Pre-workout are a popular go-to product when it comes to enhancing performance and giving you that extra boost on the times when you feel low during the tough workouts.
It is also one of the most researched supplements within the fitness industry with several studies backing its effectiveness in terms of better focus, increasing training volume, and boosting muscular endurance during workouts that result in better muscle growth in the long run.
Although despite the growing popularity of the best pre-workout supplements there is still a huge lack of information regarding what is pre-workout powder and how one should use it to maximize its benefits and minimize any potential side effects.
Hence in this blog, we'll go through the details about this great supplement and how one can use it to its maximum advantage.
1. What goes inside the pre-workout?
Pre-workout is a strong blend of some effective ingredients like caffeine, beta-alanine, citrulline malate, L arginine, and L-theanine all of which are proven to boost your workout performances, caffeine is the main ingredient in most of the pre-workout that gives your body that additional energy, focus and kick.
On the other hand, beta-alanine helps to reduce fatigue in your body meaning you can possibly push for more reps in your workout leading to better workout performance.
Nitric boosters like citrulline malate and L arginine helps you achieve greater pump during the workouts.
Which makes pre-workouts a great and effective blend to boost one's workout performance and push a person on the days where they might feel a little dull or foggy.
Although the composition of the mentioned ingredients varies from company to company, any standard pre-workout supplement in the market would cater to the ingredients as a base.
2. When should you take it?
As the name suggests, the pre-workout supplement is meant to consume just before you hit your workouts, which is the ideal time to have your pre-workout formula is to consume it about 30-35 minutes before you hit your workout and allow the ingredients such as caffeine and citrulline malate to work optimally.
Since if you had to take pre-workout way too early or way too late, it would not allow the ingredients very well to flow in your system and to show its effects, hence as concluded in various researches and studies, the best time to have a pre-workout supplement is about 30-35 minutes before your workout to maximum utilize its benefits.
Just make sure that you take into consideration the time that it takes you to reach the gym and warm up since you want the effectiveness of the best pre-workout to kick in your actual workouts, which is when you lift weights or any other intense workouts.
3. How much should you take?
On average one scoop of pre-workout supplement would give you about 200mg of caffeine(which again varies from brand to brand), which is a great serving of caffeine for a day to push one beyond its limits.
Although if you just started your way towards pre-workouts, you should start your pre-workout consumption for half a scoop in the early stages and then increase the consumption towards 3/4 scoop to one scoop slowly and steadily.
So that your body doesn't get used to the pre-workout supplements and you could avoid any chance of possible side effects such as trouble in sleeping or body not being able to reach very well to high dosage of caffeine suddenly
One thing that you might also consider is that you should keep your total caffeine intake of the day relatively lower on the days where you might supplement with pre-workout, just to avoid any side effects of high caffeine intake or making your body tolerable to moderate caffeine intake as well.
4. How often should you take it?
You can take pre-workouts as often as you want them to but the best way to cycle your pre-workout is to understand this supplement and your lifestyle.
Since this supplement is made to improve your workout performance and give your body that extra source of fuel, reduce fatigues, improve focus and surely there would be some days in your fitness journey where you might lack some motivation or drive, or energy to hit the gym and stick to your workouts program, in those places pre-workout comes into the place to push you towards a better version of yourself!
Hence you should start to take pre-workout on the days where you might require that additional support and if you are a beginner, start to come as moderate as half a scoop and gradually move to one scoop slowly and steadily over a good period of time.
Whereas if you are an intermediate or a professional who has been into fitness for a long time, might stick to consuming one scoop of pre-workout in a serving for the days they workout.
Thing to take care about
1. Do not take pre-workout at the latter half of the day as some people might experience trouble falling asleep.
2. Do not take a high dosage of pre-workout immediately as your body might face some side effects such as itching or getting tolerant to a high dosage of caffeine.
3. Always choose a genuine quality pre-workout supplement like Big muscles nutrition Freak in order to avoid any chance of fake or cheap quality supplements.
4. Take your pre-workout, 30-35 minutes before you will be starting your working sets in the gym, to get the best benefits out of the pre-workout supplement.
5. The best way to consume pre-workout is to dilute it in some cold water(as mentioned on the back of your product)