4 Master Ingredients Any Pre-Workout Should Incorporate

A good pre-workout supplement can help you maximize and speed up your results, but not all of these supplements are equal. While some of them do have a blend of effective ingredients, most may not be any more useful than a cup of coffee.

When shopping for a pre-workout supplement, there are several important ingredients you need to be looking for, and here are four of them:

Beta-Alanine

Beta-Alanine is an amino acid that the body uses to build muscle. It also improves athletic performance and reduces muscle fatigue during intense exercise. If you find yourself getting quickly and easily exhausted during workout, then supplementing with beta-alanine can be very beneficial.

The recommended daily dose of beta-alanine is around 2 to 5 grams.

Creatine

Creatine is one of the most popular bodybuilding supplements that almost every athlete uses. It has been shown to increase muscle energy production, strength and growth. If you’d like to boost your endurance during exercise, then a creatine supplement is one of the first things you should look into.

There are several types of creatine supplements, the two most popular of which are creatine HCl and monohydrate. There is also creatine nitrate, which has been shown to have better water solubility. One of the good pre-workout supplements that contains creatine nitrate is Mesomorph by APS Nutrition, which you can get an overview of here.

The recommended daily dose of creatine depends on body weight and the specific creatine compound, but it’s generally advised to keep the dose below 5 grams a day to avoid adverse effects.

Caffeine

We all know caffeine; the psychoactive stimulant compound found in coffee, tea and other drinks. Caffeine gives you a good boost of energy and focus, and reduces feelings of tiredness and fatigue. If you don’t drink coffee or another caffeinated drink, then consider taking a pre-workout supplement that contains this proven natural stimulant.

You must be careful however since a high dose of caffeine can lead to some nasty side effects, the most common of which is being anxious and jittery. If you are highly sensitive to caffeine you should avoid products that contain it.

The recommended daily dose of caffeine is around 200 to 400 mg.

BCAAs

Branched-Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs) consist of leucine, isoleucine and valine. They are needed by the body to make muscle tissue and they also act as a source of energy for muscles during exercise.

Studies have shown that people who take BCAAs before workout have increased muscle growth compared to people don’t consume these amino acids. They also help reduce fatigue and soreness, and aid with recovery after an intense workout.

The recommended daily dose of BCAAs varies based on the user’s weight, but a common dose ranges from 3 to 5 grams per day.