“High-Performance” My Ass
Pre JYM High-Performance Pre-Workout Review
After two weeks of testing Pre JYM Pre-Workout, it’s hard to recommend it to anyone.
The product itself is a testament to how an expert at the helm doesn’t always lead to a great, or even good, product.
From blends that hide the true amounts of ingredients to underdosed compounds and artificial flavors, Pre JYM is a master class in how to cut corners and still charge a premium price — by riding the name of an authority in the fitness industry.
Before drilling into the details of why Pre JYM misses its mark by a mile, here are two better alternatives to save you the trouble of reading this entire review.
Table of Contents
Pre JYM High-Performance Pre-Workout Alternatives
Transparent Labs BULK
Transparent Labs BULK is third-party tested, GMP certified, and at $1.66 per serving ($1.49 if you subscribe), it’s actually cheaper than Pre JYM. While guaranteeing 5,300 mg of L-citrulline.
BULK hits the minimum effective dose of all the key ingredients. And delivers a reasonable 200 mg of caffeine in each scoop. Even if the ingredient list in itself is a bit on the longer side.
Learn more about Transparent Labs BULK by reading my full review.
Outwork Nutrition Pre-Workout
Outwork Nutrition’s pre-workout is a good option when you want something strong but with way fewer junk ingredients than most other pre-workout, including Pre JYM.
It’s third-party tested and GMP certified, and it has 5,000 mg of L-citrulline and 300 mg of caffeine to help you power through your training.
To learn more about Outwork Nutrition Pre-Workout, check out my review.
For more, read all my pre-workout reviews.
If you’re keen to learn why I think Pre JYM is a poor pre-workout for most lifters, keep reading.
I’ll dig into each ingredient and share the one type of lifter who might want to take this. Although, I have to stretch my imagination for a fair bit to make that case.
Here to Build Muscle and Lose Fat?
Pre-workout can give you an extra 1% boost but won’t make up for a shitty diet and training. Taking a bunch of pre-workout without dialing in the diet and training is like stepping over $20 bills to pick up pennies. See how it works here.
Pre JYM High-Performance Pre-Workout Overview
Pre JYM High-Performance
Score:
4.2
/10
Pros and Cons:
Pros
- Boatload of caffeine
- Refundable
Cons
- Bunch of useless junk
- Citrulline malate ratio?
- Pricey
- Shitty taste
- Crash
Product Name
Score:
9.0
/10
Pros and Cons:
Pros
- Ingredients: 9
- Price Per Serving:
- How It Made Us Feel: 8.9
Cons
- High caffeine (400mg)
- Price Per Serving: 6
- Third-party Tested: No
- How It Made Us Feel: 8.9
Product Highlights
Ingredients
6
/10
Energy
8
/10
Pump
8
/10
Price per serving
$2.38/$$2.02
Taste
10
/10
Mixability
10
/10
Customer Experience
10
/10
Third-party tested/GMP certified
Yes/Yes
Pre JYM was created by Dr. Jim Stoppani, a renowned fitness expert and former science editor at Muscle & Fitness. With a resume like that, you’d think this pre-workout would hit its mark in all kinds of ways.
But no.
Best For:
If you’re looking for a pre-workout that’ll give you a serious caffeine kick.
With a hefty 300 mg of caffeine per serving, it’s ideal for stim junkies who need a potent dose to feel anything.
But I’d argue that if it’s just caffeine you want, either a) drink coffee, or b) have a caffeine tablet. Both cost peanuts compared to Pre JYM.
But then again, if you absolutely hate it, you can get a refund (as long as there’s at least 70% left in the tub).
Not For:
Anyone who wants fully transparent ingredients.
Pre JYM doesn’t list the citrulline-to-malate ratio, which will leave you guessing whether there’s at least 4,000 mg of L-citrulline in each scoop.
If anything’s certain about the supplement industry, it’s that you can’t trust labels.
When you want ingredients with minimum effective doses.
The science on some of the ingredients is shaky, but if you’re gonna take them, you might as well get the minimum effective doses. Most of them fall short.
