Supplement stores are filled with thousands of different pre workouts supplements. Most of them are saturated with various chemicals, mixed together with natural ingredients in order to give off a vibe of extra effectiveness. Most of the time it’s all about the flashy marketing, rather than the actual product being that good.
There are exceptions however, and I’ve mentioned some of them in my previous posts, such as Nitric Oxide, and SARMs. However, in this article I will focus on 3 natural pre workout ingredients that can help you get ready and pumped for a workout starting today!
Some people enjoy training in a fasted state, first thing in the morning. This is completely fine if you are trying to lose weight and are not pushing yourself too hard in the gym or in your cardio sessions. But if you’re trying to break personal records, or simply do a hardcore, heavy duty workout, you need to have plenty of energy at your disposal.
Complex carbohydrates such as oatmeal, brown rice and wholewheat bread provide exactly this benefit. They are full of fiber, and they slowly release sugar into the bloodstream, providing energy for long and gruelling workouts.
It’s prefered however not to eat directly before a workout because training with a full stomach can be both upleasant and lead to digestive problems. Eating a decent meal full of complex carbohydrates an hour before working out is a great natural pre workout method you can start implementing today.
2. CAFFEINE
Caffeine is known to everyone for its benefits when it comes to boosting energy and alertness. There are many people who cannot function without having a cup (or three) of coffee in the morning before rushing to work. This ingredient is a natural pre workout that cannot be ignored, and it’s hard to ignore it anyways, since it’s added to so many store bought supplements already.
An optimal pre workout dose of caffeine is about 200-500 mg, and it should be taken straight before a workout in order to provide the best effect. Not only can caffeine give excellent energy, but it’s also a great endurance amplifier, and lowers the perception of effort put into the workout. This means bigger workload and better overall results!
Creatine is a store bought supplement, but it’s also completely natural! It’s an amino acid which is produced by our own bodies, but can also be found in animal foods, especially red meat.
Creatine is known for it’s ability to produce excellent strength and muscle gains. What it does is improve the intake of nutrients into the muscle, and can also cause a beneficial water retention in the muscles which improves strength. The added strength compounds into more muscle gains.
Creatine is considered to be a natural pre workout, but it doesn’t have to be taken at any precise time. Taking it a few hours before a workout will have the same effect as taking it straight before a workout. A small dose of 5-10 grams can make a huge difference in the quality of your workouts.
CONCLUSION
If you’re looking to boost your energy, and performance in the gym, pre workouts can be very helpful. I hope this insight in natural pre workout alternatives will be useful in turning your goals into reality.
Alex Rogers is a supplement manufacturing expert. He has been formulating, consulting, & manufacturing dietary supplements since 1998. Alex invented protein customization in 1998 & was the first company to allow consumers to create their own protein blends. He helped create the first supplement to contain natural follistatin, invented whey protein with egg lecithin, & recently imported the world’s first 100% hydrolyzed whey.