What Are The Pros And Cons Of Pre Workout – All You Need To Know

Pre workouts supplements are promoted to bring energy, strength, increased endurance and better all-around performance.  Whether all of this true or not, it is important to know more about if a pre workout is right for you, for your goals and for your workout routine.  So what are the pros and cons of pre workout?

If you were to walk into any gym and ask the people there if they take a pre workout supplement or not, you will usually get an “all of the time” or “I never touch the stuff”.  It doesn’t seem like there is a lot of flexibility on this topic.  No middle of the road for these gym goers.

What determines why some are against it and some just can’t live without it?  This is why I’m going to do some research on the pros and cons of pre workout.  As for myself, I enjoy the effects and receive mostly the pros.  I don’t feel any negative aspects when it comes to this supplement.  However, I don’t overdo it with this powder, and I only take it on days that I feel that I need it.

Because I know more about the benefits of a pre workout, I’m going to dig deeper into the cons.  I’ll also see if taking a pre workout is worth the price.  So lets get to it and clear up the pros and cons of pre workout.

 

FDA Approved Pre Workout

FDA stands for the Food and Drug Administration.  This is a public health division that keeps us safe from the consumption of any harmful food and other substances.

There is no such thing as an FDA approved pre workout or exercise supplements.  However, the individual ingredients by themselves do meet FDA regulations.   Pre workouts are required to list these ingredients on their Nutritional Facts label.

This means that pre workout ingredients are safe.  If there were ever to be a problem with a particular brand, the FDA would then step in to remove it off of the shelves.

What Are The Pros And Cons Of Pre Workout

The Pros

The main advantage of a pre workout supplement is that it gives you additional energy and increases strength.  It enables stamina and muscle power to last for a longer period of time.  This in turn, gives your mind the drive and motivation to get the most out of your workouts and push even harder.

Pre workouts help us to push our bodies harder to accomplish more.  To do this, an Amino Acid called Beta Alanine comes in handy.  This Amino removes the Lactic Acid build-up caused by exercise.  This prevents muscle fatigue and also helps with discomfort and soreness caused by the Lactic buildup.

Pre workouts are also packed with muscle building ingredients like Creatine and several other Aminos.  These compounds are found in your body naturally at normal levels.  But when you are pushing your body by exercising harder than normal, your body needs these additional proteins.  This increases the intensity of your workout which in turn, builds more muscle.

This supplement is made for health conscious people trying to improve their body’s.  This is why pre workouts are designed with healthy ingredients.

Say there are two people, one taking a pre workout and the other not, that are competing against one another.  The one taking the pre workout will show an obvious increase in performance and speed than the other.  Anotherward, pre workout will help you achieve your fitness goals faster and more easily.

In this case of the two different scenarios, we find that there is an obvious advantage for taking pre workout.  That being said, we are usually we are only in competition with ourselves.  Pushing ourselves gets us to achieve our goals.

If you are interested in how safe it is to take pre workouts, you can review my post on Is Pre Workout Safe.

If you would like to add to the list of benefits from your own experience, please leave a comment in the box at the bottom of this post.

 

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The Cons

The biggest “con” is that people will accidentally or purposely take more than the recommended amount of pre workout.  This can lead to nausea, headache, and anxiety.  Luckily, these are only temporary, short-lived effects.  However, they are very uncomfortable, as I have made this mistake many times myself.

It is recommended to start with just under one serving.  Once you know that your body can handle this, you can up the amount in small increments if you need more zoom.  Remember that more isn’t always better.

Caffeine can be a great stimulant and is one of the ingredients in a pre workout that fires you up the most.  However, some people have a caffeine sensitivity, and some pre workout powders can have up to 400mg of caffeine per serving.

This amount might as well be 5 cups of coffee.  If you are sensitive to caffeine, try a pre workout that has closer to 150mg.  You may also do well with a Caffeine Free Pre Workout.  Whether you are sensitive to caffeine or not, some people have trouble sleeping after taking their pre workout.  Try taking it earlier, and never close to bedtime.

