Most athletes or weight training individuals instinctively know that they should take a good pre-workout supplement. But beyond this necessity lies many different questions. For example, many people want to know what are the best supplements to take before a workout are. Other common questions are whether these supplements should be stacked and if it helps to cycle on and off, rotating different types of supplements into your routine. Weight training is something which requires a lot of effort and care in order to achieve your goals.
Planning Your Goals
The answers to anything relating to weight training should start with examining your goals. If you are training to gain size, this will demand a different supplement routine than someone who is looking to get “ripped” or cut.
Despite this, I think that most people would agree on basic ideas about what they are looking to get out of their workout. For example:
• To increase strength and power
• Improve endurance
• Decrease muscular breakdown during training
• Increase energy levels (to allow for more intense training)
• Increase protein synthesis
• Enhance metabolic rate (also improves fat burning)
Best Pre-Workout Supplements
For someone looking to simply to increase size and strength, there is nothing better than some Creatine Monohydrate and Taurine. Both of these are some of the most popular supplements on the market.
With the goal of improving muscle growth and eliminating muscular breakdown, there are some great options. Branched chain amino acids are excellent, since muscle tissue metabolizes them instead of the liver. This leads to a much quicker delivery (which also helps with endurance). Whey protein is also another interesting choice.
There are tons of products on the market that help to increase energy. Even something as simple as caffeine could work. One of the main benefits of Tyrosine supplement is it is a nice option for energy, since it is believed to be a precursor to dopamine and other key neurotransmitters.
As for endurance, the top two supplements are Beta Alanine and Citrulline Malate. These both can help to reduce fatigue and even increase ATP production.
Using These Pre-Workout Supplements
You could simply mix and match any of the supplements listed above. However, stacking is probably the best idea to get consistent results. One possible suggestion would be to pick an item from each category.
It is also very helpful to consider cycling your pre-workout supplements. For example, if you have been taking the same supplement regime for 2 months and start noticing your results stagnating, then take a short one- to two-week break from the supplementation regime. Or, consider switching out some of the supplements for others.
If you follow these tips, you can look forward to a long history of strength and muscle gains as well as improved results. Good luck!