PRE WORKOUT
Scoop of the day
Many people need something to energize them or pick them up before they workout. Lots of people go to caffeine and pre-workout is a big source of caffeine. 99% of caffeine is absorbed within 45 minutes. The problem with Caffeine naturally raises your heart rate and with the stress of cardiovascular activity can put bad strain on your heart. Pre workout are designed to help increase training volume and intensity so that you can get more from each workout. The number one pre workout brand in 2018 is C4. C4 has 135 mg- 300 mg per serving where a cup of coffee has 80 mg- 150 mg range.
Most forms of pre workout have a combination of nutrients, such as creatine, amino acids, B vitamins, and electrolytes. One helpful active ingredient is beta alanine which allows the dilation of blood vessels to put more blood in your muscles. Pre workout also has several health benefits including stress reduction, raised nitric oxide production levels, and improved focus, all of which are helpful before a workout.
In 2014, DMBA was found in several pre workout supplements. This is a substance very close to DMAA, a chemical banned by the FDA. Both of these chemicals were banned in 2015 for increasing risks of heart attacks, brain bleeds, and even death. Pre-workout powders also use Emulsifiers to help the ingredients dissolve and mix smoothly. These emulsifiers have very bad side effects such as diarrhea, abdominal pain, nausea, and some even have been linked to negative effects of fertility and reproduction.
There have been so many examples of people have terrible side effects. In 2011, Army Private Michael Lee Sparling collapsed after taking pre workout supplements and running for 10 minutes. He went into cardiac arrest and died later that day (The New York Times).
On the Label of all these supplements it says do not use if under the age of 18. This proposes a big problem for high school students because they are under 18. Ten Highschool students at Menomonie High School got suspended for the first three games of the football season for taking C4 because it has a banned substance called Synephrine HCL.
Not only are pre Workouts not good for you and put you at big risk they are also not allowed to be consumed in high school. I propose a solution for energy before a workout. I recommend People stick to natural sources of energy before you workout, like Bananas or oatmeal. By eating food high in carbohydrates and lean protein, you will have long lasting energy to help you get through your workout with not negative side effects.
Citations
https://cellucor.com/blogs/nutrition/pre-workout-101
https://spoonuniversity.com/lifestyle/why-taking-pre-workout-supplements-might-be-a-bad-idea
https://www.livestrong.com/article/1003313-preworkouts-bad-you/
https://www.fitdadnation.com/the-dark-side-of-taking-pre-workout-supplements/