So, you’ve got a challenging workout scheduled after work, but you’re feeling a little worn out. With little time, you make a stop at a convenience store. You look around for something that might help you during your session (bananas, mixed nuts, bottled water) and see, in the cooler, a rack of brightly colored energy drinks that promise exactly what you need.
There’s one that boasts hours of focus, one that practically guarantees massive muscles, one that says it will stimulate you until you practically explode. But what these energy drinks don’t include on the label is that their main ingredients are sugar and a strong dose of caffeine.
Maybe it’s time to change our way of thinking. Pre-workout supplements are formulated to help you optimize performance, particularly during higher-intensity activities, and are a decidedly better option than run-of-the-mill energy drinks. Here’s why.
The pros and cons of energy drinks
1. Sugar
Pro: Calories and sugar get a bad rap in our weight-obsessed culture. Calories are simply a measure of the amount of energy in a food, and sugar is an efficient and palatable fuel for many bodily functions. To perform at your best, you need adequate amounts of both. That goes double if you exercise regularly.
Trying to perform an intense workout on a completely empty stomach, especially if you’re doing something anaerobic like lifting weights or HIIT, can be like dragging a stubborn dog to the vet: You might eventually get it, but it’ll be a fight. every step of the way.
That is why most experts recommend eating a full meal one or two hours before performing anaerobic exercise or, failing that, refueling beforehand with a small snack such as a piece of fruit.
Scam: If you’re trying to keep your fat stores in check, excess added sugar will work against your efforts. Sure, you burn some of that sugar during your workout, but like anything else you consume, the sugar and calories in that energy drink influence the calories-in, calories-out equation that determines whether you lose weight, gain weight, or lose weight. maintain the same weight in the long term.
“The high amounts of sugar found in energy drinks are not the best way to fuel exercise,” says Paul Falcone, principal scientist at BODi. “It can also provide extra calories that may not help you reach your overall health goals.”
2. caffeine
Pro: Caffeine is another common active ingredient in energy drinks and research has shown that it can be effective. TO meta-analysis concluded that caffeine had “significant ergogenic effects [performance-enhancing] effects…on maximal upper body muscle strength and muscle power.”
another small study discovered that caffeine improved jumping ability in female athletes. So, if you’re looking for a legal, safe and effective way to give your gym performance a measurable boost, look no further than the active ingredient in your morning cup of coffee.*
Scam: But like sugar, caffeine has limits. Take too much, too often, and you’ll not only get jittery, but you’ll become more tolerant of its effects, so that what once made you high now barely brings you down to earth. Additionally, some energy drinks contain more than 300 mg of caffeine, much more than half the daily amount considered. “sure.”
3. BCAA
Branched-chain amino acids (leucine, isoleucine, and valine) are another ingredient sometimes found in sports supplements. All three BCAAs are abundant in protein-containing foods (including dairy, animal, and plant sources), so it’s not necessary to consume large amounts of them in supplement form, especially before exercising.
“In general, BCAAs play a larger role post-workout to aid in recovery and rebuilding,” Falcone says.
What should I consume instead of energy drinks?
Are there better decisions to make before exercising? Absolutely.
You may experience intense exercise as a muscle-pumping, leg-churning sweat fest, but at the molecular level, a workout is a score of complex chemicals, all reacting at blinding speed over and over again: the fuel is converted into a usable form; the fuel was burned and converted into kinetic energy; muscle fibers gripping and releasing each other; cleaning of waste products; backup fuels are mobilized; Oxygen pumps into the system and carbon dioxide leaves.
Tailoring what you consume beforehand to your workout, such as with a pre-workout supplement, can affect how efficiently those chemical reactions occur and whether you leave the gym shuffling feeling like a dish towel or flying feeling like a superhero.
How pre-workouts help your routine
Some of the ingredients that are especially beneficial for high-intensity exercise are:
- Caffeine to help provide energy and improve focus and attention.*
- Beta-alanine helps you fight fatigue and perform better by helping your body produce more of the amino acid carnosine. This amino buffers muscle acids that result from exercise. *
- quercetin is a powerful phytonutrient that acts synergistically with caffeine and beta-alanine to help delay exercise-induced fatigue and improve performance.*
“Caffeine and beta-alanine are some of the most clinically researched ingredients available on the market,” says Falcone. “And evidence shows they can help you get the most out of your workouts.”
Falcone’s Recommendation: Avoid energy drinks and opt for something formulated to help you reach your goals as quickly as possible: “Energize pre-workout “It provides key ingredients to optimize your training that are not found in energy drinks,” says Falcone. “These ingredients provide more than just energy: they help combat fatigue during exercise and improve strength gains.”*
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
