Do you need a natural pre-workout supplement for a better exercise routine?
Getting up at 5am to go for a run. Ditching happy hour and staying late after work to get in that extra workout at the office gym. Taking a spin class on the weekend instead of having brunch with friends. I agree that summoning up the energy to workout needs a lot of determination.
I can assure you, however, anyone who’s serious about exercise makes sacrifices. It’s part and parcel of living the fit life. In turn, this means you truly want your workouts to count.
The best way to do this? With natural pre-workout supplements. Let me help you go over what supplement ingredients to look for and what amazing benefits they can provide for your workouts.
Top Benefits of Taking a Natural Pre-Workout Supplement
In this article:
- Why Take Natural Pre-Workout Supplements?
- What Natural Pre-Workout Ingredients Should You Focus On?
- What About Pre-Workout Food?
Why Take Natural Pre-Workout Supplements?
Why take natural pre-workout supplements? Certainly, you can still get in a decent workout without them, right?
Well, yes and no. It’s true you’ll get the core benefits of exercise when you workout without taking supplements beforehand. But if you really want to maximize your workout, burn more calories, and train longer and harder, natural pre-workout supplements are your new best friends.
There are a lot of pre-workout supplements out on the market right now. But you need to stay away from artificial flavorings or ingredients, additives, and preservatives as they may do more harm to your body than good.
Studies suggest that consuming too much artificial flavorings and colorings may lead to a range of side effects such as dizziness, headaches, brain damage, and even cancer.
On the other hand, supplements with a natural composition will provide you with chemicals already found in nature. You wouldn’t have to worry about building up toxins from artificial flavorings and colorings.
Let me show you some of the benefits you can expect from taking natural pre-workout supplements:
Better Overall Performance
If you love exercising and/or have specific weight loss, muscle mass, or ability goals, you need to be able to go hard every time you suit up for a workout. With supplements, this is the name of the game.
You’ll notice improved efficiency and peak agility when you take a supplement. In fact, many fitness pros say they see a stark difference in their abilities when they take a supplement versus when they don’t.
More Energy to Go Longer
In addition to improving performance, pre-exercise supplements give you loads of energy. And more energy means workouts that are longer and less taxing at the same time.
Supplements prep you for a workout that you’re sure to go hard on and not feel fatigued while completing it. They also help you complete a long workout before heading in to work or after a hard day.
Increased Metabolism
I know everyone wants to increase their metabolism and exercise is one way to do this. But, to most efficiently use exercise to boost your metabolism, you may need another initial boost. That’s where supplements come in.
If you ask me why you need to raise your metabolism, here’s what I can tell you in a nutshell. A slow metabolism can be a problem if you’re trying to lose weight and it also makes you feel sluggish and tired when you shouldn’t be. If you’ve been noticing that you’re still tired even after a long night’s sleep or if you’re having trouble with digestion and regularity, it could be due to a slow metabolism.
Boost it with the help of a pre-workout supplement.
Weight Loss
With supplements — especially those containing caffeine — your body’s fat oxidation and thermogenesis processes are raised. This boosts your metabolism as outlined above, and in turn, these things help you lose weight.
Don’t need to lose weight? There’s still good news.
With an increased metabolism and raised thermogenesis, it will be easier to stay leaner and fitter and maintain your desired weight. In other words, even if you miss a few workouts over vacation or go a little crazy on a cheat day, you’ll be set because of the pre-workout supplement you’ve been taking before you exercise.
Better Focus
Does your mind ever wander while you’re working out? Do you have trouble concentrating on your reps or focusing on your run? A supplement could help. If I am to make a comparison, pre-workout supplements work the same way caffeine helps you write that college paper or finish that project for your boss.
Faster Recovery
It’s true that pre-workout supplements are taken before you work out, but they actually come in very handy after you work out as well.
Post-workout, if you struggle with muscle soreness, back pain, unsteady insulin levels, or other frustrating symptoms, just try taking pre-workout supplements. You should immediately notice a difference.
These supplements, which contain ingredients like creatine and caffeine, can help your muscles repair themselves faster and more effectively on a molecular level. But it also helps you feel better.
While you may love to hate that “post-workout burn,” it can sometimes be too much to bear. Furthermore, you don’t want to turn yourself off to working out. I urge you to try a supplement before hitting the gym, and you’ll notice a positive recovery difference that will make working out easier and less painful.
What Natural Pre-Workout Ingredients Should You Focus On?
When choosing a natural pre-workout supplement, focus on finding the following ingredients. These will boost your workout performance, fat burning, and muscle building potential — among many other benefits.
L-Citrulline Kyowa Quality® (Vegan)
L-Citrulline is a non-essential amino acid produced naturally by the body. It’s then changed to another amino acid, L-arginine and also nitric oxide which increases energy. This chemical also helps in diseases like dementia, Alzheimer’s, erectile dysfunction, diabetes, and high blood pressure.
Since L-Citrulline can also be found in foods like watermelon, we can ingest it as well. That’s why having L-Citrulline in your pre-workout supplements would help improve your athletic performance.
Evertrain PRE incorporates L-Citrulline Kyowa Quality® (Vegan) in its list of ingredients. It’s one of the few fermented natural version of the amino acid in the market right now. Nitrogen oxide gets a boost with 2 grams of L-Citrulline Kyowa Quality®, which is perfect for your pre-workout needs.
