Some people don’t have the courage to go to the gym until they’ve had caffeine, and some people eat bananas right away.
Many gym goers have a pre-workout ritual that revolves around food and drink. Some are more complicated (and expensive) than others.
If you’ve vowed to go to the gym in 2025, you may have come across a “pre-workout.” This is a powder that contains a variety of supplements that can help you build muscle, improve endurance, and more.
So what exactly is in these colorful (and sometimes expensive) products, and is there any evidence to support consuming them?
Caffeine: a well-known substance that improves performance
The most common ingredients found in pre-workouts are the two Cs: caffeine and creatine.
Andre Nelson, a sports nutrition researcher at the University of Victoria, says the evidence for caffeine is strong.
“This gives us what we call a small to moderate performance benefit.”
In fact, caffeine is so well known as a “performance enhancer” that it was on the International Olympic Committee’s list of prohibited substances until 2004.
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Caffeine works by releasing adrenaline into the bloodstream as well as neurotransmitters in the brain such as noradrenaline and dopamine.
“This has a wide range of effects, including reducing the perception of pain and exertion and delaying fatigue,” Dr. Nelson says.
He advises consuming about 2 milligrams of caffeine per kilogram of body weight.
For a person weighing 100 kg, this is equivalent to 200 mg of caffeine (about 2 cups of coffee).
“This is the lowest effective dose where you’ll see some performance benefit,” he says.
On the other hand, Dr. Nelson says too much caffeine can cause unwanted side effects such as “irritability, nervousness, and overstimulation.”
The timing of your caffeine intake is also important.
Dr. Nelson recommends taking it about an hour before your workout to ensure its beneficial effects “peak” at the right time.
On the other hand, being too slow can cause problems.
“We know that caffeine intake can affect sleep, so it’s probably better to have some caffeine.” [at latest] “About nine hours before bedtime,” says Dr. Nelson.
“If you exercise in the afternoon or evening, we do not recommend consuming anything containing caffeine.”
Does creatine have any benefits?
Creatine is the second most popular ingredient in pre-workouts, with many studies showing it may be particularly beneficial for strength training.
When our muscles contract, they use an energy source called ATP or adenosine triphosphate.
Our bodies only store small amounts of ATP in our muscles, and these stores can quickly become depleted.
Creatine helps replenish these stores, making it ideal for short periods of high-intensity work.
But there are caveats, says Mandy Hagstrom, an exercise scientist at the University of New South Wales.
Not everyone seems to respond to creatine in the same way, and you won’t get the benefits of creatine without exercise.
“My mom asked me the other day if she should start taking creatine, and I said, ‘Mom, you should go to the gym first,'” she laughs.
“You have to take it in addition to your strength training intervention…so just taking creatine isn’t going to make your body go crazy.”
But the good news is that creatine, found in red meat and seafood, It can be safely taken as a long-term supplement with minimal side effects..
Dr. Hagstrom says that some people “get upset” when taking high doses, while others report bloating and fluid retention when they first incorporate it into their diet.
As an added bonus, Dr. Hagstrom says there is emerging evidence suggesting that: Creatine is beneficial for cognitive health and may also help with concussion recovery.
What about the rest of the ingredients?
So far, there may seem to be evidence that pre-workout can be beneficial, especially if it contains caffeine and creatine.
But Dr. Nelson and Dr. Hagstrom caution that there are several reasons to avoid them.
The first is that supplements are poorly regulated in Australia.
Pre-workout products often have long ingredient lists on their labels, including ingredients that can cause gastrointestinal upset and increased heart rate, among other side effects. (Unsplash: Alexander Sachs)
Dr. Hagstrom Up to a quarter of the supplements Contaminated or does not contain ingredients that match what is listed on the label.
In some supplements, Contains heavy metals linked to cancer and dementia If taken in large quantities over a long period of time.
“You never know what’s in your body,” she says.
“When you pick up these pre-workout mixes, you realize that the ingredient list is very long and includes a lot of things you’ve probably never heard of.
“My rule is that I don’t want to put anything in my body that I don’t really know what it is.”
Dr. Hagstrom is an exercise scientist and former Olympic weightlifter. (Provided by: Mandy Hagstrom)
Dr. Nelson adds that other common pre-workout ingredients, such as amino acids, have little evidence to support their intake.
Amino acids are the “building blocks” of proteins. Our bodies produce hundreds of amino acids, but nine of them (called “essential” amino acids) must come from food.
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”[Amino acid supplements] It’s basically a waste of money,” says Dr. Nelson.
“If you eat a diet that includes enough protein, you’ll get more than enough of these amino acids.”
Beta-alanine, one of the amino acids commonly used before a workout, can also cause unpleasant tingling side effects.
Dr. Hagstrom says these are all reasons to look to food rather than supplements to meet your nutritional needs and improve performance.
She advises eating enough protein (less than 1g per kg of body weight per day) and consuming carbohydrates before training.
“If you’re doing a long, strenuous workout or running long distances, carbohydrates are your source of energy,” she says.
It’s up to you when to eat your carbohydrates. As Dr. Hagstrom says, some people “fly out the door during meals,” while others need more time to digest.
Once you’re done training, she advises having a “mixed meal” that combines protein, fat and carbohydrates.
“Protein is important for muscle repair and growth, and carbohydrates are important for replenishing glycogen.” [a key source of energy] and promote faster recovery,” she says.
“We’re not saying you should never take supplements, but they’re no better than food, and they’re far from providing balanced nutrition.”
Learn more about pre-workout supplements What is that rash? and subscribe to podcast Hear Norman Swan and Teagan Taylor answer even more health questions.
