Walk into any gym and you’ll see people sipping colourful drinks before they start training. Pre-workout supplements have become incredibly popular, but many people don’t really understand what they do or whether they actually work. As someone who has spent over 10 years in the fitness industry, I’ve seen the good, the bad, and the unnecessary when it comes to pre-workout supplementation.
My name is Will Duru, and with a BSc (Hons) in Sport and Exercise Science and over a decade of experience as an award-winning personal trainer, I’ve helped countless clients navigate the confusing world of supplements. The truth is, while pre-workout supplements can be beneficial, they’re not magic potions. Understanding what they actually do and how to use them properly can help you make informed decisions about whether they’re right for your goals.
In this article, we’ll explore the science behind pre-workout supplements, break down the key ingredients and their effects, and discuss how you can track their impact using a fitness and exercise tracker. I’ll also share my personal recommendation for a simple, natural alternative that many of my clients find just as effective as expensive supplements.
Pre-Workout Supplement Benefits
Pre-workout supplements are designed to enhance your training performance by providing your body with specific nutrients that can improve energy, focus, and endurance. The research indicates that when used correctly, these supplements can offer measurable benefits for many individuals.
Increased energy and focus
The primary benefit most people notice from pre-workout supplements is increased energy and mental focus. This effect comes mainly from caffeine, which is the most common and well-researched ingredient in these products. Caffeine works by blocking adenosine receptors in your brain, which prevents the feeling of tiredness and helps you feel more alert and focused.
Research from the International Society of Sports Nutrition shows that 67% of athletes experience enhanced sports performance following caffeine consumption [1]. This isn’t just about feeling more energetic – caffeine actually improves your ability to concentrate on your workout, maintain proper form, and push through challenging sets. When you’re more focused, you’re less likely to get distracted and more likely to have a productive training session.
The mental benefits extend beyond just feeling awake. Many people report that pre-workout supplements help them get “in the zone” for training, especially during early morning workouts or after long days at work. This psychological boost can be just as important as the physical effects, particularly for people who struggle with motivation or consistency.
Enhanced performance
The performance benefits of pre-workout supplements are well-documented in scientific literature. A study published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition found that pre-workout supplementation led to significant improvements in anaerobic peak power and mean power compared to placebo [2]. Participants who took the pre-workout supplement showed a 782-watt peak power output compared to 722 watts for those taking a placebo.
These performance improvements translate to real-world benefits in the gym. You might find that you can lift heavier weights, complete more repetitions, or maintain your intensity for longer periods. The enhanced performance isn’t just about one great workout – consistent improvements in training quality can lead to better long-term results in strength, muscle growth, and overall fitness.
It’s important to note that the performance benefits are most noticeable during high-intensity, short-duration activities. If you’re doing steady-state cardio or yoga, you might not notice as dramatic an effect as you would during weightlifting or high-intensity interval training.
Improved endurance
Pre-workout supplements can also help improve your endurance, allowing you to train longer and maintain higher intensities throughout your workout. This benefit comes from a combination of ingredients working together to delay fatigue and improve your body’s ability to produce energy.
The endurance benefits are particularly noticeable during longer training sessions or when you’re doing multiple exercises back-to-back. You might find that you don’t feel as tired during your usual workout, or that you can add an extra set or two without feeling completely exhausted. This improved endurance can be especially valuable for people who are trying to increase their training volume or intensity.
Key Pre-Workout Ingredients
Understanding what’s actually in your pre-workout supplement can help you make better choices and avoid products with unnecessary or potentially harmful ingredients. Here are the key ingredients that actually make a difference.
Caffeine: 150-300mg
Caffeine is the star ingredient in most pre-workout supplements, and for good reason. It’s one of the most researched performance-enhancing substances available, with decades of studies showing its benefits for exercise performance. The optimal dose for most people is between 150-300mg, which is roughly equivalent to 1.5-3 cups of coffee.
The International Society of Sports Nutrition recommends consuming caffeine 60 minutes before exercise for optimal effects [1]. However, the timing can vary depending on the source of caffeine and your individual tolerance. Some people respond better to caffeine consumed 45 minutes before training, while others prefer the full hour.
It’s worth noting that caffeine tolerance can develop over time, so if you’re a regular coffee drinker, you might need a higher dose to feel the same effects. However, more isn’t always better – doses above 400mg can cause jitters, anxiety, and other unpleasant side effects without providing additional performance benefits.
