Pre Workout for Beginners. What's in them and why...also, stop using them for a caffeine hit!

I get sooooo many questions about pre workouts from friends, clients, and Instagram followers who see me post about them in my stories. I am not an expert but have done enough research and talked to enough people who have done their research to give you the lowdown on what’s in them, how they work, why you should not take them for anything other than intense exercise and my favorite brands.

I know, this seems obvious, it’s called “pre workout” after all. so it’s clearly supposed to be taken BEFORE a workout. I cannot tell you the number of my clients and friends that take it in lieu of their morning coffee, tea, or energy drink. If you are one of those people, I am here to tell you to STOP IT!

Do you consider yourself reprimanded? GOOD. Now we can move on.

The biggest misconception about pre workouts is that they are just caffeine so you can get the same effect by drinking a Red Bull or coffee. This is also why people think it’s ok to use it as their daily caffeine hit because they don’t understand that they aren’t just drinking caffeine.

Side Note: Taking pre workout for energy rather than exercise can also cause mild-severe anxiety. Just saying...

Here are a list of typical ingredients you find in a pre workout supplement and just a very basic explanation of why they are there/what they do.

Caffeine:

Caffeine is definitely an important ingredient in pre workout supplements. It is the catalyst for getting you energized and to the gym. It’s also one of the ways you can get your heart rate and blood pressure up so you can get in the zone faster.

If you are a caffeine addict, it is likely you will be disappointed by pre workout which many of my friends are. It is a highly addictive substance and one will acclimate to it very quickly. If you use it solely for the purpose of exercise and burn it all off while you’re at the gym (usually takes at least a full hour) then you are far less likely to develop an addiction and will continue to be sensitive to the drug...because that is what it is.

I workout 5-6 days a week, 1-2 hours at a time. I take a pre workout every day that I plan on being there longer than an hour and have been for a long time. However, I can also go a week and have no withdrawal symptoms because I am burning it all off at the gym. I don’t use caffeine for anything except intense exercise because I want it to continue being effective so I can get the most out of my workouts. So if you intend on using it for what it was made for, do just that and nothing else.

Beta-Alanine:

Have you ever taken a pre workout and gotten that all over tingly feeling that feels like an allergic reaction? Well it’s not, it’s actually a niacin rush and is caused by a substance called Beta-Alanine.

Beta-Alanine promotes muscular endurance and this is what keeps you going for longer. It is a non essential amino acid that is energy source for your muscles, giving them that extra little push they need and prevents your muscle from fatiguing early. It really should only be taken for longer bouts of exercise and intense activities like HIIT, crossfit, or endurance running etc. It’s still good to take for strength training but you really should get some cardio in there in the beginning to get the most out of your supplements. I mean, you should do that anyways but especially if you’re taking supplements.

Again, this is a very basic overview but if you want to learn more, the link below gives a very thorough explanation of beta-alanine and what it does and I strongly recommend reading it.

https://www.bodybuilding.com/content/your-expert-guide-to-beta-alanine.html

Creatine:

Body builders love this stuff but it is really to be used by those who are doing strength training and not endurance training. What’s the difference you may ask? Not to deviate from the point too much and I’ll write about this later but…

Strength Training: High weights, low reps

Endurance Training: Low weights, high reps.

Creatine gives your muscles the extra hit of an energy source (substrate) they need to push through the heavy weights which ultimately helps you improve faster and tone/bulk up while at the same time, helping you avoid muscle fatigue during the workout.

Taurine:

Taurine does a couple things and is actually super helpful for other conditions like Congestive Heart Failure, Diabetes, and Nausea from Chemo.

In the case of pre workout, it increases your blood flow which helps with muscular function (can get you warmed up faster), helps you resist muscular fatigue (i’m noticing a pattern here), and is really useful for long term aerobic exercise.

Long term: it can accelerate your improvement and decrease recovery time.

Arginine:

This amino acid regulates your blood pressure. It expands your blood vessels which then lowers your blood pressure and increased blood flow to your muscles. It is also a key amino acid for healing wounds and immune function in the body so it helps your muscles from breaking down.

Ok

This really was just a very basic breakdown of some of the most prominent ingredients in your pre workout. Can you see now why it is so bad to drink this in lieu of your morning caffeine hit? This drink is really intended for workouts only and I implore you to use it only for its intended purpose.

That being said, I have now tried a couple dozen different kinds of pre workout supplements and have some suggestions.

Cycle Your supplements: You will eventually acclimate to one particular kind, so try several out and just get in the habit of mixing them up. You’ll eventually find that different ones work better for certain activities.

If you are a beginner, I suggest C4. It is the most popular, my personal favorite, and is probably the best for basic exercise. It also does not cost an arm and a leg.

I randomly found one I loved at Kroger because I had an intense session with my trainer in the morning, ran out of pre workout, and didn’t have time to get a real one. It’s called Six Star, was cost efficient and oddly very effective. It's definitely in my rotation.

I’ve been trying ones the trainers at the gym suggest and my favorite (although the taste is a little chemically) is Mr. Hyde. It has a TON of caffeine though so really, if you are not hauling butt at the gym, avoid it. I used this on days I would do an hour of HIIT and then hit the weights right after.

Those 3 are my favorites. I have a list of ones I hate and then the ones I am only so so about but won’t tarnish their reputation on here. You’re welcome to message me if you have any questions, suggestions, or really want to know the products I can’t stand.

Hopefully this helps, now go forth and be caffeinated! Only before a workout though.