Everybody has his or her own pre-workout ritual—watch a favorite video, listen to loud music or just think of anything that starts a fire within. With those who choose not to use supplements aside, let’s not forget about the most common pre-workout ritual that floats throughout all of fitness. It consists of dumping one or two scoops of a fruit-flavored powder into a shaker cup, giving it a couple of swirls, and chugging it down. You know what I am talking about—pre-workout supplementation.
Not everybody uses pre-workout supplements and that is perfectly okay (as a matter of fact, I went over 5 months without using one. If you are able to get into the gym with plenty of energy and no supplementation, then more power to you.) My goal today is not to persuade all of my readers to use one; it is simply to provide insight on how pre-workouts work, what they consist of, what to look for in a formula and then discuss my personal favorites. So, without further adieu, let’s take a look.
How do pre-workout supplements work?
I’m going to begin by discussing stimulant-based pre-workout supplements because realistically, they are the more mainstream ones found on the market. A stimulant (usually found in the form of caffeine in pre-workouts) is an ingredient that does exactly as its name states; it stimulates the nervous system. In doing so, it heightens focus and can speed up heart rate, leading to a small increase in caloric output. It can also blunt appetite, which can help those on a diet consume less calories.
Further, than just neurological effects, stimulant-based pre-workouts usually contain a blend of ingredients that will increase the production of NO (nitric oxide) within the muscle. This is where the “pump” comes from, and it is much more prevalent when a solid blend of ingredients are used in a supplement’s formula. Alongside NO producing ingredients, most pre-workouts contain either one ingredient or a combination of a couple that are used to increase muscular endurance, allowing the user to train harder, longer.
Non-stimulant based pre-workout supplements are the same as a stimulant-based pre-workouts with the only difference stemming from the name—non-stimulant. That means that these types of pre-workouts are geared solely toward giving the user a pump and providing increases in endurance. There is no neurological effect felt from the use of a stimulant-free pre-workout simply because there are no stimulants!
What do pre-workouts consist of?
Well, now that we know that stimulant-based pre-workouts contain caffeine, non-stimulant based ones do not and both types contain relatively similar ingredients, we can explore the formulas of both and uncover what could be included ingredient-wise.
A lot of pre-workout supplements contain the ingredient beta-alanine. It is used mainly for its ability to aid in muscular endurance because it has been shown to increase levels of carnosine within the muscle. Carnosine, an antioxidant, does not allow the build up of hydrogen atoms to occur within the muscle, allowing for an optimal PH level and thus, less fatigue.
Another effect of beta-alanine, which is enjoyed by many and hated by some, is the physical feeling it provides on the body’s exterior. When ingested, beta-alanine attaches to free nerve endings directly beneath the skin. This leads to a case of paresthesia, which is the fancy way of saying tingling of the skin (it is completely harmless.)
Now let’s discuss the NO producers or what we like to consider “pump” ingredients. Number one on this list is agmatine (usually in the form of agmatine sulfate.) It is a derivative of the amino acid arginine and has a range of added benefits on top of the production of high counts of NO. Second to agmatine is citrulline (usually in the L- form or citrulline malate.) The difference between the two is the fact that citrulline malate is bonded to malic acid, which increases its rate of absorption.
Separate from the two NO enhancers listed above is a category that stands on its own—nitrates. Nearly any form of nitrate is going to enhance NO production because it is a negatively charged (highly reactive) molecule consisting of nitrogen and oxygen. This means that any reaction that take place with a nitrate will more then likely result in an NO leaving group—exactly what is desired for a solid pump.
A final ingredient that I want to touch on briefly while discussing NO production is vitamin C. Vitamin C is a known precursor to nitric oxide, and therefore, is used by many supplement companies in a mega dose (up to 1,000% DV) to assure the user of a good pump.
What should I look for?
Now, obviously I am going to tell you to look for the ingredients listed above. In this section, though, I will discuss what dose of each ingredient is actually going to be effective and whether or not the money spent on “30 servings” was actually worth it.
First, let’s look at beta-alanine. The clinically studied dose is well known to be 3.2g. Because of this, it is very easy to spot a product that has a true dose at 2 scoops. Why? The beta-alanine dose will be 1.6g. Do the math—1.6 twice…3.2g. Anything more than 3.2g will not cause damage; it is just unnecessary and can cause severe tingles.
Caffeine is a difficult one to pinpoint because when it comes to stimulant-based pre-workouts, there are two different fields. There is the “heavy-stim” and the “mild-stim” category. Most of the time, a lower-in-stimulant supplement is either supposed to be dosed at 2+ scoops or is supposed to be stacked with another product.
Heavy stimulant products are more likely than not just standalone that require no double dosing and no stacking. I would put mild-stim products anywhere in the range of 150-300mg of caffeine and heavy-stim products in the range of 350+mg.
The NO producing ingredients have very specific doses for each specific ingredient. First, agmatine sulfate should be found most effective at a dose no less than 1g. Some products will have their dose set at 750mg per scoop, resulting in a need for two scoops to reach an upper-level dose of 1.5g. Unlike agmatine, citrulline must be included in much higher amounts to actually reap the benefits it looks to provide—a dose of no less than 5-6g and as high as 8g are sufficient.
And finally, we have the nitrates. The dosing of nitrates, much like caffeine, is difficult to pinpoint. This is because there are so many different forms of nitrates that are all found at a different cost and thus, require higher/lower doses. With that said, of the more popular nitrates used in supplements, it is safe to look for a dose of no less than 1g.
My Personal Favorites
PR Breaker Materia is my go-to pre-workout. It has a fully transparent label, all study dosed ingredients, and four great flavors – Blue Razz, Cotton Candy, Orange Creamsicle, and Sour Green Apple. My personal favorite flavor is the new sour green apple. If you are looking for a caffeine-free pre-workout, check out the Orange Creamsicle flavor. Grab Materia at https://www.prbreaker.com/ and use the discount code “HUNT10” to save some money and help support the website.
Referenced Literature
- Sale, Craig, Bryan Saunders, and Roger Harris. Effect of beta-alanine supplementation on muscle carnosine concentrations and exercise performance. 2009.(<http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00726-009-0443-4/fulltext.html>.) Link if needed.
- Graham, Dr. Terry E. Caffeine and Exercise. 2012. (http://link.springer.com/article/10.2165/00007256-200131110-00002/fulltext.html)
- Shen W, Zhang X, Zhao G, Wolin MS, Sessa W, Hintze TH. Nitric oxide production and NO synthase gene expression contribute to vascular regulation during exercise. (http://europepmc.org/abstract/MED/7476056)
Written by Joe String
Contact Joe: joestring@jfitnesstraining.com
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