Workout supplements, also known as “pre-workouts,” are a dietary formula that includes several ingredients used to boost athletic performance and energy. Pre-workout powdered greens are the most common, but you can find workout supplements in food, medications, or lotions.
Gym buffs and fitness gurus alike love to drink their workout shakes before their workouts, but can these supplements actually help you reach your fitness goals? Let’s find out!
What Does Pre-Workout Do?
If you don’t drink enough fluids before a workout, you may feel a little sluggish or more tired than usual. Pre-workout is designed to give you a mental and physical boost of energy by supplying your body with carbohydrates. This raises your blood sugar and your energy during exercise.
Are Pre-Workouts Safe?
Usually yes. If you’re using an FDA-approved pre-workout bought from a licensed source, your pre-workout is going to be safe for human consumption. However, there are some shady websites that sell pre-workout, claiming it’s FDA-approved when it really isn’t.
Always read the ingredients label before taking a pre-workout. Some ingredients could cause severe heart palpitations. If you’re shaking after using a pre-workout, lower the dose.
What Ingredients Should I Have in My Pre-Workout?
Both men and women can use the following ingredients in their pre-workout. In fact, Some of the best pre-workout supplements for women include ingredients like caffeine and beta-alanine.
Here are some ingredients you should look out for:
- Caffeine: A safe stimulant that increases your energy.
- Beta-alanine: Helps reduce tiredness after a workout.
- L-citrulline: Helps reduce soreness after a workout.
- BCAAs: Speeds up muscle recovery and muscle building.
- L-theanine: Works to help you relax after a cooldown
The recommended dose for pre-workout is 4-6 grams per day, so avoid taking more if it’s your first time using a workout supplement. Slowly add more pre-workout as you adjust.
5 Reasons to Take a Pre-Workout Supplement
Here are 5 reasons why you should add pre-workout to your workout routine right away.
1. Creates a Mind to Muscle Connection
Have you noticed that the more you focus on a task, the easier it becomes? When your body and mind work together to build muscle mass, you simply become stronger and faster. Pre-workout creates that mind-to-muscle connection that wards off fatigue.
2. Gives you Energy When You Need It
Some days it’s really hard to get up and exercise. Pre-workout gives you a surge of energy exactly when you need it so you can beat that morning, afternoon, or evening slump. If you take your pre-workout 30-60 minutes before exercising, you’ll feel the buzz throughout your workout.
3. Helps you Run Faster and Jump Higher
More focus and energy inevitably help you pump those extra reps or run those extra miles. Great workouts lead to great results, so if you want to optimize your output and perform to the best of your abilities, a pre-workout supplement will provide you with the support you’ll need.
4. Speeds Up Fat-Specific Weight Loss
Instead of burning just calories and water, pre-workout gets to the source of your weight-loss woes: fat. Yohimbineand caffeine is stimulants that enhance your body’s ability to burn calories. Stimulants crank up the heat in your body to target stubborn fat reserves.
5. Improves Recovery After Workout
Pre-workout supplements contain ingredients like beta-alanine and BCAAs, which both speed up muscle recovery and reduce soreness. L-citrulline promotes vasodilation, expanding your veins to allow for more blood flow, which removes more waste from your muscles.
Lactic acid, which increases in concentration when you exercise, can slow down how quickly your body recovers. However, through vasodilation, your body is able to remove more of it. Herbs, like ashwagandha, also help you bounce back from muscle soreness.
Should you consider taking pre and post-workout supplements?
Putting it simply, the answer is: yes – they’re worth testing out to see if they can help you with your workouts! Just remember your limits when exercising.
You can search for the best post workout supplement but take note that post-workout supplements have an alternative effect to pre-workout supplements in that they are essential to muscular recovery. By increasing muscle synthesis, they reduce aches and pains which allows you to continue training while the body repairs itself.