As the name would imply, pre-workout supplements claim to boost energy levels, improve strength and endurance, and increase focus prior to engaging in a tough workout. Some supplements market themselves as geared toward building muscle, while others might aim to stave off fatigue during a workout. Given a prudent diet of lean protein, whole grains, fresh vegetables and healthy fats, does an average or even an elite athlete necessarily need supplementation? Read on to learn the advantages and the risks of taking pre-workout products.
Industry Standards
Pre-workout supplements have ingredients that may vary by brand. But you’ll find some similar key ingredients in many pre-workout supplements, such as:
- Caffeine: Caffeine, the most commonly consumed stimulant, features prominently in many if not most pre-workout supplements. Caffeine works to activate the central nervous system, boosting energy and sharpening one’s focus. Caffeine can also facilitate the elevation of one’s metabolism.
- Beta-alanine: This amino acid, produced by the liver and also found in abundance in animal protein sources such as beef and chicken, aligns with a decrease in muscle fatigue during workouts as well as enhanced athletic performance.
- Creatine: Much like beta-alanine, this amino acid gets created in the liver, kidneys, and pancreas. Muscles possess the ability to store creatine, using it for energy, particularly during high-intensity, short-duration movements such as powerlifting.
- Citrulline: This amino acid facilitates the manufacture of nitric acid, a gas that promotes blood flow by relaxing blood vessels. While still a major point of debate among scientists, this relaxation may promote oxygen/nutrient delivery to muscles, thereby boosting athletic performance.
- Electrolytes: These minerals encompass those typically lost through excessive sweating during bouts of prolonged exercise: sodium, potassium, phosphorus, calcium, chloride, and magnesium. Pre-workout (as well as post-workout) supplements help replace these so that they may continue their role of boosting muscle function.
- Glucose: Glucose, a simple carbohydrate that constitutes the body’s preferred energy source, must get consumed in an adequate, easily digestible quantity in order to allow the individual to successfully complete an arduous training session. Some athletes believe in also supplementing during a workout, when training exceeds 60 minutes.
- Branched chain amino acids (BCAAs): The amino acids leucine, isoleucine, and valine help regulate muscle protein metabolism as well as the building of lean muscle mass.
Efficacy Studies
A 2010 study, the results of which appeared in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition,looked at the effects of a pre-workout supplement on aerobic and anaerobic performance. Over the course of three weeks, subjects engaged in high-intensity exercise. The supplement studied contained caffeine, creatine, and amino acids.
At the conclusion of the 21 days, subjects demonstrated an increased aerobic capacity (as measured by VO2max), improved training volume and increased endurance. The supplement also helped facilitate maintenance and/or improvements in body composition as a result of the intense training.
Variations By Manufacturers
According to a research study whose data appeared in the journal Nutrients, beta-alanine, caffeine, citrulline, tyrosine, taurine, and creatine constitute the most common ingredients in pre-workout supplements. However, the percentages of these ingredients and the manner in which they appear can and will vary greatly in each product. Approximately 44.3% of all the ingredients comprise what manufacturing companies refer to as a “proprietary blend,” which means they will not reveal the amounts of each ingredient. This makes the composition of these supplements not fully transparent.
A later study looked at the effects of ingesting a multi-ingredient pre-workout supplement (MIPS) on athletic performance. Scientists hypothesized that the proprietary combination of ingredients contained in such products may facilitate a synergistic effect on acute exercise performance and subsequent training adaptations, as compared to ingesting a single pre-workout ingredient (BCAAs alone, or caffeine, or even creatinine by itself).
While such direct comparisons prove challenging due to the fact that manufacturers often fail to specify the exact ingredients contained in their unique MIPS products, sufficient evidence does exist to substantiate the hypothesis that such products do in fact exert of positive influence on muscular endurance.
The scientists involved in the study that yielded this data discovered that these supplements may in fact prove helpful for short-term exercise performance. However, the researchers concluded that the evidence does not stand strongly on its own; and information remain scarce regarding whether these supplements confer benefits over long-term use. Most of the studies conducted on these supplements lasted 8 to 12 weeks or less.
Risk Analysis and Rationale
While certain pre-workout supplements may confer some workout/energy advantages, conclusive results still remain elusive. A major sticking point revolves around the FDA, since the organization does not regulate sports supplements with the same keen eye toward safety and efficacy as it does for pharmaceutical medications.
Below we list some of the more commonly-voiced concerns among the medical and bodybuilding communities regarding the use of pre-workout supplementation:
- Not FDA-approved: As mentioned above, the lack of strict consideration on the part of the FDA for most athletic supplements means that the consumer cannot ascertain the validity of the listed ingredients, nor the appropriate quantities/dosages.
- High caffeine content: Caffeine content varies across the board, depending upon the pre-workout supplement manufacturer. Some products may contain in excess of 400 mg per serving, or the equivalent of 4 or more average-sized cups of coffee. Excess caffeine consumption may cause undesirable side effects which may actually hamper one’s workout: anxiety, shakiness, dehydration, headaches, a spike in blood pressure, and/or accelerated heart rate.
- Energy crash: In addition to extra caffeine, many pre-workout supplements contain high amounts of sugar, which can lead to an energy crash and subsequent fatigue/insomnia as the substances leave the body.
- Kidney and liver function: A few studies have pointed to the premise that pre-workout supplements may cause impaired liver and kidney functions. However, specific data remains inconclusive.
- Hidden ingredients: Pre-workout supplements may actually contain steroids and other ingredients banned by sports organizations. This could result in an athlete inadvertently/unknowingly failing a mandatory drug test, with the consequence of competition disqualification or loss of employment.
