Steve Howard According to statistics, more than 50% of all humanity starts their day with at least one cup of coffee. In fact, 90% of people in the middle age group consume caffeine every day. Most of them claim that coffee and the caffeine it contains help to boost the body during working hours of the day and help increase focus.
But if this is true, then not give a similar boost to your workouts with energy drinks? Pre-workout supplements and energy drinks are very popular these days, and the market is growing and expanding.
What are pre-workout energy drinks?
Most pre-workout supplements in sports (called “pre-workouts”) contain caffeine in one form or another. Curiously, the caffeine content of coffee is almost equivalent to that of the most popular energy drinks.
In addition, caffeine is great for endurance training as a performance enhancer. There are also examples of studies showing that caffeine supplementation can improve the results and performance of resistance training.
It’s no secret that caffeine acts on the body as a product that increases overall performance.
But what about the other ingredients found in pre-workouts?
What is their principle of operation? Research has examined the effectiveness of pre-workout supplements. Eating protein, carbohydrates, and creatine prior to exercise promoted accelerated muscle anabolism and reduced muscle glycogen depletion, which helped maintain energy during exercise.
In addition, it was found that after consuming drinks containing BCAAs, creatine, taurine, caffeine and glucuronolactone, there is an increase in the total weights of the weights used (barbells and dumbbells). In addition, anabolic hormonal response has also become known, which means a positive response of muscle and blood markers after taking pre-workout.
Among the many supplements used in pre-workout drinks, there are some common ingredients that have a positive effect on maintaining glycogen stores, boosting creatine stores, increasing energy and focus, improving blood flow, improving protein synthesis, and reducing muscle injury.
Caffeine is a central nervous system stimulant. Caffeine has been shown to increase concentration, inhibit fatigue and increase physical endurance.
Taurine is considered to have antioxidant properties because it corrects and maintains homeostasis in muscle cells. Due to the fact that it is involved in the regulation of calcium metabolism and the breakdown of free radicals, taurine reduces microdamage to the muscles, as a result, the muscles maintain their ability to work more time even in a state of fatigue.
Creatine is produced naturally in the body and is ingested with food. If taken as a dietary supplement, it can increase the reach of creatine during exercise. Creatine enhances muscle explosive strength (short-term maximal contractions) and aids recovery between strength training sets.
BCAAs (Branched Chain Amino Acids). Research has shown that BCAAs (leucine, isoleucine, valine) increase muscle endurance, reduce muscle injury, help accelerate protein synthesis and improve recovery.
Guarana, native to Brazil, is caffeine-rich, antioxidant, cognitive and invigorating.
L-Arginine promotes vasodilation (improves blood flow), thereby relaxing the smooth muscles lining the blood vessels, encourages the body to produce growth hormone, enhances muscle protein synthesis, and improves physical performance and recovery time in athletes.
Glucuronolactone is a naturally occurring metabolite found in the body that reduces the breakdown of glycogen during exercise and improves concentration and mood.
Beta Alanine improves the body’s ability to synthesize carnosine in muscles. Carnosine is found abundantly in type II muscle fibers, these fibers provide explosive strength and are most involved during resistance training and sprint running.
Carnosine helps to activate the enzymes responsible for generating muscle contractions. Using beta-alanine as a supplement has been proven to significantly slow the onset of muscle fatigue and help you achieve more with the last, most effective reps in your set. Beta Alanine is built for results!
Carnosine relieves muscle fatigue, restores the body’s performance, optimizes metabolic processes in cells. Promotes the removal of oxidation products formed under intense exercise Reduces the content of free radicals in cells
Now, when choosing your pre-workout routine, make sure it doesn’t contain only caffeinated flavors. Choose a product that contains several effective ingredients that work synergistically to get the most out of your workouts.
