Best pre-workout

2

Replies

  • Huffdogg
    Huffdogg Posts: 1,934 Member
    the beta alanine in C4 may make you feel like you rolled around in Pink Panther insulation.

    YMMV with Beta Alanine. I have taken it pretty extensively and never felt that tingling that people always talked about.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,028 Member
    :indifferent: Sweet post, brah. She didn't ask if you needed outside help or IF she should take. She asked for good recommendations on pre-workouts.

    We are not worthy of your au naturale awesomeness.

    Broscience. :grumble:
    Most people take pre workouts because................well everyone is doing them. No real thought process on why, but because people who look like they are getting results should be emulated even if it is broscience.
    Approach to working out is more about attitude. If one needs a "pick me up", they either are not nutritionally feeding right or they are lacking in the motivation department.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • Sarah4fitness
    Sarah4fitness Posts: 437 Member
    You don't NEED one. If you want one, I don't see the issue, so long as you're aware that there is no magic powder, pill, or drink that will make you better. Performance improvement comes from practice and effort. The fuel your body needs comes in food form, not in supplements.

    I can't give recs, unfortch, because I am a weirdo who DIGS the jitters. BSN hyper fx used to taste great to me, but although I still take it on occasion, it tastes like funky chemical death AND gives epic jitters. In a way I happen to like. So, ymmv on this kind of thing. I think preworkouts come down to subjective preference.
  • obsidianwings
    obsidianwings Posts: 1,237 Member
    I really use them. But have tried heaps and my fave is prosupps Mr hyde.
  • Leadfoot_Lewis
    Leadfoot_Lewis Posts: 1,623 Member
    Creatine & Beta Alanine.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,028 Member
    :indifferent: Sweet post, brah. She didn't ask if you needed outside help or IF she should take. She asked for good recommendations on pre-workouts.

    We are not worthy of your au naturale awesomeness.

    Broscience. :grumble:

    broscience is "needing" a pre-workout when most people don't need anything and if that a cup of coffee will do the trick just fine- or you know- good old fashioned hard work.

    Everyone wants to take something to make them better. How about just being better instead of taking stuff?

    There is no "best pre-workout" it's a waste of money. Grumble all you want- but just going in and lifting the old fashioned way is not broscience- DYELB?

    Lol! Schooled....

    But it's true, what happened to people showing up and just getting it done?
    Tru dat. "Back in the day" when I started there was maybe like 5 supplement companies and most of them only dealt in weight gainers and protein powders. We just ****ing lifted. Now there are about 1,000 or more different supplement companies touting pre workout, post workout, in between workout, before you go to sleep supplement, test raising, etc. and with the exception of creatine and protein, most are just smoke and mirrors with a placebo effect.
    None of the supplements matter if your workout ethic sucks. And that has more to do with attitude and approach.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,028 Member
    I like Optimum Amino Energy. I workout at 430 am and seriously can't drag myself out of bed more than 10 minutes before I have to leave my house. I work until 1030 pm so I'm just TIRED. It does the trick.
    Hate to tell you that it's your sleep and rest that's the issue. Less than 6 hours of sleep will definitely have an effect on progress.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,028 Member
    Creatine & Beta Alanine.
    Which scientifically are both proven to work. Neither IMO are "pre workout" though.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • wolfsbayne
    wolfsbayne Posts: 3,116 Member
    coffee.

    This ^^ Black coffee.
  • obsidianwings
    obsidianwings Posts: 1,237 Member
    I like Optimum Amino Energy. I workout at 430 am and seriously can't drag myself out of bed more than 10 minutes before I have to leave my house. I work until 1030 pm so I'm just TIRED. It does the trick.
    Hate to tell you that it's your sleep and rest that's the issue. Less than 6 hours of sleep will definitely have an effect on progress.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
    Unfortunately this is true :( I like to take gh freak when I can afford it
  • Leadfoot_Lewis
    Leadfoot_Lewis Posts: 1,623 Member
    Which scientifically are both proven to work. Neither IMO are "pre workout" though.

    You're far too picky - I agree you can take them anytime of day which includes prework. :wink: That's the way I take them so I don't forget (just part of my routine). They are IMO the best supplements you can take and better than all the proprietary blend crap that's on the market.
  • Roadie2000
    Roadie2000 Posts: 1,801 Member
    Water is my go-to pre-workout drink. Caffeine has been said to increase aerobic capacity which can be good for cardio but it will also dehydrate you.
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
    Meth....I prefer meth..
  • jimmmer
    jimmmer Posts: 3,515 Member
    Meth....I prefer meth..

    It'll never beat coke. I don't care what you trendy young things say...
  • toiletski
    toiletski Posts: 126 Member
    I don't take pre-workouts all the time, but when I do need an extra kick in the pants when I'm really feeling like skipping my workout, I've taken N.O. Xplode, Jack3d, and C4 which all work great for me (though the old Jack3d formula made me jittery if I had some on an empty stomach). I'd probably have to drink 2 pots of coffee to get the same effect.
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
    Meth....I prefer meth..

