the ingredients weren’t enough for me.

Best For:

If you’re new to pre-workouts and you’re trying to ease yourself in, Alani Nu is a good place to start. As long as you don’t care about third-party testing and GMP-certificate (although I think you should).

Alani Nu gives a good muscle pump for beginners and anyone who isn’t jacked to the max.

You’ll get the minimum effective dose of 4,000 mg of L-citrulline, which can increase blood flow and give you a good muscle pump. 

Alani Nu is a great option if you don’t like the tingles from beta-alanine.

At 1,600 mg per scoop, Alani Nu is so low on beta-alanine that I’m not really sure why they bothered. While it may seem criminally low to more-experienced lifters, it’s one of the things that make this pre-workout best for women since the tingles aren’t for everyone. 

Alani Nu provides good focus and energy from a reasonable dose of caffeine.

Alanu has 200 mg of caffeine (two cups of coffee), which is plenty for beginners and anyone with caffeine sensitivity. The best thing about this dose is that you’ll get a nice boost in energy and focus without a crash after.

Not For:

Alani Nu is definitely not the best pre-workout for everyone.

If you need to feel the tingles from your pre-workout, look elsewhere.

As I mentioned earlier, it’s worth questioning why Alani Nu has beta-alanine in the first place. 

At 1,600 mg, it’ll do f*ck all. 

Some people love the tingles from beta-alanine, some hate them, but those who love them realllllly love them.

The caffeine might not be enough for more experienced lifters.

Now, 200 mg of caffeine is still two cups of coffee, but if you’re used to more than 250 mg of caffeine in your pre-workout, Alani Nu isn’t for you.

The L-citrulline malate might not be enough for more experienced lifters.

Alani Nu has 6,000 mg L-citrulline malate at a 2:1 ratio, which means pure ​​L-citrulline sits at 4,000 mg. It meets the minimum effective dose, sure, but it won’t be enough for everyone.

Alani Nu Ingredients

[image showing the ingredient label]

When it comes to ingredients, Alani Nu has two specific things going for it. 

First, there are zero proprietary blends. Proprietary blends often hide the fact that a pre-workout doesn’t hit the minimum effective dose of key active ingredients. 

Second, the ingredients list is short, with only six active ingredients. A shorter ingredient list almost always means a high-quality product. But I’d still like to see third-party quality assurance to know for sure.

Let’s do a deep dive into the ingredient list to see how Alani Nu stacks up.

Sodium (as Sodium Citrate)

140 mg

If you sweat a ton, your sodium levels can drop and mess with your electrolyte balance. This can make your nerves less efficient and make it harder for your muscles to do their thing. 

Sodium in your pre-workout helps maintain a fluid balance.

But sodium only really makes a difference if you’re training in a hot climate or doing excessively long sessions and sweating like a hooker in a Sunday service.^[1] 

L-Citrulline Malate 2:1

6,000 mg

L-citrulline malate is two ingredients baked together: L-citrulline and malic acid. At a 2:1 ratio, Alani Nu packs a solid 6,000 mg, with more L-citrulline (4,000 mg) than malate (2,000 mg). 

L-citrulline might give you a way better pump in your training. It won’t make you insanely strong, but it might help you squeeze out a rep or two.^[2] Studies also show that L-citrulline can reduce soreness post-workout.

The minimum effective dose of L-citrulline is 4,000 mg, and Alani Nu hits that. However, it might not be enough for more experienced ladies. 

Beta-Alanine 

1,600 mg

Beta-alanine is underdosed in Alani Nu, and someone at Alani should probably go to jail for it. At a 1,600 mg dose, beta-alanine serves no purpose here.

If you’ve ever taken pre-workout and felt the tingles, that’s beta-alanine running through your veins. And that’s the only reason it’s in a pre-workout. Besides those tingles, beta-alanine doesn’t improve your training in any other way.

