If you pick up any fitness magazine giving advice on how to build muscle fast one of the first things you will notice is the frequency of adverts for pre-workout supplements. Today we are going to look at how necessary these products actually are, to help you to determine whether they are worth your money.
Just like any other business, it's all about money. The sales talk and marketing pitches are what make the supplement industry go around and that's why you will often see claims of ridiculous results with every new product on the market.
While the last three decades has seen countless improvements in our knowledge of fitness and nutrition, the basic rules of building a leaner, more powerful physique have remained largely untouched.
With pre-workout supplements costing an average of 30 for a month's supply, getting hooked on finding the next big thing can turn into a very expensive bad habit. It's a craze which has really taken off in the last two years in gyms around the world yet, despite the huge financial outlay involved, most people complain at a lack of physical results.
So, what is a pre-workout supplement actually designed to do for you?
A pre-workout supplement usually has one job and one job only. It is designed to help you get pumped up for your forthcoming workout. That's it, despite all of the big claims it might make on the packaging.
The hardest part, of course, is being able to tell which one is the best for you.
In order to stop yourself getting sucked in by the hype of every 'next big thing' to hit the supplement market you simply need to learn the basic ingredients and you'll know what to look for the next time you see a product making bold statements about it's capabilities.
There are two ingredients which appear in most pre-workout products today. Those are caffeine and nitric oxide boosters. They're designed to give you a quick spike of energy which, if applied to a gym session, could increase your ability to lift a heavier weight and therefore lead to more hypertrophy.
One area where this particular niche of products are not so great is science. There isn't a whole lot of scientific data to back up the need for a fitness enthusiast to take this kind of supplement, with a lot of exercisers using them purely through personal choice.
Our body adapts, of course, so you generally have to change pre-workout supplement every three months otherwise you will notice it has less impact each time you take it. Since the discovery of creatine monohydrate products in the late 1980's, the bodybuilding industry has been set on finding the next big breakthrough. Pre-workout supplements are not 100% necessary in order to get results. If you want to know how to build muscle, you can certainly do it without taking one of these before you hit the gym.
Just like any other business, it's all about money. The sales talk and marketing pitches are what make the supplement industry go around and that's why you will often see claims of ridiculous results with every new product on the market.
While the last three decades has seen countless improvements in our knowledge of fitness and nutrition, the basic rules of building a leaner, more powerful physique have remained largely untouched.
With pre-workout supplements costing an average of 30 for a month's supply, getting hooked on finding the next big thing can turn into a very expensive bad habit. It's a craze which has really taken off in the last two years in gyms around the world yet, despite the huge financial outlay involved, most people complain at a lack of physical results.
So, what is a pre-workout supplement actually designed to do for you?
A pre-workout supplement usually has one job and one job only. It is designed to help you get pumped up for your forthcoming workout. That's it, despite all of the big claims it might make on the packaging.
The hardest part, of course, is being able to tell which one is the best for you.
In order to stop yourself getting sucked in by the hype of every 'next big thing' to hit the supplement market you simply need to learn the basic ingredients and you'll know what to look for the next time you see a product making bold statements about it's capabilities.
There are two ingredients which appear in most pre-workout products today. Those are caffeine and nitric oxide boosters. They're designed to give you a quick spike of energy which, if applied to a gym session, could increase your ability to lift a heavier weight and therefore lead to more hypertrophy.
One area where this particular niche of products are not so great is science. There isn't a whole lot of scientific data to back up the need for a fitness enthusiast to take this kind of supplement, with a lot of exercisers using them purely through personal choice.
Our body adapts, of course, so you generally have to change pre-workout supplement every three months otherwise you will notice it has less impact each time you take it. Since the discovery of creatine monohydrate products in the late 1980's, the bodybuilding industry has been set on finding the next big breakthrough. Pre-workout supplements are not 100% necessary in order to get results. If you want to know how to build muscle, you can certainly do it without taking one of these before you hit the gym.
About the Author:
Coach: Russ Howe PTI is a trusted personal trainer. Learn how to build muscle with our new video guide showing the five principles to a more powerful physique and creatine.