    It'll never beat coke. I don't care what you trendy young things say...

    Too rich for my blood...I'm not worthy!
  • WVprankster
    WVprankster Posts: 430 Member
    I'm a big fan of Coltrolled Labs' White Flood. IIRC it has ~180 mg's of caffeine per serving. It is powdered, though, so you can adjust what a "serving" is to you.
  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
    I like the Jack3d micro, N.O. Xplode (both in watermelon flavor).

    I have tried Cellucor C4 but didn't really feel it.
  • JayDavila
    JayDavila Posts: 146 Member
    Why do you need a pre workout drink?

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition



    This^^^

    The industry is now flooded with theses "pre-workout" things, I don't quite get it. Just make sure you're well feed before your workout, 1h30-2h before, and well hydrated!!! If you feel like a pick me up, I would recommend coffee or green tea.

    these guys.

    The 'I didn't take my pre-workout' lag apparently is awful.

    no thanks.

    I have coffee all morning- rarely before I work out- I brute force my way through a workout- i don't need outside help trying to get my workouts on.

    :indifferent: Sweet post, brah. She didn't ask if you needed outside help or IF she should take. She asked for good recommendations on pre-workouts.

    We are not worthy of your au naturale awesomeness.

    Broscience. :grumble:

    ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ Awesome LOL
    I use C4 been great so far, no jitters no crash etc. I personally dont like coffee or tea so this is what I chose.
  • fast_eddie_72
    fast_eddie_72 Posts: 719 Member
    :indifferent: Sweet post, brah. She didn't ask if you needed outside help or IF she should take. She asked for good recommendations on pre-workouts.

    We are not worthy of your au naturale awesomeness.

    Broscience. :grumble:

    broscience is "needing" a pre-workout when most people don't need anything and if that a cup of coffee will do the trick just fine- or you know- good old fashioned hard work.

    Everyone wants to take something to make them better. How about just being better instead of taking stuff?

    There is no "best pre-workout" it's a waste of money. Grumble all you want- but just going in and lifting the old fashioned way is not broscience- DYELB?

    I wouldn't take some "pre-workout" energy thingie. But I do try to make sure I eat 90 minutes or so before I go. Otherwise I just run out of steam.

    I have wondered if there's a good strategy for what to put in your body before a workout. I used to hear "carbs" all the time, but I believe that's to give you energy to burn. But if I'm burning the carbs, does that mean I'm not burning as much fat? Would it be better to lean more toward protein? Or does it matter at all?
  • jimmmer
    jimmmer Posts: 3,515 Member
    I have wondered if there's a good strategy for what to put in your body before a workout. I used to hear "carbs" all the time, but I believe that's to give you energy to burn. But if I'm burning the carbs, does that mean I'm not burning as much fat? Would it be better to lean more toward protein? Or does it matter at all?

    I always train fasted and it hasn't caused me any problems.

    If your training consists of long duration endurance (long distance cycling, marathon, etc) then you'll probably want to carb up so you don't crash.
  • Sorry Folgers... The best part of waking up is C4 in your cup.:drinker:
  • obsidianwings
    obsidianwings Posts: 1,237 Member
    Personally I like to make sure my meal before I workout has a decent amount of carbs, this has just been trial and error for me, I know I don't function well without them
  • Orion782
    Orion782 Posts: 391
    broscience is "needing" a pre-workout when most people don't need anything and if that a cup of coffee will do the trick just fine- or you know- good old fashioned hard work.

    Everyone wants to take something to make them better. How about just being better instead of taking stuff?

    There is no "best pre-workout" it's a waste of money. Grumble all you want- but just going in and lifting the old fashioned way is not broscience- DYELB?

    LOL. Yeah, I lift. I just find it funny that the gym rats (not saying YOU are one), love to either push product or poo-poo on anyone who doesn't do things SUPER PALEO NATURAL HARDCORE like they do. If someone wants a pre-workout, whats the big deal? Either real or perceived differences in the way someone trains is a matter of personal preference. Heck, if they wanna snort pixie stix, more power to them.

    My point was the thread was asking for reco's on what a good pre-workout was. She didn't ask "are pre-workouts legit/placebo"...so many people got off topic. Now I am too. *kicks rocks*
  • _errata_
    _errata_ Posts: 1,653 Member
    Bronkaid from Wal Mart (Ephedra) + Caffeine + Aspirin.

    The tried and true ECA stack still exists.

    Other than that, C4 is good.
  • ElliottTN
    ElliottTN Posts: 1,614 Member
    Bronkaid from Wal Mart (Ephedra) + Caffeine + Aspirin.