Beta-alanine: muscle endurance
Beta-alanine is an amino acid that helps improve muscle endurance by buffering acid buildup in your muscles during high-intensity exercise. When you exercise intensely, your muscles produce lactic acid, which contributes to that burning sensation and eventual fatigue. Beta-alanine helps delay this process, allowing you to maintain higher intensities for longer periods.
The typical effective dose of beta-alanine is 2-5 grams, and it’s one of the ingredients that can cause a harmless tingling sensation on your skin. This “beta-alanine itch” is completely normal and usually subsides within 15-20 minutes. Some people find it uncomfortable, but it’s not dangerous and doesn’t indicate any problems.
Unlike caffeine, which provides immediate effects, beta-alanine works best when taken consistently over time. You’ll typically start noticing benefits after 2-4 weeks of regular use, as it takes time to build up levels in your muscles.
Creatine: power output
Creatine is probably the most researched sports supplement available, with hundreds of studies showing its benefits for strength, power, and muscle growth. In pre-workout supplements, creatine helps improve your ability to produce energy during short, high-intensity efforts like lifting weights or sprinting.
The standard effective dose is 3-5 grams per day, and unlike some other ingredients, the timing of creatine intake doesn’t matter much. Your body stores creatine in your muscles, so as long as you’re taking it consistently, you’ll maintain optimal levels. Some pre-workout supplements include creatine, but you can also take it separately at any time of day.
Creatine works by helping your muscles regenerate ATP (adenosine triphosphate), which is the primary energy currency for short bursts of intense activity. This means you might notice that you can perform an extra rep or two on your heavy sets, or that you recover more quickly between sets.
Citrulline: blood flow
L-citrulline is an amino acid that gets converted to arginine in your body, which then helps produce nitric oxide. Nitric oxide is a molecule that helps relax and widen your blood vessels, improving blood flow to your muscles during exercise. This enhanced blood flow can improve nutrient delivery and waste removal, potentially reducing fatigue and improving performance.
The effective dose of citrulline is typically 6-8 grams, though some supplements use citrulline malate (a combination of citrulline and malic acid) at slightly different doses. The blood flow benefits can contribute to better muscle pumps during training, which many people find motivating and enjoyable.
Here’s a table summarizing the key pre-workout ingredients and their effects:
Ingredient | Typical Dose | Primary Benefit | Timing |
Caffeine | 150-300mg | Energy and focus | 45-60 min before |
Beta-alanine | 2-5g | Muscle endurance | Consistent daily use |
Creatine | 3-5g | Power output | Any time (consistent) |
Citrulline | 6-8g | Blood flow | 30-45 min before |
Tracking Pre-Workout Effects in Your Fitness Tracker
One of the best ways to determine whether pre-workout supplements are actually helping you is to track their effects objectively. A good fitness and exercise tracker can provide valuable data about how these supplements impact your performance.
Performance monitoring
Modern workout trackers can monitor various aspects of your performance that might be influenced by pre-workout supplementation. This includes metrics like the amount of weight you lift, the number of repetitions you complete, and how long you rest between sets. By tracking these metrics consistently, you can see whether pre-workout supplements are actually improving your performance or if the benefits are just psychological.
For example, you might notice that on days when you take pre-workout, you’re able to complete an extra set of your main exercises, or that you can lift 5-10 pounds more on your heavy compound movements. These objective improvements are much more valuable than just “feeling” like you had a better workout.
Some advanced trackers can even monitor your power output during exercises, which is particularly useful for tracking the effects of ingredients like creatine and caffeine that are specifically designed to improve power and strength performance.
Energy level tracking
Many fitness and exercise trackers now include features for tracking your subjective energy levels and mood before, during, and after workouts. This can help you understand how pre-workout supplements affect not just your performance, but also how you feel throughout your training session.
You might track metrics like your perceived exertion during different parts of your workout, how motivated you feel to train, and how energetic you feel afterwards. Over time, this data can help you determine the optimal timing and dosage of pre-workout supplements for your individual needs.
Some people find that while pre-workout supplements help them feel more energetic during their workout, they experience a crash afterwards. Tracking these patterns can help you adjust your supplementation strategy or explore alternatives.
Workout intensity measurements
Heart rate monitoring is another valuable way to track the effects of pre-workout supplements. Caffeine and other stimulants can increase your heart rate, and tracking this can help you understand how these supplements affect your cardiovascular system during exercise.
