Pre-Workouts

Pre-Workouts, do I really need them?

This has been a huge discussion in the fitness industry in recent months. Are pre workouts really essential to perform at your optimum level in the gym and get the best out of your workout. There are so many different ones on the market that it can cause so much confusion as to which to buy, the ways in which they affect you and what is actually in them.

Pre- Workouts have their benefits in more ways than one, often there are a huge mixture of different ingredients that make up a normal pre-workout, so i’m going to outline a few. 

Creatine monohydrate is one of these products. Creatine Monohydrate can act to increase physical performance in successive bursts of short-term, high intensity exercise and is ideal for sports which require high-intensity, explosive movements. This is ideal in a pre-workout for aspiring bodybuilders as it will help aid both strength and power in the compound exercises such as bench, squat and deadlift. Many often say it can also help achieve that pump in the muscle. The only downfall with creatine is it often requires a loading phase into a cycle, often requiring more than just one intake which you will receive from your pre-workout. It’s also really cheap to buy separately and following the guidelines may be a better option. 

Many pre-workouts also include your amino acids. Amino Acids are complex chemicals that are the building blocks of protein, which are required for the creation of new tissue, and the repair of existing cells. An essential Amino Acid cannot be synthesised or created by the body and therefore must be supplied from the diet. These are often taken pre workout, intra and post in order to aid growth and repair but more so to prevent your body going into a catabolic state, in other terms using muscle mass as an energy source. These can again be brought separately and much like creatine need to be used on more of a regular occasion than just pre-workout. 

The last large contributor is Beta Alanine. This is an non-essential amino acid and therefore is produced by the body, its supplemented as additional levels are required through training. It is thought to aid physical performance, increasing your exercise capacity. This can however have a few side effects such as flushes and a slight tingling effect on the body. The downfall to this product is many people often becoming immune to the effects on the amino acid after consistent use. 

This is one of the reasons why I’m not a big pre-workout fan as I really don’t feel that it does anything for me. I prefer a good helping of coffee, along with your favour song gets me more focused and ready to go every workout, every time. This for me is my pre workout routine and very much like those who take pre workouts gives you that placebo effect on your body, when actually it hasn't benefited you a great deal. One thing I tell everyone is if you want it that badly, hit your PB’s and reach your goals than you will push yourself to those dark places and not require something to do it. 

Give one and try and let me know how you get on, they work totally different for individuals and you may really notice a benefit.