The pre-workout is designed to give you a boost before a workout. Ideally, it is consumed just before a session, meaning within the 30 minutes preceding your warm-up.
Be careful, if you usually have a snack before exercising (a fruit, a cereal bar, or a protein bar), make sure to have this snack about 2 hours before your workout.
Indeed, consuming a snack and a pre-workout just before exercising may overload your stomach. And therefore hinder you during your workout.
Read also | Criteria for choosing the best pre-workout according to a dietitian
A pre-workout for every training session or only occasionally?
The pre-workout is consumed when you feel tired. If this period of fatigue is temporary, then you can consume the pre-workout before each session.
However, if the fatigue persists for several weeks, I strongly advise you to focus on other methods to reduce it. Like increasing your sleep duration, reducing your training load, integrating mobility sessions, stretching, or meditation instead of sports sessions.
This is aimed at improving your recovery and reducing your temporary fatigue.
Don’t forget that a prolonged period of fatigue weakens your body. And decreases the capabilities of your immune system while increasing the risk of injuries.
Consuming a pre-workout if the fatigue is too high would be the same as stuffing yourself with painkillers to train despite an injury… One golden rule to remember: listen to your body.
In cycles or all year round?
Can a pre-workout be consumed all year round?
Yes, a good quality nutritional pre-workout can be consumed safely all year round. As long as you use a product with a healthy and balanced composition, or even a homemade recipe.
However, as with any supplement, your body can get used to it. And the effects of the pre-workout can diminish over time.
Therefore, I recommend using the pre-workout during periods of temporary fatigue or when your goals align with it.
For example, during muscle mass gaining with significant tonnage and during workouts. Or in the final phase of cutting when your body does not have many energy reserves left and the workouts become challenging.
Pre-workout for all sports?
Pre-workout is used primarily in the realm of strength training (weightlifting, bodybuilding, powerlifting), fitness, and CrossFit®. In this case, I recommend the “mass gaining” or “cutting and sharpening” pre-workout recipes.
However, it can also be used in other sports like team sports (football, rugby, handball, basketball) or endurance sports (running, cycling, triathlon).
For these sports, I recommend the “healthy and balanced” homemade pre-workout recipe for regular training or “cutting and sharpening” for a weight loss and toning goal.
