Few supplements can be harmful for health © Shutterstock
A decade and a half back, a small but power-packed meal including boiled eggs or just a piece of banana would have been sufficient to boost our energy levels before a tough workout. But now, everybody seems to be switching to pre-workout supplements. In fact, these supplements have become immensely popular in the workout circuits in recent times.
The Role Of Pre-workout Supplements
They are supposed to improve your workout performance if you fuel up on them before hitting the gym. Some pre-workout supplements have carbohydrates and others come without this macronutrient and calories. However, all of them have one or more of these ingredients in them: Caffeine, amino acids, amino acids, creatine powder and beetroot juice. You could find other exotic names in the ingredient list as well. According to experts, these supplements stimulate your 'fight or flight' response, expand your blood vessels, and rev up blood flow to your muscles before an exercise session.
Why Ditch The Store-bought Ones?
Well, they are expensive and may contain unnecessary elements which are not scientifically proven to benefit your workouts in any way. While making your own supplement at home, you have the freedom to choose the ingredients judiciously, ones that can actually rev up your energy levels. Moreover, the products available in the market often have sub-clinical doses of the necessary constituents. For example, they may have 1g of an ingredient while the effective dosage is 5g.
Read: Should Indians take turmeric pills or curcumin supplements?
Make Them In Minutes
Here are two recipes for your ideal pre-workout formula. It won't even take you a minute to whip them up.
1. Pre-workout Supplement for an Empty Stomach
Ingredients
6g Citrulline malate powder
2g Beta-alanine powder
5g Creatine powder
Amino acid powder (1 serving)
200-300mg caffeine tablet
Fill your sipper with 500 ml water and all the ingredients minus the caffeine tablet. Pop it with your pre-workout solution.
2. Pre-workout Supplement for a Full Tummy
Ingredients
6g Citrulline malate powder
2g Beta-alanine powder
5g Creatine powder
200-300mg caffeine tablet (optional)
Simply mix water with all the powders in a shaker and gulp it down. You may or may not follow it up with caffeine tablet. In case of a late-evening workout, it's better to skip caffeine, or else, it may interfere with your snooze pattern.
How Do These Ingredients Help?
The long list of ingredients on the labels of many pre-workout supplements may be confusing. Here, we guide you on a few of them that really work.
Citrulline malate powder
It helps in increasing your nitric oxide levels which pump in extra blood to your working muscles. This powder also helps you fight fatigue.
Beta-alanine powder
This powder powers up your workouts by soaring up your endurance levels. It also acts as a buffer against the build-up of hydrogen ions which make your muscles acidic, limiting their performance.
Creatine powder
It adds to your energy levels and keeps your muscles hydrated during exercise.
Amino acid powder
It helps synthesise protein and the build-up of new muscle tissues. With this ingredient, you can also fight muscle soreness.
Caffeine tablet
This is what gets you going. It also helps you feel light while working out.
Read: A gym beginner's guide to whey and other protein supplements
Image Source: Shutterstock
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