Supplements

If you dive into the ingredient list of any half decent pre-workout supplement, there are going to be some key ingredients that you should expect to see -- with citrulline and beta-alanine being two of them.

These two compounds are amongst some of the most well-researched supplements in the health industry, with a number of individual studies supporting their use.

But the question remains -- is one better than the other, or do you need them both?

What is Citrulline?

Citrulline is a specific type of amino acid found in the human body. Interestingly, it is also found  naturally occurring in a variety of fruits and vegetables, including watermelon, squash, cucumber, pumpkin, rockmelon, and honeydew melon.

As an amino acid, citrulline is considered to be “non-essential” because your body does not have the capacity to produce any of its own.

However, it is important to note that your body's ability to create citrulline molecules is not infinite.

In fact, this production process is predicated on having adequate nutrients available to facilitate it. With this in mind, there is a growing body of evidence to suggest that supplementing with greater amounts of citrulline can offer a number of unique benefits.

See, citrulline plays a number of different roles in the human body.

Most people know citrulline for the role it plays in the “urea cycle”, which is the process by which your body eliminates harmful compounds. As such, citrulline is an important part of keeping your body healthy and toxin free.

More importantly, citrulline acts as a “vasodilator”, which is a fancy way of saying it widens your blood vessels. As a result, its supplementation can increase blood flow to the muscle tissue, where it is believed to drive many of its benefits.

What is Beta-alanine?

Like citrulline, beta-alanine is also a specific amino acid that is found in your body, although this one is more predominantly found in your muscles and brain. Under normal conditions, beta-alanine combines with another amino acid called “histidine” to form a compound called “carnosine”.

It is actually for this specific reason that beta-alanine appears in so many pre-workout supplements. You see, carnosine helps reduce the accumulation of lactic acid in your muscle tissue during exercise, which staves off fatigue.

However, the amount of beta-alanine stored in your muscle tissue is relatively small compared to the amount of histidine. This ultimately impairs your ability to produce carnosine, inhibiting your ability to buffer lactic acid during exercise.

Consequently, supplementing with beta-alanine can cause an immediate increase in carnosine production, which has some very specific effects with respect to exercise and training.

Citrulline VS Beta-alanine: what are the benefits?

I have already outlined the role that both of these important compounds play in the human body.

Moreover, I have also alluded to the fact that because of the roles they play, their supplementation can have some pretty significant benefits -- and here they are.

Benefits of Citrulline

I have already mentioned that citrulline is a vasodilator -- which means it helps relax and widen your blood vessels. This is particularly important, because citrulline increases blood flow to your muscle tissue, enhancing the delivery of oxygen and nutrients.

With this in mind, a number of studies have clearly shown that citrulline supplementation can improve weight training performance by increasing the number of repetitions you can perform at a given workload [1].

For example, without taking citrulline you might be able to bench press three sets of ten reps at 80kgs. Then, with the addition of a citrulline supplement, you might be able to perform three sets of twelve reps using 80kgs.

In the short term this is obviously pretty cool -- but the long term benefits are really what are important here.

If you increase the number of reps you perform in your training session, you see a subsequent increase in your total training volume. Over the duration of a training block this can lead to marked improvements in muscle growth and muscle strength.

Which is precisely why it is such a useful supplement.

As an added bonus, the improved blood flow that comes with citrulline supplementation will also improve your recovery after exercise [2].

By promoting the movement of proteins and nutrients into your muscle tissue after training, citrulline ensures that your muscles have everything they need to repair and grow stronger. This speeds up recovery between sessions, while also lowering muscle soreness after your session.

Again, the thing to consider here is that improved recovery between training sessions maximises the quality of your subsequent training sessions -- which can again contribute to substantial improvements in strength and size over a longer term training block.

Talk about some serious benefits.

The Benefits of Beta-alanine

As I have already outlined in detail, beta-alanine works in a very different manner to citrulline, where it increases the production of carnosine within your muscle tissue -- which directly limits the build up of lactic acid during exercise.

