Student post on the use of pre-workout supplements

Pre-workout supplements, worth it or not?

Pre-workouts have become increasingly popular in the fitness world, for both competitive athletes and for individuals with varying fitness goals. But are these pre workout supplements worth the money and do the pros outweigh the cons?

            Pre-workout supplements come in a couple of categories and consumers choose their workouts based on their needs and goals. Categories of pre workouts include pump-based pre workouts, stimulant free pre-workouts and thermogenic pre workout fat burners.

Pump-based pre workouts are pre workouts that offer an excellent “pump”. A pump occurs when there is an excessive amount of blood being delivered to the muscle which causes the muscle to “swell”.

            Stimulant free pre-workouts are pre workouts that don’t contain any stimulants but are advertised to make the consumer feel their muscles pump up without the added caffeine which can lead to adverse effects.

            Thermogenic pre workout fat burners are pre workouts which are designed to speed up metabolism and burn an increased number of calories while working it. These are advertised to burn more calories than a fat burning supplement by itself.

            Other than the stimulant-free pre workouts, most products contain 4 main ingredients: caffeine (absent from stimulant free pre workouts), branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), beta-alanine, and creatine monohydrate.  In the table below, I have summarized these ingredients with their primary purpose for being included in pre workouts, their advertised benefits and the optimal dose.

Ingredient	Optimal Dose	Advertised benefits	Primary purpose for being included in pre workouts
Caffeine	200-500 milligrams	-Shown to be an effective performance booster in both endurance exercise and short bouts of maximal exercise -Shown to increase workloads by decreasing the rate of fatigue -decreases the perception of effort	Increasing energy
BCAAs	5 grams	-Vital for protein metabolism -Important role in increasing protein synthesis and decreases protein breakdown	Fostering an anabolic environment
Beta-Alanine	1.50-5 grams	-Advertised to improve overall training volume -Utilizes the idea of buffering hydrogen ions in order to increase intensity for longer periods of time -Responsible for the “tingling” sensation experienced by some consumers.	Increasing muscular endurance
Creatine monohydrate	5 grams	-Thought to aid in saturating muscles with the substrate which is needed to product a fast, large energy pump	Promoting “explosive strength”

Next, let’s take a look at common complaints and side effects of taking pre workouts. Common side effects include vomiting, “jitters”, tingling/numbness in the face, lips or extremities, flushed skin, itching, anxiety, increased blood pressure, chest pain and headaches.

These “jitters” may be due to the caffeine in the pre-workout which increases the pace of a person’s heart rate. The pace of one’s heart rate can be increased to a level which may be considered to be within a danger zone. Pre-workouts are not recommended for individuals who have a previous medical history of stroke or heart attack and they, along with anyone else, should consult their doctor before considering a pre-workout supplement as a part of their workout regimen.

I personally find the world of supplementation to be fascinating. There is a whole realm of “science” that self-proclaimed gym rats hold to a high standard. I have personally asked many individuals at the gym their thoughts on certain per workouts they utilize and it is astounding to me the certainty with which they talk about certain pre-workouts supplements. Their sources of information are usually “my friend”, “bodybuilding.com” or “the guy at GNC”.

 Overall, I think it is important to look carefully at the ingredient list before deciding to make it part of one’s pre-workout meal/routine. I have had personal experience with trying a stimulant free and a “pump based” pre-workout and the one thing I wish I had done was actually done my own research on the different pre-workouts and how they work and what effects they could have on my body.

References:

Spradley et al.: Ingesting a pre-workout supplement containing caffeine, B-Vitamins, amino acids, creatine, and beta-aline before exercise delays fatigue while improving reaction time and muscular endurance. Nutrition & Metabolism 20129:28.

Hoffman JR, Faigenbaum AD, Ratamess NA, Ross R, Kang J, Tenenbaum G. Nutritional Supplementation and Anabolic Steroid Use in Adolescents. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2008;40:15–24. doi: 10.1249/mss.0b013e31815a5181.

Hoffman JR, Kang J, Ratamess NA, Hoffman MW, Tranchina CP, Faigenbaum AD. Examination of a pre-exercise, high energy supplement on exercise performance. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2009;6:2. doi: 10.1186/1550-2783-6-2.

Bell DG, Jacobs I, Ellerington K. Effect of caffeine and ephedrine ingestion on anaerobic exercise performance. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2001;33:1399–403. doi: 10.1097/00005768-200108000-00024.