Although often overlooked, warming up your body before you begin your training routine helps benefit your workout. However, your preparation shouldn’t stop with just stretching. Research suggests that your pre-workout program should also include supplements to support optimum results in the gym.
Pre-Workout supplements can make the transition into your gym workout easier, your recovery time shorter, and help you achieve (or exceed) your fitness goals.
Pre-Workout Supplement Benefits
When you want to get the maximum results from your training, you don’t want to overlook the advantages of pre-workout supplements. These powerful multi-ingredient formulas can help enhance your athletic performance and give you the energy you need to power through the most challenging workouts.
Published research on recreational (not just elite) fitness participants found that combining pre-workout supplements with High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) significantly increased training volume. Not only that, these nutrients enhanced lean body mass and reduced body fat as well.
The Best Pre-Workout Nutrients
Pre-workout supplements traditionally combine vitamins, minerals, herbal extracts, and other nutrients to nourish your cells, boost nitric oxide levels, help burn fat, create muscle, and more.
Check your pre-workout products for these beneficial ingredients:
- BCAAs Formulas that include branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) may help increase muscle growth, improve endurance, and decrease muscle soreness when taken prior to a workout. BCAAs will deliver specific amino acids your body needs to promote muscle production.
- Caffeine sometimes gets a bad rap, but the truth is that when taken prior to a workout, it can help increase energy and focus.
Multiple published studies have been documented (and, more importantly, replicated) to show caffeine’s positive effects on exercise performance. Moreover, these positive results have occurred across a wide variety of training programs and sports of all types.
In addition, caffeine as a stimulant may improve mental alertness and memory as well as help reduce body fat. It’s no wonder that caffeine is included in so many pre-workout tablets, powders, and drinks. - Nitric Oxide is referred to as a vasodilator. That means it relaxes the inner muscles of your blood vessels, which allows for increased blood flow.
- Creatine is a popular pre-workout ingredient both as a stand-alone supplement and in combination with other nutrients.
You can improve your recovery time, muscle mass, strength, and exercise performance by Supplementing with creatine. This ingredient is one of the most studied sports supplements found to help increase muscle strength and power, particularly when combined with weight training.
Is Pre-Workout Safe To Take?
Generally safe, pre-workout supplements aren’t entirely risk-free. There are certain ingredients in pre-workout supplements that may lead to adverse effects if not used as directed. Always read the label to use the product as instructed.
Pre-Workout Side Effects
Powerful pre-workout supplements are designed to deliver intense energy, prolonged stamina, increased concentration, and extreme vasodilation.
However, when consumed, some harmful pre-workout side effects may occur. For example:
- Caffeine, when used in large doses, can create jitters, itching, and poor sleep.
- Nitric oxide supplementation has the potential for stomach discomfort and diarrhea.
- Creatine has few known side effects, although some individuals may experience water retention, bloating, or digestive issues if creatine is taken in large doses.
You can minimize most of these side effects by decreasing your dosage to see how your body reacts.
When to Take Pre-Workout
Most pre-workout supplements include instructions for how to take them to achieve maximum results. However, you may want to start with a smaller serving to assess your tolerance, especially if a stimulant is part of the formula.
If your pre-workout contains caffeine, consider the time of day that you take it since it can disrupt your ability to fall asleep. Generally, most of these dietary supplements can be taken about 30–60 minutes before you train. This allows for plenty of time for the ingredients to reach your bloodstream and kick in.
The Black Diamond Difference
Dozens of bodybuilding supplement websites offer pre-workout products, but not all offer a positive experience.
When you’re ready to include pre-workout or any supplement into your daily routine, Black Diamond Supplements should be your first stop. We offer all the support and guidance you’ll need in fitness, health, and wellness. For over a decade, we have been one of the most trusted names in the health and wellness industry.
We proudly offer some of the lowest prices online, the fastest shipping times, and phenomenal customer service. Our goal is to give you the most convenient way to save both time and money through a great online shopping experience. Visit our website today for your pre-workout and all your health supplement needs.
