What is a Pre Workout? (UPDATED 2019)

August 31, 2016 Talib Ahmad Supplement Expert 2447 Views

What is a Pre Workout?

What it is?

As the name suggest a Pre Workout is something you take before you workout. Why?
The intention of a Pre Workout is to improve your workouts through several factors:

Improve Performance & Stamina
Increase Energy
Increase Strength
Improve Focus

But not every pre workout is the same. Some are stimulant-heavy, some are non-stimulant, and some are in that sweet spot. That sweet spot is different for everyone. But there are some important features to acknowledged before selecting a Pre Workout.

Who is a pre workout for?

Each product will have it’s own specific criteria of warning instructions. Yet across the spectrum there is one message indicated on each label;
Pre workouts are for healthy adults.

As with any supplement, check with your physician before use.

Pre Workouts are for people looking to release their athletic potential. Let’s say you’re working all day, all you want to do is get to the gym. But you’re tired and a bit unmotivated.
A Pre Workout can help you get the boost you need to get in the gym and through your workout. Or a pre workout can help you push past your limits, lift heavier and get that one more rep in.

What to look for in a pre workout?

1.One of the first ingredients for a stimulant based Pre Workout that we look for one is caffeine. Caffeine is one of the most studied ingredients out there in exercise performance. (1)

Caffeine has :

Nootropic Effects
Increases Energy
Improves Performance Strength Output
Decreases your body sense of fatigue

Optimal Dosage is 100mg to 500 mg. But you’ll have to assess your tolerance.

2. Next ingredient to look for is Beta Alanine. Beta Alanine is a nonessential amino acid. When you working out, your muscle cells are excreting lactic acid. Build up of lactic acid limits the number of reps you do. This is often felt as the burn in a exercise. This is where Beta Alanine comes in to play. Beta Alanine helps buffer lactic acid. Which translates to better performance and increased stamina at the gym. Standard daily dose: 2–5 g. (2)

3. The next group of ingredients you should look for are vaso-dilator. A vaso-dilator helps increase blood flow by dilating your veins. (3)

This helps in a few ways :

Decreases Muscle Soreness
Improves Nutrient Delivery
Increases Lactic Acid Removal (and other waste products)
Increase Recovery Time

This includes like Betanine Anhydrous (4)(1.5-2g), Citrulline (5) (6-8g), and Arginine (6) (3-6g).

4. Next a good Pre Workout will some focus or nootropic ingredient. These ingredients help improve that mind-to-muscle connection every gym-goer loves. We love to see Noopept (7) (10–30mg), Alpha-GPC (8) (250-600 mg), or Tyrosine (9) (500-2000mg).

5. This last component is optional but can be a great addition to your Pre Workout or stack; Creatine. Next to Caffeine, Creatine is one of the most research-backed ingredients available. (10)
It helps:

Increase Intra-cellular Energy
Increase Strength
Maintain Cell Hydration
Increase Cell Volume

Optimal dosage for Creatine is 5 grams daily.

Different types

So now lets go over the two different types of pre workouts. You have your stimulant heavy and your stimulant free pre workouts.

So what does that mean for you?

You have your stimulant heavy and your stimulant free pre workouts. So what does that mean for you?
If you have high blood pressure or are sensitive to stimulants,
you should stick with a stim-free pre workout.
Stimulant free pre workouts still provide:

Increased Stamina
Improved Performance
Increased Blood Flow
And Intense Focus
…but without the jitters.

If you prefer a stimulant pre workouts and you can handle the energy levels it gives you then you you’re in luck. There’s so many out there with varying stimulant levels. And if you’re not sure where you stand on stimulant tolerance, we can help recommend you a product!

Don’t forget to checkout our Best Pre Workouts of 2019!

What To Expect ?

Well the answer is pretty simple. It is going to help improve your energy, strength and focus. Resulting in you being able to push yourself harder. A pre workout will not make you a super hero but you may feel like one.

References

† PLEASE NOTE: The intention of the information above is for reference only. It is our goal to maintain and display accurate information. Yet, we can’t guarantee it represents the latest formulation of the product. If you have any concerns, please visit the manufacturer’s web site. Also the information above is not a representation of our views at Same Day Supplements. These are the views and information provided by product’s manufacturer. The Food and Drug Administration has not evaluated these statements. The intention of this product is not to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease or illness.