Pre-Workout Supplements – Ammo for the Workout

Supplements are additional food for the body. When considering your nutritional needs before your workout, pre-workout supplements are the go-to nutrients to pick out and supplement your bodily needs on your way to the gym floor.

One important thing to consider, though is that you need to know your goals and the type of exercise you are going to do to achieve those. Individual ingredients in the supplement will only improve certain aspects of your performance.

Some will increase power or strength while the others will boost your endurance. The supplements carry many of these ingredients. Knowing what is best for you and your type of exercise will guide you in finding the right supplements that will work best for you.

The following are some of these well-known ingredients to look for just before your workout sessions.

Creatine

One of the most important to include in your supplements is creatine. What it does is help build more of your muscles and give you more energy for the workout. They give energy to the cells, especially those in the muscles.

Research had shown that it can safely increase your muscle mass, strength and exercise performance.

Getting extra creatine in the supplement means giving your body more energy for the workout. Studies show that gains in strength from weight training programs are 5 to 20% higher than average with people taking creatine.

Beta-Alanine

This nutrient helps protect your body against the damage caused by lactic acid build-up brought about by the exercise. It increases carnosine in your body which corrects your body’s pH levels from being too acidic.

This nutrient has to be taken before the workout to have the protective effect. In short, it combats fatigue by fighting the lactic acid buildup during exercise.

Nitric oxide

Many pre-workout supplements have these NO boost, Nitric oxide matrix or pump matrix (several names to the same thing). These are actually specially-designed mixes of vitamins and minerals that aid in the production of the body’s nitric oxide.

Nitric oxide helps to dilate blood vessels in the body to increase blood flow. With it, the muscle cells communicate better and with better blood flow, the work out gets better.

Amino acids

These nutrients may or may not be needed in your pre-workout mix. It is a personal preference if you want them in your pre-work out taking them separately. These acids (particularly L-leucine) help promote muscle growth via protein synthesis.

L-arginine, on the other hand, has the pump effect which improves blood flow and delivering nutrients to the muscle fibers improving their growth. Agmatine helps in mental endurance during the workout. L-citrulline assists in vaso-dilation to increase blood and oxygen levels to the muscles, reducing physical and mental fatigue.

Naturally present in the body, adding them in as a supplement helps lead to larger muscles.

Caffeine

The most common stimulant in the world also helps you get through your exercise better. Caffeine can also help in making you concentrate better on your workout. It is needed in your pre-workout supplements to help you get through your grueling workout aside from being alert.