This ultimately leads to better fatigue resistance when you train.

As a result, the supplementation of beta-alanine has been shown to improve muscular and aerobic endurance during training. This also appears to help you feel less fatigued during your training session, which is quite important [3].

Collectively this leads to similar results as citrulline, where the amount of repetitions you can perform at a given workload increases. Moreover, as beta-alanine will limit the amount you fatigue across the duration of a training session, it also ensures that every single set you perform is of a high quality.

Over time this can contribute to further increases in volume, promoting additional muscle growth.

Interestingly, the supplementation of beta-alanine has also been shown to enhance fat loss significantly over the duration of a training program, which most likely comes down to your ability to work harder for longer [4].

This makes it a great option for people in either a bulking OR cutting phase of training.

And the winner is…

Drumroll please…

Citrulline -- but only by a very small margin.

Both citrulline and beta-alanine have a profound effect on exercise performance by increasing your ability to resist fatigue during your workout. This causes a substantial increase in training volume, which can lead to improvements in muscle size and strength.

And even though beta-alanine appears to help accelerate fat loss, the fact that citrulline also improves recovery after exercise gives it a very slight edge.

With that in mind, if you had to choose one of the two, then citrulline is probably going to offer you a little more bang for your buck.

Now, do you want to hear some good news?

You don't have to choose one!

One thing that I have not yet addressed is the fact that citrulline and beta-alanine appear to improve performance through two very distinct mechanisms. This means that their supplementation is going to be complimentary, rather than having one detract from the other.

As a result, taking both of them pre-workout is likely going to be more beneficial than having one alone.

I guess there is a very good reason that most high-quality pre-workout supplements include both of these compounds within their formula -- because they both work extremely well.

Summary

Citrulline and beta-alanine are two of the most commonly used pre-workout compounds on the market -- and for very good reason too. They both have the ability to improve gym performance, reduce fatigue, and accelerate increases in muscle size and strength.

Moreover, with benefits for fat loss and recovery, they both deserve a place in your supplement regime.

References

1. Gonzalez, Adam M., and Eric T. Trexler. "Effects of citrulline supplementation on exercise performance in humans: A review of the current literature." The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research 34.5 (2020): 1480-1495.
2. Sureda, Antoni, and Antoni Pons. "Arginine and citrulline supplementation in sports and exercise: ergogenic nutrients?." Acute topics in sport nutrition 59 (2012): 18-28.
3. Hobson, R. M., Saunders, B., Ball, G., Harris, R. C., & Sale, C. (2012). Effects of ?-alanine supplementation on exercise performance: a meta-analysis. Amino acids, 43(1), 25-37.
4. Kern, B. D., & Robinson, T. L. (2011). Effects of ?-alanine supplementation on performance and body composition in collegiate wrestlers and football players. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 25(7), 1804-1815.

There are a myriad of reasons as to why someone may choose to eliminate animal products from their diet. Some may do so due to ethical reasons, many choose to do so for health purposes, and some because they simply don't like the taste of meat.

No matter the reason, going vegan does come with a number of unique challenges -- one of which comes down to protein intake.

Adequate Protein Intake

Protein is arguably the most important compound in the human body. When you consume protein molecules, they are broken down into smaller compounds known as “amino acids” before being absorbed into your body.

These amino acids are then used to make the hormones and enzymes in your body, and the neurotransmitters in your brain. Oh, and they are also used to build and repair your tendons, organs, ligaments, skin and hair, and muscle tissue.

This means that you need to consume enough protein on a daily basis to maintain health and function, while also supporting muscle growth.

And especially when it comes to the growth of new muscle tissue, if you do not have adequate protein available, then this growth simply cannot occur -- and you end up leaving a lot of gains on the table.

With this in mind, if you are trying to optimise muscle growth, you need to consume enough protein.

How much protein?

Well, a meta analysis combining the results of 49 studies found that the minimal threshold to maximise muscle growth if you are performing weight training is 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight, per day [1].

