You might have heard the phrase “I need a pre workout drink” or read somewhere someone asking “what is the best pre workout” and you didn’t have a clue of what it is or how it relates to fitness. In this article I’m going to break everything down for you on pre workout supplements.
Don’t get this confused with a pre workout meal, I’m talking about the pre workout supplement.
What Does A Pre Workout Supplement Do For You
A pre workout supplement or pre workout drink refers to something that a person takes before going to workout to give them energy.
It can simply be a energy drink that you grab from a gas station, as long as this is something that gets you going before your workout then that is the main gist of it.
A lot of people get confused about pre workouts, thinking that it has to have the words pre workout on it somewhere to be considered a pre workout but a pre workout is basically a category rather than a specific title for a item like how protein powder is a category.
Why Do I Need A Pre Workout Drink Before I Workout
Like I mentioned, the main purpose of pre workout supplements are to provide you with energy to have a great workout.
That being said pre workout drinks have definitely evolved over the years. There is much more that goes into them rather just caffeine for the energy.
Nowadays you’ll find pre workouts that have ingredients that assist you with lifting heavier (creatine), better blood flow (no not cialis), and better overall mental focus.
Also just to clarify, you don’t “need” to have this to workout like it isn’t a required item. It’s just something that is there to help you if you’re not feeling it one day because you had a busy day at work and are just exhausted.
Are Pre Workout Supplements Legal Or Illegal To Use
Pre workout drinks aren’t anything illegal, like you don’t have to ‘know a guy’ to get them.
All of the ingredients should be 100% legal, I say should be because some ingredients might be banned in one country that wouldn’t be here in the United States but most that are legal in the states are pretty much legal everywhere, but just make sure to check.
There have been a few products where the companies had to pull their product from the shelves because studies would find that it either contained banned ingredients or the ingredients produced a way to similar result to a banned ingredient.
This doesn’t happen very often but it’s not a bad thing to be overly cautious on what you put inside your body.
These are not to be confused with fitness related items that are used for “research purposes”, such as SARMs.
Pre-workout supplements are actually intended for human consumption.
Where To Buy Pre Workout Supplements
You can find pre workouts in powder form, pill form and ready to drink bottles. The powder form is much cheaper and provides you with much more in terms of value for your money.
With the powder form all you’ll do is mix it up with water and chug it, and no do not snort it and your good to go!
The ready to drink options are simply a convenience and of course with convenience you pay for price. Not nothing overwhelming, something like $3 dollars a bottle however that adds up quickly if you use it 3-4 times a week. Which is why I suggest buying powder form!
There are plenty of places to buy pre workouts.
You can buy from amazon, bodybuilding websites, local health/fitness stores and I’ve even seen the ready to drink ones in some gas stations.
Final Thoughts
Well I hope I was able to cover what pre workouts are what why you may need them. This was focused on more of the basic questions that come up about pre-workouts.
I will talk more about certain areas of pre workouts in depth in future articles like the pros and cons of them.
Aside from that though there are a lot of different brands making pre workouts these days so I will also be putting together an article letting you know which ones I think are the best.
There is just so much information to cover about these that I just can’t put it all into one article. I’m trying to keep it focused for you guys to find exactly the question you’re looking for without having to skim through pages of other information that you either don’t care about or already know.