If you’re just getting into fitness and looking for products to help you with the journey, pre-workouts must have made it to your radar. Along with protein powders and BCAA supplements, of course.
Now, there are two schools of thought when it comes to pre-workouts for men. One school believes it works like a charm, while the other school believes it’s nothing but a marketing gimmick for fitness influencers and manufacturers.
The great thing about the information age is that you don’t have to believe in either school. You’re free to conduct your own research. And after you’re done, you can check out the best men’s pre-workout of 2023 and decide which one you need. Or, don’t need.
We’re starting the journey for you. Let’s outline what ingredients go into pre-workouts and their biological impact.
The devil is always in the details. If you’re one of those people that inspects the label before buying anything, you’re in for a treat. Pre-workouts combine a lot of different ingredients to give you the energy boost you need.
Here are the most commonly found ingredients.
Yes, it’s the same caffeine you get from your morning coffee or evening green tea. But in a much higher dosage. Generally, a cup of coffee has around 40 mg of caffeine. For pre-workouts, it starts from 150 mg! It means soon after you take it, you should feel three times the boost in energy compared to coffee! And it’s completely safe, according to the FDA!
The concentrated form of caffeine found in pre-workouts is very easily absorbed in our bodies. Within 20 minutes, you should feel a jolt of physical energy and mental alertness. When put in a fitness context, you can get a more intense workout without feeling burnout afterwards.
Among all the “supplements” the fitness industry has to offer, creatine is one of the most clinically tried ingredients. Most fitness enthusiasts take dedicated creatine supplements to maintain muscle mass. Creatine is also proven to improve strength by replenishing ATP stores fasters.
In case you’re not aware, ATP or Adenosine Triphosphate is the “energy currency” of our cells. If your pre-workout contains creatine, make sure you take note of the dosage. You don’t need any more than 0.14g per pound of body weight. For most individuals, that’s 3 to 5 grams a day.
If your pre-working always has 3 grams of creatine, you don’t need it from other sources, like your protein powder.
Beta-alanine is another commonly found ingredient in pre-workouts. It’s a non-essential amino acid shown to improve recovery and muscle fatigue. When you take it before a workout, you can go harder for longer. The amazing thing is that your muscles will also recover faster.
Too much of anything is not good. And not following instructions is even worse. In most cases, the pre-workout you buy will come with detailed instructions. Follow them!
To illustrate the point, let us gather the steps of taking pre-workout safely.
You can’t take pre-workout 5 minutes before the actual workout and expect to feel the boost. Most fitness experts agree it takes 20 to 40 minutes to realize the full potential.
Once it kicks, you can expect to feel the effects for about 4 hours. Whatever high-intensity workload you have, you should do it within these 4 hours.
The bottom line here is that you must time when you take pre-working. If you work out first thing in the morning, you can take pre-working on an empty stomach and start feeling the effects within as little as 15 minutes!
One of our favorite things about supplements is the dosage. Most products come with a scoop that scoops the perfect amount. Don’t take any more. Don’t take any less.
You may have seen YouTube fitness influencers taking pre-working right into their mouth. Sure, you can do it. But if you don’t want to choke on the powder, mix it with water. Most pre-working manufacturers suggest using 8 to 16 ounces of water to dilute the pre-workout.
The same school that believes pre-workout is a waste of money also believes it’s bad for your health. While there is no clinical research backing up this claim, we believe it comes down to the ingredients.
If you have caffeine sensitivity, consider consulting your doctor before taking it. The same goes for any other ingredient.
If you take it seriously, pre-workouts can be an amazing addition to your overall fitness regime. People who have benefited from pre-workouts over the years agree that it unleashes your true potential during a workout session, helping you achieve your goals faster.
