Over the past two years or so, I’ve been hearing a lot about this thing called “pre-workout.” My guy friends from back at home are always asking each other “What pre-workout do you use?” or “How much pre-workout do you take?”. When I asked what exactly pre-workout was, they would always just say it helps you during a workout session, but I wanted to know how.
According to Livestrong.com, a partner of the Livestrong Foundation, pre-workout is a drink laced with anywhere from 100 to 300 mg of caffeine that is supposed to give you a boost of energy and increase your blood flow in order to have a more productive workout. They also state that the amount of caffeine in pre-workout is sometimes triple the amount in a single cup of coffee. Other ingredients that they have listed are arginine and dimethylamylamine, which speeds up a person’s heart rate. These ingredients may be helpful for a workout, but do they really seem like they’re healthy for your body overall?
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Swimswam.com says that the pros of pre-workout are that it increases focus, energy, and strength, which then increases fat burning and weight loss. They also say, though, that the cons consist of high blood pressure, adrenal fatigue, heart racing, and sometimes nausea and vomiting. Aside from the bodily side effects it has, they also add that it sometimes causes people to fail drug tests, which could put their work life in jeopardy.
As you can see, there are positives and negatives to the use of pre-workout, but does one outweigh the other? It may enable you to get a better, more productive workout in, but is it worth having all those unnatural and unhealthy side effects? Is a cut and chiseled figure worth potentially harming your body on the inside? That’s up to each individual to decide on their own, but I can definitely say that there are healthier and more natural ways to get in shape such as eating clean, drinking water, and maintaining a HEALTHY workout plan!
Sources:
http://www.livestrong.com/article/1003313-preworkouts-bad-you/
I thought it was interesting that you cited caffeine as one of the ingredients in pre-workout so I decided to find out why it might be added. According to Men’s Fitness, coffee has work out benefits if consumed before a workout. One benefit is helped weight loss. This is because instead of glycogen being turned into fat cells- they are used for energy. Another reason is that coffee reduces one’s appetite so they consume less calories throughout the day. This can all lead to more visual effects of working out which is why pre-workout contains caffeine for these benefits.
I do not use pre-workout before I go to the gym or workout. What I do drink is coffee. Its healthy, natrual, and will you give you the extreme energy boost you need to make your workout effective and last longer. When I don’t drink coffee before I work out I tend to not be as focused on my workout and I just feel like stopping in the middle. Here is an article on the benefits to drinking coffee before you work out! It can be a great alternative to pre-workout.
http://news.health.com/2014/06/19/5-reasons-to-drink-coffee-before-your-workout/
As a personal consumer of pre-workout I do believe that they have it’s ups and downs depending on the brand. From past experience I have seen myself crash during a workout from using this substance and it was not a fun experience. The amount of caffeine in pre-workout is crazy and it often causes you to crash hard after. I have experienced extreme nausea and even blackouts form using this and I recommend to stay away from it.
http://healthyliving.azcentral.com/negative-effects-preworkouts-15073.html