PRE WORKOUT – Any one who is serious about working out has tried it at least once. As an all natural athlete I make sure that my supplements are not spiked so don’t panic, most pre workouts are clean and proud of it so it’s not hard to spot ones which aren’t.
It turns a normally shy introvert into the craziest extroverted freak ever known to man and if you take too much of it you might end up twerking naked on top of your car, it’s my best friend and the annoying sibling who often gets you into trouble.
Despite it being a perfect excuse for my lunacy, it does have it’s draw backs. Whether you’re a total newbie to supplements or experienced in your game, continue reading as I go through the pros and cons of this fiend.
Over the years I have tried many different pre workouts and they have all provided various highs and lows, my advice would be to try a bunch of different ones until you find one that you like the most and stick with that however if you’re like me and have a high caffeine tolerance then you may have to bounce between brands a little.
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√ PRO#1 – It gives you a massive kick up the butt
The main ingredient in pre workout is (usually) caffeine. Caffeine is a natural stimulant found in plants which kicks your central nervous system into functioning at double speed.
Lets get some figures in place to give you and idea of what you’re putting into your body, on average there is:
- 11mg of caffeine in a normal cup of tea
- 40mg of caffeine in a normal cup of coffee
- 80mg of caffeine in a small can of full fat/sugar/calorie red bull
- 175mg of caffeine in 1 serving of Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard pre workout
How much of a kick does your morning cup of coffee give you? Well imagine drinking just over 4 cups in a row….that’s pre workout.
√ PRO#2 – You could arm wrestle Arnold Schwarzenegger
Well…probably not but due to the huge caffeine hit, a few extra grams of creatine and a bunch of B vitamins you’re going to feel like the strongest person in the world and because you’re all excited from the caffeine you’ll be bouncing off the walls and shouting about how TOTALLY PUMPED you are right now, BRO! I can guarantee you that pre workout will not turn you into the hulk however it will increase your endurance enabling you to push yourself that little bit further, this is what matters the most when you’re training which leads me onto my last point.
√ PRO#3 – Ultimate satisfaction
That feeling you get when you’ve truly smashed your work out, hit a new PR, sweated it all out for an extra minute and truly broken yourself….that is the satisfaction I love a good pre workout will help you do that.
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× CON#1 – Itchy skin
There’s an amino acid in most pre workouts called Beta Alanine, this little devil assists with increasing your performance however a side effect is that it can make your skin tingle. Don’t panic! It’s not permanent and lasts about 30 minutes but it does feel strange especially when it’s just your ear lobes, fingers or nipples. Yep, weird.
× CON#2 – A burning desire to mate
Through my research I have not been able to find the culprit for this side effect but from my personal experience there have been some brands of pre workout which have made me unnaturally horny; like to point of no return, to the point of rocking back and fourth in my car talking myself out of luring an innocent gentleman into the changing rooms.
As a woman who has an annoyingly high sex drive anyway this can be very painful, soul destroying actually. Women who have a vagina do not get erections obviously, but we do get a burning ache of lust-fire right in the foo-foo. I’ve found myself on several occaisions screaming in my car all sorts of profane obscenities of what I want to do to various men and then sitting, quietly stewing over it in the gym while I watch them sweat and grunt like animals.
IT’S INFURITAING!
× CON#3 – Niagra falls…out of your butt
You read that correctly.
Some brands of pre workout will give you the temporary trots, especially if you take too much of it. From what I’ve found, it’s the brands with magnesium in them that makes this happen but I think the sheer amount of caffeine doesn’t really help either.
I have had several occaisions where my caffeine tolerance has tried to outwit me so I’ve had about 2.5/3 scoops of this stuff on the way to the gym. Then when I park up at the gym it’s caught up with me and I have had to run into the building as fast as I could to find a toilet.
Thankfully this side effect only lasts about 15 minutes and once you’re done you can take on the world because you’re totally cleared out. Happy days.
Some people have never had this issue and some brands don’t even induce this side effect at all, it’s a bit like Russian roulette just…with poop.
In conclusion I find pre workout a great little tool for when I want a burst of extra energy, everyone uses it differently however I would recommend only using it when you need it, so maybe day 2 and/or 3 of training after a rest day.
I would also recommend cycling the product: have 4-6 weeks of using it (or however long the tub lasts) and then 2-4 weeks of not using it, this will help to prevent your body from adapting to the product and blocking it’s benefits.
I will be posting a review of different pre workouts soon so click that follow button!!
