Consumption of a pre-workout mix in combination with periodized resistance training is an effective method of improving body composition. [2, 3]  Some commonly found ingredients in Pre-Workouts include (but are not limited to): caffeine, branched chain amino acids (BCAAs) and amino-containing compounds, nitric oxide agents, creatine, and beta-alanine. [1]

• Caffeine is a central nervous system stimulant.  Caffeine by itself (5 mg/kg Body Weight) or coffee (5 mg/kg BW) consumed 1 hour prior to exercise can improve endurance exercise performance [4] and may improve anaerobic power performance. [5]  Caffeine supplementation may allow you to exercise longer and train harder, which then leads to more calories potentially being burned during your session.

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• Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs) are a group of three essential amino acids: leucine, isoleucine and valine. Dietary BCAA supplements are commonly taken in order to increase muscle growth, enhance exercise performance, help with weight loss and reduce fatigue after exercise. [6]  Consume at least 5 g (0.077 to 0.087 g/kg) of BCAAs, before and after each workout,  to maximize muscle function. [7]

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• Nitric Oxide (NO) is involved in many cell processes, including the widening of the blood vessels, also known as vasodilation. Wider blood vessels help increase the delivery of nutrients and oxygen to working muscles during exercise, thus enhancing exercise performance.  Arginine supplementation has been shown to increase NO levels. [8]  Beetroot juice may also serve as a precursor of nitric oxide (NO) since it contains high levels of N0₃, which then is broken down into NO₂ and finally into NO. [9, 10]

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• Creatine serves to increase high-intensity exercise capacity and lean body mass during training.

  The gains in muscle mass appear to be a result of an improved ability to perform high intensity exercise enabling an athlete to train harder and thereby promote greater training adaptations and muscle hypertrophy. [11, 12]

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• Beta-Alanine, a non-essential amino acid, is part of what forms Carnosine is comprised of the amino acids, histidine and beta-alanine that naturally occur in large amounts in skeletal muscles. Carnosine is believed to be one of the primary ‘muscle-buffering’ substances available in skeletal muscle.  Muscle buffering is the ability of muscles to neutralize the acid that accumulates in them during high-intensity exercise, thus delaying the onset of fatigue.  Studies have shown that beta-alanine supplementation can increase the number of repetitions one can do; training volume [13] and increase lean body mass. [14]  Another study showed that adding beta-alanine to creatine improves performance over creatine alone. [15]

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MY ROUTINE:

I’ll drink my pre-workout mix ~30 minutes before hitting the gym or working out at home.  I either take it on an empty stomach or at least 1hr after eating a meal. This is usually what works the best for me. It may or may not be the same for you, however, so it’s often recommended to test out different consumption times to see how your body reacts to it.

References

1. Harty, Patrick S et al. “Multi-ingredient pre-workout supplements, safety implications, and performance outcomes: a brief review.” Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition vol. 15,1 41. 8 Aug. 2018, doi:10.1186/s12970-018-0247-6..[.Return.]
2. Jagim, Andrew R et al. “The acute effects of multi-ingredient pre-workout ingestion on strength performance, lower body power, and anaerobic capacity.” Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition vol. 13 11. 8 Mar. 2016, doi:10.1186/s12970-016-0122-2..[.Return.]
3. Ormsbee, Michael J et al. “The effects of pre- and post-exercise consumption of multi-ingredient performance supplements on cardiovascular health and body fat in trained men after six weeks of resistance training: a stratified, randomized, double-blind study.” Nutrition & Metabolism vol. 10,1 39. 16 May. 2013, doi:10.1186/1743-7075-10-39.[.Return.]
4. Hodgson, Adrian B et al. “The metabolic and performance effects of caffeine compared to coffee during endurance exercise.” PloS one vol. 8,4 (2013): e59561. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0059561.[.Return.]
5. Martinez, Nic et al. “The effect of acute pre-workout supplementation on power and strength performance.” Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition vol. 13 29. 16 Jul. 2016, doi:10.1186/s12970-016-0138-7.[.Return.]
6. Reidy, Paul T, and Blake B Rasmussen. “Role of Ingested Amino Acids and Protein in the Promotion of Resistance Exercise-Induced Muscle Protein Anabolism.” The Journal of nutrition vol. 146,2 (2016): 155-83. doi:10.3945/jn.114.203208.[.Return.]
7. Shimomura Y, Yamamoto Y, Bajotto G, Sato J, Murakami T, Shimomura N, Kobayashi H, Mawatari K. “Nutraceutical effects of branched-chain amino acids on skeletal muscle.” The Journal of Nutrition. 2006;136:529S–32S. doi: 10.1093/jn/136.2.529s.[.Return.]
8. Lundberg JO, Weitzberg E. “NO-synthase independent NO generation in mammals.” Biochemical and Biophysical Response Communications. 2010;396:39–45. doi: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2010.02.136.[.Return.]
9. Jones AM. “Influence of dietary nitrate on the physiological determinants of exercise performance: a critical review.” Applied Physiology Nutrition and Metabolism. 2014;39:1019–1028. doi: 10.1139/apnm-2014-0036.[.Return.]
10. Domínguez, Raúl et al. “Effects of beetroot juice supplementation on intermittent high-intensity exercise efforts.” Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition vol. 15 2. 5 Jan. 2018, doi:10.1186/s12970-017-0204-9.[.Return.]
11. Volek JS, Duncan ND, Mazzetti SA, Staron RS, Putukian M, Gomez AL, Pearson DR, Fink WJ, Kraemer WJ. “Performance and muscle fiber adaptations to creatine supplementation and heavy resistance training.” Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. 1999;31(8):1147–1156. doi: 10.1097/00005768-199908000-00011..[.Return.]
12. Willoughby DS, Rosene J. “Effects of oral creatine and resistance training on myosin heavy chain expression.” Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. 2001;33(10):1674–1681. doi: 10.1097/00005768-200110000-00010.[.Return.]
13. Hoffman JR, Ratamess NA, Faigenbaum AD, Ross R, Kang J, Stout JR, Wise JA. “Short-duration beta-alanine supplementation increases training volume and reduces subjective feelings of fatigue in college football players.” Nutrition Research. 2008;28(1):31–35. doi: 10.1016/j.nutres.2007.11.004.[.Return.]
14. Smith, Abbie E et al. “Effects of beta-alanine supplementation and high-intensity interval training on endurance performance and body composition in men; a double-blind trial.” Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition vol. 6 5. 11 Feb. 2009, doi:10.1186/1550-2783-6-5.[.Return.]
15. Hoffman J, Ratamess N, Kang J, Mangine G, Faigenbaum A, Stout J. “Effect of creatine and beta-alanine supplementation on performance and endocrine responses in strength/power athletes.” International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism. 2006;16(4):430–446. doi: 10.1123/ijsnem.16.4.430.[.Return.]

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