A few years ago, most people thought that taking fitness supplements was the same as doing steroids. It sounds weird, but that was the reality. Since the bodybuilding world was filled with a lot of controversy and darkness, the only thing people could know about it came from the news.
The media always wants to exaggerate stories and tries to make everything seem negative, because that triggers our emotions to keep on reading. However, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Ever since then, numerous studies were performed to show that supplements like protein powder, creatine, gainers, and pre-workouts are entirely safe when taken as they should be. Click on this link to read more.
Of course, that doesn’t mean they don’t have any side effects. Too much of anything is bad for you. Eating too much makes you sick. Even water can be dangerous. We need water to survive, but if you drink more than six liters in a short while, you’re going to die. That’s why we’re going to talk about all of the side effects that can happen from pre-workouts.
You may feel jittery
One of the primary ingredients in these kinds of supplements can also be found in out latte. It’s caffeine. There’s no surprise there because coffee is the first thing we reach for in the morning, after our smartphones. The side effects of too much caffeine include feeling jittery, headaches, insomnia, as well as your heartbeat increasing.
The reason for this is because a serving of pre-workout could have as much as 500 milligrams of caffeine in it. Compare that to the average of a hundred milligrams in a single cup of coffee. If you start feeling any nausea, type in the product you’re using, for example Total War side-effects, and see if something comes up. If you already drink two or three cups of energy enhancers in a day, you might want to reduce that amount or look for a product that has a lot less of this compound.
Of course, that depends on the person. Some people can tolerate a large amount with zero side effects. Others can’t fall asleep even after a single cup. If you have any trouble falling asleep, you might want to try abstaining from any caffeine at least six hours before you go to bed. Also, try taking half a dosage, or an even smaller amount to see if that helps.
Increased water retention
Next on the list of ingredients is creatine monohydrate. This substance has been tested as much as all the other supplements combined. All the results they got from the tests are positive, but that depends if those results have coincided with your goals.
First of all, the main role of creatine is to increase your capacity and endurance during high-intensity workouts, and to boost your level of lean mass. It can be taken on its own, but most of the time, pre-workouts have it too.
The only side effects that you might feel from this is feeling bloated, gaining weight, and a mild level of water retention. All of these things can be put under control by reducing the dosage. Usually, athletes start with a loading phase. This means they’ll take around 20 grams of creatine each day for three days.
Then, they’ll reduce the dosage to three or five grams. This gives you immediate results, and that’s why it’s called a loading phase. If you start experiencing any digestive issues or unwanted weight gain, you might want to switch over to a different method. This one is a bit slower, and it will take up to four weeks to see any visible results.
Instead of loading with four doses at once, you could take 3-5 grams each day, and do that every day. Over the course of the next four weeks, you’re going to gain somewhere around 5 pounds of muscle mass, since that’s the primary goal of this ingredient. It also serves to speed up recovery time, so you’ll be able to hit the weights more often.
Headaches
When you were little, your parents probably forced you to eat beetroots. The truth is kids don’t want to eat their fruits and vegetables since there are much better alternatives in their minds. However, beets are incredibly healthy. They are natural nitric oxide enhancers. Follow this link for more info https://www.popsci.com/story/diy/dynamic-warmup-why-how/.
That means they improve our blood flow and dilate our blood vessels. Now, extracts from them in the forms of citrulline and L-arginine get added into pre-workouts to widen up your veins and arteries. That’s good as a warmup, but some people can experience headaches.
That happens because all of our blood vessels widen, even the ones in our brains. There are many small capillaries in the brain area, and the change of pressure may make some people feel as if there is a drum beating in their heads. The most effective way to combat this is simply to decrease the dosage.
Should you use pre-workouts?
The way you should look at them is as supplements. They only exist to be an addition to your diet. However, if you have trouble with motivation, or if you’ve been working out consistently for half a year or more, you might want to try them.
There are a lot of ingredients that can boost your performance and make you function at a higher capacity. They’re also popular in the fitness community because they give you an energy enhancement. But if you feel any adverse side effects, make sure to decrease the dosage to see if they go away, or stop taking the supplement altogether.