Okay, beta-alanine can help with endurance when your sets are over one minute, but you have to take the minimum effective dose of 3,200 mg daily for over 60 days to hit the saturation point before feeling the difference.^[3]

There isn’t enough beta-alanine in Alani Nu to do anything for you. But that’s probably a good thing for anyone who doesn’t like the tingles.

L-Tyrosine

500 mg

L-tyrosine is an amino acid the body processes to make chemicals such as dopamine and norepinephrine. These are important for alertness, focus, and attention, and they can improve your mental game during stressful and brain-heavy situations. L-tyrosine can also reduce blood pressure in similar situations.^[4] 

Most of these effects happen at around 100–150 mg per kilogram (45–68 mg/lb) of body weight. Some lifters often report a difference with doses between 200–500 mg/kg.^[5] But the current science doesn’t support those latter claims.

With 500 mg of L-tyrosine in Alani Nu, the dosage isn’t going to do anything for you.

Caffeine (From Coffee arabica Bean Extract)

200 mg

An ingredient that needs no introduction. But here’s one anyway: Caffeine is a stimulant that elevates alertness, concentration, attention, and cognitive performance.^[6] 

Alani Nu has 200 mg of caffeine, or about two cups of coffee. This may be enough caffeine for most folks, but caffeine intake is subjective. I’ve seen some tiny people shoot espresso all morning and not bat an eye. 

L-Theanine

200 mg

L-theanine is a naturally occurring amino acid, and supplementing it can improve your cognitive function, aka brain-game. It can also reduce the elevated blood pressure and sleep issues that often come with caffeine.^[7]

The current evidence also suggests that combining caffeine and L-theanine might improve focus and attention during super-demanding mental tasks.^[8]

At 200 mg of L-theanine, Alani Nu hits the minimum effective dose but I’m skeptical that it does anything for your training.

[table showing ingredients and minimum effective doses]

My Experience Using Alani Nu

As with all the supplements I review, I paid for Alani Nu with my money, and the company had zero clue I’d review it publicly. I prefer to work in the shadows. I guess that makes me the Batman of supplements. Bringing the hammer of justice to uncover the bullshit in the supplement industry. Or something.

Anyway…I took Alani Nu for two weeks, and here’s my honest experience of it.

The energy and pump were mediocre.

I expected that the caffeine in Alani Nu wasn’t going to be enough for me, and I was somewhat right. It was ok, but I prefer 250 mg if I want to get really hyped up for the session.

The pump wasn’t the worst I’ve ever had, but it was far from great. I prefer L-citrulline to be above 6,000 mg, but I still expected that the 4,000 mg in Alani Nu would be good-ish. It was only okay. 

But again, I am not the target demographic for Alani Nu.

Price

[image of the serving size]

Alani Nu is $1.33 per serving, and $1.26 with a subscription. 

Although this isn’t the right product for me, I really like what you get for that price if you fit into Alani Nu’s target audience: a beginner or ladies around 165 pounds. Especially when we compare Alani Nu with the industry average of $1.50 per serving.

The shipping cost is a reasonable $5. Or free if your order is over $50.

Third-Party Tested and GMP Certified

[screenshots of third-party test results]

Like most pre-workouts, Alani Nu hasn’t undergone third-party testing and doesn’t have GMP certification. This doesn’t necessarily suggest anything about its quality. But if you’re like me and prioritize third-party testing as a benchmark for quality and safety, Alani Nu won’t meet your criteria.

Energy

As I mentioned earlier, the boost of energy with Alani Nu was passable but not optimal, considering my high caffeine tolerance. 

I also didn’t get the tingles. This simply comes down to the fact that Alani Nu only has 1,600 mg of beta-alanine.

On the upside, and as expected, I had zero crashes with Alani Nu. 

Pump

Pump was again lackluster with Alani Nu. With only 4,000 mg of L-citrulline, I guess it makes sense it wasn’t any better than that.

