How NOT to Take Your Pre Workout Supplement

There are a lot of “How To’s” out there when it comes to supplementing, lifting, and succeeding with your gym routine in general. However, you don’t often see the other side of that coin: How not to supplement. Believe it or not, there are some fairly large fails when it comes to pre workout supplements and we are here to demystify them for you. 

1. Do not take your pre workout supplement before getting into your car. Traffic has ruined better workout plans than yours.

Seriously, just don’t do it. Of course, you want to take your pre workout supplement and have enough time for it to kick in before you begin your workout, but maybe you should consider taking your pre workout once you get to the gym, then do a warm up or go for a short jog (or both) before starting your workout. This way, your pre workout has time to start working and you aren’t raging in your car. 

One more reminder:

Don’t be an angry baby. Time your pre workout wisely. 

2. Do not snort your pre workout powder, it is not crack no matter how energized you feel after taking it.

 

You would think this one would be obvious, but it never fails that someone out there thinks, “I know how to get my pre workout to kick in immediately, snort it!” This is made obvious by the countless videos of people snorting their pre workout supplements on YouTube. Yes, your pre workout might kick in a little faster, but it won’t be any more effective. Plus, you’ll look like a coke head.


Do not be Uma Thurman in Pulp Fiction; your day will go poorly.  

3. Do not mix it with Red Bull. I don’t even know why you would do that. 

This image pretty much speaks for itself. Most pre workout mixes contain caffeine already. They are chock full of stimulants in general and you really don’t need an additional boost. Plus, it’s kind of a waste of your money along with a bunch of pointless calories and sugar. 

4. Do not take more preworkout powder than the recommended max. You will trip balls.

Ok, ok. Exceeding the max by a little bit or every now and then will not be the end of the world. However, if you find you have to take more and more of your pre workout to get the same results, this likely means you’ve built a tolerance. You may want to look into cycling your pre workout supplements rather than consuming an entire canister of your pre workout (plus, that’s not very cost effective).

Some pre workout supplements should actually be cycled from the start to prevent tolerance in the first place, such as Agmatine powder

5. Do not tell your mom. She will believe everything the internet and Fox News tells her. 

Moms mean well, but they probably account for 95% of the e-mail and internet hoaxes that are still in existence. Your inbox and Facebook feed are probably flooded with the vestiges of these hoaxes that Snopes or TruthOrFiction have debunked since 2004 with a note from your mom along the lines of “Did you know about this?!?!?!”

Thus, it is not much of a stretch to assume that when Fox News runs a special about the dangers of pre workout supplements, moms across the nation will get all in a tizzy. If you are a grown adult, just don’t tell your mom you’re taking creatine. Your life will be easier that way. 

Bonus: Don’t forget your post workout supplement. If you do, you will cry like a little girl.

Your post workout nutrition is just as important as your pre workout nutrition. Protein shakes are great options for post workout because it can help with muscle recovery, protein synthesis (muscle building) and more.

You should also consider adding some BCAAs to your supplement routine. BCAAs can be taken before, during, and after a workout. BCAAs are great because your muscles break them down rather than your liver. This way your body can get quick energy right when it needs it.

Another great post workout supplement is glutamine; glutamine will help further protein synthesis as well as speed up muscle recovery time. 

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