Just note -- this is the minimum.

Further research has indicated that going as high as 2.2 grams per kilogram of body weight may have even more benefit [2] -- particularly for people who are currently cutting, and trying to maintain as much muscle as possible while maximising fat loss.

What might this look like in practice?

Well as an example, if you weigh 70kgs, you should be eating somewhere between 112 and 154 grams of protein each day.

Vegan Protein Intakes

The issue here comes down to the fact that most people in the western world obtain the bulk of their protein from animal sources -- namely milk, yoghurt, cheese, red meat, poultry, and eggs.

Which means that people following a vegan way of eating have a much harder time getting in an adequate protein intake than their carnivorous counterparts.

And before you ask -- yes, beans, grains, and legumes all contain some protein -- but on a gram by gram basis, they simply do not compare to animal sources.

Which is exactly why vegan protein powders are such a good option for people who don't eat meat. They can offer a simple and effective way to increase your daily protein intake without consuming any meat-based products.

But the question remains -- are vegan protein powders less effective than options like whey?

Vegan Protein Powders

There are three main types of vegan protein powders available on the market at the moment:

• Soy protein
• Rice protein
• Pea Protein

And we are going to take a look at each of them.

1.   Soy Protein Powder

As you might expect, soy protein powder is made from soybeans.

To be a little more specific, soy protein is made from soybean flakes that have had their fatty components moved. They are then washed thoroughly to remove their sugar and fibre, before being dehydrated and turned into a powder.

Soy protein is arguably the most common vegan protein powders because it considered a “complete protein” source -- which ultimately it contains all of the nine essential amino acids that cannot be made in your body (and consequently must be obtained through diet), including the three branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), leucine, isoleucine and valine.

This is important because some of these nine amino acids are considered to be the most important for muscle growth.

Most soy protein powders contain around 90 grams of protein, 2 grams of fats, and 1 gram of carbohydrate per 100 grams of powder. Moreover, a serving of soy protein will be digested in about 3 hours [3].

For reference, most whey protein powders are digested within 60 minutes.

2.   Rice Protein Powder

Now onto rice protein powder.

Rice protein is another great vegan option that is most commonly derived from brown rice. This particular option has become increasingly popular over the last few years due to its high bioavailability, and the fact that it is digested in about 2 hours.

The one thing we need to be aware of when it comes to rice protein is the fact that it is one of the few protein powders on the market that is not considered to be a complete protein source, because it does not contain the amino acid “Lysine”.

However, I should note that it does contain all of the important Branched Chain Amino Acids, meaning it covers most of your bases from a pure muscle growth perspective.

One hundred grams of rice protein powder contains 80 grams of protein, 2 grams of fat, and 6 grams of carbohydrates [4].

3.   Pea Protein Powder

And finally we have pea protein powder.

Pea protein powder is another vegan protein powder that is considered to be a complete protein source. As a result, you can be confident that it provides your body with all of the nutrients it needs to build muscle.

It’s macronutrient breakdown is also pretty good, with pea protein offering up 67 grams of protein, 9 grams of fat, and 4 grams of carbs for every 100 grams.

Obviously this is not as good as whey, but that is to be expected.

In terms of digestibility, pea protein also takes a bit longer to digest than whey (around 2 hours), but is a little faster than soy. This makes it the perfect option to take either after or during a gym session [3].

Is Vegan Protein Powder Less Effective

As I have alluded to in the above section, vegan protein powders tend to be absorbed a little bit slower than whey protein powders. If we were to have an in depth look at their macronutrient breakdown, we would also see that they contain slightly less protein per serving.

However, this is not actually as important as some people would have you believe.

The most important factor for maximising muscle growth is your ability to eat enough protein on a daily basis. After this, the second most important factor is simply spreading out your protein intake at regular intervals throughout the day (i.e. 40 grams every 3-4 hours).

