How to take pre-workout supplements correctly

Time of receipt

It is necessary to take the pre-workout complex at least 60 minutes after eating, the optimal time is after 2 hours. We strongly recommend that you only consume it on an empty stomach , since food impairs absorption in the intestines, meaning the effectiveness of the ingredients included in the pre-workout is reduced, and your product no longer works as it should. It is recommended to drink the complex 15-45 minutes before the start of training. This is necessary so that the active substances of the supplement (usually creatine, amino acids, stimulants, vitamins, etc.) have time to go through all stages of digestion and enter the bloodstream to work just during training.

Side effects from taking pre-workout complexes are also noted:

• headache,
• nausea,
• insomnia,
• heart rhythm disturbance,
• stomach upset.

All of them, except for stomach upset, are associated with the choice of a low-quality drug, violation of the supplement regimen, non-compliance with sleep patterns, and can also signal the beginning of problems with the cardiovascular and nervous system, muscle tension in the collar area. Stomach upset after taking a pre-workout supplement can be managed by diluting the recommended dosage with more water.

Guarana extract Long Power, 10 shots, 25 ml, IRONMAN

606 ₽

Dietary supplement NOT A MEDICINE

Take before bed

Do you exercise in the afternoon? If yes, then we do not recommend using the complex 5-6 hours before the expected “departure for the kingdom of Morpheus.” Why? It's all about the main components of the product: among them there is almost always caffeine and/or other energy “boosters”. They will really help you cope with an intense, exhausting workout, but at the same time they will stimulate the activity of the central nervous system and simply will not allow you to fall asleep.

What is a pre-workout supplement?

This is a type of sports nutrition, also called a booster, whose action is aimed at increasing the athlete’s performance when performing strength training. Its composition, as a rule, is represented by components and stimulating substances that increase blood supply to muscles.

If you believe the advertising, boosters are a means that improves concentration and strength, and accelerates muscle growth. The actual result is often not so pronounced, limited to a feeling of alertness obtained from caffeine, a tingling sensation on the skin due to the influence of beta-alanine.

Reception regimen and breaks in it

Please note that the duration of use depends on the recommended dosage and the number of servings per package. We can give you two pieces of advice: start with the minimum dosage and be sure to take breaks between doses , otherwise your body will quickly get used to the selected supplement. Therefore, even if the manufacturer writes that the complex can be taken not only before training, but also in the morning or at any other time, it is still better not to do this. Otherwise, the result will be a decrease in its effectiveness.

Myths about pre-workout supplements

There are many myths and legends about pre-workouts in the sports community. Some athletes claim that thanks to half the dosage they conduct high-quality training, others say that the drug helps achieve incredible athletic results, and others warn about the many problems associated with taking the supplement, including potency. In most cases, these are speculations, largely due to the appearance of advertising. Pre-workout is a truly effective supplement that will work if taken correctly in accordance with the regimen specified by the manufacturer. Men who are afraid of sexual dysfunction need to know that pre-workout, on the contrary, has an effect similar to Viagra and increases libido. Side effects are extremely rare, but they should be reported in detail.

Precautions

The complexes contain a large number of neurostimulants and vasoactive substances, so we do not recommend taking the product to people under 21 years of age and over 45 years of age. And for anyone who is not confident in the flawless functioning of their cardiovascular system, it is better to choose a caffeine-free pre-workout complex. This ingredient is absent, for example, in NO Explode Caffeine Free from BSN and Xpand Energized Caffeine Free from Dymatize.

However, improper use even by the healthiest people can cause them to experience increased blood pressure, headaches, nausea or tachycardia, as well as lead to other negative consequences for well-being. To avoid these effects, do not exceed the dosage indicated on the package and the maximum number of servings per day, do not take multiple pre-workout supplements at once, and do not combine their use with fat burners or nitric oxide boosters.

What happens if you take your pre-workout supplement incorrectly?

By taking this supplement as directed, you will, of course, expect a surge of strength and energy. As a rule, this happens, but the emotional state may be different. It often happens that you don’t want to pump iron, but dance in some club or just dance, but just don’t lift weights, don’t strain your muscles and don’t do all these boring repetitions. This is an option when you need to follow the technique and concentrate on doing the exercises. If you have chosen a good product with the optimal composition, but every time after taking it you want to dance rather than work, it is better to take an analogue from another manufacturer. Or just another product: L-carnitine, guarana, magnesium - they won’t go like a fiery roller through the nervous system, but they will give enough energy so that on “bad days” you fulfill your quota quite well and don’t fall asleep on the press bench.

