The Ultimate Pre Workout Guide to Get Most Out of It

Do you know what'll help you to boost your performance and increase your 1 RM in the gym?

Well! everyone have their own view, so answer may be different for some people.

But the most of the people will say that pre workout, intra workout and post workout supplement will really boost your strength.

I'm not saying this, you can check out this research done by Hannah A. Zabriskie and his colleague stated that those supplement will improve object's performance in various exercises.

However, breakfast, lunch and dinner is also considered as one of the most important meals of the day. so, don't skip anyone, if you really want to improve your performance than your friends.

In this article, we'll be discussing all about pre workout and all the things about it like what it is, dosage, pre workout snacks, foods, and benefits.

What is The Pre Workout Nutrition?

If you're a intermediate or an advanced level athletes or bodybuilders, you can skip this section because I assume you already know about pre workout and its definition. 

You may be thinking about the heading of this section that why I wrote pre workout nutrition not the pre workout supplement?

Well, there is a reason behind this, some people know about the pre workout nutrition and some people only know about the pre workout supplement.

If you don't know about the pre workout nutrition, you should definitely read this section.

Most people take pre workout in the form of supplement because they don't know that pre workout can be taken in the form of meal and snack also.

What's in Pre Workout Supplement?

The pre workout can be made from many ingredients like Caffeine, Creatine, Creatine nitrate, Beta-Alanine, Taurine, Citrulline, BCAA, Betaine, Arginine, Alpha-Ketoglutarate, N-Acetyl-L-Tyrosine, Teacrine®.

After reading this long list of pre workout ingredients, you may be thinking do I need them all?

The short answer is NO.

You can check out this link, if you want to know what the dosage, what this supplement does and all?

So, now what ingredient should you need or must have in your pre workout supplement?

The Big Four is Caffeine, BCAAs, Beta-Alanine, Creatine Mono-hydrate.

One of the author from bodybuilding.com named these ingredients as a big four because all of these have the most scientific research backing their use.

So, I suggest you to chose those pre workout supplements which have any one or two ingredients from the list.

Should I Use Pre Workout?

This is the most important question, should you take pre workout nutrition before any kind of workout?

Before knowing the actual answer we should know that pre workout nutrition actually help us to increase our performance in the gym or not?

The answer is YES! 

In fact, several studies shows that taking pre workout supplement for extended period of time with proper exercises will lead to beneficial changes in body composition and strength.

Another study done by the researcher at US National Library of Medicine and National Institute of Health found  that taking pre workout supplement before exercise significantly improved agility choice reaction performance and lower body muscular endurance, while increasing perceived energy and reducing subjective fatigue.  

This finding also suggest that pre workout supplementation will help you to delay fatigue during certain type of exercises.

From the studies, it is now proved that pre workout nutrition or supplement will help user to increase muscle endurance and strength in the gym. 

Now you know that pre workout supplements help you to increase overall performance in the gym but how can you find that you need any pre workout supplement or not?

In the below list, I mention certain point and if anyone applies to you, you will need pre workout in the future.

• Want to build muscle endurance
• Your muscle becomes fatigue fast
• You're not  feeling motivated
• You need to bounce back fast on your weights

Researcher shows that, any kind of pre workout will help you to achieve all of the above points and if you're lacking one of them, you should start taking pre workout supplement.

However, you can also take pre workout meal or snack instead of supplement, both will work same until and unless they don't have enough protein and carb proportion.

When to Drink Pre Workout?

Like I mentioned before, there are many type of pre workout available but the best four is the most important and lead more gains.

However, every pre workout has its own time to digest and shows it effects in the gym.

But The big four ingredients pre workout generally takes between 45 to 60 minutes to digest and shows its effects.

So, the best timing to take pre workout drink would be 1 hour before your actual workout(Exclude Warm-up).

If you're taking pre workout snack or meal then timing will vary according to your meal.

Because, meal contain macros and it takes more time to digest than pre workout supplements.

Most of the pre workout meals will digest between 1 to 2 hours, so if you have enough time to take your pre workout then go for it or best option for busy person would be pre workout supplement.

How to Take Pre Workout?

The answer of this question is pretty simple.

You should take pre workout supplement with water without empty stomach.

Most people did this mistake while taking pre workout that they consume it with empty stomach, and they feel light-headed, jittery, and sometimes even nauseous.

