Pre-workout supplements are designed to help you train, to give you the strength to push your limits from workout to workout. These supplements combine the power of different active ingredients, so they work in more ways than one. The main active ingredient in caffeine energy boosters is caffeine. It stimulates the production of adrenaline. What is adrenaline?
Imagine you're walking down the street and you're being attacked and robbed. What happens in your body?
Suddenly our heart rate increases, our blood pressure rises, we sweat, our pupils dilate, we concentrate on the task at hand to fend off the attacker, and all the energy is transferred to our muscles, we find we are much stronger than usual. It's called the "fight or flight" response and it's coded into us for survival. Two hormones are most responsible for this, adrenaline and cortisol. Adrenaline - caffeine - raises our heart rate and blood pressure, getting more blood to the muscles.
The added creatine increases strength and power most in the 1-8 repetition range or sprints (for loads up to 30 seconds).
The blood flow enhancers (l-arginine, citrulline and ornithine) dilate blood vessels, allowing more nutrients to reach the muscles, which can also benefit endurance athletes (runners, swimmers, cyclists, etc.). Don't worry f you have high blood pressure or are sensitive to caffeine, supplements containing only blood-levelling agents have a blood pressure lowering effect.
- L-taurine boosts brain function and concentration.
- L-tyrosine boosts concentration in stressful situations such as training or competition.
These energy boosters will give you a huge burst of energy at the beginning of your workout, making you feel like you're changing the world - so time your hardest exercises at the begining of your workout.
There are also pre-workouts that release caffeine slowly, they won't leave you feeling lethargic even after the 1.5 to 2 hour workout.
Because of caffeine, it is not recommended for people with high blood pressure and other cardiovascular conditions. Instead, choose a non-stimultant energy booster after consulting a doctor.