Taste

[screenshot of flavors from the website]

Alani Nu comes in eight flavors:

• Hawaiian Shaved Ice
• Blue Slush
• Galaxy Lemonade
• Breezeberry
• Cosmic Stardust
• Rainbow Candy
• Island Crush
• Mimosa

I love the Breezeberry flavor and could easily see myself mixing it with vodka for a wild Friday night. Why I’d do that is a question for another day.

The reviews online rave about the other flavors as well. This isn’t a surprise since Alani is known for its flavors. The target market, young women, get all kinds of kicks out of them.

Mixability

[image of the pre-workout mixed up]

I had zero issues with mixability. The powder dissolves quickly and leaves you with a deliciously smooth drink. Did I already mention it tastes awesome?

Customer Experience

Their website is easy to use, and the whole ordering process is a quick and well-oiled sales machine. The box was at my doorstep in seven days.

How I Tested Alani Nu

I test each supplement across seven categories, pouring over studies and combining them with personal feedback.

When I conduct tests and write my pre-workout reviews, my commitment is to the truth, even if it ruffles a few feathers. There are no hidden agendas, no fluff — just rigorous research.

1. Ingredients

I care mostly about two ingredients in pre-workout supplements: caffeine and L-citrulline. Then there are two that might be worth your dollars: beta-alanine and electrolytes. But those two are far from mandatory.

Once I know a pre-workout has the two ingredients I care about, I check that the dosage of both ingredients is where it should be to provide the stimulation I need. 

Besides those two, most other ingredients serve a different purpose: marketing. The fewer ingredients I see on the label, the better. 

You can read more about the ingredients I look for on my how I test ingredients page. 

2. Price per serving

I care whether a single serving will give me enough of the two ingredients above for the needed stimulus. Ultimately, I want the best bang for the buck per serving. 

Often, the key ingredients are about the same in most pre-workout supplements. It’s the proprietary blends and trademarked ingredients that raise the price. Both of which rarely contribute to the quality or effectiveness of the supplement. 

Another reason why fewer ingredients are better is that it keeps the cost down.

You can read more about how price factors into my scoring system here.

3. Third-party testing and Good Manufacturing Practice certification

When a supplement company wants third-party testing and certification, it pays an outside organization to test for ingredient potency and accuracy.

Getting certified means an independent organization has reviewed the product and determined it complies with safety, quality, and performance standards.

The absence of third-party testing doesn’t immediately mean a poor product. But knowing the dishonest bullshitting going on in the supplement industry, third-party testing gives me peace of mind knowing a product is safe and has — and does — what it says on the box. 

GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) certification means the manufacturing facilities comply with the rigorous quality standards of regulatory authorities. It covers the entire manufacturing process, including sourcing of raw materials, production processes, packaging, and labeling. 

These guidelines provide minimum requirements that a manufacturer must meet to ensure its products are consistently high in quality.

In short, third-party testing is about the product, and GMP compliance covers the manufacturing.

Read more about third-party testing and GMP compliance here.

4. Energy

Out of all the effects I look for in a pre-workout, this is the one I care about the most. I want to feel psyched and focused for my strength training. And I want to finish without getting the dreaded post-workout caffeine crash.

You can read more about how the energy factors into my scoring system here.

5. Pump

The second most important thing I need from a pre-workout is the pump. The product must have enough L-citrulline (4,000 mg) to increase the blood flow into the muscles I’m working. In most cases, anything less than 6,000 mg, and I’d rather spend my money elsewhere.

Read more about what I look for when scoring the pump.

6. Taste

Making a decent-tasting pre-workout shouldn’t be that difficult. Yes, a pre-workout with high-quality ingredients in high doses often tastes worse because it’s hard to mask the flavor of the ingredients, but anything less than 8/10 is only acceptable if the product is otherwise exceptional. 

Then again, taste is subjective, so don’t get too hung up on this.

You can read more about how taste factors into my scoring system here.

