The Best Pre-Workout Supplements to Improve Your Fitness Training

Today, people are more concerned about being fit and healthy than ever. Every fitness freak is willing to run that extra mile or go for that extra round of rep to get into perfect shape. However, deficiency of strength or energy may prove to be a hindrance, which is why you need a pre-workout supplement to turbo-charge your performance during your workout session.

With all the gimmicks encompassing the marketing of an overwhelming number of pre-workout supplements, you might find yourself in a quandary about which supplements to take in what amounts or whether at all you should take them. It’s crucial to understand that not all supplements render the same effect on your body. The type of exercise you undergo determines what ingredients you should add in your pre-workout regimen. Below we have categorized the energy supplements to simplify matters for you:

1. Nutrients

Your body needs fuel if you plan to subject it to an intense workout session. Energize yourself with a proper meal an hour or two before you head for your gym followed by a pre-workout shake of protein and carb in a 1:1 ratio. A mixture of whey and casein works wonders. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition mentions the role of whey protein in enhancing muscle mass during resistance training.

2. Strength Boosters

Creatine:

It is an organic molecule that provides energy to the muscle cells in the human body. Taking creatine supplements improves endurance and helps you work out for a longer span of time. As stated by author Arnold Schwarzenegger in The New Encyclopaedia of Modern Bodybuilding, creatine monohydrate is the most economical dietary supplement in the market today and is regarded as a requisite by most bodybuilders. You start your dose with 20-30 grams per day, with multiple servings taken at particular intervals. After this initial ‘loading phase’, it is advised to stick to 3-5 grams for regular consumption.

Betaine:

Also known as trimethylglycine, betaine is an amino acid naturally found in whole grains, beet, and spinach. Consuming a supplement with betaine before a workout would increase the creatine composition in your muscles, thereby, boosting protein synthesis.

Beta-alanine:

Beta-alanine, an amino acid derivative, acts as an acidity buffer and helps to minimize fatigue during short bursts of vigorous exercising. 4-6 grams are recommended for daily consumption.

3. Energy Boosters

Caffeine:

Found naturally in tea, coffee and several other beverages and food items, what makes it so popular an ingredient in pre-workout supplements are its actions to fight muscle fatigue and boost metabolism and muscle power. It improves outputs throughout long-duration endurance activities like cycling or sprinting. Take the right dose at the right hour of the day and it can even yield a 50 percent increment in your reflexive power output.

If you are a smoker, caffeine can also be consumed through herbal vaporizers giving you leisurely vibes along with fitness benefits.

Yohimbine:

Lonnie Lowery, a sports nutrition professor at the University of Mount Union in Akron, OH, says that yohimbine blocks a type of adrenaline receptor and reduces the stored fat content to raise your energy levels.

BCAAs:

Branched-Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs) constitute leucine, isoleucine, and valine. Although they are less effective than whole protein for muscle building, research suggests that BCAAs reduce muscle soreness and fatigue and enhance endurance while running and weight training. The common ratio of the three in most pre-workout supplements is 2:1:1 and the recommended dose are around 5-20 grams.

4. Pump Boosters

Beta-Hydroxy Beta-methyl butyric acid:

Pre-workout supplements containing HMB improve muscle strength and size, and lean body mass. It has inhibitory actions against skeletal muscle damage induced by intense workouts.

Citrulline:

Increased levels of citrulline owing to the consumption of pre-workout supplements improve blood flow to the body tissues. Studies show that in upper body weight training, citrulline can increase the number of reps you perform by 53 percent as compared to the intake of placebo.

L-Arginine:

This amino acid is found in red meat, fish, poultry and dairy products. It aids vasodilation by driving the synthesis of nitric oxide (NO) and thus channelizes the flow of blood and nutrients to the muscles in action. Supplementing the intake of arginine with citrulline yields better results than when either is taken separately.

5. Legal Steroids

If you are into bodybuilding, you must have considered taking steroids. But then who takes care of the side effects? The solution is legal steroids. Legal steroids, when taken along with a solid workout regime and a strict diet, can give you the desired results without harming you. D-Bal, Trenorol, and Testomax are some of the popular legal steroids among fitness junkies that can be taken orally just like pre-workout supplements.

While some researchers may advise you against pre-workout C4 supplements, there are clear-cut benefits which you can’t overlook. Understanding which ingredient works out for your routine and in what amount is essential in the journey of staying fit. Because the FDA doesn’t regulate dietary supplements, it’s equally crucial to check whether the supplement has been tested by some reliable agency like NSF International or Informed-Choice.org. Once everything is set, you are ready to crush those workouts!