Whether you’re about to lift weights, run, climb, hike, bike, surf, or do Tai Bo (is that still a thing?), you may be wondering if you should take pre workout? The short answer is yes, with a caveat: only if it includes clean ingredients with no fillers or additives that cause side effects. So if you find the right one, what are the benefits of pre workout?
Why should you take a pre-workout supplement? The best ones on the market help:
- Fuel your workout without making you feel hyper, jittery, or anxious
- Minimize muscle soreness
- Speed the recovery process from connective-tissue micro-tearing
- Supply the body with antioxidants, which minimizes the effects of stress
- Improve circulation
- Support the immune system
- Burn body fat
- Utilize stored sugars in the body
- Reduce ammonia accumulation
- Support sleep
Best Ingredients For Pre-Workout
So which ingredients provide you with these benefits?
L-Glutamine
Out of the 20 amino acids that make up the proteins in the human body, L-Glutamine is the most abundant. It’s a conditional amino acid meaning you don’t need to get it from food. However, if you exercise, especially at high intensity, you should consider L-glutamine an essential amino acid.
This is because during periods of stress—whether undergoing surgery or a brutal kickboxing class—your body gobbles up L-glutamine like a sugar addict on Halloween.
Your immune system could weaken if you train hard and don’t take extra L-glutamine. According to Mount Sinai, endurance athletes such as long-distance runners are more susceptible to catching colds after an event. L-Glutamine deficiency heavily contributes to this downgraded immune function.
Research studies also suggest there are other benefits to taking L-glutamine. For instance, a 2019 meta-analysis published in Nutrients reviewed 55 studies. “Most of the studies observed that glutamine supplementation improved some fatigue markers, such as increased glycogen [stored sugar in the liver and muscles] synthesis and reduced ammonia accumulation,” the authors concluded.
In addition, some studies suggest that glutamine supplementation may reduce your recovery time. For example, a study in the Journal of Exercise Science & Fitness found that L-glutamine supplementation helped preserve maximal muscle strength over 96 hours and helped prevent muscle soreness.
Beta-Alanine
Beta-alanine is a unique amino acid. It’s not one of the 20 amino acids that make proteins in the human body. Combined with the amino acid histidine, it forms a bond of two amino acids called carnosine.
A study in Current Sports Medicine Reports says β-Alanine is one of the most popular sports supplements strength/power athletes use.
So what’s the pre-workout benefit here? “The popularity of β-alanine stems from its unique ability to enhance intramuscular buffering capacity and thereby attenuating fatigue,” the study explains.
Buffering capacity? As in “get buff”? But what if you’re a long-distance runner and having biceps that look like basketballs isn’t your goal?
The researchers explain that carnosine can uniquely help muscles deal with acid buildup during exercise. This is important because when acid builds up in muscles, it can cause fatigue and limit performance.
Thus, by enhancing the muscle’s ability to buffer this acid, β-alanine may help you perform—and recover more quickly—from high-intensity exercise.
Arginine-alpha-ketoglutarate (AAKG)
AAKG combines the amino acid arginine with alpha-ketoglutarate, a compound involved in energy production in the body.
The main benefit of AAKG is that it acts as a precursor to nitric oxide (NO). NO relaxes your blood vessels and improves blood flow. Increased blood flow is crucial for athletic performance.
In addition, AAKG supplements may help high-intensity athletes by supporting muscle growth.
A study published in the International Journal of Sports Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism analyzed the effects of taking AAKG before workouts for seven days.
The results? The participant’s blood levels of AAKG increased, suggesting that their NO levels also increased.
L-Leucine/L-Isoluecine/L-Valine (BCAAs)
These three essential amino acids—you need to obtain them from food; your body does not make them—are better known as branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs).
BCAAs are critical for stimulating and repairing the microtears in your skeletal muscle tissue.
In a 2021 meta-analysis of nine studies published in the journal, Nutrients, the authors concluded, “BCAA supplementation lowers plasma markers of muscle damage and subjective soreness after resistance exercise.”
