Pre-workouts are often very daunting supplements, with a confusing label full of nonsense ingredients. Choosing one from this array of confusion can certainly be a challenge even for the most experienced lifters. Hopefully this article can help you to understand the ingredients, and enable you to choose a pre workout which is right for you.
Arginine
In the body, the amino acid arginine changes into nitric oxide (NO). Nitric oxide is a powerful neurotransmitter that helps blood vessels relax and also improves circulation. Some evidence shows that arginine may help improve blood flow in the arteries of the heart. Increased blood flow helps with muscular endurance as well as better pumps!
Sodium Bicarbonate
Sodium bicarbonate is a salt that breaks down to form sodium and bicarbonate in water. This breakdown makes a solution alkaline, meaning it is able to neutralize acid.
Nitrate
Dietary nitrates and nitrites can also turn into Nitric Oxide, dilate the blood vessels and lower blood pressure. Nitric Oxide is more or less another name for most pre workouts, so finding nitrate in your pre workout is absolutely nothing to fear!
Caffeine
Caffeine acts as a central nervous system stimulant. When it reaches your brain, the most noticeable effect is alertness. You'll feel more awake and less tired, so it's a common ingredient in many pre and intra workout supplements.
Creatine
Creatine is a substance that is found naturally in muscle cells. It helps your muscles produce energy during heavy lifting or high-intensity exercise. Taking creatine as a supplement is very popular among athletes and bodybuilders in order to gain muscle, enhance strength and improve exercise performance.
Citrulline
Citrulline plays an important role in the Urea Cycle, helping to eliminate harmful by-products, increasing your body’s ability to maintain performance and fight off muscle fatigue. Supplementation of Citrulline is shown to increase Arginine levels in the body, which supports the production of Nitric Oxide, (Another name for most types of pre-workout, as they aid with physical performance.) Due to these principles Citrulline is usually found in Pre-workouts, but it can also be found in Amino acids which have been designed to work as more of a pre, with caffeine and other ingredients.
Beta Alanine
Beta-alanine is a non-essential amino acid. Your body uses it to produce carnosine, which helps improve exercise performance. Often when you have a Pre-workout you will the tingles in your face, more often than not this is the result of Beta-alanine, but it is nothing to worry about!
Taurine
Taurine is an amino acid important in several of the body's metabolic processes, and has important antioxidant properties. It is found naturally in most meats, fish and dairy products. Due to these qualities it is found in a lot of different sports supplements!
Amino Acids
Amino acids are the building blocks of protein. When you eat protein, it's broken down into amino acids, which are then used to help your body with various processes such as building muscle and regulating immune function. They’re not standard in Pre-workouts, but as more pre and intra workout supplements cross over you will find them in many endurance based pre workouts.
While most of the individual ingredients in pre-workout supplements have been studied well, most pre-packaged combinations of supplements have not been scientifically evaluated. Though, based on the information in this blog, you now know some of the main ingredients to look for in your Pre-workouts! For long-lasting endurance exercises, you may be able to improve your performance with caffeine, nitrate and Amino Acids. For shorter, intense activities, where the goal is to burn and build muscle mass, beta-alanine, sodium bicarbonate, caffeine and citrulline may help you To perform at your best during strength and power exercises, such as weight training, powerlifting and more, you can try creatine, caffeine and citrulline.
Inevitably lots of different activities and sports will combine elements of each of the above, and so it will be for you to assess which ingredients will benefit you.