If you’re on a tight budget.
Pre JYM’s definitely on the pricier side. And considering the downsides I listed, there are way better pre-workouts to buy instead.
Pre JYM High-Performance Pre-Workout Ingredients
[image showing the ingredient label]
The overarching theme for Pre JYM is underdosed ingredients compared to clinically effective amounts. You have to wonder how a sport scientist that decided to make a pre-workout after getting the shits from products on the existing market could f*ck it up so bad.
Pre JYM’s ingredient list is a master class in how not to formulate a pre-workout.
Branch Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs)
L-Leucine 3,000 mg
L-Isoleucine 1,500 mg
L-Valine 1,500 g
BCAAs are often hyped up as the key to muscle growth and recovery. But here’s the thing: If you’re eating enough protein from a variety of sources, you’re already getting plenty of BCAAs.
Supplementing with extra BCAAs is like putting premium gas in a Tesla.[1]
There’s some evidence that supplementing BCAAs might have a small to medium effect on improving recovery by reducing muscle damage and soreness after training. But there’s no change in recovery for muscle performance.[2]
As for dose, the studies are all over the place, but a 20 g combination dose seems to be the sweet spot.[3]
Citrulline Malate
6,000 mg
Citrulline malate is a combination of L-citrulline and malic acid (malate). The ratio of citrulline to malate can vary, with the most common being 2:1 or 1:1.
A 2:1 ratio means there’s more L-citrulline per gram than a 1:1 ratio. For example, 6 grams of 2:1 citrulline malate would yield 4 grams of L-citrulline, while 6 grams of 1:1 would only provide 3 grams.
Pre JYM doesn’t disclose the ratio, leaving us clueless of whether L-citrulline hits the minimum effective dose of 4,000 mg. That’s a bright red flag.
As for citrulline malate being effective, it can improve your muscle pump and may help you train a bit harder and bang out a few extra reps.
Although it may not directly affect your muscle strength, it might improve muscle endurance. Citrulline malate can also reduce delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS) post-training and potentially improve anaerobic performance.[5]
Provided there’s enough of it.
Creatine HCl (as CON-CRET®)
2,000 mg
Some manufacturers claim that creatine hydrochloride (HCl) has better absorption than creatine monohydrate, but the evidence on this is inconclusive.
Creatine monohydrate, on the other hand, is just about the most scientifically studied performance supplement.[6] Based on that, I don’t get why anyone would use creatine HCI instead of monohydrate.
Unless, like in so many cases, it’s for marketing (I do love the ring of CON-CRET).
Also, including creatine in a pre-workout makes zero sense.
To get the benefits of creatine, you must take around 5,000 mg daily. Instead of fussing about it in a pre-workout, find a simpler and cheaper pre-workout and take creatine separately every day.
Now, there’s some evidence that supplementing 2,500 mg of creatine daily might improve resistance to fatigue during repeated bouts of high-intensity muscle contractions.[7]
But Pre JYM doesn’t have enough of it, first of all, and second, no one takes pre-workout every day.
Unless you trust that 2,000 mg of CON-CRET (love it) is equivalent to 2,500 mg of monohydrate and you plan to take this pre-workout every day, this is a useless ingredient.
Beta-Alanine
2,000 mg
Beta-alanine can improve muscular endurance, but you need to hit a saturation point of 179 g to see the effects.[8] At 2,000 mg per serving, you’d have to take Pre JYM for 90 days straight.
As for the tingles that you might be familiar with, they are just a side effect of beta-alanine and don’t mean it’s “working.” But some lifters find it gets them going mentally.
L-Tyrosine
1,500 mg
L-tyrosine might improve cognitive performance and reduce blood pressure in stressful situations.[9] But to see any real effects, you’d need a dose of 100–150 mg per kg of body weight.
So unless you weigh 10–15 kg, the 1,500 mg in this pre-workout isn’t going to do much for you.
Now, some lifters report a difference with doses between 200 mg and 500 mg per kg. There’s no science to back that up though.
