Pre workout powder. Ye or nay?

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SalmonSister
SalmonSister Posts: 37 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I am trying to find out if the hype of pre workout powder is all that and a bag of carrots. I work out 6 days a week, cardio and weights, I'm on a mission and have no abort button! I don't take supplements, only multivitamin and that's it. But, does anyone have experience with pre-workouts, was it worth it? Best ones? Any problems? Is it better to not? TIA!
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Replies

  • L1zardQueen
    L1zardQueen Posts: 8,754 Member
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    Coffee is my favorite, cheap and widely available.
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,751 Member
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    I've never noticed any benefits from a preWO... I'm a big believer in just using my own strength and determination to get through a workout, I don't need another substance to pick me up.

    I'd go for coffee/caffeine over anything else.
  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,182 Member
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    It depends. Working out with an empty stomach can burn more fat while also limiting the impressiveness of your workout. Fueling your workout beforehand limits the fat burn but gives you energy to kill the workout program. Which do you want most?
  • crackpotbaby
    crackpotbaby Posts: 1,297 Member
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    Do you enjoy feeling jittery and irate?
    Could you be at risk of cardiac tachy-arrhythmias?
    Are you okay with deranged liver enzymes?

  • cbelc2
    cbelc2 Posts: 762 Member
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    A bag of carrots! What a great pre-workout snack!
  • GauchoMark
    GauchoMark Posts: 1,804 Member
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    pre-workouts work. period.

    Some of them are better than others and some people tolerate them well, some don't. Whether or not you use one is up to you. I would base it on how well you do without them, how well you tolerate caffeine, and if you have any health issues. You might do just as well by eating a well planed meal about 1 hour beforehand, but even then, the pre will give you more energy on top of that, so it is really just a personal decision and how you feel about supplements.

    I use them about half the time and I definitely work much harder than when I don't use them. I don't get jittery, tingly, or any of the other symptoms some people report, but caffeine really doesn't affect me much in general.

    Most respectable pre-workouts are mainly caffeine and amino acids, and maybe some b vitamins, so the caffeine is the main concern. Some also have some herbals that you might need to be careful with. Then there are the shady ones that have some pretty nasty stuff that can cause you to fail drug tests. Just real the ingredients and do some research.
  • trigden1991
    trigden1991 Posts: 4,658 Member
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    GauchoMark wrote: »
    pre-workouts work. period.

    In what way do they work?

    OP there is no NEED for a pre-workout but it MAY help you, probably by placebo effect.
  • andrea4736
    andrea4736 Posts: 211 Member
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    I love it. I get up at 3:30am to work out so I need the caffeine. Pills just don't work the same for me for some reason.
  • jjpptt2
    jjpptt2 Posts: 5,650 Member
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    Caffeine is the most proven and most effective pre-workout. You can get caffeine from lots of products/sources. After that, all the other vitamins and extracts and proprietary blends and whatever else that can be found in pre-workouts are, at best, iffy.

    Pre-workouts are probably one of the best examples of "your mileage may vary" - only way to know if it works is to try it and see. Actually, to try a bunch and see. Not all pre-workouts are created equal.
  • GauchoMark
    GauchoMark Posts: 1,804 Member
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    trigden1991 wrote: »
    GauchoMark wrote: »
    pre-workouts work. period.

    In what way do they work?

    OP there is no NEED for a pre-workout but it MAY help you, probably by placebo effect.

    They give you more energy and endurance which allows you to increase your intensity and volume. It isn't placebo; creatine and caffeine are well researched. I simple google search even found pre-workout specific research.

    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3361498/
    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2854104/
    http://www.medsci.org/v11p0116.htm

    You can find a lot more by searching specific to creatine and caffeine
  • damonanaya
    damonanaya Posts: 3 Member
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    My tears are my preworkout
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,344 Member
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    GauchoMark wrote: »
    pre-workouts work. period.

    If the definition of "work" means they jack up my HR and blood pressure, make me jittery and queasy and make my skin itchy, I agree 100%.

    A cup of coffee works fine for me if/when I feel like I need something PWO.
  • GauchoMark
    GauchoMark Posts: 1,804 Member
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    AnvilHead wrote: »
    GauchoMark wrote: »
    pre-workouts work. period.

    If the definition of "work" means they jack up my HR and blood pressure, make me jittery and queasy and make my skin itchy, I agree 100%.

    A cup of coffee works fine for me if/when I feel like I need something PWO.

    Like I said, different people have different tolerances. If you read the directions, most PWO say to test tolerance with 1/4 - 1/2 a dose. It sounds like you just took a full dose without seeing how you would handle it.

    But, coffee works too. Caffeine is caffeine. It also raises your HR and BP, you just apparently don't drink enough to get the same response.
  • rollerjog
    rollerjog Posts: 154 Member
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    pre workouts work for me , almost all have some sort of caffeine in them , as for the other stuff in pre workouts like beta alanine or l citruline malate or creatine they usually under dose them, thats why i buy each supplement in bulk and make my own, that way you get a full dose of all the supplements and not a half dose like the big box brands sell, its a lot cheaper to buy in bulk and make your own in the long run
  • rollerjog
    rollerjog Posts: 154 Member
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    if the caffeine gives you the jitters you can take a supplement called, l theanine you will get same energy taking it with the caffeine but no jitters you will have lazer focus, heres a link on l theanine https://examine.com/supplements/theanine/
  • MAH80T50
    MAH80T50 Posts: 23 Member
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    I've never taken them, my pre-workout snack has always been a banana before cardio, and a banana with a teaspoon of peanut butter (organic good quality) before weight training ... I've never felt jittery of shaky after a workout and I have never felt weak and wobbly due to lack of fuel during or immediately after a workout either.

    It's all dependent on the individual, I don't do well with caffeine, it gives me a headache and it makes me feel a bit queasy - I'd prefer to workout on a small snack (banana & peanut butter) but we're all different.
  • OhMsDiva
    OhMsDiva Posts: 1,074 Member
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    I have a question. I "use " a pre workout, mostly because I like the way it makes my water taste. If I feel extremely tired, I will use the pre workout but I just add it to my water and drink it while I am working out. It probably kicks in about the stated 30 minutes into my workout, which is fine for me. Maybe I don't have a question. I was wondering if I take the caffeine pill right before I work out if it would have the same effect?
    The problem is I get up and 4 am to work out and I am not going to get up at 3:30 to take a stimulant that will kick in at 4. I am just throwing that out. Thanks for any constructive comments.
  • Lynnmi07
    Lynnmi07 Posts: 131 Member
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    I drink a cup of coffee before my workout. Sometimes since I workout right after work if I'm hungry when heading to the gym I will mix protein powder with a couple drops of mio(?) mocha flavor with caffeine just to get me through until dinner time. This probably doesn't have all the benefits of a preworkout but it's cheap and works for me.

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