Pre workout stuff?

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monkeefun
monkeefun Posts: 271 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi everyone, quick question. I'm needing a swift kick in the butt each day to get my workouts in, and was wondering if anyone had any opinions on safer pre-workout options. Coffee I love in the morning, but I get positively nauseated if I try to exercise on a coffee-belly. Years ago I used Jack3d before they took the original formula off the market, and it did the job well - I could fight a bear in those days lol. I have dabbled with BSN NO Xplode since then, but haven't used anything in a REALLY long time. This time I actually am becoming aware of the junk I am putting in my body, and wondering about everyone elses' go to. I know that optimally I wouldn't use any, but I definitely need some kind of extra "kick" on those hard days. Especially with the changing seasons, and the cold dark gloominess taking hold (I live in Central New York ;_;), it's hard just to get out of bed, let alone exercise. Vitamin D and my HappyLight only take me so far. Any thoughts everyone?

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  • bwogilvie
    bwogilvie Posts: 2,130 Member
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    What kind of workouts are you doing? I don't need anything before my workouts unless I'm doing at least 2 hours of endurance exercise, except for enough water to not get dehydrated. If you're reasonably fit, your muscles and liver store enough glycogen to provide at least 1000 calories and probably a lot more, and your fat stores will add to that.

    If it's a psychological kick you need, how about a treat afterwards, like having a doughnut if you do your workout first? Or stopping mid-workout for breakfast? One of the things I do in the summer is to bike 14 miles to a café, arriving when it opens, have a cup of coffee and a bagel, read the paper, and then bike back home to start the work day.

    And if you're just not a morning person, like my wife, who needs quite a while to work up to facing the day, maybe you should try working out in the evening. That works really well for her.
  • harlequin0318
    harlequin0318 Posts: 415 Member
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    I use Optimum Nutrition Amino Energy - doesn't have loads of caffeine in it, I actually don't feel a kick from it much anymore, (but I could also sleep after drinking a pot of coffee). But it comes in a bunch of flavors too!
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,951 Member
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    Did the OP use the search function to read the thread from yesterday about pre-workouts? I wonder, as this was answered fairly well.

    Long story short: Unless you're advanced or elite, it's generally not going to do much for you. There are a couple that actually work, while the rest are fun toys.
    Caffeine, ECA stack.
  • blankiefinder
    blankiefinder Posts: 3,599 Member
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    My kids have something called Mocha Mud before their morning practices. It's hard to have an appetite at 4:20 am, but you need some fuel to get through a 2 hour intense workout!

    This is the description: blend of coffees, protein, carbs, and aminos
  • IronSmasher
    IronSmasher Posts: 3,908 Member
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    If you need a stimulant to get through something often, you'll keep needing higher and higher doses as you build up a tolarance to the stimulant.

    A better approach would be to do a more manageable activity that doesn't end up with you crashing and burning.

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