FDA Approved Pre Workout – How Are They Regulated?
Pre workout supplements are the safest way to get energy, endurance, and increase performance out of your workouts, but is this product regulated? I’ll be researching this supplement to find out more on an FDA approved pre workout.
Unlike many foods and prescription medications, certain nutritional, exercise, and diet supplements are not necessarily reviewed by the FDA. However, if there are any reports of health issues or reactions about a particular supplement, the FDA will investigate and pull the product from the shelves.
On the other hand, most ingredients have been regulated before they go into these supplements. So to answer the question, “are pre workouts FDA approved” would be both “yes” and “no”.
Are Pre Workout Supplements Safe?
Pre workout supplements are manufactured to be healthy and are used by those of us who try to live a healthier lifestyle. The ingredients in these formulas are actually very basic.
They are made up of Caffeine which is naturally found in plants and Amino Acids which are naturally found in the human body.
Since these supplements are directed towards bettering our health, most of the manufacturers take pride in keeping their ingredients safe. There are very few cases of health problems know to be caused by pre workout supplements.
The majority of the time that a pre workout is unsafe is usually caused by user error or using it improperly. That is, taking more than the recommended serving amount.
That being said, some pre workout supplements can max out at 400mg per serving or 5 cups of coffee. This may be too strong for most, so it is important to be careful with these brands.
Pre workouts are strong supplements, so be sure to start out with one serving or less, and then you can work your way up from there.
FDA Approved Pre Workout
FDA stands for the Food and Drug Administration which is a federal public health division in charge of keeping us safe from the consumption of harmful foods and other substances.
As I mentioned at the beginning, many individual ingredients in a pre workout by themselves meet FDA guidelines. However, these supplements as a whole are not FDA approved.
If you would like to know more about any of these particular ingredients, they can be found at fda.gov. Every ingredient in a pre workout will be listed on the Nutritional Facts label.
There have been a few cases of the FDA removing certain pre workouts from the market because of a potential damaging ingredient. These are far and few between. Most of the time when the FDA has an issue with a nutritional supplement, it has to do with a supplement made for dietary purposes.
To sum it up, there is no such thing as FDA approved pre workout, protein powder, nutritional product, or exercise supplement. However, is one is ever deemed unsafe, the FDA would take it off of the shelves and stop production.
The FDA is also responsible for taking action whenever something is misbranded. Pre workout manufacturers are prohibited from marketing these products. They are responsible for evaluating these products before marketing them.
⇒ If you have any questions or comments about FDA approved pre workouts, please leave a message at the bottom and I will respond.
What Is in a Pre Workout?
There really aren’t many ingredients in a pre workout to begin with. Manly Caffeine and Amino Acids.
Amino Acids
Under the Amino Acid group, most of the names will be Beta Alanine, L-Citrulline, and anything starting with an “L” (L-arginine, L-theanine, L-tyrosine).
Aminos are what provide the increased performance by giving the muscles extra endurance and keep them from fatiguing.
Caffeine
This stimulant is what provides the intense energy, motivation, and focus.
Pre workout powders usually contain about 150g per serving of Caffeine and go up from there. Many of us have a high metabolism and are more tolerant of Caffeine, as well as enjoy the additional energy.
If you happen to be Caffeine intolerant, you are in luck because there is a category for Caffeine Free Pre Workouts. These non-caffeinated pre workouts replace this stimulant by using alternative ingredients.
Vitamins B1-B12
Many pre workout supplements also contain Vitamin B complexes for additional natural energy. If there are any other ingredients other than flavors or sugars that look suspicious, you would want to check these out first.
⇒If you have any other questions about FDA approved pre workouts or anything pertaining to exercise supplements, please leave a comment at the bottom and I will respond.
“All Natural” Pre Workouts
Some pre workout supplement manufacturers have started producing a healthier alternative to the traditional pre workout. These are called the All Natural Pre Workouts.
All Natural pre workouts contain all of the hard hitting Amino Acids and Caffeine.
However, These are made without the use of artificial colors, artificial flavors or artificial sugars. This is a great alternative for those that are watching out for artificial ingredients in their diet.
Although “All Natural” is not necessarily FDA approved either, they have taken a step in the right direction when it comes to using more natural ingredients.
If you are interested in All Natural pre workout supplements, see my reviews on to of the best, Legion Pulse Pre Workout and Vintage Blast Pre Workout.
Since our society is becoming increasingly conscious of what we put in our bodies, this is now the fasted growing category of pre workout supplements.
USDA Organic Is Better Than FDA Approved
For those that keep an even closer eye on what they are putting in their body, I recommend an Organic Pre Workout. or an Organic protein powder.
This category is also growing in popularity very quickly. The first reason that Organic is a great healthy alternative, is that it has to pass the stringent regulations of the USDA Organic board.
In my opinion, this is one step better than FDA approval.
Organic pre workout ingredients have to be grown without the use of any man-made pesticides, fertilizers, or other chemicals. If they contain animal proteins, they must be from animals that eat an organic diet.
On top of this, Organic pre workouts are manufactured without using any artificial flavors, artificial colors, or artificial sugars.
This is a top notch exercise supplement that uses the most quality ingredients, and with a price point comparable to the “traditional” pre workouts.
The only downside is that since all of these ingredients are so pure, they are sometimes not as potent when it comes to their Caffeine content or the Amino Acids. They are usually not flavored as strongly or taste sweet (which is what I prefer anyway).
Vegan Pre Workout Supplements takes this a step further. Many of these plant based pre workouts are organic, but the main difference is they can only contain plant products with no meat or dairy allowed.
Benefits of Pre Workout
The ingredients have been scientifically developed to energize and increased muscle endurance.
A pre workout will force you to go harder, and longer, therefore making gains faster than before.
The Caffeine energy will spike your motivation and give you more focus to get you “in the Zone”. This energy will last through your entire exercise routine. Between the added vigor and strength, a pre workout provides the feeling of less perceived exertion, making it easier to push yourself.
⇒Blind studies have shown that the group using a pre workout supplement compared to the group taking a placebo, the pre workout group improved their speed, decision making time, and their reaction time.
Here is a complete list of the pre workout benefits. Of course, not everyone will get every benefit since our bodies are all different.
Intense energy- Improved athletic performance
- Makes you feel stronger
- Boosts motivation and focus
- More efficient workout routines
- Provides greater speed
- Less perceived physical effort
- Jump starts adrenaline to increase athletic ability
- Longer muscle endurance
- Muscles recover faster between exercises
- Circulates more nutrients and oxygen to muscle
- Helps with muscle fatigue
- Thermogenic ingredients burn fat before energy stores
- Torches calories at a much faster rate
FDA Approved Pre Workout Conclusion
Whether you are into running, CrossFit, exercise classes or weight training, a pre workout supplement is the healthiest way to increase endurance, energy and to fight fatigue. It allows as to perform stronger and longer through our entire workout.
Pre workout supplements are not FDA approved. However, many of the individual ingredients in them are.
If there were to ever be a pre workout supplement that caused any kind of health problem, the FDA would step in to take that product off of the market. Pre workout ingredients can also be checked on the FDA website.
This makes pre workouts safe and healthy enough that the advantages to these far outweigh any possible negatives.
Keep in mind the more health conscious alternatives that were mentioned such as an All Natural Pre Workout, Organic Pre Workout and Vegan Pre Workout Supplements.
⇒ If you have any questions or comments about an FDA approved pre workout or the safety of these supplements, please leave a comment below and I will respond.