Cranberry Extract
Cranberry extract isn’t for Thanksgiving. Nor is it just for natural flavoring. Studies suggest that cranberry extract is a key ingredient in pre-workout supplements.
A study from the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition analyzed the effects of cranberry extract (Vaccinum macrocarpon) on the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines and selected markers of iron metabolism on members of the Polish national rowing team, who were subjected to exhaustive exercise.
“Supplementation with cranberry extract contributed to a significant strengthening of antioxidant potential in individuals exposed to strenuous physical exercise,” the researchers concluded.
In other words, intense exercise is a significant stress to the body. So fueling your cells with free-radical killers that prevent oxidative stress, like cranberry extract, is an intelligent strategy.
Green Tea Extract & Caffeine
Green tea extract comes from the dried leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant. Rich in the catechin (a type of antioxidant) epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), green tea extract supports the immune system and gives you a subtle burst of energy.
There’s caffeine in green tea extract, but there’s way less of it than in an average cup of coffee. Also, GTE contains the compound L-theanine, which supports mood and sleep quality. In addition, GTE may help support normal inflammation levels after workouts.
In a study published in a Scandinavian sports medicine journal, the authors also noted that GTE enhances fat metabolism.
Raspberry Ketones
You’ve heard of the keto diet. Does raspberry ketones have anything to do with it? Actually, no. You won’t go into ketosis, but raspberry ketones might help you lose weight.
Raspberry ketones give berries their fruity aroma as well as their flavor. People take raspberry ketones pre-workout to boost energy, help burn fat and improve performance.
The journal Life Sciences explains that the structure of raspberry ketones is similar to that of capsaicin (a component of chili peppers) and synephrine (bitter orange extract). These compounds “exert anti-obese actions … and raspberry ketones prevent and improve obesity and fatty liver,” the researchers concluded.
The Best Low Caffeine Pre-Workout
If you’re looking for a pre-workout supplement that offers all these 10 benefits, consider Red Leaf Pre-Workout Drink. It’ll give you that energy lift without the jitters. Each serving of Red Leaf Pre-Workout Drink contains the caffeine equivalent of 1/2 cup of coffee.
In addition to the noticeable but safe energy boost, our Pre-Workout Drink will help you recover more quickly from workouts and support your immune system.
Per serving, Red Leaf Pre-Workout Drink costs a little more than $1. A buck is worth it for exercising at your highest potential.
A Safer, More Effective Pre Workout
A serving of pre-workout powder contains 40 grams of caffeine. Did you know other pre-workout supplements can have up to 500 grams of caffeine? So if you plan on going to a rock climbing gym, 500 mg of caffeine might be good. That’s because you’ll for sure be climbing the walls!
Other pre-workout supplements can make you itchy or give you tingling skin. “Beta-alanine itch” is a common experience because it activates a histamine response in the body when ingested. The more beta-alanine, the more intense the itch. Red Leaf Pre-Workout contains a much lower dose of beta-alanine than many other pre-workout. The natural histamine response from taking beta-alanine diminishes over time with continued use.
Water retention is another reported side effect of pre-workout supplements. Creatine is the main culprit. But we do not include creatine in our Pre-Workout drink.
Choose From 2 Delicious Sugar-Free Flavors
Red Leaf Pre comes in two flavors. The Cranberry Lime flavor contains a small amount of sucralose. It tastes like healthy KoolAid. If your taste buds are tickled by a more tart flavor profile, you’ll love the Blueberry Acai flavor. It’s naturally sweetened with stevia and monk fruit. Our core aim is to fuel your workouts with the purest, most efficacious ingredients.
These pre-workout energizers contain no artificial ingredients and no food allergens.
To sum up, Red Leaf Pre-Workout Drink energizes you without making you jittery. In addition, Pre-Workout may reduce muscle fatigue and soreness; support metabolism, circulation, and immune function, among other benefits.
If you’ve been considering trying a pre-workout supplement but weren’t sure where to start, try Red Leaf Pre-Workout for a healthy, balanced boost.
Learn more about Pre-Workout Drink here.
