Pre-Workout, Thermogenics and Fat-Burners. What's the Difference & What Should I Use?


When it comes to performance and weight loss supplements, pre-workouts, thermogenics, and fat burners tend to get thrown around in the same categories, but they aren’t identical. From promoting energy, improving metabolism, lowering appetite and enhancing fat oxidation, it is important to distinguish the difference before blindly adding one to your stack.

So how do these supplements differ?

Let’s keep it simple before we jump into more detail about these supplements.

A pre-workout is designed to incite energy and improve performance, helping to fuel you through tiresome workouts and keeping you motivated when you’re sluggish or unmotivated. They typically improve energy, performance, mood, strength and endurance, helping you perform every time you train.

Fat burners have a more specific goal, and you’ve probably already guessed that it involves weight management. These formulas use ingredients that work to target fat cells and may facilitate weight loss by breaking down fat and converting it into energy. They contain fairly similar blueprints to thermogenics but target weight loss through a different avenue (Robertson, I. 2023).

Onto thermogenics. These formulas utilise ingredients that provoke your body into generating heat, increasing your body temperature to put positive pressure on your metabolism. With a focus on facilitating weight loss, these formulas can help you naturally burn more energy throughout the day, even when you’re not physically active (Robertson, I. 2023).

Let’s start from scratch here. A pre-workout is a supplement designed to be taken before you train to provide that extra fuel to support you through intense workouts. These formulas contain a combination of stimulants (or not, if you’re opting for a non-stimulant version), BCAAs, vitamins, NO2 boosters and more to give you the best context to succeed when you train.

With energy being a key function, you could probably guess that the main ingredient is caffeine, but these formulas go beyond your standard hyped-up energy drinks. Beyond the caffeine that incites energy, focus, alertness and vitality, there is a whole core of ingredients that combine to help you unlock the best version of yourself when you train.

Pre-workouts usually contain nitric oxide precursors like L-Arginine, L-Citrulline and other ingredients from dietary sources like beetroot juice. These ingredients help to transport oxygen and nutrients to working muscles, promoting improved blood flow and enhanced athletic performance.

Beta-alanine is utilised to promote endurance during intense training, while creatine is often included to boost ATP production, incite strength and enhance muscle volumisation. BCAAs can reduce muscle soreness after exercise and may support muscle growth (Landes, E. 2021). 

These formulas are best taken 15-30 minutes before you start training and can help you persevere through the worst leg days. Just make sure you check the caffeine amount on the packaging and assess your tolerance. Some of these pre-workouts hit differently.

For help choosing the right pre-workout, check out our blog on the best pre-workout for all training goals.

Take a wild guess. A fat burner is exactly what it sounds like it is. 

A fat burner is a supplement designed to increase fat metabolism and energy expenditure while promoting fat oxidation during exercise. These formulas work by trying to impair fat absorption and increase weight loss while working towards long-term adaptations that can improve how fat is metabolised (Jeukendrup, A et al. 2011).

Despite the promising name, these supplements certainly aren’t a miracle solution to your weight goals. They are designed to support your weight management goals when combined with a balanced diet and regular exercise.

One of the key avenues that fat burners target when supporting weight management is by improving your metabolism. As a result, these formulas harness ingredients like caffeine, which has been suggested by studies to boost your metabolism. Caffeine can also promote weight, body mass index and body fat reduction (Jewell, T. 2020).

These formulas will typically contain green tea extract to support your weight goals. Green tea also contains caffeine but is most effective because it contains the antioxidant catechin. Yohimbine is also utilised for its ability to keep adrenaline in your body for longer, helping to oxidise fat for energy (Jewell, T. 2020).

One of the most effective fat-burning ingredients is L-Carnitine, which plays a critical role in the production of energy in your body, helping to transport fatty acids into your cell’s mitochondria, where they are oxidised to create usable energy (Mawer, R. 2023).

Fat burners are best taken 15-30 minutes before you start training and can help you increase your overall energy expenditure while you’re training.

Want to check out some of our other best-selling fat burners? Check out our blog on the top 6 fat burners of 2023.

It’s often hard to distinguish a fat burner from a thermogenic because, in essence, they perform quite similar roles. The main difference between the two supplements is how they might facilitate weight loss. While fat burners directly target fat cells, thermogenic formulas are designed to speed up your metabolism and calorie-burning by generating heat (Robertson, I. 2023).

Like fat burners, thermogenic formulas use natural ingredients like caffeine, green tea, capsaicin and other plant extracts to support fat burning and boost metabolism. Capsaicin is the molecule that makes chilli peppers spicy and stimulates a release of adrenaline that enhances metabolism and in theory, incites fat burning (Julson, E. 2018).

Other common ingredients include bitter orange extract, which can increase metabolism and improve calorie burning. Yohimbine is a thermogenic ingredient that works by increasing the activity of hormones, including adrenaline, noradrenaline and dopamine and may improve fat metabolism and garcinia cambogia is used to block enzymes involved in the formation of body fat (Julson, E. 2018).

Thermogenics are most effective when taken 15-30 minutes before you start training and can incite thermogenesis and accelerate your metabolism during exercise.

If you want to find the best thermogenics to support your weight goals, check out our blog on the best thermogenic supplements for weight management.

The best supplements will ultimately depend on your overall fitness goals, but we’ve got a few that we know you will love!

If you’re looking for a pre-workout that can help you hit the ground running, crank yourself up with Supplement Cartel’s Crank. This formula can boost your mood, overload you with energy and deliver insane muscle pumps, all without any jitters.

If you’re looking for a reliable formula that can help you burn fat and achieve your weight goals, Evolve Carnitine RX is a stimulant-free L-Carnitine formula that combines three types of carnitine to maximise the range of benefits that L-Carnitine can offer.

For a thermogenic that means business, put your trust in EHP Labs OxyShred. This world-renowned formula has been trusted by millions globally for delivering results and helping you achieve your weight goals.

At the end of the day, the formula you use will depend on your goals. If you want to improve your exercise performance and energy levels, try a pre-workout. If you’re trying to lose weight, both a thermogenic or a fat burner supplement can help you.

Just make sure you check the nutritional panel to ensure the ingredients suit your goals. If you need help choosing the right supplement to support your goals or need help navigating the various options, our dedicated team are always eager to help. Just visit us in-store or reach out online for help choosing the right option for you!

Landes, E. 2021, ‘Should You Take Pre-Workout Supplements?’ Healthline, accessed 6 April 2023, https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/pre-workout-supplements

Jeukendrup, A et al. 2011, ‘Fat burners: nutrition supplements that increase fat metabolism’, National Library of Medicine, accessed 6 April 2023, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21951331/#:~:text=The%20term%20'fat%20burner'%20is,adaptations%20that%20promote%20fat%20metabolism.

Jewell, T. 2020, ‘What You Need to Know About Fat-Burning Supplements and Creams’, Healthline, accessed 12 April 2023, https://www.healthline.com/health/do-fat-burners-work

Mawer, R. 2023, ‘L-Carnitine: Benefits, Side Effects, Sources and Dosage’, Healthline, accessed 12 April 2023, https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/l-carnitine

Robertson, I. 2023, ‘Thermogenic vs Fat Burners - What’s The Difference?’ Total Shape, accessed 12 April 2023, https://totalshape.com/supplements/thermogenic-vs-fat-burner/

Julson, E. 2018, ‘Can Thermogenic Supplements Help You Burn Fat?’ Healthline, accessed 12 April 2023, https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/thermogenics