Betaine
1,500 mg
Betaine is a compound found in some foods like beets, spinach, and whole grains.
Some studies have found that betaine supplementation improves muscle strength, power, and endurance and reduces fatigue. But there are even more studies that show zero effect.[10]
So, if you ignore all the marketing hype around betaine and only focus on science, there’s no reason to have this in your pre-workout.
Besides, the typical effective dose in those few studies is 2,500, and Pre Jym doesn’t meet that.
Taurine
1,000 mg
Taurine might improve performance and recovery, but the research is still inconclusive.[11]
Most studies use doses of 1–6 g, so the 1,000 mg here is on the low end. I wouldn’t get too excited about this one.
Beetroot Extract
500 mg
Beetroot, or Beta vulgaris, is rich in nitrates. The body converts nitrates into nitric oxide, a vasodilator that relaxes and widens blood vessels.
This increased blood flow is thought to improve oxygen and nutrient delivery to your muscles, potentially improving endurance and reducing fatigue.
But the nitric oxide from beetroot extract peaks within 2–3 hours after you’ve eaten it.[12] And considering caffeine takes about 30 minutes to kick in, having these two mixed in a pre-workout makes zero sense for strength training.
You have to decide between optimizing the endurance from beetroot or the focus and energy from caffeine.
The dosing of beetroot extract in Pre Jym is in the right ballpark though. But without knowing the nitrate concentration, it’s hard to say if it’s enough.
Also, beetroot makes your poo and pee red. Stay cool when you witness that.
Caffeine Anhydrous
300 mg
There’s a solid dose of caffeine in Pre JYM, which is likely to improve focus and energy even in the most caffeine-hardened lifters out there.[13]
Just keep in mind that the recommended daily limit of caffeine for most folks is 400 mg. I would reduce other caffeine intake when taking this. Don’t have it closer than six hours before bedtime either.
Sodium, Potassium, Calcium
240 mg, 61 mg, 52 mg
Having these electrolytes in your pre-workout can help maintain proper electrolyte balance. But it only really becomes an issue when you’re training in hot and humid conditions or just sweating like crazy.
They’re not strictly necessary in a pre-workout.
Alpha-Glyceryl Phosphoryl Choline (as AlphaSize®)
150 mg
This is a branded form of alpha-GPC, which supplies choline to the brain. It might improve cognitive function, but the evidence in healthy adults is limited.[14]
Most studies use higher doses, so I’m not convinced 150 mg will do much.
Huperzine A from Toothed Clubmoss
50 mg
This herb contains huperzine A, which might improve memory and cognition, but there’s limited evidence in healthy populations, and the dose used here is lower than what’s been studied.
There’s zero science to show that it improves performance, not even as a cognitive enhancement. In one study, taking huperzine-A had a worse effect than the placebo.[15]
Black Pepper Fruit Extract (as BioPerine®)
5 mg
Black pepper is a source of piperine. It doesn’t do much on its own, but it can increase the absorption of other supplements.
In the case of Pre JYM, piperine is likely here to (at least theoretically) increase the absorption of beta-alanine, L-tyrosine, and caffeine. However, the data on all of this is weaker than Milhouse.
Also, something like curcumin typically needs 20 mg of black pepper to improve the absorption. So, I’m not convinced 5 mg of black pepper extract does much here.[16]
[table showing ingredients and minimum effective doses]
My Experience Using Pre JYM High-Performance Pre-Workout
I bought Pre JYM with my own hard-earned cash, without the company knowing I’d be writing this review. I had my hopes up thinking that a sport scientist-designed pre-workout might even be the real deal.
It’s not.
I tested Pre JYM for two weeks, and while the caffeine hit was definitely noticeable, the lack of a proper pump and the slight crash left a literally sour taste in my mouth.
Price
[image of the serving size]
Pre Jym pre-workout sits at $1.83 per scoop. If you subscribe, you can get a 15% discount on your first order and 10% after that.
