pre-workout supplement Archives -

March 18, 2013October 23, 2017

How to Make Your Own Pre Workout Supplement

Pre workout supplements can play a huge role in muscle gains

When it comes to pre-workout supplements, there are plenty of pre-existing, ready to consume workout stacks that come in many different varieties based on multiple types of routines. Despite this, many individuals are opting to create their own unique combinations of supplements that are tailored exactly to their personal goals and their bodies’ needs.

Why Would I Want to Make My Own Pre-Workout Supplement?

Different factors can play a role in the decision of what supplements to include. Some questions to ask yourself include:

What are my long term goals concerning my weight, muscle gains, and overall health?
Am I creating an exercise and supplement regimen to address serious health concerns, to maintain a healthier state of being, or to improve my athletic abilities? Depending on which situation you happen to find yourself in, the right combination of supplements can boost your workouts’ potential benefits.
What has worked for me in the past and was I happy with the results? Likewise, what supplement has not worked for my body?
What types of beneficial compounds are found in my diet already? Are there high levels of proteins, vitamins, or other beneficial compounds like antioxidants? Some supplements are only beneficial in adequate amounts as our bodies can only absorb a set amount.
How difficult is, and how often do I plan on participating in, my training program? Depending on the duration and intensity of your regimen, different supplements can boost the body’s ability to build muscle, maintain muscle gains, promote weight loss, increase our stamina, and provide sources of energy.
What are the short term and long term effects of this supplement on my body? Are there any reported negative side effects.

Of course, these are not the be-all, end-all guidelines for creating your own combination of supplements, as there is no one right answer. Hopefully these questions do give you some idea of what you’re looking for in your personal stack and possibly help you think of some of your own that will help you decide.

Make Your Own Pre-Workout Supplement:

Out of the hundreds of supplements available on the market, the lists below cite just a few of the beneficial compounds to consider for inclusion in your pre-workout supplement.

Muscle Growth and Energy Supplements

Too many options on the shelves? Check out our suggestions to narrow your search.

Increase and maintain muscle gains with Creatine supplement and Protein. Both help the body to reduce recovery time and generate essential energy. [2,3]
Citrulline Malate can assist in weight maintenance as well as maintaining muscle gains by warding off bacterial toxins in the body. Citrulline Malate powder also appears to have the ability to fight fatigue caused by acidosis from lactic acid. [7]
Glutamine is an amino acid that will increase plasma growth hormone levels and stimulate the pituitary gland during workouts. [4]
Tyrosine can help to improve nerve cell function in the body during exercise as well as produce different stress controlling compounds like dopamine. [6]
To help improve circulation and oxygen delivery during physical activity, the supplement Vinpocetine works to widen the blood vessels to decrease blood pressure and ultimately increase workout performance. [5]
Caffeine is a popular energy booster that is often combined with various other supplements, but the synergy that it has with L-theanine makes it an ideal pre-workout energy booster. Taken in conjunction, the theanine will help calm the feelings of unease and crash often caused by caffeine alone. [8]

Post-Workout Cool Down and Relaxation Supplements

For enhanced post workout recovery assistance, consider Pure Green Tea Extract and Beta-Alanine Supplement. These supplements can contribute to the decrease of fatigue and recovery time. An additional benefit of Green Tea Extract is it also contains a high number of antioxidants which can fight off free radicals brought on by oxidative stress. [1,2,4]
L-theanine can be taken independent of caffeine to calm the nerves after a particularly heavy workout, though it can also be found naturally occurring in teas, albeit in smaller doses.
For particularly stressful sessions Valerian Root, a stress relieveing herb, can provide strong calming effects and Melatonin, a hormon produced in the pineal gland, can help provide more restful sleep. [9,10]

Remember to Learn and Acknowledge Your Limits

The most important thing to keep in mind when creating your own pre-workout supplement is to not overdo it. Some people may be able to take many items from this list at once while others may only be able to take a few. Start slowly while mixing and matching and research the individual supplements that you find appealing as well to see which ones tend to work the best together and how to use them effectively. There are a lot of different pre-workout supplements out there and there’s no better way to find the ones that are right for you but experiencing them first hand.

Sources

January 28, 2013October 27, 2017

Good Pre-Workout Supplements to Enhance Results in the Gym

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!

January 4, 2013October 27, 2017

Importance of Pre-Workout Nutrition and Supplementation

The importance of nutrition isn’t foreign to anyone in the health and fitness community. You, like many athletes, surely know the right meals and supplements are essential to maximizing strength and power. Lack of proper supplement timing, however, may be holding you back from your goals. For a long time there was an understanding that the most important time to take supplements was post-workout. There is now a new school of thought that says taking supplements before you work can be even more effective.

Why Pre-Workout Supplements?

Priming your body and your muscles properly is akin to making sure your car has enough gas in it before a long car trip. Pre-workout supplements can help you in multiple ways by fueling you with the nutrients you need at the very moment you need them, not just after you’re depleted.

Benefits of good pre-workout supplements include[1]:

More strength and performance. Lift more weight, work out for a longer period of time and reduce muscle fatigue.
Improved energy and reaction time. Do you work out early in the morning or after a long day’s work? You probably need an energy boost to perform at your best.
Better focus. Give yourself a mental edge for overcoming barriers. Having a focused, determined attitude is essential to success in the gym. Focus on your plan and execute.
Increased protein synthesis. Build muscle more efficiently and recover faster by getting nutrients to muscles immediately.
Improved fat burning. Get full advantage of your workout and maximize your body composition.

As you can see, these are very wide in scope so they can benefit athletes at any level. It’s not just anecdotal evidence either – clinical studies have shown that the proper pre-workout supplements can provide significant results. In one study, subjects performed 50% more bench press repetitions and had a 40% reduction in DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) when they used citrulline malate powder pre-workout[2].

What to supplement with?

There are a wide variety of pre-workout supplements available, so it’s essential to do research and read up on some of the options to make sure you’re getting the most out of your time in the gym and getting the right supplements to meet your goals. Below are some options and good places to start with pre-workout supplements:

Strength and performance: Citrulline Malate powder, Creatine supplement (or the faster absorbed derivative, creatine ethyl ester), Beta Alanine supplement, L-Arginine supplement, Beta-Ecdysterone supplements

Energy and focus: Caffeine supplements, DS Craze pre workout supplement, C-vitamins

Increased protein synthesis: Whey Protein, Branched Chain Amino Acids

Improved fat burning: Caffeine supplements

Keep in mind that with certain supplements you may want to stagger the dosage. For example, users should take arginine powder should be taken about an hour before exercise, but branched chain amino acids are digested quickly, so those should be consumed just before your workout.

Now that you know the benefits of pre-workout nutrition and what to use, go pick up some new pre-workout supplements to add to your routine and see your gains skyrocket!

Sources

[1] https://www.nutritionandmetabolism.com/content/9/1/28

[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20386132