You’ve seen them on social media. You’ve heard about them in the gym. You’ve seen them on the shelves at Dis-Chem, but you’re asking if you really need a pre-workout supplement.
Sometimes, everyone needs an extra mental lift or performance boost to help you deliver your best.
A pre-workout supplement is designed to help maximise your performance for better results, formulated with potent ingredients that can provide extra energy, enhance endurance, improve focus and support your recovery.
Developing a tolerance
A word of caution, though. Some pre-workouts contain powerful stimulants. That means the best approach is to limit their use to when you need them most.
Taking them too often can create a tolerance to the active ingredients, which reduces their effectiveness, and they may interfere with your sleep.
For the best results, use pre-workout supplements strategically, taking it a few times a week, not every day. So, when should you give your mind and body a pre-workout boost?
Powering up
Limiting a pre-workout to before your most demanding sessions helps maintain its effectiveness.
Saving that powdered power-up for the workouts when you need to level up your game will give you the stamina and focus to conquer those squats like a gym boss.
Knowing you have a pre-workout in your arsenal for your most gruelling workouts can also provide a psychological edge, giving you something to look forward to and associate with pushing your limits.
By saving pre-workout for when you really need that extra push – like when you’re attempting a new PB – minimises the chances you’ll build up a tolerance, ensuring it remains effective when it matters most.
Chasing the pump
If swole is your goal, you’ll want to chase those extreme muscle pumps. Some pre-workouts have ingredients that can help increase blood flow to your muscles, giving you that satisfying “pumped” feeling.
Mental muscle
We all have those days where the couch is calling our name louder than the dumbbells. If you’re dragging yourself through the day and the thought of hitting the weights saps your motivation, a pre-workout can be your energetic sidekick, helping you shake off the sleepiness and priming your body for action.
Laser focus
Feeling more distracted than usual? Some pre-workouts contain ingredients that sharpen your mental focus, helping you stay locked in on your form and get the most out of each rep. Think of it as your mental gym coach, keeping you on track!
Dose it down
However, just like you wouldn’t down ten espressos before a casual stroll, a pre-workout isn’t always necessary.
If you wake up on the right side of bed and are full of natural energy, keep that pre-workout boost in your back pocket for those days when you need it most! Primed muscles and intense focus aren’t necessary for a gentle yoga session or steady-state cardio session.
