COMPLETE PRE-WORKOUT GUIDE: WHAT IT IS, BENEFITS, INGREDIENTS AND MORE
If you walk into any fitness center (or home gym), you’ll notice pre-workout supplements have become a regular staple in shaker cups. Just how popular is this energizing supplement? According to Grand View Research, the global market size reached $12.6B in 2019 with an impressive growth rate of +8.3% expected over the next few years (CAGR 2020–2027).1
The market is growing and consumers are changing. As folks are becoming more health conscious, workouts aren’t confined to lifting heavy weights in a hardcore gym. Fitness enthusiasts are trying to live a more active lifestyle by participating in other types of activities where a pre-workout energy boost can help, such as hiking, Pilates, and cycling.
Whether you’re a newbie or an aficionado, this article is your complete guide to pre-workouts. Keep scrolling for answers to your most common pre-workout questions.
WHAT IS PRE-WORKOUT?
Consuming the right fuel before exercising can make or break your workout. While you can carb-load with foods or energize yourself with a cup of coffee, pre-workout products are designed to provide you with the energy and focus you need before a tough workout and give you a competitive edge in reaching your fitness goals. While there isn’t an official definition, these supplements are intended to be taken prior to exercise and contain a combination of macronutrients, vitamins, minerals, and other ergogenic ingredients to enhance exercise performance.
READ MORE: Pre-Workouts— What Are They And What Do They Do?
WHAT DOES PRE-WORKOUT DO?
Do pre-workouts actually work? What are the exercise and performance benefits? What does the science say? Reviewing scientific literature for these answers can be a bit tricky since there are hundreds of ingredient and dose combinations available in commercial products. In one review article, the authors reviewed dozens of published clinical studies evaluating multi-ingredient pre-workout supplements (MIPS). These products were typically a mixture of caffeine, amino acids, nitric oxide agents, creatine and beta-alanine.
The authors concluded that “a substantial body of evidence suggests that the acute pre-exercise consumption of MIPS may positively influence muscular endurance and subjective mood, though mixed results have been reported regarding the acute effect of MIPS on force and power production.” In another study, pre-workout users reported that their goals for taking pre-workout supplements were increased energy and focus, muscular endurance and blood flow (or “pump”) with 85% reporting it definitely or probably improves their workout.3
READ MORE: PRE-WORKOUTS—What Are They and What Do They Do?
WHAT IS THE BEST PRE-WORKOUT?
Which pre-workout should you take? The best pre-workout for you depends on your fitness goals, personal preferences and tolerance to ingredients. Here are a few factors to consider that can help narrow your search.
- Stimulant versus non-stimulant: Stimulant pre-workouts provide a direct sensory effect that you can feel. Examples of stimulating ingredients include caffeine—which provides a boost of energy—and beta-alanine—which can cause an itching or prickling sensation of the skin (known as paresthesia). While stimulant pre-workouts are the most popular, some prefer a non-stim version for a variety of reasons such as dislike of the sensory feeling, caffeine sensitivity or wanting to avoid caffeine before bedtime.
- Delivery format: Pre-workouts are usually found in powder form, requiring a quick scoop into a shaker cup and mixed with water. There are also other options, such as liquid shots, ready-to-drink beverages or capsules.
- Intensity: Intensity refers to “how hard it hits”—correlated to the sensory impact, types of ingredients and ingredient doses. If you’re looking for something less intense, entry-level pre-workouts tend to have fewer ingredients and lower doses (plus they’re a great low-price option). If you’re a pre-workout pro, look for advanced or “extreme” pre-workouts that have more hard-hitting ingredients at higher doses.
- Flavor: Fruity flavors are the most common, such as blue raspberry and fruit punch. To help change it up, brands offer a wide variety of flavor options, so you never have to suffer from flavor boredom. There has also been exciting flavor collaborations with nostalgic and recognizable food, candy and beverage brands (such as GHOST Legend® Swedish Fish®). Talk about delish!
WHEN SHOULD I TAKE PRE-WORKOUT?
On most pre-workouts, the directions suggest taking it 30–60 minutes before exercise. However, there’s research to suggest most folks take it even sooner, with 44% of users reporting 15 minutes before exercise and 47% reporting 30 minutes before exercise.3 If you are unsure, it is best to follow the directions on the product.