So make sure you take small meal before you take pre workout and it will reduce those side effects.

In fact, nutrients in this small meal will also push you in the gym to lift more weights.

Is Pre Workout Safe?

Now, you know that pre workout will help you, how to take it and should you use it or not?

But the main question arise in most people mind when anyone talking about pre workout is: is pre workout safe for me?

Well, it is pretty simple question but many people make it confusing.

Most of the pre workout contains mainly caffeine, b vitamins and creatine which are mostly harmless.

There have been a number of recent studies showing supplements containing ingredients other than those listed on the label can be harmful.

And, if you don't want to take any pre workout supplement or you're afraid of then go for the any pre workout meal or snack which will also work same as the pre workout supplement.

According to one Reddit community, power-lifting, pros of pre workout outweigh the cons. 

So, you should start taking pre workout supplement if you don't have time for the pre workout meal without worrying much about its side effects.

Best Pre Workout in the 2019

There is no doubt that pre workout supplement gaining much popularity these day than ever before and same applies to pre workout manufactures.

There are many companies who make pre workout supplement these day but some companies are best in this market, which I personally prefer and recommended by many fitness trainers. 

• Jack3d By USP Labs
• C4 ripped By Cellucor
• Pre JYM

 This is my own choice and can be varied for you. 

There are many sites who recommend you to take pre workout but I suggest you to try every type of pre workout and find  the best one for you because it won't harm you if you're taking different company's pre workout.

There are also many sites who recommend different pre workout based on your goal, however, there is no such pre workout which helps you to achieve certain type of goal like weight loss, pump and all.

Best Pre Workout Meal/Snack/Food

As I said earlier, you can take pre workout meal instead of pre workout supplement but which are the best pre workout meal/snack or food?

Which foods and how much should you eat depends on your workout type, intensity and volume.

However, any pre workout meal must have enough protein and mixture of carbs such as simple and complex.

If you're taking pre workout meal then make sure you take it before 2 hours of your workout. so, nutrients in the pre workout are at the peak while you start your workout.

Here are some example of pre workout meals

• Protein smoothie: made from milk, whey protein, some berries and banana
• A cup of oat meal with apple or banana and sliced almonds
• 100 gm of Greek yogurt with fruits
• Egg omelet and whole-grain toast topped with avocado spread and a cup of fruit
• Lean protein, brown rice and roasted vegetables 
• Nutrition bar and any food(Apple, banana & orange is best)

These are the just basic ideas of pre workout meal, you can check out this link for more pre workout and post workout snack ideas.

Best Pre Workout Foods

Below are the best pre workout food which you can add with any of your meal.

Image source

Recommended Doses of Pre Workout

The recommended dose is one of the most important thing when it comes to supplementation. 

If you're taking less then you won't see any effects in your muscle and performance and vice versa.

1. Creatine: 5 gm before and 5 gm after the workout 

2. Caffeine: recommend dose is 20-40 mg per kg or 18 mg per pound,  however, taking this amount of caffeine in your pre workout comes with various side effects during workout.

So, it is better for everyone to start with low dose and then increase gradually if you really need.

Make sure you are not taking it throughout the year, otherwise, it will have some effect on your brain and body as well.

3. Beta-Alanine: 4-6 gm per day to increase exercise performance 

4. Citrulline: 6 grams of L-citrulline or 8 grams of citrulline malate 

5. Sodium Bicarbonate: 136 mg per pound or 300 mg per kg

6. BCAAs: 5 gm before,during and after the workout

7. Nitrate: 3-6 mg per pound or 6-13 mg per kg

What is Pre Workout for (Benefits of Pre Workout)

Now! another important question for us is what is the benefits of pre workout.

Here's the benefits of pre workout supplement.

• Increase Physical Performance
• Prevent Premature Fatigue
• Reduce Protein Breakdown
• Boost blood flow and endurance
• Speed up your recovery time
• Increase power 
• Stay Focused

This are the most basic benefits of any pre workout supplements, if you want to know more detail pros and cons of pre workout supplements check out this article for detail insight.

Final Thought

I hope, after reading this complete guide of pre workout supplements, you don't have any doubt about it.

In case, if you have any doubt, let me know in the comment section.

if you're using pre workout currently let me know which one and why, and if you're not what you're using as pre workout in the comments.