Natural Caffeine
All around, caffeine is an excellent ingredient for improving performance. This goes for both mental performance and physical performance. After all, without that first cup of coffee every day, could you really get down to work the same way?
In terms of athletic performance, caffeine acts as a boost of energy and increases blood flow to your extremities. It also helps fat cells to be used as a source of your body’s energy as opposed to your body going straight to glycogen for energy. In turn, this helps you burn extra calories while and after your workout.
Imagine burning more calories all day while doing your normal routine — cool, huh?
Of course, you can drink a cup of coffee before your exercise routine, but many people don’t want a bunch of hot liquid in their stomach before a run. For this reason, choose natural pre-workout supplements that contain caffeine.
However, it’s important to choose natural caffeine. Evertrain PRE provides 280 mg of natural caffeine for that boost of energy you need for your workout. Why would you go for synthetic chemical when you can have the caffeine you need from organic green coffee beans instead?
Astragin®
Another component of a pre-workout supplement to look out for is Astragin®. It is composed of highly purified saponins Astragalus membranaceus and Panax notoginseng plant. This 100% natural absorption enhancer has been studied to show enhanced absorption Beta-Alanine, L-Citrulline, and Creatine Monohydrate between 25%-45%. Evertrain PRE provides 50mg of Astragin®.
Creatine
Creatine is one of the most notable pre-workout supplement ingredients out there.
What is creatine? It’s actually a substance that’s already present in your muscle cells. When doing anything high-intensity (heavy cardio or lifting, for example) creatine helps your muscles push harder and produce more energy.
Overall, creatine will totally change your exercise performance and enhances your strength. Most professional athletes and bodybuilders take some form of creatine before they exercise. Try it. I’ll be lying if you don’t notice a difference in your efficiency and power immediately.
Beta Alanine
Finally, you’ll find beta alanine in many pre-workout supplements. This non-essential amino acid does not synthesize proteins. Rather, in the muscle cells, beta alanine combines with histidine (another amino acid) to create carnosine. Before working out, you want higher levels of carnosine in your body to improve your performance.
What About Pre-Workout Food?
In addition to a pre-workout supplement, consider fueling up for your workout with food! Just do it the right way. No candy, no giant bowls of pasta, and no chips and tacos.
With pre-workout snacks and mini-meals, you should be looking for foods with protein and a bit of carbs. Having a snack before your workout can help you avoid getting dizzy and lightheaded. It will also fuel up your body so it can work harder and longer.
Naturally, though, you don’t want to eat too much or the wrong things before a workout. This can cause cramps, stomach aches, spasms, nausea, and sluggishness.
Here are some surefire pre-workout foods I can guarantee will boost your workout performance and results:
An Apple with Peanut Butter
The apple provides carbs while the peanut butter is a great source of protein.
Power Bars
Steer clear of sugar-laden power bars that are actually candy bars in disguise! I’m sure you’ve been duped by those at one point. Choose small protein bars packed with protein and natural ingredients like nuts, raisins, and grains.
Greek Yogurt
Unlike “light” yogurt or other sugary yogurts, traditional Greek yogurt packs a lot of protein and healthy fats. Pop in a few berries or some whole grain granola to spice up this healthy snack.
A Protein-Packed Mini Meal
Driving to the gym or have a small break between eating and working out? I suggest you consume a “mini meal” packed with protein. For example, every 3 ounces of baked salmon with a small portion of vegetables and ¼ cup of brown rice or quinoa. In the morning, have steel cut oats with almond milk, or cook up a few eggs and some roasted potatoes or a piece of wheat toast.
Water
Before, during, and after any workout, you should be drinking water. Find a designated workout water bottle, and keep it with you at all times. Through sweating, you’ll naturally lose water, so you need to replenish with consistent sips. Just go slow, or you might run into trouble with cramps or nausea (especially if you’re doing vigorous cardio).
Natural VS Artificial Ingredients
Evertrain PRE uses natural ingredients, colors, flavors, and caffeine for better workout performance. It is also non-GMO and has no proprietary blends.
Although I advised you to stay away from sugar-packed snacks earlier, it’s still important to like the taste of your supplement. Evertrain PRE has sucralose as a sweetener.
You might be wondering why this supplement uses sucralose, an artificial sweetener, instead of a more natural one like stevia. Despite the misconception, sucralose is actually safe to consume as verified by various studies.
Like stevia, it has zero calories. However, whereas sucralose can be extremely sweet, stevia has a slightly bitter aftertaste.
Want to learn more about why Evertrain uses so many natural ingredients in our pre-workout, Evertrain PRE? Hear it straight from our Doctor of Pharmacy, Dr. Dustin DePanicis:
When it comes to your pre-workout routine, what’s most important is finding something that works for you. Remember that a supplement taken before a workout can make a huge difference in your performance and the effects of your workout efforts. But there are no one-size fits all.
Find a supplement to try, and also experiment with pre-workout foods. Then, look for changes in how you feel during and after your exercise. With some diligence, research, and testing, you’ll find the perfect workout supplement and routine to maximize your workouts.
What benefit of taking natural pre-workout supplements do you find most appealing? Share your thoughts below.
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