For example, L-carnitine from SportExpert

in the form of shots contains 1800 mg of active ingredient in one bottle.
It is highly concentrated and convenient to take. In addition, it is the consumption of L-carnitine
before training that provides the same fat-burning effect that has made this supplement so popular.

SportExpert L-carnitine 1800 mg, 8 doses of 50 ml, Evalar

465 ₽

Dietary supplement NOT A MEDICINE

There is another interesting effect that can be obtained if you take a pre-workout regularly, without breaks, on an ongoing basis. Excessive, continuous stimulation of the nervous system can lead the body into a state of rabid squirrel, and then even a simple touch or slightly stronger muscle tension than is necessary for simple everyday activities can cause severe itching. With such symptoms, you will have to forget about sports and stimulating supplements for at least a year.

Summary

So, the basic rules of admission:

1. Take the complex at least 60 minutes after meals and 20-40 minutes before training.
2. Refrain from using it 5-6 hours before going to bed so as not to cause insomnia instead of sound restorative sleep.
3. Mix the product with plain water or juice.
4. Start drinking your pre-workout supplement with small portions and take breaks between doses.
5. Follow the indicated dosage and do not combine with other supplements that stimulate or affect blood vessels.
6. If necessary, choose a caffeine-free complex.

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History of creation

Pre-workout supplements were introduced in 2004 and have undergone significant changes in their short history. The very first pre-workout supplement was ephedrine dissolved in orange juice. But the effect of the first pre-workout was one-sided. Such a powerful central nervous system stimulant as ephedrine charged with energy and increased motivation, but the drug did not contain components that replenish expended resources. In addition, ephedrine was soon recognized as a narcotic substance, and restrictions were placed on its use. Therefore, pre-workouts did not last long in their original form.

The next stage in the evolution of pre-workouts was the emergence of multicomponent formulations containing substances that support anabolic processes during training: vitamin-mineral complexes, creatines, BCAAs. A prominent representative of this trend is Cell-Tech from MuscleTech.

The next step in the development of pre-workout complexes was the inclusion of arginine and citrulline in their composition, which promote pumping - increased blood supply to the muscles. BSN was the first to introduce this offer to the market with its product NO-Xplode.

The newest generation of pre-workouts usually includes drugs containing the explosive psychostimulants DMAA. Despite the fact that this component is recognized as a doping, pre-workout complexes with it, in particular, Jack3d from USP Labs, are in high demand.

Supplements

The first booster appeared in 2004, at that time the drug included two components: orange juice and ephedrine. Now the pre-workout complex includes more than twenty ingredients, of which you can most often find:

• Creatine is a sports supplement that contains important amino acids. Creatine supplies muscles with energy, increases the athlete's endurance and speeds up the recovery period.
• Taurine is an amino acid that increases endurance and accelerates the regeneration of muscle tissue.
• Arginine is a component that improves muscle nutrition and activates pumping.
• Caffeine - activates the nervous system, resulting in additional energy.
• BCAAs prevent muscle breakdown, help the body use protein sparingly, and serve as a source of energy during aerobic exercise.
• Beta-alanine - this component can be called a muscle antioxidant.

The effectiveness of a pre-workout depends on what ingredients it contains and in what quantities.

How to take and combine supplements correctly

Most experienced athletes do not have questions like: “What is a pre-workout for?” or “Should I take a pre-workout supplement?” Only beginners may have doubts about this. But another nuance raises even more questions: how to properly use sports nutrition in tablets, powders or capsules so that the benefits from it are maximum and the harm is minimal. Also, many people are concerned about how to combine different sports supplements so as not to impair their effectiveness. For example, is it possible to take creatine monohydrate and caffeine at the same time, combine caffeine and taurine, or is it better to prefer caffeine-free supplements? Now let’s try to find answers to all these “is it possible...”.

Ideally, a pre-workout supplement should contain expertly selected ingredients in the portions needed to achieve a specific result.

Therefore, it is important to choose only high-quality pre-workouts and not experiment by creating your own recipes (especially for beginners)

When people talk about combining pre-workout with another sports nutrition, they most often think of creatine. And although this component is included in many ready-made pre-workout complexes, athletes often take additional portions of the substance separately for even greater performance.

But here it is important to remember: an overdose of creatine can be dangerous, and the amino acid itself has some contraindications. True, there is a third group of athletes who use either creatine or a pre-workout complex

But both products cannot be considered interchangeable. Pre-workout has a broader effect on the body.