I’m definitely not saying this deal increases Pre JYM’s appeal in the slightest.
There are also military, first responder, government employee, and teacher discounts available. Woohoo.
The shipping is $10 and Pre JYM offers a 30-day money-back guarantee. As long as the jar is at least 70% full.
Also, you need to show ID to prove you’re at least 18 years old to receive the package.
Third-Party Tested and GMP certified
[screenshots of third-party test results]
Pre JYM hasn’t undergone third-party testing. This doesn’t necessarily suggest anything about its quality. But I wouldn’t take any supplement company for only on its word when it comes to purity and potency.
On the upside, Pre JYM is manufactured in a Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) certified facility, so you can sleep easy knowing that it wasn’t manufactured on the same belt as gym chalk.
Energy
There’s enough caffeine here to wake the dead. I was zooming through my training with sharp focus. But I also had a bit of a crash each time, which left me feeling sluggish.
The beta-alanine tingles were as you’d expect from 2,000 mg: barely there. But I know some of you guys find that appealing.
Pump
The pumps were about as impressive as a eunuch at an orgy.
I kept waiting for that feeling of blood rushing to my muscles, and then I waited some more. Even after multiple sets and reps, my muscles just felt . . . meh.
If you live for that juicy, skin-splitting pump, you want to look elsewhere.
Taste
[screenshot of flavors from the website]
Pre JYM High-Performance Pre-Workout comes in 11 flavors:
- Peach Sunrise
- Orange Mango
- Raspberry Lemonade
- Rainbow Sherbet
- Grape Candy
- Cherry Limeade
- Tangerine
- Pink Lemonade
- Pineapple Strawberry
- Black Cherry
- Strawberry Kiwi
I did the testing using Raspberry Lemonade, which was too sour for my liking. I added extra water each time to make it more palatable.
Also, I can understand if a company uses natural sweeteners and flavors and makes a shitty-tasting pre. But I struggle to understand how a company like JYM, using artificial sweeteners and flavors, can’t make its product taste decent.
But then again, that’s only my opinion. Amazon reviews on taste tend to be mostly positive. And furthermore, I tend to get used to weird-tasting pre-workouts after the first week.
Mixability
[image of the pre-workout mixed up]
Nothing new here. Pre JYM mixes really well. No clumps, sand-like texture, or such.
Customer Experience
JYM’s website is slick and easy to navigate. Ordering was a breeze, and the checkout process was smooth.
Pre JYM gets a solid A for customer experience. But here’s the thing — a good customer experience doesn’t make up for a shitty product.
How I Tested Pre JYM High-Performance Pre-Workout
I test each supplement across eight 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
Let’s face it: 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
Pre JYM High Performance Pre-Workout falls way short of its promises. Despite being the brainchild of Dr. Jim Stoppani, Pre JYM is a prime example of how a supplement can be underwhelming, even with a big name behind it.
From the underdosed ingredients to the artificial flavors and the lack of transparency in the citrulline malate ratio, Pre JYM cuts corners while still charging a premium price.
The only redeeming quality is the high caffeine content, which might appeal to stim junkies, but even then, there are cheaper alternatives, like coffee or caffeine tablets.
If you’re looking for a pre-workout that delivers on energy, pump, and performance, without the unnecessary junk ingredients, consider the alternatives I listed earlier.
FAQs
What are the benefits of Pre JYM?
The only benefit of Pre JYM is the high 300 mg caffeine content, which will likely give you a significant energy and focus boost. However, many of the other ingredients are underdosed or lack sufficient scientific evidence to support their effectiveness.
How much caffeine is in Pre JYM Pre-Workout?
Pre JYM High-Performance Pre-Workout contains 300 mg of caffeine per scoop.
Why is Pre JYM so expensive?
Pre JYM is expensive because it rides on the reputation of its creator, Dr. Jim Stoppani. Looking at the label, it’s tough to justify the cost compared to other pre-workout supplements on the market.
References
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16. Examine. Black pepper. https://examine.com/supplements/black-pepper/