What you need to know about taking pre-workout

Ever walked into the weights room and been astounded by someone benching double their body weight, with a ferocity you’ve never even seen before? It makes your efforts look weak and unworthy, but it might just be that they’ve had a little bit of help… (no, not steroids), pre-workout!

Pre-bootcamp essentially made of caffeine and this thing called Arginine. You know the effects of caffeine, but pre-workout is wayyy more concentrated than a cup of coffee. It will get you pinging! Your average pre-workout can contain up to 3 times the amount of caffeine as a cup of coffee! And then there’s Arginine. That bad boy helps produce higher amounts of dimethylamylamine and pump more blood around your body! That huge ass word that nobody has time to try and pronounce, is a stimulant. So combine that, with caffeine, drink it and watch yourself transform into the incredible hulk.

People have pre workout…pre workout (see what I did there?), because it gets them hyped up. This hype or energy spike can help them push themselves further than they would normally be able to. This spike comes from the high amounts of caffeine and Arginine.

It turns out that Arginine is a type of amino acid, that can help your body build muscle. And whether you’re aiming for them mad gains or want to lose weight, muscle growth is beneficial! The caffeine element of pre-workout boosts concentration and energy (temporarily). This can be beneficial to your fitness goals if you use it correctly, like just before a long workout. But pre-workout also has some pretty nasty side effects you need to be aware of, too.

For the fellas, if you take pre-workout, make sure it isn’t overloaded with emulsifiers. Too much of those can cause infidelity. In general, though, the effects of taking pre-workout can be similar to having too much coffee. Migraines and diarrhoea are minor side effects, and albeit rare, there have been cases of people going into cardiac arrest. If you are required to take drug tests for work, you should also reconsider how much you want to take pre-workout, as it can jeopardise your drug test results.

You need to know your body and goals before trying pre-workout. If you have high blood pressure or a weak heart, seek the advice of a healthcare professional. I don’t mean to scare you, it really can be beneficial. Especially on those days when you’re struggling to get motivated at the gym. And you can get lots of different flavours, (I have a sour watermelon flavour and it’s delicious)!

But if you’re unsure, have a chat with one of our personal trainers who service all of Melbourne and Sydney. They’ll help you weigh up the pros and cons in regards to your own health. So Get Going, summer’s almost here!

#GetGoing