Pre-Workout Supplement – Some Pros and Cons

A pre-workout supplement can fire up a dedicated body builder and fitness buff to go to work in the gym. A good supplement can get the body ready to replenish itself of lost nutrients during intensive workouts. In theory, they keep the needed nutrients level all throughout and even after the workout.

However, there are downsides and potential risks. Of late, the market of many pre-workout drinks is now full of ineffective ingredients. In addition, there are many minuscule dosages of good ingredients and there are cheap stimulants to make for a pretty label and misleading copy.

Upside

The main fact is that today, the market for pre-workout pills and powders that promise to boost performances has exploded in recent years. Fortunately, the main ingredients for a successful pre workout supplement have remained to include the four basic ingredients since their development days.

Brands have been throwing many things in the ingredients, but most of them are formulated with the use of one or more of the following ingredients: caffeine, amino acids, carbohydrates and beet root juice. The other exotic additions in the list of ingredients are simply derivatives of one of the four ingredients.

Caffeine / carbohydrates

Caffeine has a good back up in research. It had been indicated that it has the ability to boost energy levels, alertness and arousal. The situation is true even if you are a heavy coffee drinker outside the gym.

Everyone loves carbs, even if many want us to stay away from it. In heavy workouts, it gives a different story. Carbohydrates in pre-workouts help to fuel the muscles with glycogen, which the body uses as an energy source while lifting. (Those who love it but are not exercising are all gifted later with lots of fats all over the body as stored energy.)

Amino acids / nitric oxide / beetroot juice

Our bodies normally cannot manufacture the essential BCCAs (leucine, isoleucine, and valine) which can be obtained through the food we ingest. The amino acids are the so-called building blocks of protein and help increase energy levels. It can also dramatically enhance performance, a study reveals.

Nitric oxide is displayed as arginine, another amino acid. It is touted to dilate blood vessels to increase protein synthesis. Studies show that arginine increase anaerobic threshold (this is when lactic acid accumulates in the muscles) for three weeks.

Nitrate-rich beetroot juice dilates the blood vessels to increase blood plasma nitric oxide levels.

Downside

Like the other supplements, pre-work ones are also not regulated for safety by the FDA. This means these products can be sold until there is a reason for the FDA to pull them from stores.

The regulation of the supplements is not the same as those for pharmaceutical medicines. As consumer, you may want to be assured that a supplement are safe or of high quality or effective by looking for popular independent certifications.

Some ingredients are also overstuffed and excessive amounts (for caffeine, at least) can cause nausea, anxiety and insomnia. Overall, these are some of the more blatant cons in our pre workout supplement.