Pre-workouts are a game changer in the fitness industry. I have been a trainer for a very long time so they were not out there in my first few years of training clients. However, I'd say since 2010 they have been taking charge and making the difference between a menial workout and a phenomenal workout. However, one must be very careful when introducing these stimulants into their program. USE CAUTION AND KNOW YOUR BODY.
Most pre-workouts contain 3 popular ingredients: (click on the ingredient to read a nerdy, detailed article about what it does to your body):
1. beta-alanine
2. creatine
3. caffiene
Some contain ingredients that give you extra muscle pumps and or extra focus. While these ingredients are awesome you'd be better off to know why are you taking them and what they do for you.
It is super important to low dose the product to see what it does to your body at first. Once you understand the what and the how you will then and only then really benefit from the product.
I am going to explain 4 pre-workouts that I have used and how each of them helped me improve my workouts. All pre-workouts I take give me extra energy with a caffeine boost. I am sensitive to caffeine and it usually makes me jittery in coffee or diet soda if I have too much of it. However, these 4 pre-workouts have not done this to me. Nor did I crash from any of them. This is important to note.
Another important note is the fact that I do take blood pressure medicine as hypertension runs in my family so I am genetically predisposed to high blood pressure. You must be very careful when introducing pre-workouts into your routine if you have any medical condition. My advice? Seek the advice from your doctor before taking pre-workouts.
On to my 4 pre-workouts. I am going to discuss them in level of introduction to my system, starting with the lightest and ending with the toughest, highest concentration out there.
NLA for Her Uplift - The product boosts it is for clean, sustained energy, fast twitch msucle fiber activation, and improved athletic performance. The energy is given from B-vitamins, caffeine, and some of the amino acids. The fast twitch muscle fiber activation is from the beta-alanine (the tingle) and the amino acids and improved athletic performance is from the overall ingredient list. I usually refer my clients new to pre-workouts to this product simply because it is "clean" and it is a basic pre-workout. Women particularly prefer this product because it does not contain creatine. Most women fear the "bloat" of creatine but they are actually missing out on the benefit of creatine. However, creatine is for your more serious lifters, meaning they have a mind to muscle connection and can actually benefit from the creatine pump.
C4 Original - It is important to note here that I am discussing the original formula. This is much like the NLA for her but a little stronger and it has a very small dose of creatine. NLA does not have creatine. Some women say creatine bloats them but I find that it helps my workout as creatine improves strength. For you women who are afraid of bulking up, trust me that will NOT happen. If it were that easy I would be bulky. I have been training myself for years and I lift relatively heavy. I want to be bulky.
The last 2 are my current pre-workouts and I cycle on them per week so my body will not build a tolerance to the product.
Mesomorph - Yes this is a body type. It is the "bulky" body type. But again I will state this is unlikely to happen to women. We do not have enough testosterone to build muscle like that. Anyhow, I love this stuff. It has DMAA in it and while this is "technically" a banned substance it is super good stuff. Click here to read about DMAA. They say it affects blood pressure, it does not affect mine at all. They also say people suffer a crash afterwards. I never did. Mind you, it is extremely important to dose yourself slowly to find out how any pre-workout affects your body. Did you know that Plexus Pink Drink* has DMAA in it? It does. In my opinion DMAA is not harmful. This pre-workout is great! I feel great and get a great workout on it. However, your body does build a tolerance to it. So I switch week to week between Mesomorph and Limitless. *(Click here to read about my thoughts on Plexus)
Limitless - This pre-workout has DMHA in it. Click here to read about DMHA. DMAA and DMHA are very similar. DMHA is more about focus. The mind muscle connection is the reason for this. That mind muscle connection is extremely important as it enhances muscle definition. These 2 pre-workouts have been a game changer for me in my fitness regimen. The pump I feel when I leave the gym is the bomb. I feel like my muscles are all pumped up. Again, don't worry girls it's all in my mind, hence the mind muscle connection?
Note: I cannot stress the importance of knowing your body and dosing in small portions until you know how your body reacts. Hypertension runs in my family and all pre-workouts can affect heart rate and blood pressure. However, I know my body and I figured out my dose and uses for me. Be careful. I honestly feel that Bob Harper's heart attack was from a combination of pre-workouts, steroids, and drug use. He's the personal trainer from the biggest loser. Click Here to read my blog post on that.
Thank you for reading this. Do you use a pre-workout? If so what have you found that works for you?