    The tried and true ECA stack still exists.

    Other than that, C4 is good.

    bronkaid has ephedrine, not ephedra and taking that as a pre-workout is dumb as hell.
    Pre-workout:
    caffeine: 200 mg
    vit b complex
    beta-alnine
    creatine

    Buy separately and you can get all the top notch (actually scientifically proven) active ingredients to all the pre-workout mixes for 1/3 of the price of your premixed crap.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    broscience is "needing" a pre-workout when most people don't need anything and if that a cup of coffee will do the trick just fine- or you know- good old fashioned hard work.

    Everyone wants to take something to make them better. How about just being better instead of taking stuff?

    There is no "best pre-workout" it's a waste of money. Grumble all you want- but just going in and lifting the old fashioned way is not broscience- DYELB?

    LOL. Yeah, I lift. I just find it funny that the gym rats (not saying YOU are one), love to either push product or poo-poo on anyone who doesn't do things SUPER PALEO NATURAL HARDCORE like they do. If someone wants a pre-workout, whats the big deal? Either real or perceived differences in the way someone trains is a matter of personal preference. Heck, if they wanna snort pixie stix, more power to them.

    My point was the thread was asking for reco's on what a good pre-workout was. She didn't ask "are pre-workouts legit/placebo"...so many people got off topic. Now I am too. *kicks rocks*

    lol izokay- it's the internet- it wouldn't be the internet if we didn't tangent all the time :D

    No i get it- I'm definitely a gym junkie (no shame here) but I'm not die hard supplements- or paleo all natural.

    but I do believe in straight up hard work... and after spending a year working a gym- it was mind baffling how many people wanted to buy stuff instead of just doing the work. Because that's the reality- 80% of the people need to do more work- less talking- and fix their diet. 10% are the elite who can benefit from it- the other 10% just need to do SOMETHING and no where near need supplements. (and I think the 10% elite is a big stretch- but I'm pulling purely from a big box gym sample where I worked- and I knew 5 body builders of the entire- club- and we were a big club)


    Most people simply aren't at a point in their training where they get any real benefit from it and it's just a waste of money- they want to say they are taking the stuff to be cool- or it's placebo affect... either way- they could stand to drop it and just work harder.
    Heck, if they wanna snort pixie stix, more power to them.
    I agree- but if I was going to spend my money on a product that I thought was going to help me- and someone had good reason and told me to save my money so I could spend it on something else- I might listen. I mean- maybe I just have short arms- but I'd rather save my money- but yeah- she can do whatever she wants including pixie sticks (might pay to see that)... that being said- coffee is still cheaper LOL
  • seamonster1203
    seamonster1203 Posts: 118 Member
    one quart of water is by far the best pre-workout..... beats all them expensive chemicals and it don't come a with a fake label "so strong you take 2 instead of one and you r dead!"
  • _errata_
    _errata_ Posts: 1,653 Member
    Bronkaid from Wal Mart (Ephedra) + Caffeine + Aspirin.

    The tried and true ECA stack still exists.

    Other than that, C4 is good.

    bronkaid has ephedrine, not ephedra and taking that as a pre-workout is dumb as hell.
    Pre-workout:
    caffeine: 200 mg
    vit b complex
    beta-alnine
    creatine

    Buy separately and you can get all the top notch (actually scientifically proven) active ingredients to all the pre-workout mixes for 1/3 of the price of your premixed crap.

    Yes it has ephedrine in it, but that is still part of the ECA stack... which is very effective. It is true that many perceive it to be dangerous, but I think that is true only if it is abused.

    My recommendation is to use C4.
  • ElliottTN
    ElliottTN Posts: 1,614 Member
    Bronkaid from Wal Mart (Ephedra) + Caffeine + Aspirin.

    The tried and true ECA stack still exists.

    Other than that, C4 is good.

    bronkaid has ephedrine, not ephedra and taking that as a pre-workout is dumb as hell.
    Pre-workout:
    caffeine: 200 mg
    vit b complex
    beta-alnine
    creatine

    Buy separately and you can get all the top notch (actually scientifically proven) active ingredients to all the pre-workout mixes for 1/3 of the price of your premixed crap.

    Yes it has ephedrine in it, but that is still part of the ECA stack... which is very effective. It is true that many perceive it to be dangerous, but I think that is true only if it is abused.

    My recommendation is to use C4.

    Yes, I know, I'm not a stranger to EC stacks. Now why you would suggest taking a combination of drugs that has thermogenic properties while raising your heart rate and suggest that someone go workout is, well, dumb. Cutting agents make ****ty preworkouts. Period. Sure, you may lose an extra pound or two a month by taking it pre-workout as opposed to post workout but at what risk? Suddenly finding out you have an existing heart condition that you never knew about and having a heart attack...that risk to benefit ratio is dumb.