Do you need Pre Workout? – Common Questions about Pre Workout

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Do you need pre workout? If you are reading this article that means that you are either looking for a good supplement to take before your workouts or you’ve already taken one and want to see if there’s something better out there. Pre workouts have been around for decades but the market is changing every day with new supplements coming in all the time. The purpose of this article is to help give any beginner or experienced lifter an idea of what they might be looking for when picking their next pre workout, so let’s get into it!

Pre workout supplementation has exploded over the past decade with more people than ever incorporating these types of products into their fitness regimes. Today we’re going to break down some of the common questions when it comes to pre workouts and if you need it, we will give you some recommendations if you are looking at getting some for yourself.

Table of Contents

• The Top 4 Benefits of Pre-Workout
• Is Pre Workout Good for Cardio?
• What is the Strongest Pre Workout? 
• Is C4 a Good Pre Workout Supplement? ****
  • C4 Pre Workout Alternatives
• Can I take Pre Workout Everyday?
• Can You Snort Pre Workout?
• Conclusion – Do I need a Pre Workout Supplement?

The Top 4 Benefits of Pre-Workout

• It wakes you up – We all know how difficult it can be to wake up for an early morning workout, even if you are motivated. Many people find that taking a pre-workout supplement before the gym helps them get their energy levels up and feel refreshed so they can take on the day with newfound intensity.
• Increased focus – Another great benefit of pre-workout supplements is the increased focus and concentration in your workouts. You can become more aware of what you are doing because you’re not constantly looking around checking to see if anyone is watching or wasting time procrastinating, which means you can be less distracted and get better results from your workout.
• Reduce Fatigue – This goes hand in hand with increasing your energy levels. When you keep yourself energized during a workout, you reduce the effects of fatigue and can train longer and harder. Fatigue can come in many forms: mental (tiredness, lack of focus), physical (lack of strength or endurance) and chemical (muscle glycogen depletion). As long as you fuel your workouts with plenty of complex carbohydrates, stay hydrated and get a good night’s sleep you will fatigue less.
• Endurance – Whether you’re doing endurance training or any type of sport, taking a pre workout can be beneficial in the long run especially when combined with good supplementation and eating habits. Strength – Having more energy and intensity during your workouts can help you get past that plateau phase where you just aren’t progressing anymore.

Is Pre Workout Good for Cardio?

The idea that you need to have caffeine in order to give your heart rate a boost before the beginning of a cardiovascular workout is not true. If you can increase your heart rate without drinking caffeine before the beginning of your workout, then there is no real need to have it.

However, for some people who are new to exercising and don’t feel motivated enough to get up and do cardio, having a pre-workout supplement with caffeine may help boost their energy levels so they can give their cardiovascular workout their best effort.

There are still some positive aspects of having it. Caffeine has been found to increase endurance and aerobic capacity while delaying fatigue, which is why some athletes choose to have energy drinks with caffeine before a sport.

With that being said, if you feel like your heart rate is not high enough for a cardiovascular workout and you choose to drink a pre-workout supplement with caffeine, be aware that doing cardio after drinking caffeinated beverages can cause an irregular heartbeat, increased blood pressure, and insomnia also worth mentioning is that caffeine is a diuretic, which flushes water from your body, so do make sure you drink water to avoid symptoms of dehydration.

What is the Strongest Pre Workout?

The place to start when trying to find out ‘What is the strongest pre workout?’ is the active ingredients.

Many companies out there are vying to have the highest levels of beta alanine, l citrulline, creatine, caffeine, taurine etc. The fact is, all of these ingredients can easily be bought separately, so if you really wanted to you could make your own pre workout, or add a little more to a pre workout you use already. I know somebody who buys powdered caffeine and beta alanine and mixes that in a little fruit juice before he trains. It probably has way more caffeine and beta alanine than anything you can buy in a shop.

Is C4 a Good Pre Workout Supplement? ****

C4 is probably one of the most popular pre workout supplements on the market currently. But is it the best, does it give you the most bang for your buck?

Many people buy it because of its prominence but are the ingredients it contains actually good compared to other pre workout supplements.

