Best Pre-Workout

Benefits of using pre-workout

Anaerobic exercises such as weightlifting or endurance exercises like running or cardio can tax your body. They require a lot of energy, which can sometimes be hard to muster up, especially if you’re tired. That’s where pre-workouts come in.

While there are many pre-workout supplements on the market with different ingredients, they all aim to boost your energy levels. They help you push through your workout and get the most out of it. Other benefits include:

Improve focus and concentration: Apart from boosting your energy levels, pre-workouts can also help improve your focus and concentration. That’s especially helpful if you find yourself getting distracted easily or have trouble staying on task. The ingredients in pre-workouts can help you stay focused on your workout and achieve better results.

Increase Stamina and Endurance: If you find yourself getting tired or running out of breath quickly during your workouts, pre-workouts can help. The nutrients in these supplements can help increase your stamina and endurance, so you can push yourself harder for longer.

Build Muscle and Strength: Pre-workouts can help you gain strength and muscle growth. The nutrients in these supplements help increase blood flow to your muscles, leading to increased muscle growth. Additionally, the increase in energy can help you lift heavier weights and achieve better results.

Improved Recovery: Often, the recovery process after an intense workout can be just as challenging as the workout itself. It leaves your muscles feeling sore and tired. Pre-workouts can help improve your recovery by providing the nutrients your body needs to repair and rebuild muscle tissue.

Fights fatigue: Fatigue can kick in even before you start your workout. If you’re feeling tired and sluggish, then pre-workouts can help. The ingredients in these supplements help fight fatigue and give you the energy you need to power through your workout.

Improves Performance: All of these benefits can lead to improved performance. For instance, you can push yourself harder when you have more energy. When you focus better, you execute more effectively. And when you recover better, you can come back stronger and perform at your best.

Best Time To Take a Pre-workout

When the time is right, a pre-workout can help power you through your most strenuous workouts. But when the time is wrong, you might not get the results you’re hoping for. So when’s the best time to take a pre-workout?

Ideally, you want to take your pre-workouts about 30-60 minutes before your workout. They will give the ingredients time to digest and be absorbed into your system. (1)

You don’t want to take it too soon before your workout because they will metabolize without you getting the full benefits. You don’t want to take it too late because the effects might wear off when you start working out. Remember that most pre-workout supplements contain significant caffeine levels, and you need to hit the gym as soon as it starts working.

Pre-workout Ingredients to look for / ingredients to avoid

As mentioned, there is no shortage of brands and flavors regarding pre-workout supplements in the market. With all the different options, it can be hard to know which one is right for you. When choosing a pre-workout, there are certain ingredients you should look for and others you should avoid.

Ingredients to look for:

Caffeine: Caffeine is a stimulant that can help improve your muscle power and endurance without increasing the perceived exertion rate. When you consume it, you can work out more without feeling tired. It’s one of the most common ingredients among pre-workouts. Caffeine also improves your cognitive power, making it easier to focus on your workout.

Creatine: It’s an amino acid that helps improve strength, power, and muscle growth. It replenishes your ATP levels, the energy your muscles use during exercise. You often depict your energy stores when working out, and taking creatine can help improve your performance.

Creatine also helps you gain a leaner body composition by helping you retain water in your muscles. That makes them appear fuller and more prominent.

Beta-alanine and L-citrulline: Beta-alanine is an amino acid that helps improve muscle endurance. It does this by reducing the levels of lactic acid in your muscles, which can build up during exercise and lead to fatigue. (2)

L-citrulline is another amino acid that can help improve blood flow. It does this by increasing nitric oxide levels in your body. Nitric oxide helps relax your blood vessels and improve blood flow. That can lead to better nutrient delivery and waste removal. (3)

It can also help improve muscle pumps. While these two ingredients are not always available in all pre-workout supplements, they can help boost your performance.

Branched-chain amino acids (BCAA): BCAA’s are a type of amino acid that helps improve protein synthesis and muscle growth. They’re also crucial for preventing muscle breakdown during exercise. (4)

These amino acids can also help reduce fatigue and improve endurance. BCAA’s are often taken post-workout to help with recovery. But they can also be helpful when taken before a workout.

Vitamins: Vitamins, such as B12, B6, and niacin, are essential for energy production. They help convert the food you eat into ATP, the energy your muscles use during exercise.

Vitamin B6 is mainly involved in the production of red blood cells. That helps improve oxygen delivery to your muscles.

Ingredients to avoid

Artificial sweeteners: Many pre-workouts use artificial sweeteners to make them taste better. But these sweeteners can have some unwanted side effects.

One common artificial sweetener is aspartame. It can cause headaches, anxiety, and other neurological problems. It’s best to avoid pre-workouts with too many artificial sweeteners.

Fillers and binders: Some pre-workouts use fillers and binders to add bulk. But these ingredients don’t offer any benefits and can be harmful.

Fillers like maltodextrin can cause gastrointestinal issues. And binders like carrageenan can lead to inflammation. It’s best to avoid pre-workouts that contain these ingredients.

High Caffeine doses: Caffeine can be beneficial in small to moderate amounts. But high doses of caffeine can be dangerous.

Consuming too much caffeine can lead to side effects like jitters, anxiety, and insomnia. So it’s essential to avoid pre-workouts with high caffeine doses.

Proprietary blends: Proprietary blends are mixed ingredients that are not disclosed on the label. They’re often used to hide the actual doses of each element.

They can be dangerous because you don’t know how much of each ingredient you take. And you may be taking too much of one component or not enough of another. It’s best to avoid pre-workouts that contain proprietary blends.

What is a stim-free pre-workout?

A stim-free pre-workout is a supplement that doesn’t contain stimulants such as caffeine, yohimbine, or guarana. Although they do not have stimulatory effects, they can still help boost your performance. They work by increasing the nitric oxide levels in your body, improving blood flow and muscle visibility.

While they don’t have caffeine, these stimulant-free pre-workout supplements contain other natural ingredients such as taurine, beta-alanine, nitrosamine, tacrine, and creatine. That makes them just as efficient as the caffeinated options.

The stimulant-free pre-workout products are an excellent option for those sensitive to caffeine or other stimulants. Some of the most popular options available include:

• Kaged muscle Pre Kaged pre-workout
• Watermelon & Juicy Grape Stim-free pre-workout
• PMP stimulant-free pre-workout

Dry Scooping (on barbend):

Most pre-workout supplements come in powder form that you mix with water or another beverage to make a drink. However, there has been a trend on social media like Instagram and Tiktok where users scoop the powder and ingest it without water.

The users then drink water after eating the powder. While this seems harmless, it can be risky. Most pre-workout contain hundreds of milligrams of caffeine that can cause problems if you ingest it without water.

Without water, your body may absorb too much caffeine too quickly, leading to stomach upsets, jitters, and high blood pressure. You may also choke on the powder. Mixing the powder with water or another beverage as directed on the label is always best.