How to drink correctly

The pre-workout complex is usually taken an hour or two before the start of classes. True, the exact time of administration is a very individual indicator and depends on the metabolic rate. The point of correctly timing the supplement is to ensure that it does not stop working in the middle of a workout.

In addition, it is important not to combine the drug with food - this will impair the absorption of the pre-workout components. The drug can be diluted with cold water or juice (traditional proportions: 150 ml of water per 1 scoop of powder)

Some manufacturers recommend taking pre-workout supplements on non-workout days as well. In fact, this is just a marketing ploy. There will be no benefit from a pre-workout complex without training (well, at least it definitely won’t affect muscle strength and volume).

How to choose correctly

The sports nutrition market offers a huge number of options for pre-workout supplements. Most manufacturers claim that their product is “the most powerful,” “created using a unique revolutionary formula.” Is it possible to somehow understand on your own which complex is worth attention and money, and which is better to avoid?

Before taking a pre-workout supplement, it is important to carefully study the composition and make sure that there is no allergy-causing substance among the declared ingredients. By the way, are you not sure how the body will react to one or another component of the complex? To begin with, you can buy samples from several manufacturers and observe how the body “responds” to different types of pre-workout complexes

This kind of test will help you make a choice: what is better to buy for regular use.

Experienced bodybuilders also do not advise buying drugs whose labels do not contain a list with the exact concentration of ingredients. If this list does not contain information about the exact quantities of ingredients, then most likely the ingredients are listed in descending order of their quantity. This means that the first component can be several times larger than all the others, and besides, proportionality also cannot always be maintained. By the way, it is for this reason that if you want to make a pre-workout mixture yourself, it is better to abandon this idea - at home it is difficult to maintain the correct dosages.

So, the main advice for a quality choice: no “branded” mixtures without information about the exact composition

Next, it is important to study the list of declared ingredients and their dosages. A quality product should not contain untested or ineffective ingredients

Components of pre-workout complexes and their effects

All components of pre-workout complexes can be divided into three main groups in accordance with the tasks they solve.

Nervous system stimulants

The purpose of nervous system stimulants in pre-workouts:

• to fill with energy;
• increase motivation to achieve the best results;
• improve concentration.

Thanks to the presence of energy drinks and nootropics, the effect of taking pre-workout complexes is felt immediately. The heart rate increases, cognitive abilities improve, vigor and the desire to move mountains appear to achieve the best results.

Various substances in different dosages can be used as central nervous system stimulants in pre-workouts, due to which some drugs have a stronger stimulating effect, while others have a less pronounced one. Sometimes stimulant substances are used in combination to achieve maximum effect. There are also stimulant-free pre-workout options. They are intended for those who do not tolerate caffeine well, have trouble sleeping, or simply do not want to overload the heart and nervous system.

Pre-workout supplements may contain the following stimulants:

• caffeine obtained from guarana fruit;
• schizandrol (schizandra), which also functions as an adaptogen;
• ephedrine;
• DMAA (geranium extract).

The last two have a particularly strong effect and are classified as semi-legal. Ephedrine is prohibited from being used as a dietary supplement in a concentration exceeding 15%; geranium extract is not permitted for use before competitions where doping control is carried out.

Substances that promote anabolism

This is the largest group of components of pre-workout complexes. It includes:

• Glucose, vitamins and minerals , the reserves of which are quickly consumed during intense power exercise. To supply muscles with energy, ensure normal conduction of nerve fibers and metabolic processes, it is necessary to take these substances immediately before training.
• Creatine , responsible for muscle growth and increased strength, and prevents catabolism processes.
• Essential amino acids BCAA are the main building blocks of muscle tissue.
• Beta-alanine , which improves strength endurance and performance.
• Alpha lipoic acid - inhibits oxidation processes, accelerates recovery after training.
• Taurine - improves metabolic processes at the cellular level.
• L-tyrosine - prevents catabolism, increases endurance.

Means of achieving pumping

Muscle pumping is their swelling due to a rush of blood; during exercise, it helps the muscles receive all the necessary substances along with the blood. Almost all modern pre-workout complexes contain substances that promote pumping: citrulline and arginine - they improve blood circulation, providing intensive nutrition to muscle tissue.

Taking pre-workouts with these ingredients gives a noticeable effect in the form of a pleasant swelling in the muscles. This feeling in itself serves as a motivator to increase the effectiveness of your workout.