Heading to the gym? Going out for a run? You may have been advised by your trainer to take ‘pre-workout’supplements if you want to improve your performance and increase muscle strength. Pre-workout supplements have increased in popularity among athletes, active individuals, and a few athletic coaches for their purported ergogenic benefits.
While a varied and nutritious diet and high-quality sleep are essential for a good workout, there are some supplements that can give you a greater edge, so that you can perform harder and for longer to build a better body. Many pre-workout supplements come with a combination of stimulants that help to boost energy, mental focus and endurance while exercising.
To find out more about pre-workout supplements, Sunday POST got in touch with a few fitness trainers.
Delhi-based fitness trainers Ravi Kumar and Vinit Choudhary are on the lookout for new exercises, workout routines, supplements and fitness techniques.
According to them, people are generally low on energy though they want to work out, lose weight or build muscle. Pre-workout supplements are helpful before you hit the gym. They are important for CrossFit, muscle building exercises and give you the required pump during Zumba. But choosing the wrong pre-workout supplement might lead to dehydration, headache, sleeplessness and nausea. It is always advisable to consult your fitness trainer or nutritionist before you use pre-workout supplements, the duo caution.
Ravi and Vinit also point out that many of the pre-workout supplements available in the market have artificial sweeteners and other ingredients which are not required. They are used just to tempt the public to purchase. Choosing the right pre-workout supplement can help increase the benefits of exercises and aid in building lean muscle and in weight reduction.
Md Abid, a Bhubaneswar-based gym trainer, says, “Pre-workout supplements are designed to be taken around 30 minutes before training and contain compounds that enhance focus, performance and increase blood flow to improve the delivery of nutrients to the muscles. Whether you’re training for more muscle mass, lower body fat levels or better athletic performance, pre-workout supplementation should be an important component of your nutrition strategy. And what you consume right before training can have a big impact on both exercise performance and how quickly your body recovers from it. You should not take supplements on an empty stomach and taking supplements immediately after food is also a big no-no.
Experts say that energy drinks and pre-workout supplements share a common ingredient, caffeine. Energy drinks mostly boost our immune system and energise us for a period whereas pre-workouts are not just about loading us with stimulants, but they build a mechanism to put your fitness in place. From building muscle to losing weight, they can help us with everything.
Experts suggest that there are five key ingredients which any pre-workout supplement must have, and they are:
- Caffeine: It’s the most common ingredient which almost every pre-workout supplement contains. Caffeine is also found naturally in coffee, so some people prefer black coffee as a substitute for any pre-workout drink. A dosage of 4-5mg/kg of bodyweight is considered optimal for performance-enhancing benefits. Not everyone can tolerate caffeine, so it’s always best to start at a lower range and move up.
- Citrulline Malate: It is an amino acid which gets converted to arginine inside the body. It provides pump and helps in improving exercise performance. It reduces acidity which builds up in your blood during exercise and adds an acid buffer to counter that problem. It is effective in reducing muscle fatigue while increasing work capacity to train longer.
- Taurine: It is again a basic ingredient which is found in almost all pre-workout supplements. It is one of the most essential elements if you are looking to do longer training periods. Taurine is also found in meat, fish, milk, cheese, etc. If you’re a vegan, this may be the best ingredient which you can intake before you start your workout. It helps you focus, enhances your capabilities during the workout and helps in reducing stress because of its calming effects.
- Creatine: One of the most important ingredients one must look for when buying any pre-workout supplement, creatine’s main function is to make you stronger and more powerful.
- Arginine: This essential amino acid is part of the branch-chained amino acid group and necessary for producing protein. Arginine is also used to create nitric oxide, a compound that relaxes your blood vessels for better blood flow and oxygen exchange. There is also a possible health benefit for those suffering from heart problems or hypertension.
Shabiha Nur Khatoon, OP