- Serious events: Although rare, studies do show a link between pre-workout supplements and cases of stroke and pancreatitis.
If You Choose to Use
If after careful consideration an athlete deems his sport-specific nutrition insufficient, the next step requires him to ask himself why he feels a necessity to take a pre-workout supplement. This means giving thoughtful consideration to his goals – increased endurance, competition prep, more energy, etc.
Much like nutrient consumption/meal planning, the timing of supplement intake matters greatly. For example, caffeine typically starts to kick in around 30 minutes post-consumption. It will remain in the body for 4 – 6 hours. Thus, athletes should perhaps not consume such caffeine-heavy supplements too late in the day, as they may interrupt sleep patterns.
If the dedicated athlete happens to forget his pre-workout supplement, eating properly before and after exercising can serve much the same function. According to the International Society of Sports Nutrition, ingesting the proper ratio of complex carbs to lean protein both prior to and after a workout can make help cultivate sufficient strength and energy to last throughout a training session. If an athlete’s goal centers around hypertrophy, he may wish to place a greater emphasis on the timing of his protein-heavy meal rather than the supplement.
Additional Points to Consider Prior to Choosing a Supplement
Instructions for taking pre-workout supplements usually appear on the package label. Novice consumers may wish to err on the side of caution and start with the lowest possible dosage, particularly those products containing caffeine or beta-alanine, to see if it elicits any negative reaction. We discussed the hazards of excess caffeine earlier. Beta-alanine has the potential to elicit a disconcerting tingling of the skin. While temporary and harmless, this sensation may make some individuals too uncomfortable to exercise.
While pre-workout supplements have enjoyed much attention over the past few decades, the topic recently resurfaced in popularity thanks to a social media trend among teens and young adults. Known as “dry scooping,” this practice shows individuals literally swallowing a scoop of pre-workout supplement powder by itself, following it with some water.
Dry scoopers claim that this method of ingestion allows the body to absorb the ingredients faster and more effectively than first mixing the powder with water and then drinking it. According to Tara Collingwood, RDN, a certified personal trainer with the American Council on Exercise, “There is no benefit to taking powder without fluid, and you’re actually putting your health at risk by trying the trend. You risk breathing in the powder as you are putting it into your mouth, which can lead to dangerous respiratory problems, choking, or a lot of uncomfortable coughing.”
Allergy Concerns
A red warning flag may go up when choosing to take pre-workout supplements, concerning not only the lack of FDA approval, but the possibility of undisclosed chemicals in the product. Sometimes manufacturers mislabel or misrepresent the ingredients contained in their commercially available supplements; this may lead the consumer to unknowingly ingest a substance to which he has a strong allergy. The combinations and variation of ingredients in pre-workout supplements may lead to different reactions across the population, potentially causing allergic reactions or adverse side effects. This fear holds true especially for individuals already taking other supplements or on maintenance prescription medications.
While technically not classified as a “drug”, regular use of pre-workout supplements can lead the user to develop a tolerance. When this occurs, he will find himself needing ever increasing dosages to achieve the desired training effects. We can see how this can ultimately result in dependency/addiction, where individuals feel physically unable to perform regular workouts without consuming the supplement. In extreme cases, such practices have the potential to lead to withdrawal symptoms and/or decreased performance in the absence of the pre-workout supplement.
Ongoing continuous use and/or misuse of pre-workout supplements may have unknown long-term effects on one’s health. Common problems include kidney damage, high blood pressure, or disrupted sleep patterns.
Pancreatitis and Pre-Workout Supplements
A peer-reviewed case report outlined the experience of a 35-year-old healthy athlete who arrived at the emergency department with abdominal pain, elevated pancreatic enzymes, and characteristic indications of acute pancreatitis. In taking a history from the patient, he revealed having no comorbidity factors that might make him a prime candidate for developing pancreatitis, such as excessive alcohol consumption or gallstone disease. After ruling out any other possible causes for the attack, the ER physicians pointed to his use of a pre-workout supplement as the source of the problem.
As mentioned earlier, the presence of amino acids figures prominently in most supplement products. Sometimes, these very amino acids hold the potential to induce metabolic chain reactions which may damage pancreatic cells. Again, a lack of any regulatory body makes this a valid and growing concern. Experts favor the need for increased vigilance among individuals, and also on the part of healthcare providers who sometimes have an opportunity to advise their more athletically-inclined patients.
Bottom Line
As much as dedicated athletes want to believe that MIPS can provide a veritable advantage during training and beyond, reviews of scientific literature fail to fully support some claims. To a large extent, experts cannot seem to find a consistent and reliable effect on performance from pre-workout supplements, particularly in the case of users who already have established quality sport-specific meal plans. Athletes might keep in mind that success combined with pre-workout supplementation ultimately depends upon several factors, most especially one’s fitness goals and his proper usage/dosing of these products.
References:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30089501/
https://jissn.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1550-2783-7-10
https://www.goodrx.com/well-being/movement-exercise/what-does-preworkout-do
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37795059/
Cathleen Kronemer is an NFPT CEC writer and a member of the NFPT Certification Council Board. Cathleen is an AFAA-Certified Group Exercise Instructor, NSCA-Certified Personal Trainer, ACE-Certified Health Coach, former competitive bodybuilder and freelance writer. She is employed at the Jewish Community Center in St. Louis, MO. Cathleen has been involved in the fitness industry for over three decades. Feel free to contact her at trainhard@kronemer.com. She welcomes your feedback and your comments!
