It can be difficult to get to the gym when you’re feeling weak and sluggish. That’s where a pre-workout supplement comes to great use! Most pre-workout supplements exist as a powder you mix with water and consume about 20-30 minutes prior to your workout to give you a performance boost.
But with so many options on the market, it’s tough to figure out which one is best for you. When picking your next jug of pre-workout performance powder, look for a blend of the following ingredients:
Arginine: A widely popular ingredient for pre-workout products because of its ability to convert to nitric oxide (NO) in the body. Arginine (an amino acid) also improves recovery time and reduces healing time of injuries.
Beta-Alanine: An amino acid that occurs naturally in the body, research shows that beta-alanine in supplement form is beneficial because it has the ability to delay fatigue, improve endurance performance, increase time to exhaustion, boost strength, and reduce heart rate response to exercise – i.e. you can train better, harder and longer.
Citrulline Malate: A combination of two amino acids, L-citrulline and malic acid, citrulline malate increases energy (ATP) by removing lactic acid and ammonia from the body, resulting in reduced fatigue and improved recovery.
Agmatine Sulfate: A bi-product of Arginine, Agmatine Sulfate is a naturally occurring compound in the body. Its benefits include nitric oxide (NO) synthesis, improved insulin production and response, improved performance, strength and speed, cortisol control, improved endurance, and a reduction in body fat.
Glutamine: An amino acid that improves recovery post-workout.
Taurine: An amino acid that improves strength and performance while also reducing stress, recovery time, better sleep and brain function. In the application of a pre-workout product, taurine enhances NO production increasing blood flow and drawing water into the muscles, giving you a bigger and better pump.
Creatine Monohydrate: One of the most well researched compounds in the sports nutrition industry, creatine monohydrate delays fatigue, improves muscle strength and power, increases training volume, reduces body fat, provides cell hydration, enhances recovery and is a pH buffer.
Dimethylglycine Hydrochloride: A derivative of the amino acid glycine, dimethylgycine enhances oxygen uptake by opening blood cells to improve the body’s use of oxygen during workouts. The result is accelerated energy levels, more muscle mass, reduced fatigue and improved recovery time.
Caffeine: A powerful stimulant that reduces fatigue and restores alertness when drowsiness occurs.
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