Pre workouts and protein shakes

Neither of these two items will directly aid in losing fat or toning up. What are you hoping they'll do?

missmassi23 wrote: »

Any recommendations? I'm trying to lose fat and tone up. Legs arms abs. Not really gain muscle weight but to look more toned in those areas.
Pre workouts preferably more natural ones/gluten free, ya know lol but if not I'm willing to read up about it.

Pre = caffeine
Post = balanced daily diet

"Toning" is just pc for getting the fat off my muscles. You do that by eating right. If you want more prominent muscles you have to work on building them up. You aren't going to become the hulk by accident.

usmcmp wrote: »

Pre-workouts are great for energy if you find yourself dragging through a workout, but many people prefer a snack or coffee instead. Pre-workouts are not natural at all. They are a chemical mixture meant to provide increased blood flow and quick energy.

Protein shakes don't make or break it when you are trying to get lean. Protein shakes are good for helping meet protein intake if you struggle to meet it with regular foods. It's not magically going to help you shed fat and build muscle (which is what tone means).

If someone is lacking energy for a workout they would be better off determining the root cause instead of injesting pre-workout supplements

Packerjohn wrote: »

usmcmp wrote: »

Pre-workouts are great for energy if you find yourself dragging through a workout, but many people prefer a snack or coffee instead. Pre-workouts are not natural at all. They are a chemical mixture meant to provide increased blood flow and quick energy.

Protein shakes don't make or break it when you are trying to get lean. Protein shakes are good for helping meet protein intake if you struggle to meet it with regular foods. It's not magically going to help you shed fat and build muscle (which is what tone means).

If someone is lacking energy for a workout they would be better off determining the root cause instead of injesting pre-workout supplements

But sometimes I'm not able to go back and get a better night's sleep.
Still, I prefer coffee.
I've also experience better stamina during longer, high volume workouts if I take BCAAs before/during.

homecraftedmom wrote: »

I have been following this because I need preworkout and postworkout info as well. I dont drink coffee, so I usually have a "snack" - protein and fruit before my workout. I do this because I dont want my blood sugar level going too low while I workout or just after. I like shakes, easy to add protein powder and fruit, but I also want something that is low in sugar, and low in cost. Suggestions?

I like Trutein protein powders and C4 for preworkout. For me, the preworkout has a 90% 'forgot to take" rate.

Typically, I do a lot of cardio so I'm not sure if this applies to you. But I tend to eat cereal bars to fuel my workouts. I try to find the ones with less sugar in but it doesn't matter too much since you'll be using the energy anyway. As for protein powders, MyProtein is a pretty good brand. The summer fruits flavour is pretty nice with water or milk.

I should probably also add that hydrating yourself before you workout is important as well so drink a glass or 2 of water beforehand and take a water bottle you can sip while working out. This might just be me but I don't like drinking much while I'm working out because it fills my stomach up and makes me feel a little bloated if I drink too quickly.

I only tend to go for electrolyte drinks like lucozade or gatorade if my cardio sessions are gonna last longer than an hour so water is probably best.

missmassi23 wrote: »

Any recommendations? I'm trying to lose fat and tone up. Legs arms abs. Not really gain muscle weight but to look more toned in those areas.
Pre workouts preferably more natural ones/gluten free, ya know lol but if not I'm willing to read up about it.

Lean protein POST workout is better to aid muscle recovery.

Have a small snack 40-60 minutes before working out. Caffeine is good for energy. I like some espresso before a workout since I get up at 440 and workout at 6.

Be very careful with preworkout drinks. As most people have said, they're a mix of chemicals and aren't regulated. I have used NO Explode on and off over the years. I had been using it for a few weeks and had a physical in December and the blood test showed my liver enzymes are a little high. We've retested a couple times and it hasn't come down yet. There's a lot of people talking about that on the internet, I've always been aware of it, but now it's affected me. I've stopped and gone back to coffee and the next retest should show normal levels. The effects aren't worth what it can do to your body. Besides affecting the liver, there's a whole bunch of other unpleasant side effects.

Stick to a small snack, water, and coffee or tea to get going.