You might notice that your heart rate is elevated more quickly when you take pre-workout, or that you’re able to maintain higher heart rates for longer periods. This data can be particularly useful for individuals engaging in cardio or high-intensity interval training, where heart rate is a key indicator of workout intensity.
However, it’s important to be aware that some pre-workout ingredients can cause your heart rate to be elevated even at rest, so make sure you’re comparing like-for-like data when analysing the effects.
My Natural Pre-Workout Recommendation
While commercial pre-workout supplements can be effective, I often recommend a much simpler approach to my clients, especially those who are new to training or prefer natural alternatives. My advice is straightforward: have a coffee just before your workout in the morning, or a cup of black tea with milk.
Coffee as a natural pre-workout
Coffee is essentially a natural pre-workout supplement. It contains caffeine, which provides the energy and focus benefits we discussed earlier, but without the artificial colours, flavours, and unnecessary additives found in many commercial products. A typical cup of coffee contains 80-100mg of caffeine, which is often sufficient for most people to experience performance benefits.
The timing is important – I recommend having your coffee about 45 minutes before you start training. This gives the caffeine time to be absorbed into your bloodstream and reach peak effectiveness right when you begin your workout. Research supports this timing, with studies showing that 45-60 minutes is optimal for caffeine absorption and performance benefits [3].
Coffee also has the advantage of being much more affordable than commercial pre-workout supplements. A cup of coffee costs pennies compared to the dollar or more per serving that many pre-workout products cost. Plus, you know exactly what you’re getting – just coffee and caffeine, without worrying about proprietary blends or undisclosed ingredients.
Black tea with milk as an alternative
For people who don’t like coffee or find it too acidic, black tea with milk is an excellent alternative. Black tea contains more caffeine than green tea (typically 40-70mg per cup) but less than coffee, making it a good middle ground for people who are sensitive to caffeine but still want some performance benefits.
The addition of milk provides some protein and carbohydrates, which can be beneficial for longer training sessions. The combination of caffeine and L-theanine (an amino acid found naturally in tea) can provide a more balanced energy boost without the jitters that some people experience with coffee or commercial pre-workout supplements.
The power of a good warm-up
Here’s something that many people overlook: a great warm-up can be just as effective as any pre-workout supplement. A proper warm-up wakes up your system by increasing your blood flow, activates your mental focus, and prepares your body for the demands of training.
When you combine a natural caffeine source like coffee or tea with a thorough warm-up routine, you’re getting many of the same benefits as expensive pre-workout supplements. The warm-up increases your core body temperature, improves joint mobility, and activates the neural pathways you’ll use during your workout. This combination of caffeine for mental alertness and a good warm-up for physical preparation is often all you need for an excellent training session.
Conclusion
Pre-workout supplements can be effective tools for improving your training performance, but they’re not essential for everyone. The key ingredients – caffeine, beta-alanine, creatine, and citrulline- have solid research backing their benefits, but you can often achieve similar results with simpler, more natural approaches.
Using a fitness and exercise tracker to monitor the effects of pre-workout supplements can help you make informed decisions about whether they’re worth the investment for your specific goals and training style. Objective data about your performance, energy levels, and workout intensity is much more valuable than relying on how you “feel” after taking a supplement.
For many people, a simple cup of coffee or black tea 45 minutes before training, combined with a proper warm-up, provides all the pre-workout boost they need. This approach is more affordable, more natural, and often just as effective as expensive commercial supplements.
Remember, supplements are meant to supplement a good training program and proper nutrition – they’re not magic solutions. Focus on consistency in your training, adequate sleep, proper nutrition, and progressive overload. If you decide to use pre-workout supplements, use them as tools to enhance an already solid foundation, not as crutches to make up for poor habits elsewhere.
References
[1] Guest, N. S., VanDusseldorp, T. A., Nelson, M. T., Grgic, J., Schoenfeld, B. J., Jenkins, N. D. M., … & Campbell, B. I. (2021). International society of sports nutrition position stand: caffeine and exercise performance. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 18(1), 1-37. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7777221/
[2] Martinez, N., Campbell, B., Franek, M., Buchanan, L., & Colquhoun, R. (2016). The effect of acute pre-workout supplementation on power and strength performance. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 13(1), 29. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4947244/
[3] Healthline. (2021). Drinking Coffee Before a Workout: Is It Recommended? https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/coffee-before-workout