I looked at the numbers of the main active ingredients in the C4 pre workout product.

C4 original has per serving:

150mg caffeine

1600mg Beta-Alanine

0mg creatine

In my opinion, these numbers aren’t that good compared to some others on the market.

C4 Pre Workout Alternatives

I chose 4 of the most popular pre workout supplements out today and compared them to C4 only by the amount of the most active ingredients they contain. being Beta-Alanine, Creatine, and Caffeine. These are three ingredients that I would expect every tub to contain

In the end, I will give what I think in my opinion is the better one to go for.

1. ON Pre Workout

• 175mg Caffeine
• 1500mg Beta Alanine
• 3000mg Creatine

2. Pre Kaged

• 274mg Caffeine (nearly double of C4)
• 1600mg Beta Alanine
• 1500mg Creatine

3. Jym

• No Caffeine
• 2000mg Beta Alanine
• 2000mg Creatine

In my honest opinion, Pre Kaged and ON are better options than C4, I actually used to use Pre Kaged myself. The ON product is a newer product. ON as a brand in my experience have a good reputation for the quality of their supplements.

Can I take Pre Workout Everyday?

If you train every day of the week will using pre workout everyday be harmful to you in any way?

It depends. Some pre workouts are specifically designed to be effective for up to 30 days. This does not mean that they should be taken everyday, but it means you can take them everyday if you wanted to and the effects will still stay with you, but after the 30 days, you will be used to it, so it’s good to take a break from it.

Most pre-workouts include active ingredients like creatine monohydrate, beta-alanine, l-citrulline, betaine anhydrous, caffeine, etc.

It is important to note that creatine monohydrate can cause water retention in the muscle tissue. This means you’ll notice a weight increase when taking this ingredient and its more common for women than men.

L-citrulline and beta-alanine on the other hand will not cause water retention.

Beta-alanine is great for improving your endurance and training to failure, l-citrulline helps you to work out longer and harder.

Both of them pretty much do the same thing for you so if one is cheaper than the other then go with that. Also, both ingredients should not be taken everyday as they can cause you to build a tolerance against them.

If you are using pre workouts for their stimulant ingredients, beta-alanine, l-citrulline, etc. make sure to be aware of the caffeine amount. Some offer a huge 500mg of caffeine per serving which is a lot. Anything over 400mg per day could be damaging to your heart health. So make sure you are aware of the numbers.

TLDR: Taking Pre Workout every day is possible, but just be aware of the numbers on the tub.

Can You Snort Pre Workout?

As you probably know by now, pre-workout supplements can be a great way to get more out of your workout. They give you energy, they give you focus, and they can also help with muscle pumps.

Can you snort pre workout? There are some people out there who claim that taking certain pre workouts in this way can provide even better results than if you took it orally.

It may seem unlikely, but some people swear by this method of supplementing pre workout.

Famous bodybuilder Rich Piana would reportedly snort his pre workout powder like cocaine, after his death emergency services found a powdered substance in his home which he would snort. You really do not need to follow Rich’s example. There is no benefit to snorting pre workout whatsoever, in fact, it would actually be detrimental.

There are definitely dangers involved with snorting pre workout supplements which aren’t really worth the risk. Just mix it in a protein shaker or a glass and drink it down with some water.

TLDR: DO NOT SNORT PRE WORKOUT.

Conclusion – Do I need a Pre Workout Supplement?

In conclusion, there are benefits to taking a pre workout supplement. It really depends on your training schedule and what you are looking for in the product. If you train every day, it might be worth using some type of stimulant to get through your workouts even if they don’t last more than an hour or so.

You may not need a supplement, if you’re a coffee drinker already then you may not even feel the effects of taking a pre workout supplement. So do bear that in mind.

However, when it comes to the question of whether there is any benefit to snorting pre workout, there isn’t, there are dangers involved with snorting pre workout supplements that aren’t really worth the risk. Just mix it in a protein shaker or glass and drink it down with some water!

The key, if you do go for a pre workout supplement, is to read the ingredients and compare the numbers so that you know exactly what you are getting.