Pre workout

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_mytime_
_mytime_ Posts: 27 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Ok so I have been back in the gym a good few month now and I have never taken pre workout. A strong coffee or sugar free energy drink doesn’t count right?

So my question, does pre workout really help you push harder/further in the gym? And if so what pre workout do you take?
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  • claireychn074
    claireychn074 Posts: 1,444 Member
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    Coffee or an energy drink certainly does count… many pre workouts include caffeine. Some contain sugar. It’s the caffeine or derivatives which make you energised, and some might contain vitamins or minerals too. Pre workouts aren’t (sadly) a magical tool. I’ve tried a few and just gone back to coffee and a handful of jelly babies.. I’m sure there’ll be some advice from people that get a benefit from them soon.
  • tomcustombuilder
    tomcustombuilder Posts: 1,872 Member
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    Most pre workouts are just flavored water with caffeine so coffee or an energy drink is the same thing. Some preworkouts have assorted extra ingredients however they don’t really do much more than coffee or a good energy drink. I’ve been drinking a Celsius pre workout.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,883 Member
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    _mytime_ wrote: »
    Ok so I have been back in the gym a good few month now and I have never taken pre workout. A strong coffee or sugar free energy drink doesn’t count right?

    So my question, does pre workout really help you push harder/further in the gym? And if so what pre workout do you take?

    I agree with the others that special workout supplements are overhyped, unlikely to be worth it, especially for a regular person who doesn't have an extremely lengthy, intense workout schedule.

    That said, if you're not sure, why not try the energy drink or coffee+candy for a couple of weeks, see how you feel; then try an official pre-workout for a couple of weeks, and compare? Be sure to bring your skepticism to any such experiment, because placebo effect is real, though!
  • _mytime_
    _mytime_ Posts: 27 Member
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    Thanks for taking the time to comment! Ok, thinking I will stick with the energy drinks for now just more regular before the gym and see if I notice any difference.
  • Retroguy2000
    Retroguy2000 Posts: 1,590 Member
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    The whole concept is hype imo.

    If you need some energy, any small snack, even a banana or granola bar, may be enough. Since I'm working out at home, I typically bring a coffee in, and I have one less coffee earlier to avoid having too much through the day :smile:
  • tomcustombuilder
    tomcustombuilder Posts: 1,872 Member
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    For that extra bump. vhoasdx10v8e.jpeg
  • _mytime_
    _mytime_ Posts: 27 Member
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    Out of curiosity…if a standard cup of coffee contains 100g, how much of “hard rhino” do you take?
  • 64degreeracing
    64degreeracing Posts: 2 Member
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    Just a black coffee with stevia about 45 minutes before workouts!
  • tomcustombuilder
    tomcustombuilder Posts: 1,872 Member
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    _mytime_ wrote: »
    Out of curiosity…if a standard cup of coffee contains 100g, how much of “hard rhino” do you take?
    I haven’t taken it for awhile I’d have to look on the pack for the amounts however it’s a tiny amount. I ended up mixing a batch in water so that I could add a teaspoon of it that would be 300mg I think it was. You can vary it though.

    If someone didn’t read the directions and added say, a teaspoon of the powder to their drink, straight, they probably would have a heart attack. I’m actually surprised they can actually sell this stuff.

  • grob49
    grob49 Posts: 125 Member
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    I'm mixing BCAA,Creatine, powder beets and Emergen-C snd I can tell you it definitely works. I take it 30 minutes before my 5 mile walk and it really helps me get through it.
  • nossmf
    nossmf Posts: 9,844 Member
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    I keep meticulous records of my workouts, every rep/weight, every treadmill duration/speed/incline. A few years back, I decided to try a pre-workout, bought a container which lasted about a month, and recorded the impact upon my workouts.

    Final result: zero impact. Exact same performance in every respect.

    I did note how I felt amped before the workout began, but I didn't turn into the Hulk with super strength, fatigue crept in at the same rate. About the only real difference was I felt extra motivated to get into the gym and start.

    But motivation to get in the gym has never been an issue for me. Consequently I could not personally justify the money spent on it, and haven't had any since.

    A coworker, however, swears by his pre-workout, because it helps overcome any fatigue preventing him from hitting the gym. For him, taking the pre-workout is often the difference between hitting the gym or not, so for him, it's worth the cost. He did admit, though, that he didn't feel it improved his performance any.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,867 Member
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    _mytime_ wrote: »
    Ok so I have been back in the gym a good few month now and I have never taken pre workout. A strong coffee or sugar free energy drink doesn’t count right?