This is not really a “cons” because gym goers enjoy this feeling, but the Amino Acid called Beta Alanine can give you a slight tingling feeling.  This tingle is normal and most even enjoy the energetic feeling from it.  If you don’t care for this  you may want to reduce the amount of pre workout you are taking.

Creatine is a healthy chemical compound sometimes found in pre workouts because it is great for muscle growth.  However, it can cause water retention for a few.  If you are one of these people, you can find a great Creatine Free Pre Workout at this link.

There can be some particular ingredients that are not so great.  These aren’t used much anymore.  I list these in my post called “Are Pre Workouts Bad”.

 

The Value of Taking Pre Workout

This doesn’t matter as much to some, but money makes the world go around so let’s discuss it.  Pre workout supplements with tax generally average between $25.00 and $45.00, but I’m sure you could find one that costs a lot more if you try.

There are usually 20-40 servings or scoops per container.  With this we can calculate the cost per serving which averages to around $1.00 per serving.  You most likely won’t be taking this every day, so a container of pre workout will last a couple of months.  To find the best deals, see my post on how to shop online for pre workout supplements.

Here are some of my favorite and affordable pre workouts:

Legion Pulse sells for around $40.00 and contains only 21 servings.  $1.90 per serving.  This is more than average, but it is a better product because it is an All Natural Pre Workout.  This means that it does not contain any artificial ingredients.

See my Legion Pulse Pre Workout Review.

B-Nox Androrush sells on for around $30.00 and contains 35 servings.  $.80 per serving.  A better value, but it all depends on your personal goals.  This one is loaded with Caffeine for performance and is not an “all natural” supplement.

I have a thorough review and tasting on this at B-Box Androrush Pre Workout Review.

C4 Original Pre Workout is the worlds best selling pre workout.  Is sells for under $30.00 and contains 30 servings.  Less than $1.00 per serving.  C4 is also a great deal for the powerful ingredients that if packs.

I have a full review on this one at C4 Original Pre Workout Review.

 

Pre Workout For Weight Loss

One more for the “pro” category that I would like to mention is the pre workout for weight loss.  Because who doesn’t want to get toned while you get in shape.   Because there isn’t a truly effective pill available for weight loss, try a pre workout along with exercise.

Not only does a pre workout contain thermogenic properties, but the ingredients in it energizes you to push harder than you normally would.  This will burn calories quicker than any other supplement available.

A pre workout brings motivation and focus to help you go longer and stronger, burning more calories.  It works to help you burn body fat rather than burning the carbohydrates that give you energy.  Weight loss from exercise is the best way to stay lean long term.

See my review on C4 Ultimate Shred, one of the best thermogenic fat burning pre workouts available

 

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A Promising Conclusion

Taking a pre workout before your exercise routine can bring incredible benefits.  Increased strength and performance, extra energy and better recovery time all make this supplement well worth it.  Not to mention the energy, motivation and focus to burn more fat and get lean.

On the other side, one of the only “cons” would be headaches, nausea, and sleeplessness form taking too much.  Start with less than a serving and work your way up.  Be careful if you are Caffeine intolerant because most pre workouts contain plenty of this stimulant.  Use a Caffeine Free Pre Workout.

We learned that the price of a pre workout supplement can be less that $1.00 a day.  If your pre workout doesn’t perform the way that you like it to, there is a 30-day satisfaction guarantee on most supplements.  This means you can simply return it, and try another brand.

After doing research for this post, the pros outweigh the cons.  If this weren’t the case, I wouldn’t be using pre workouts myself.  If you’re not already taking a pre workout, I would encourage you to give it a try.  It will intensify your workout to get more muscle gain and better health.

I hope you enjoyed this article on the pros and cons of pre workouts.  If you have any of your own pre workout “pros” or “cons”, please leave them below and I will respond.

 

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