For my fellow gym girlies, we have all been there. We’re at our local supplement store or maybe even shopping online for some new pre-workout and we come across some crazy names. This article should be a helpful guide from what a BCAA is to what levels of caffeine are safe to consume.
While things like coffee and energy drinks can be considered pre-workout, in this article the main focus will be on powdered pre-workouts that are advertised as exercise enhancers.
Caffeine
While this may seem straightforward, there are a couple of things to know about the caffeine content in your pre-workout. First, while caffeine is the main ingredient in most pre-workouts, that doesn’t mean you should go for one with a particularly high dosage. In most cases, you would want to go with a pre-workout that isn’t going to give you a crash.
The average pre-workout contains about 150-300 mg of caffeine, which is about two shots of espresso on the lower end and five to six shots on the higher end. Now, if your body isn’t tolerant to the lower level of caffeine, it might be a wise choice to put down the Alani and go for an electrolyte booster or green tea instead.
What’s important to take away from the caffeine content of your pre-workout is to make sure you are not going over the serving size. About 400 milligrams of caffeine is the recommended maximum amount per day.
beta-alanine
This is a common ingredient in pre-workout and it is important that you check whether it has this or not. You might have heard about this one from your favorite gym influencers due to its intense tingling properties. However, what I bet you didn’t know is that it is a non-essential amino acid, which means your body produces it naturally. Now, while your body produces this on its own, that doesn’t mean getting it from an outside source is necessarily bad.
The scientific reason as to why beta alanine is added to pre-workout is because of its ability to produce something called carnosine. Carnosine reduces the amount of lactic acid in your muscles while working out, causing your body to have less fatigue.
While carnosine sounds quite beneficial to the workout, it is most definitely not necessary to have a great sweat session. However, if the tingling side effects are something you find that pushes you to work harder in the gym, by all means, use a beta-alanine pre-workout.
bcaas
BCAA stands for “branched-chain amino acid” which is a part of a protein that your body cannot produce naturally but is essential for nutritional health. BCAAs are usually acquired through your diet but many pre-workouts will include isolated forms of them for exercise benefits. BCAAs are present in almost every pre-workout supplement and are meant to help with muscle soreness and overall muscle growth.
L-Citrulline
This amino acid is one of the few that is not involved in building proteins within the body. It also increases levels of nitrous oxide in the body, therefore increasing blood flow throughout your entire system.
There have been a few studies suggesting the usage of L-Citrulline supplements increases aerobic performance, but there isn’t enough basis on this claim to make an accurate assumption.
creatine
Creatine is something that your body can produce naturally and many people are supplied it through their diet as well. A creatine blend may be an ingredient in your pre-workout and it is there to help create a quick “burst” of energy when exercising.
You can also take this by itself (many people do) and it’s not a necessary ingredient when looking at pre-workout supplements.
takeaways
While it is good to consider every ingredient when buying pre workout, remember that these are just my own opinion on these specific ones. The most important part when choosing a pre-workout is trying different ones and seeing which one works for you.
Author’s Notes
Photos used are not reflective of the ingredients discusses below them. Sources used come from Healthline, Mayo Clinic and Cleveland Clinic.