HOW LONG DOES PRE-WORKOUT TAKE TO KICK IN?
Since caffeine is the primary ingredient that provides an energy boost, you’ll usually feel pre-workout kick in whenever the caffeine goes into effect. While there is individual variances in caffeine metabolism, it usually reaches peak concentrations in about 45 minutes.4
HOW LONG DOES PRE-WORKOUT LAST?
Again, this is usually dependent on caffeine. Caffeine has a half-life of 4–5 hours which means half of the caffeine you consume will be eliminated by the body within that time, but the other half will still have lingering effects.4 If you’re concerned about these lingering effects, avoid taking pre-workouts near bedtime or try a non-stimulant pre-workout without caffeine.
READ MORE: The Ultimate Workout Supplement Timeline
PRE-WORKOUT INGREDIENTS
From a formula standpoint, pre-workouts can contain a laundry list of ingredients. In fact, a recent study reviewed the formulas of 100 commercially available products and found that there are an average of 18 ingredients in pre-workouts.5 With such a range of complex ingredients, it can make discerning and comparing products even more difficult for users.
What Pre-Workout Ingredients Should I Look Out For?
Let’s dig deeper into the most common ingredients, the scientific evidence for performance benefits and the recommended dose of each.
Caffeine
Caffeine is the world’s most widely used stimulant and its effects on the central nervous system have been well documented. This stimulating effect has serious benefits when it comes to exercise and sports. Most commonly consumed 30–60 minutes before exercise, the beneficial dose is 3–6mg caffeine per kilogram of body weight. For a 150-pound individual, that’s approximately 200–400mg of caffeine. According to a position paper by the Internal Society of Sports Nutrition, caffeine has consistently shown to improve exercise performance in both trained and untrained individuals; can improve cognitive function and attention; and can enhance both anaerobic and aerobic performance.
READ MORE: How Does Caffeine in Pre-Workout Supplements Boost Performance?
Beta-Alanine
Beta-alanine is a non-protein amino acid that plays a role in the body’s development of carnosine in the muscle. Carnosine helps to buffer the pH changes that occur in muscles as a result of intense exercise which can lead to muscle fatigue and soreness. According to the US Office of Dietary Supplements, beta-alanine supplementation has conflicting evidence for performance benefits. However, there are some studies that suggest performance benefits in high-intensity, short-duration activities such as rowing, swimming and team sports that involve repeated sprints and intermittent activity.7 The International Society of Sports Nutrition confirmed this finding in supplementation of 4–6g per day for at least 2–4 weeks, especially in timed trials lasting 1–4 minutes.8
READ MORE: Beta-Alanine Basics: What Is It And What Does It Do?
Creatine
Creatine is one of the most common ingredients included in clinical studies for performance benefits. Creatine helps generate ATP (energy) for the muscles when in need of quick fuel during intense exercise. Creatine supplementation may help improve athletic performance by increasing strength and power in resistance training. However, there is little evidence for its role in benefiting in endurance activities such as running and swimming. The typical dose is 3–5g per day.9
SHOP: Creatine Supplements
Nitric Oxide Boosters
Nitric oxide (NO) is a gas that is produced naturally in the body and plays a role in relaxing blood vessels and increasing blood flow. How does that impact exercise? Increasing blood flow helps the body transport oxygen and nutrients to the muscles and tissues whenever they need it most. There are ingredients that tout to be NO boosters, such as citrulline, arginine and betaine. Citrulline and arginine are amino acids that work synergistically in the body to fuel NO production for enhanced blood flow. The typical daily dose in supplements are 6g of citrulline, 3g of arginine and 3–5g of betaine.5, 10
READ MORE: How Do Arginine + Citrulline Produce Nitric Oxide?
BCAAs
Branched chain amino acids (or BCAAs) are a combination of three amino acids (leucine, isoleucine and valine) that comprise one-third of the protein in skeletal muscle. BCAAs are essential to the body, which means the body can’t synthesize them on its own and they must be consumed through the diet (or through supplements). BCAAs have been shown to help with exercise recovery by sparing the breakdown of muscle protein. There has also been some evidence BCAAs play a role in subjective feelings of fatigue. Typical doses are 5–10g of BCAAs per day.11
READ MORE: What Are BCAAs And How Do They Work?
