Pre workout or coffee???!?!?

I've done both. I am currently using C4, and before that was using Pre-Workout Explosion by Muscletech. I don't personally think there's anything wrong with pre-workouts, and they have some ingredients that can also be a bonus. However, you will build up an immunity to them over time, so you'll need to take a break from them from time to time. For instance I just came off a break for about 5 weeks during which time I simply drank a couple cups of coffee before working out. I did miss the pre-workout though, many of them have beta-allanine in them which gives you sort of a tingle in your skin, and for me that's a push to get up and work out, so it's like I drink the pre-workout and then am committed to the workout so I get it done. There have been days with just coffee I didn't get the same jolt of energy and skipped the workout or wasn't able to go as long or as intense as I normally would.

Both C4 and Pre-Workout Explosion from Muscletech can be found at any Wal-Mart or Sam's club so it's cheap and readily available. Before you take a full scoop though, try a half scoop.. and work your way up. Some people take the maximum dose day 1 and regret it because it'll make them jittery. If they make you tingle, that's normal, and as soon as you start to work your muscles it goes away and turns into energy, at least it does for me.

Personally, I'm not a fan of C4. I get the jitters and it makes me feel sick more than anything. I eat a protein bar pre-workout and drink coffee immediately after. Nothing wrong with switching it up and drink coffee as a pre-work out though!

yazzi420 wrote: »

im always feeling tired p

What's your net calorie intake? You don't have anything logged in your diary but if you're always tired that would suggest that your deficit is a bit too deep.

You shouldn't need a pre-workout, particularly as many of them are just caffeine anyway

IMO there's generally not a lot of science behind pre-workout supplements. (Maybe in certain cases for individual components, but not as a whole mixture.) They're generally a mixture of a LOT of caffeine, some vitamins (particularly B-vitamins -- the niacin which gives you the tingles), and sometimes some amino acids. Maybe some creatine, if you're lucky. But since supplements aren't regulated, it's hard to know what other stuff is in there.

You're probably better off (your wallet, anyway) by just getting the individual components that "work" and avoid the price tag and fillers:

• Stick with your coffee if you like it, but add in a caffeine supplement (can be found in pills or powders) if it's not enough or if the coffee upsets your stomach
• Find a good creatine supplement -- creatine actually has some decent science behind it if you're looking for explosive muscle performance and recovery
• Throw some BCAAs (branched-chain amino acids) into your water that you bring with you to work out -- flavored BCAAs can help with muscle recovery (and arginine is the one that supplies the "NO" in NO-Xplod and similar supplements) and will encourage you to drink more and stay hydrated
• B-vitamins (like the niacin/B3 mentioned above) are dirt cheap, but if your diet is good, you probably don't need them
• Note: your muscle cells really like L-glutamine, another amino acid, so getting enough protein containing glutamine (or supplementing) may also be beneficial, depending on how hardcore your workouts are

This allows you to toy with the dosages components to suit what feels best for you. And you'll probably save money, on a per-scoop basis. Again, remember that the caffeine is really the big hitter in all of these pre-workouts. Just be careful, because it can mess with your sleep, and a lot of growth and repair hormones are released when you're sleeping.

yazzi420 wrote: »

And @MeanderingMammal i fell off frm the app for a while so todays log is pretty accurate as to how many cals i inrake around 2 to 3 thousand i eat atleast 3 "big meals " breakfast lunch dinner and 3 small meals in btwn and i drink alot of green tea and water

So based on your reported location it should be about 1700 for you at the moment. Your log suggests a total of 960 calories, with your breakfast and lunch combined being about 500 of those. Your log also doesn't yet account for any training calories burned off.

Clearly this is just one day, but if it's typical I'd suggest that you may want to consider just eating more.

Vitamin B12 and caffeine pills would be my suggestion. The caffeine pills I use are 200mg each and around $3 for a bottle of 60.

My experience has been that the best, and only needed, "pre-workout" is a good robust warm-up.

A self inflicted kick to the rump to get the warm-up started, warm-up and I'm good to go. Why would someone need anything else?

Coffee and b'fast for me. I've never taken a pre-workout.

I've been feeling sluggish lately...I'd missed 3+ straight days of my vitamin d supplement; started taking it again and have improved. You might want to have that checked.