You don’t always feel motivated or energized when you go to the gym. Many of us become unmotivated, lack the energy, or become less enthusiastic about the everyday gym routine. Some of us even skip going to the gym entirely because we are too tired or just feeling lazy. If that’s also the case for you, you have probably researched how to mitigate these feelings and have come across or heard about pre-workouts.
A lot of people are already trying them. However, there are also many speculations, and the consensus about them is halved. Still, if you decide on trying pre-workouts and get in on the action itself, then you’d want to know how to do it right and safely.
There are many pre-workout brands, and it would be hard for a newbie to choose one. Many people recommend a specific brand for a type of workout, and some just choose one for their workout in general. It can be confusing, but in the end, it’s just your personal preference and what your doctor tells you. However, we are not here to talk about which brand to choose but to discuss whether you should try them or not.
What Are Pre-Workouts, And What Do They Do?
If you don’t fuel yourself properly before a rigorous training, you won’t last for long, and the time you spent on your workout that day would be entirely useless. In addition, you’d be weaker, have less endurance, and be less motivated to do your workout without the proper preparation. Here’s where pre-workouts come in.
Pre-workouts help you by giving you more energy to last during your workout, making you more alert and energized, and help you feel more motivated. Pre-workouts can come in many forms, including food, pills, beverages, and powder, but their goal is the same all in all.
For most of them, pre-workouts usually come in a powdered form where you can mix them with water. Usually, they are taken 30 minutes before your workout, but some experts and health enthusiasts have been proposing different schedules when taking pre-workouts. However, many recommend 30 minutes before a workout as pre-workouts supply your body with sugar for extra energy during your workout.
What Are They Made Of?
As mentioned just now, pre-workouts are designed to give you more energy during an intense workout. They can do this by incorporating sugar, caffeine, and other energy-boosting substances in your body to make it last longer when exercising. Although most pre-workout have these ingredients, it still pays for you to check the ingredients list before taking one.
For example, caffeine is mostly the key ingredient in pre-workouts, but you should check their amount. Look if its content ranges from mild to high doses. A high dosage of caffeine can do bad things to a person’s body, like increased stress, anxiety, palpitations, and the like.
For most people, pre-workouts are relatively safe, but even if they are, there are still a few side effects you should consider. This includes jittering, interrupted sleep, and itching. If you’re new to pre-workouts, we recommend taking only half a dosage and see if your body reacts to it negatively.
Why Is It Popular?
Most people take pre-workouts to rev them up before doing an intense workout. They claim it can make them feel more energized, less sore, and feel better at the end of the day. People hope that taking pre-workouts makes their workout much more effective and makes them less sore the morning after.
Meanwhile, pre-workouts have been the subject of a lot of research throughout the years. They have been studied in several aspects like endurance, strength, and power. Not only that, but they also studied its effects after the workout, like the time the body takes in the fatigue and the soreness.
For these reasons, people take the best meal replacement powder to see if they can up their workout a level higher, like adding one rep for each of their routines or seeing how long they would last in an intensified workout.
Should You Take Pre-Workouts?
Pre-workouts aren’t for everyone. You should always check the ingredients of pre-workouts to see if there’s an ingredient that you are allergic to or you’re not allowed to take. Also, if you’re already energized and motivated for your workout or have a preparation routine to make you more effective in the gym, you shouldn’t take them.
However, if you need an extra boost or hit a wall in your workout routine and want to have a breakthrough, maybe trying pre-workouts would help you.
Takeaway
Pre-workouts can certainly help you boost your performance and the efficacy of your routine. However, they are not for everyone, especially if you have a medical condition that forbids you from taking a certain substance. That is why before trying pre-workouts, talk to your doctor first.
