Pre-workouts or pre-workout supplements are multi-ingredient formulas that boost athletic performance and energy levels, popular among bodybuilders, athletes, and trainers. They aim to provide your muscles adequate energy to support your workout. Often, the formulas include amino acids, caffeine, artificial sweeteners, and B vitamins with varying quantities depending on the brand.
Below are some benefits of pre-workout supplements:
Boosts Your Endurance
A significant way to boost endurance is eliminating fatigue-causing mechanisms. Pre-workout achieve this through caffeine that charges you for perseverance and motivation during an intense workout. Fatigue from soreness also limits endurance due to the accumulation of acids in muscles. The supplements contain beta-alanine that reduces the accumulation of acids that cause burn during intense training. They also contain sodium bicarbonate that minimizes the accumulation of acids in muscle tissues.
Promotes Muscle Gain
Pre-workout supplements contain essential amino acids essential for gaining muscles. Specifically, the branded-chain acids (BCAAs) that directly go to your muscles for synthesis. BCAAs bypass the digestive process to become available for muscle building. In addition, pre-workouts contain citrulline that increases the flow of blood to muscles. It boosts oxygen levels and carries more nutrients as you undergo stress training, resulting in muscles that work harder and longer.
Increases Your Focus
When you take pre-workout supplements, you feel more focused and sharper as the clean energy boost clears your mind helping you make the most from your exercise. Workout has a significant mental component as you can easily psyche yourself or lose motivation to quit early, even when you can keep going. Caffeine in pre-workout supplements helps you concentrate like it would when cramming a test or going through a long day working.
Reduces Protein Breakdown
Protein synthesis needs to be equal to the breakdown of protein to maintain or gain muscle tissues. Ideally, it needs to exceed the protein breakdown rate. The BCAAs are building blocks of protein, and you can also source amino acids through dietary means. When you keep levels of protein high through saturating muscle stores, you prevent muscle breakdown for energy. Besides, the supplements speed up your recovery time after intense workouts due to ingredients like creatine and beta-alanine. They promote faster healing leading to less downtime and more efficient workouts.