The vitamins and minerals also help: B vitamins are crucial in energy metabolism, while vitamin C support collagen synthesis and is a potent antioxidant to support health.

There are many natural pre-workout food and drink options. While they may not be as potent as the supplements, they can give decent performance benefits. Here we take a look at some of the best natural PWOs that you can to add to your diet: Coffee If you’re feeling adventurous, add crushed ice for a guilt-free slushie before you get your sweat on. Studies have shown that when Arginine AKG is taken orally it doesn’t work all that well. This is because the body is unable to absorb it properly and therefore has very little effect. The Pump is a low-caffeine pre-workout supplement that is ideal for use during both evening workout and intra-workout. ATP is basically what your muscles use for energy. Therefore the more ATP you have the higher your power and strength output.Cellucor C4 Original does contain some ingredients to support strength like beta-alanine and creatine. Unfortunately these doses are so low that they are not sufficient enough for eliciting a significant benefit. Available in two flavours, its taste is said to be above average with mixability being fine. Redcon1 Total War

That said, I personally have never experienced any of these with C4 pre workout except for some very minor jitters. This has been great for me, but it might not suit everyone. If you’re training later in the day then you might want to watch out for the 6-hour caffeine half-life. There is no set clinical dose of caffeine that is accepted since individual reactions to caffeine vary greatly. Viribay, A., et al. (2020). Effects of arginine supplementation on athletic performance based on energy metabolism: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

First Impressions

All of the ingredients listed below are things that you’ll commonly find within pre-workout products in the UK. Not every supplement will have all of these, and the benefits of including all of them in a single product are also hotly debated. For example, many people argue that creatine shouldn’t be taken in a pre-workout product because it’s suggested that creatine should be consumed post-workout. There are no issues with taking them both together and the majority of products do include both, though a growing range of manufacturers are opting to offer creatine as a separate product. As a result, supplementing with beta-alanine to increase muscle carnosine levels can result in delayed fatigue, allowing you to exercise at higher intensities for longer periods of time.