7. Mixability

I need a pre-workout that’s easy to mix in a shaker. That means no powder clumps! I expect something smooth and grit-free that doesn’t get stuck on the side of the shaker. Most pre-workouts add silicon dioxide and calcium silicate as anti-caking agents, so look for that if you’re as annoyed by clumps as I am.

Read more about how mixability factors into my scoring system.

8. Customer experience

In this testing stage, I find and navigate the website, complete the ordering process, and accept delivery, evaluating each company every step of the way. I also review customer service in cases where I have problems with the order. I have high expectations for customer service and will harshly judge brands with missing links in their customer experience.

You can learn more about how customer service factors into my scoring system here.

Conclusion

If you’ve seen some obnoxious fitness “influencers” online trash-talking Alani Nu, ignore those haters. If you’re willing to look past the lack of third-party testing and GMP certification, Alani Nu is a great choice for ladies new to pre-workout. Definitely not for experienced lifters, but that’s the whole point.

I loved that Alani Nu wasn’t some crazy hyped-up formula promising to turn lifters into superheroes. 

The marketing is honest, and, besides the beta-alanine, the ingredients list backs it up. The caffeine is enough for a decent energy boost without the jitters, and they hit the minimum effective dose on L-citrulline. Plus, it tastes dope.

Alani Nu wasn’t strong enough for me, and the pump could’ve been better. But as an experienced pre-workout consumer and lifter, I’m not the target audience, so that’s 100% expected.

Alani Nu is a solid choice if you don’t care about third-party testing and want a pre-workout that gives you that extra kick without going overboard. It’s priced well and tastes great. If you’re new to pre-workouts, Alani Nu is a solid entry-level product.

FAQs

References

1. Morris, D. M., Huotm, J. R., Jetton, A. M., Collierand, S. R., Utter, A. C. (2015). Acute sodium ingestion before exercise increases voluntary water consumption resulting in preexercise hyperhydration and improvement in exercise performance in the heat. International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, 25(5), 456–462. https://doi.org/10.1123/ijsnem.2014-0212 

2. Aguiar, A. F., & Casonatto, J. (2022). Effects of citrulline malate supplementation on muscle strength in resistance-trained adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Journal of Dietary Supplements, 19(6), 772–790. https://doi.org/10.1080/19390211.2021.1939473

3. Trexler, E. T., Smith-Ryan, A. E., Stout, J. R., Hoffman, J. R., Wilborn, C. D., Sale, C., Kreider, R. B., Jäger, R., Earnest, C. P., Bannock, L., Campbell, B., Kalman, D., Ziegenfuss, T. N., & Antonio, J. (2015). International society of sports nutrition position stand: Beta-alanine. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 12, 30. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12970-015-0090-y

4. Deijen, J. B., Wientjes, C. J., Vullinghs, H. F., Cloin, P. A., & Langefeld, J. J. (1999). Tyrosine improves cognitive performance and reduces blood pressure in cadets after one week of a combat training course. Brain Research Bulletin, 48(2), 203–209. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0361-9230(98)00163-4

5. Examine. L-tyrosine. https://examine.com/supplements/l-tyrosine/ 

6. Guest, N. S., VanDusseldorp, T. A., Nelson, M. T., Schoenfeld, B. J., Jenkins, N. D. M., Arent, S. M., Antonio, J., Stout, J. R., Trexler, E. T., Smith-Ryan, A. E., Goldstein, E. R., Kalman, D. S., & Campbell, B. I. (2021). International society of sports nutrition position stand: Caffeine and exercise performance. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 18(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12970-020-00383-4

7. Examine. Theanine. https://examine.com/supplements/theanine/

8. Einöther, S. J. L., Martens, V. E. G., Rycroft, J. A., De Bruin, E. A. (2010). L-theanine and caffeine improve task switching but not intersensory attention or subjective alertness. Appetite, 54(2), 406–409. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2010.01.003