...And Why Should I Be Using It?
Written by Tim Rigby
Looking for a way to intensify your workouts and help maximize your efforts in the gym? Pre-workout supplements can be an excellent training partner. As their name suggests, pre-workout products are typically taken 15 to 30 minutes before your training session. They're usually powder based formulas that you mix with water, however, there are ready-to-drink offerings in this category as well. These specially designed blends fall into one of two categories: Stimulant-Based and Non-Stimulant Based.
Stimulant-Based
Stimulant based pre-workout products most often contain energy enhancing catalysts like caffeine in some form (i.e. caffeine anhydrous), Taurine and B vitamins; all of which aim to help increase energy levels, fat oxidation and physical endurance, while helping foster improved strength, focus and delayed fatigue. Common among athletes looking for a quick 'pick-me-up' via an extra boost in intensity before they hit the gym, stimulant based pre-workout products are very popular today, likely rivaled only by protein powders in terms of their use in the sports nutrition marketplace.
Non-Stimulant Based
For those athletes and gym goers that are sensitive to stimulants like caffeine or train later in the day yet are still looking for an edge when it comes to maximizing their performance in the gym, there are a wide assortment of high-quality non-stimulant-based pre-workout products on the market. These products, while they may not contain caffeine, do commonly contain ingredients like Arginine, Citrulline and other amino acids and derivatives that collectively work to help increase blood flow producing better muscle pumps. Given the importance of the 'pump' when it comes to muscle growth, it's easy to see why these products have caught on and have built quite the following over the last few years.