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  • When you decide to use a pre-workout supplement, you can say that you're getting pretty serious

  • with your gym goals.

  • And with such a huge market and countless consumers touting its benefits, pre-workouts

  • must be effective enough to warrant the attention of even the most casual gym-goer.

  • Andfor the most part, it does.

  • In fact, if you ever took a pre-workout supplement or currently taking it now, you can attest

  • to the effects it gives you.

  • Undoubtedly, there's some sort of jolt to it.

  • And it leaves you wondering exactly what's in it and how does it actually help you?

  • Before we start, I want to briefly thank PictureFit Patreon supporter Andy.

  • For those of you that have been asking for a pre-workout video, you can thank Andy for

  • choosing this video as his pledge reward.

  • If you would like to support PictureFit as well and snag cool rewards such as me drawing

  • you a picture or picking the topic for a future video just like Andy did, come check out PictureFit's

  • Patreon page at patreon.com/PictureFit!

  • Alright.

  • Taking a quick glance at any pre-workout supplement label, you're bombarded by a rather ridiculous

  • list of almost unpronounceable ingredients.

  • And some of them are indeed helpful.

  • Something like trimethylglycine, which can aid in hearth health and power output.

  • You'll also find beta-alanine, which helps decrease fatigue, meaning you can possibly

  • run longer or eek out a few more reps.

  • Some will contain Nitric Oxide Boosters, such as citrulline and arginine, helping you achieve

  • a greater pump.

  • And most definitely you'll find some form of creatine, an extremely popular supplement

  • in its own right known for improving energy production during anaerobic activities.

  • There are also popular ingredients that aren't… so helpful, such as the amino acid glutamine.

  • Supplement companies have heavily pushed glutamine to be a muscle builder and power booster,

  • but research shows that it's no better than a placebo.

  • Some companies might even pair pre-workouts with conjugated linoleic acid, or CLA for

  • short, claiming that it will help burn more fat during exercise.

  • But, much like glutamine, its effects are unsubstantiated.

  • But yes, no doubt these ingredients in a pre-workout can be helpful overall.

  • But, studies show that taking them before your workout doesn't have any more benefits

  • than just taking them on a regular basis.

  • And also, these ingredients can easily be found in your... food.

  • With the exception of creatine, buying a pre-workout just for *these* ingredients, for the most

  • part, can be a waste of money.

  • BUT if that's the case, where does the tingling sensation from a pre-workout come from?

  • Well, along with the mentioned ingredients, pre-workout supplements also have ingredients

  • known as stimulants.

  • Stimulants serve the general purpose of increasing performance through the heightening of multiple

  • physiological and mental factors such as heart rate, alertness, and vasodilation.

  • You'll most likely find a stimulant called yohimbine, a substance found within a Yohime

  • Tree bark, that can improve blood flow and the use of fat for energy.

  • Some popular stimulants in the past were ephedrine and DMAA, both of which stimulates the central

  • nervous system, essentially kicking your body into hyper mode and driving up your adrenaline

  • levels, heart rate, blood pressure, and fat breakdown.

  • Reason they are popular stimulants *in the past* is because they've been banned as dietary

  • supplements in the U.S due to a handful of links todeath.

  • Other stimulants you might find are theobromine, paraxanthine, and theophylline.

  • BUTby FAR, and it's not even close, THE most effective and important stimulant in

  • all pre-workout supplements is none other than...

  • Caffeine.

  • That's right, the same thing you find in your morning coffee.

  • As you all know, caffeine is the most widely used stimulant in the world, and for good

  • reason.

  • Thanks to its ability to inhibit the sleep-inducing effects of adenosine, caffeine consumption

  • can influence factors such as wakefulness, alertness, aerobic capacity, power output,

  • fat breakdown, and time to exhaustion.

  • And yes, it can even cause you to have jittery sensations.

  • So... there you have it.

  • The secret is out!

  • Without caffeine, pre-workout supplements really aren't all that special.

  • It's also the reason people have such different experiences with it, since caffeine tolerance

  • vary from person to person.

  • Some people might perform better simply because the caffeine and other stimulants makes them

  • focus better.

  • And since most pre-workout supplements contain caffeine equal to roughly 3-4 cups of coffee,

  • it's important to assess your own response to caffeine, both positive and negative, before

  • taking it.

  • Plus, the effects of pre-workouts are indeed much greater on an empty stomach, so plan

  • accordingly.

  • And if you simply don't want to spend money on pre-workouts, a healthy diet with a side

  • of black coffee is definitely a valiant alternative.

  • Share your thoughts on pre-workouts in the comments below.

  • If you enjoyed the video, please like and share, and don't forget to subscribe!

  • Thanks for watching!

When you decide to use a pre-workout supplement, you can say that you're getting pretty serious

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