- Focus
- Pump
- Energy
Pre-workouts are primarily vasodilators. But Ben! What does this fancy medical mumbo jumbo mean??!! Vasodilators are drugs that open up your capillaries and increase blood flow. A common vitamin that is a natural vasodilator is a little guy known as Niacin. In fact, some people will take niacin instead of a pre-workout supplement.
There are literally hundreds of pre-workout supplements on the market. Finding the right one for you is literally hit and miss. I have taken a bunch of pre-workouts before and honestly they normally don't have any affect on me. Which is kind of depressing when you drop about 30 bucks for a can of dynamite you think is going to bump your gym prowess to head turning levels.
Okay so I'm off the soapbox. However some of the more popular pre-workouts on the market that I am fairly knowledgeable about are.... (drum roll)
- N.O.-XPLODE
- Craze
- Assault
- Jack3d
The list literally could go on for days. Now one thing that you'll probably notice about all of these things are the names. BOOM EXPLOSION MUSCLES OF FIRE AND DOOM!!!! Seriously, I get super pumped up just reading the names. People are definitely bombarded with buzz words when shopping for pre-workouts, and supplements in general.
There are a lot of things that people need to be careful about when taking pre-workouts. I usually try to avoid taking them on an empty stomach. On more than one occasion I've had to yack after my gym sesh to expel the jet fuel that I had ingested before.
Arrhythmia (irregular heart rate) is another thing that can really set in after taking a pre-workout. After I took "Craze" (see picture above) I literally did not expect what would happen. Whatever is in that stuff is seriously (no pun intended) crazy. My workout was out of control, I felt like I was not in my body. My heart rate was well over 150 beats per minute... Oh yeah, I threw up like my life depended on it after I was finished. Literally 45 minutes after the workout my pulse rate was around 160 beats per minute. Needless to say I was a little terrified for my life. SO BE CAREFUL!!!!!
When initially trying a pre-workout I take half of the recommended serving size just to be on the safe side. I've had several friends experience similar things like my story from above. Some of these things are volatile so slow your roll when you are lighting that pre-workout fuse.
Most of these supplements are not regulated by the FDA. There are so many products that saturate the market that the FDA literally does not have the time to go through and scientifically figure out what is in every single one. Supplement companies can literally put anything in these things. So you are at the mercy of the company when you put these things in your mouth.
Another scary thing that can happen is that you can test positive for other things that aren't even in the pre-workout. For example, people that have taken the pre-workout Jack3ed have tested positive for methamphetamine! I'm not some junkie, just a gym rat!!!! Every time you take a new supplement you do run the risk of testing positive for other things!
DON'T END UP HERE!!!!!
It is really easy for people to fall for the buzz word assault that comes with the pre-workout world. Although some of these products do work well, there can be some adverse effects.
READ READ READ REVIEWS! This is a big thing. Get first hand accounts from people that have actually taken the product! I usually go to forums that are not affiliated with the actually company, so I know the company isn't trolling me with fake testimonials.
Here is a fairly popular site: http://supplementreviews.com/
So there you have it folks! Take that knowledge and hit the gym! Happy lifting!
Should girls use these? In other words, is there a difference in how they affect the different genders?
ReplyDeleteFrom what I know and have read online, it makes no difference if you are male or female. Girls that I know that have taken pre-workouts noticed the same affects that I do when I take them.
ReplyDelete