Pre-workout products have exploded onto the market in recent years as more and more people realize how they can increase your physical potential during workouts and allow you to reach your fitness goals faster.
There is a lot of hype around the different pre-workouts as many people share their experiences and positive results. Although this hype may be justified, people often just talk about how he made his workouts so much more intense, last longer, and lift heavier weights. This can leave people wondering when it comes to determining the active ingredients and how and why they work. This article aims to fill the information gap on pre-workout formulas and help you decide which one is right for you.
Pre-workout formulas are generally made primarily from either arginine (a nitric oxide precursor) or beta-alanine, although many may contain both.
arginine
What is it?
Arginine is a conditionally essential amino acid that is a precursor for nitric oxide NO2. It is considered conditionally essential because the body can produce some arginine, but it is often not a sufficient amount and therefore must be consumed through the diet. This is especially true for those people who exercise.
What are you doing?
Arginine has a variety of health and bodybuilding benefits, but it is primarily used in pre-workout formulas due to its ability to widen blood vessels (vasodilation). By working out in the gym, this improves the ‘pump’ feeling as more blood is pumped through your body. A good pump in the gym does more than look good:
- increases protein synthesis (transport of nutrients to muscles)
- points to muscle cells
- release growth hormone
- improves fat metabolism
beta-alanine
What is it?
Beta-alanine is a non-essential amino acid that is common in many food sources. It can be found in foods like eggs, meat, poultry, and some dairy products.
What are you doing?
Lactic acid is often thought to be the cause of “hitting the wall” or muscle fatigue in the gym. However, this is often not the case, it is usually a buildup of hydrogen ions and the subsequent drop in pH that is responsible for fatigue and decreased physical performance during exercise. This is where beta-alanine comes in handy. Beta-alanine is able to buffer acidity caused by hydrogen buildup.
- Delays the onset of muscle fatigue during exercise
- It works synergistically with creatine.
Pre-workout formulas are often (but not always) mixed with stimulants to combine the increased body performance of amino acids with mental stimulation. The most popular stimulants are caffeine and 1,3 dimethylamylamine (geranium stem, MMDA).
Caffeine
Caffeine is an ingredient that needs no introduction. Caffeine is the world’s most popular psychoactive substance. It acts on the central nervous system of the body.
- motivation in a bottle
- Incrise of cardiac frecuency
- Improved blood flow to muscles.
1, 3 dimethylamylamine
What is it?
1, 3 Dimethylamylamine or more commonly known as Geranium stem is, as the name suggests, derived from a plant. Its introduction to the bodybuilding and fitness market is quite recent. However, the geranium stem has a long history of use in herbal medicines.
What are you doing?
This ingredient has the power to radically transform your workouts by creating intense mental energy and focus to break down the barriers of psychological pain. It also works as a powerful central nervous system stimulant.
- Much increased alertness, clarity and focus
- energy boost
- Better physical performance
