Supplements
L-Tyrosine
What is it?
L-tyrosine is an amino acid found in protein foods and made from phenylalanine in the body. It appears in pre-workouts mainly as a potential focus ingredient, not as a stimulant or a direct muscle-building ingredient. [1,2]
How does it work?
Tyrosine is a building block for dopamine and norepinephrine, brain chemicals involved in attention and responding to stress. Supplementing it may matter most when demanding conditions strain those systems. Researchers are still testing how well that carries over to everyday gym sessions. [2]
Why is it in pre-workout?
The appeal is steadier attention when training while tired, hot, or mentally taxed. A review of studies in healthy young adults and military settings found some cognitive benefits under demanding conditions, but the tasks and doses varied. [2]
For physical performance, results have been mixed. A 2024 review of eight studies found no consistent endurance improvement. One small heat-exercise trial found longer time to exhaustion after 150 mg/kg, but a later trial at the same dose did not improve a self-paced time trial. These stress tests have not established a benefit for routine lifting. The tested 150 mg/kg equals about 12 g for an 80 kg person—far above the 2 g on this label. [1,3,4]
IN THIS SCOOP
How much?
FORM & SCHEDULE
What it refers to
L-tyrosine per scoop
2 g is a label amount, not an established effective pre-workout dose. Tyrosine does not replace sleep.
2 grams — L-tyrosine in the pictured scoop
Read detailed dosing notes
This is the product-label amount and falls within amounts tested for some mental tasks. It is not an established effective dose for routine gym focus or performance. Larger weight-based doses from heat studies should not be copied as an everyday recommendation. [1–4]
Tyrosine may be useful in demanding situations, but it does not replace sleep.
Sources & further reading
- Dalton et al. (2024). The effect of tyrosine supplementation on whole-body endurance performance in a physically active population: A systematic review and meta-analysis (opens in a new tab)pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- A Systematic Review of the Effect of Dietary Supplements on Cognitive Performance in Healthy Young Adults and Military Personnel (2020) (opens in a new tab)pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Tumilty et al. (2011). Oral tyrosine supplementation improves exercise capacity in the heat (opens in a new tab)pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Tumilty et al. (2014). Failure of oral tyrosine supplementation to improve exercise performance in the heat (opens in a new tab)pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov