Pre Workout Supplements: Making The Best Choice

Pre workout supplements are a newer category of sports supplements, and because of this fact, many people are still blindly choosing certain supplements because of marketing hype or brand name. It is important that you take the time to educate yourself as to the ingredients that are in these supplements so that you can make an educated decision on which supplement is best for you. There are many different choices when it comes to pre-workouts that it can be confusing as to what each ingredient in the supplement actually does. By the end of this article, you will understand the roles that many of the popular ingredients in pre workout supplements play, as well as how they affect your workout.

The main source of stimulants in pre workout supplements is caffeine. While it is a great source of energy, it causes a quick drop off in energy, or crash. To prevent this, many manufacturers often add 1-3-dimethylamayline, more commonly called geranium stem. Geranium stem provides a steady source of energy, creating somewhat of a “bell curve” type effect with the lifter’s energy. The amplification of energy starts out slow, and then peaks after a while (about twenty to thirty minutes), tapering off and slowly coming down. While these stimulants can give the lifter just the energy boost they may need, it is important to take these supplements for no more than eight weeks, stopping the consumption for four weeks afterwards. In this way, the lifter’s body does not get used to the effects of the stimulants, and will still react to the same dose of the caffeine and geranium stem.

Another important component of pre workout supplements are the nitric oxide supplements. These are the part of the supplement that provide the good pump and allows for better absorption of post workout supplements, such as creatine and protein. Although there is no straight nitric oxide in any of these supplements, there are nitric oxide precursors, such as L-Arginine and Beta Alanine in these supplements, which provide the much sought-after pump.

Pre workout supplements offer another advantage: muscular endurance. This enhanced muscular endurance is achieved by including compounds such as creatine and L-Histidine. Creatine helps replenish ATP (andosine triphosphate) stores, the body’s source of immediate energy, allowing the muscle to work for longer periods of time. It must be noted, however, that many supplements use creatine monohydrate as their source of creatine. Creatine monohydrate must be loaded into the system to be effective. Make sure to choose a pre workout with another form of creatine, such as KreAlkyln or Creatine Chelate, as it will be more effective then just plain monohydrate. As muscles work, however, they do produce a byproduct: lactic acid. Compounds such as L-Histidine will help combat the production of lactic acid, allowing the muscle to work for longer periods of time, allowing the lifter to get those last few repetitions out, tearing the muscle and making the difference between a good set and a great set.

Many pre workouts include other amino acids, such as L-Glutamine to aid in recovery, reducing muscle soreness the morning after a workout. In addition to recovery, some of the pre workouts on the market also feature L-Tyrosine, which is an amino acid that is used for focus. This allows the lifter to focus on nothing more than the lift.

As you can see, there are many components that go into the pre workout supplements that are on the market today. Take some time to look over your options and always read the product labels and supplement facts. This will make this biggest difference when choosing a good supplement from a bad supplement.