    So my question, does pre workout really help you push harder/further in the gym? And if so what pre workout do you take?

    Pre-workouts are largely caffeine as well as about 2,500% of the RDA for B12. I tried C4 once upon a time and I thought my heart was going to beat out of my chest and my hair was tingling. Felt more like I was on legal speed than anything else. I find it completely unnecessary to take a pre-workout, and my experience didn't feel particularly "healthy"
  • Retroguy2000
    Retroguy2000 Posts: 1,590 Member
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    nossmf wrote: »
    I keep meticulous records of my workouts, every rep/weight, every treadmill duration/speed/incline. A few years back, I decided to try a pre-workout, bought a container which lasted about a month, and recorded the impact upon my workouts.

    Final result: zero impact. Exact same performance in every respect.

    I did note how I felt amped before the workout began, but I didn't turn into the Hulk with super strength, fatigue crept in at the same rate. About the only real difference was I felt extra motivated to get into the gym and start.

    But motivation to get in the gym has never been an issue for me. Consequently I could not personally justify the money spent on it, and haven't had any since.

    A coworker, however, swears by his pre-workout, because it helps overcome any fatigue preventing him from hitting the gym. For him, taking the pre-workout is often the difference between hitting the gym or not, so for him, it's worth the cost. He did admit, though, that he didn't feel it improved his performance any.
    Did you log a performance difference after starting creatine?
  • nossmf
    nossmf Posts: 9,844 Member
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    Fair question, and one I hope to have an answer to soon. I started taking creatine at the same time I returned to the weight room following a lengthy layoff to heal an injured elbow, so it's taken weeks of rehab and slowly increasing volume back to pre-injury volume levels, let alone weights. But starting this week I'm good to up the weights again, so will see in the coming weeks how quickly I return to, and hopefully surpass, previous levels.
  • _mytime_
    _mytime_ Posts: 27 Member
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    It isn’t the motivation to hit the gym but the performance in the gym that i was questioning and if the pre workout i keep seeing people take would actually make any impact on my performance. I appreciate all of your input and will be logging how the added energy drink/ coffee helps in the gym 👍🏻
  • tomcustombuilder
    tomcustombuilder Posts: 1,872 Member
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    _mytime_ wrote: »
    It isn’t the motivation to hit the gym but the performance in the gym that i was questioning and if the pre workout i keep seeing people take would actually make any impact on my performance. I appreciate all of your input and will be logging how the added energy drink/ coffee helps in the gym 👍🏻

    What I found to be the biggest help was to sip on the energy drink throughout the workout rather than gulping it down just before starting. It seemed to have a nice, even energy boost that way. Starting about 30 min before getting in the gym.
  • nossmf
    nossmf Posts: 9,844 Member
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    You must be using a different energy drink than me, as I've never found one I enjoy the taste, thus slam it with a water chaser to get the taste out of my mouth! lol
  • _mytime_
    _mytime_ Posts: 27 Member
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    I am a monster fan and actually love the taste more than I should lol! Stick to the sugar free tho
  • tomcustombuilder
    tomcustombuilder Posts: 1,872 Member
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    nossmf wrote: »
    You must be using a different energy drink than me, as I've never found one I enjoy the taste, thus slam it with a water chaser to get the taste out of my mouth! lol
    Ive been drinking Celsius lately. Good taste.

  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,883 Member
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    _mytime_ wrote: »
    I am a monster fan and actually love the taste more than I should lol! Stick to the sugar free tho

    Um . . . lots of pre-workouts contain sugar, in theory because as a quick-to-metabolize carbohydrate, it can boost energy during the workout, lead to a better workout. (Already in this thread, someone(s) mentioned sugar-type candy as a pre-workout. Not unusual IME.)

    Besides caffeine and sugar, old school Monster Original Energy Drink even has various other compounds in it that are in some official pre-workouts. ;) Examples: Taurine, B-3, ginseng, B vitamins, guarana . . .

    Note: I'm not endorsing Monster, pre-workouts, or the idea that any of those ingredients are useful or necessary before workouts. I'm just expressing amusement at the overlap of ingredients, in a context where Monster was presumed to be not a pre-workout.

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