What Pre-Workout Ingredients Should I Avoid?
Whether you should avoid specific pre-workout ingredients depends on your personal preferences and tolerance level. The primary ingredient to lookout for is caffeine, especially if you are new to stimulants. If you are unsure, start by taking a lower dose of the pre-workout product and see how you like it. If you have health issues or concerns, talk to your doctor about finding a pre-workout that’s best for you.
Another word of caution: Proprietary blends. Proprietary blends are whenever ingredient doses are not listed or specified on the product label. How can you evaluate whether a product is effective if you don’t know whether the ingredients are at efficacious doses? In one study, 58 out of 100 commercial pre-workout products contained at least one proprietary blend.5
Are you a professional or collegiate athlete? If so, you may be subject to rules that prohibit certain ingredients, known as banned substances. Companies have the option to put their product under rigorous third-party testing for these banned ingredients. If you’re concerned about banned substances, look for products that list “banned substance free” or “banned substance tested” on the label.
IS PRE-WORKOUT SAFE?
Pre-workout products have had some negative press in the past which has spurred the question: Is pre-workout safe? Let’s dig into the details.
IS IT SAFE TO TAKE PRE-WORKOUT EVERY DAY?
According to a 2020 review of the clinical evidence, pre-workout appears to be relatively safe. However, most studies only review the short term effects (less than 8 weeks). What do most pre-workout users do? In one study, 48% reported taking pre-workout 4–5 days per week and 81% reported not taking it on non-training days.3
WHAT IS DRY SCOOPING AND SHOULD YOU DO IT?
Pre-workout powders are intended to be mixed with water before consumed. However, dry scooping is a social media phenomenon where gym-goers avoid dirtying a shaker cup by taking a scoop of powder and putting it directly in their mouth. This method isn’t recommended for two reasons. First, the loose powder can incidentally go down your windpipe and cause trouble breathing. Secondly, absorption of ingredients, such as caffeine, can happen more rapidly in the mouth than through the gut. Since this is not how pre-workout products were designed to be ingested, this is not recommended. If you are looking for a quick energy fix, try caffeinated chewing gum. As with any supplement, follow the directions for use. If you’re a fan of dry scooping, you may want to rethink it—or at the very least have water readily available to chug afterwards.
References
1. https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/pre-workout-supplements-market
2. Harty, et al. Multi-ingredient pre-workout supplements, safety implications, and performance outcomes: a brief review. J of Intl Soc of Sports Nutrition. (2018) 15:41 https://jissn.biomedcentral.com/track/pdf/10.1186/s12970-018-0247-6.pdf
3. Jagim et al. Common Habits, Adverse Events, and Opinions Regarding Pre-Workout Supplement Use Among Regular Consumers. Nutrients 2019, 11, 855. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6520716/pdf/nutrients-11-00855.pdf
4. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/ExerciseAndAthleticPerformance-HealthProfessional/#caffeine
5. Jagim A, et al. Common Ingredient Profiles of Multi-Ingredient Pre-Workout Supplements. Nutrients 2019, 11, 254. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6413194/
6. Guest N, et al. International society of sports nutrition position stand: caffeine and exercise performance. J of Intl Soc of Sports Nutrition. (2021) 18:1.
7. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/ExerciseAndAthleticPerformance-HealthProfessional/#beta-alanine
8. Trexler, et al. International society of sports nutrition position stand: Beta-Alanine. J of Intl Soc of Sports Nutrition. (2015) 12:30. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4501114/pdf/12970_2015_Article_90.pdf
9. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/ExerciseAndAthleticPerformance-HealthProfessional/#creatine
10. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/ExerciseAndAthleticPerformance-HealthProfessional/#betaine
11. Campbell B, et al. International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: protein and exercise. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition 2007, 4:8. https://sci-hub.se/http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1550-2783-4-8
12. Wickham K, Spriet L. Administration of caffeine in alternate forms. Sports Med (2018) 48 (Suppl 1):S79-S91. https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s40279-017-0848-2.pdf
