Most of us are indeed too busy in our lives that we hardly get time to hit the gym or focus on maintaining our bodies. Therefore, people want instant results and quick benefits whenever they stick to a workout routine or diet regime.
Although many products and supplements in the markets claim to help you reduce weight, gain muscles, increase stamina, and a lot more.
There is no argument about the effectiveness of the supplements and products. However, knowing the safe consumption limits, benefits, and downsides of these supplements we take daily is important.
Pre-workouts are very popular among people who do HIIT, intense workouts and want to have high stamina to complete their training easily.
However, many people who set for the same journey ask if it is safe to put pre-workout in coffee or consume coffee when already taking pre-workout supplements. So what is the answer?
We will discuss what exactly pre-workouts are, how they work, and how you can ensure the safe consumption of supplements that benefit your body rather than causing harm. So let’s get into it.
What Are Pre-Workouts?
Pre-workout is a term generally used for supplements aimed at giving you a sudden rise in energy when you exercise or HIIT.
Most pre-workout supplements are rich in caffeine, which is the main source to increase your energy levels. Other content of pre-workouts usually contains sugar and energy-boosting stimulants.
Pre-workouts are found in powdered form as well as pills. In the case of powdered supplements, they are often used by mixing into the water before a workout. Whatever the brand name or marketing strategy, the pre-workout supplements have more or less the same ingredients.
What Do Pre-Workout Supplements Do?
Before we get into the common ingredients of the pre-workout supplements, it’s important to know how the pre-workouts work on our body and give us a sudden boost of energy.
As mentioned earlier, the main energy source in supplements is caffeine, which can vary from mild amounts to too much. If we talk about pre-workout supplements, help you recover and avoid fatigue from an intense workout.
When you are hitting the gym every day or practicing physical activity as an athlete, you might get low on energy during training periods. Therefore, having a powdered supplement or in the form of a pill helps you retain your energy to finish the training periods.
According to benefits claimed and marketed by supplement sellers, pre-workouts boost energy and improve blood flow, encourage fat loss, improve recovery time, and help individuals stay focused during their workout schedules.
Common Ingredients Of Pre-Workout Supplements
What are the common ingredients of pre-workout supplements that you can easily find in every other supplement?
Here is the list of the common ingredients used in the pre-workouts:
Caffeine
As mentioned numerous times, caffeine is the main ingredient in most pre-workout supplements. It helps to increase energy levels, improve focus, and stimulate memory and mental sternness.
The purpose of caffeine in the pre-workout supplement is also to improve exercise performance to replace body fat with lean muscles.
When you are shopping for pre-workout supplements, you will find that most of them have caffeine content ranging from 150 mg to 300 mg per serving.
If we compare the content with coffee, it is equal to three cups of coffee. So you can imagine how high a dosage of caffeine is present in a single serving of pre-workout supplements.
Nitric Oxide Precursors
The next ingredients to look for when shopping for your perfect pre-workout are nitric oxide precursors. If we talk about nitric oxide, it is a naturally occurring compound in our body for relaxing blood vessels to improve blood flow.
When you get the nitric oxide precursors from outside, it boosts your muscles’ oxygen and nutrient supply.
As a result, better performance during exercise and overall is experienced by the consumer. The common precursors of nitric oxide that are present in the pre-workouts are L-arginine and L-citrulline.
Beta-alanine
Beta-alanine is also a common ingredient found in most pre-workout supplements. If we talk about the effects of beta-alanine, it is reported to help the muscles do hard work for extended periods.
The beta-alanine is also known to prevent acid buildup in the muscle tissues. It is one of the reasons why athletes take pre-workouts with beta-alanine.
Some research has also shown its effectiveness in improving recovery and reducing fatigue in athletes consuming it.
Branched-Chain Amino Acids
The presence of BCAA(branched-chain amino acids) in the pre-workout supplements is clearly for increasing lean muscle mass and encouraging muscle growth in the body.
Research has shown that branched-chain amino acids are also effective against muscle soreness when athletes take them before a workout.
There are many natural sources of BCAA as well, like dietary proteins. So it is safe to say that we are already consuming BCAA in our daily diet.
However, with your pre-workout BCAA, you get an extra dose of BCAA to keep you efficient during your workout sessions.
Creatine
Finally, creatine is also present in most pre-workout supplements. Creatine is also a naturally occurring chemical compound in our bodies.
The main benefit of creatine in our body is energy production and muscular strength. It is present in the skeletal muscles.
Taking creatine from external sources like pre-workout supplements elevates body creatine levels, resulting in improved recovery, muscle mass, and performance.
Many bodybuilders, weightlifters, and power athletes take standalone creatine supplements as their pre-workout formula.
Is It Safe To Put Pre-Workout In Coffee
All the ingredients included in the pre-workout supplements benefit our bodies in one way or another.
However, when it comes to caffeine, the amount per serving is usually equivalent to the caffeine present in three cups of coffee. Therefore, it is a no-brainer when the safety of pre-workout consumption in coffee is concerned.
It is very dangerous to take such high levels of caffeine at one. Therefore, it is not at all safe to put pre-workout in coffee.
Even if we don’t dig much deeper into the consequences, continuous caffeine consumption in such a high dosage causes fast aging, wrinkles, fat deposition, reduction in muscle mass, and increased cortisol levels. Therefore, it is better not to put your pre-workout in the coffee.
Is It Safe To Have Coffee After Pre-Workout?
What if you want to have your coffee after pre-workout?
The short answer to the question is no!
In this case, as mentioned above, you will also have a caffeine overload leading to some consequences. However, suppose we discuss the concrete impact of having a cup of coffee after your pre-workout.
In that case, it depends on your weight, body composition, age, health condition, medical conditions, genetics, and the gap between pre-workout and coffee.
In most cases, drinking a cup of coffee right after your pre-workout leads to headaches, high blood pressure, anxiety, stress, insomnia, bladder irritation, etc.
So what is the best practice?
To avoid consequences, it is always safe to have caffeinated drinks followed by your pre-workout supplement.
Can I Take Coffee With A Pre-Workout?
The common concern of coffee lovers is if they can also consume coffee in a regular routine when taking pre-workout supplements as well?
So the answer is that it depends on the timing between the two. We already discussed the scenarios of taking your coffee with or right after the pre-workout supplement.
According to fitness experts, if you manage the timing and consumption amount, there is no harm in refreshing coffee, even with pre-workouts in your daily routine.
For example, if you take two cups of coffee with 300 mg serving of caffeine in your pre-workout, it will not create any problem.
However, it also depends on your age, fitness, and health. Therefore, if you experience any jitter or anxiousness, you can stop taking access to coffee or consult your physician to get medical help.
Conclusion
Now you know if it is safe to put pre-workout in your coffee or not. Many people take coffee as their pre-workout supplement to get the necessary dosage of caffeine to keep them going.
Whatever the case, you must practice the precautions when consuming the pre-workouts in your daily routine. The precaution tips include taking pre-workout with water, avoiding pre-workouts with artificial sweeteners or sugar alcohols, and regulating the dose of caffeine you have throughout the day.