If you manage this effectively, the speed at which your protein is absorbed has very little impact on your results -- in fact, even making sure you slam a protein shake straight after your workout is unlikely to have any real effect if you are ticking these boxes.

With this in mind, vegan protein powders are no less effective than whey because they provide a very acceptable method of increasing your protein intake.

It is as simple as that.

The one caveat you should consider is that you are probably best off looking for a vegan protein powder that is derived from soy or pea, as these are the two that contain a full array of amino acids -- making them the best options.

Summary

While vegan protein powders are generally a little slower absorbing than many animal based protein powders like whey, this does not make them any less effective.

In fact, they still offer a great way to increase your daily protein intake and optimise the results of your training.

References

1. Morton, Robert W., et al. "A systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression of the effect of protein supplementation on resistance training-induced gains in muscle mass and strength in healthy adults." British journal of sports medicine 52.6 (2018): 376-384.
2. Stokes, Tanner, et al. "Recent perspectives regarding the role of dietary protein for the promotion of muscle hypertrophy with resistance exercise training." Nutrients 10.2 (2018): 180.
3. Hoffman, Jay R., and Michael J. Falvo. "Protein–which is best?." Journal of sports science & medicine 3.3 (2004): 118.
4. Jäger, Ralf, et al. "Comparison of rice and whey protein isolate digestion rate and amino acid absorption." Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition 10.1 (2013): 1-2.

When it comes to building a lean and muscular physique, the first step should almost always be to build a decent foundation of muscle. This is what sets you apart from the rest of the population.

It is also what allows you to become more “toned” and “defined” -- by giving you something to show off under your skin.

Now, the kicker is that building muscle can be a little easier said than done. In fact, to do it effectively, you need to make sure your training is on point and that your diet provides your body everything it needs to build new muscle tissue.

In our experience, most people tick the training box pretty well, but fall down on diet -- which is exactly where mass gainers offer you the most benefit.

What is a mass gainer?

As their name so aptly suggests, a mass gainer is a type of supplement designed to help you build muscle.

Most common mass gainer supplements mange this by including ingredients that do two very specific things:

• Increase your daily protein intake
• Increase your daily calorie intake

When it comes to building an appreciable amount of muscle, protein is essential. With this in mind, if you are not eating enough protein to match your training demands, then you are leaving gains on the table.

A recent meta-analysis that combines the results of 49 studies found that the minimal protein intake to maximise muscle growth when people perform resistance training is 1.6 grams per kilogram of body weight, per day [1].

Note that this is the minimum to optimise muscle growth.

Further research has shown that going as high as 2.2 grams per kilogram of body weight may have additional benefits when it comes to muscle retention [2].

So, using a real world example -- if you currently weigh 70kgs, you should be eating between 112 and 154 grams of protein daily.

Now, the important thing to consider here is that protein is only one side of the equation -- with the other being calorie intake.

While protein is needed to physically build muscle tissue, the process of building muscle also requires energy to support it. If you are trying to build muscle in an energy deficit, then you are at a handicap because you do not have enough energy available to physiologically build muscle -- even if your protein intake is high.

With this in mind, if your goal is building a significant amount of muscle, you want to aim for a calorie surplus (i.e. above maintenance calories) of between 300 and 500 calories per day [3].

Although this is not a huge amount, research would suggest it is a great starting point to provide your body with the energy it needs to build a good amount of muscle without causing excess fat accumulation.

Mass Gainer Benefits

Putting the above information into context, it should become apparent that mass gainers can offer you some significant benefits if your goal is to get as jacked as possible.

1.   Greater Muscle Growth

As I have already alluded to, mass gainers offer some benefits when it comes to muscle growth.

In short, lifting weights in the gym places significant stress on your body. This stress acts as a stimulus, telling your body that it needs to grow bigger and stronger to better tolerate that same stress in the future.

It is this process that drives muscle growth.

Now, the kicker is that for muscle growth to occur, you need to have adequate energy and protein available -- otherwise your gains stay on the table.

With this in mind, mass gainers provide everything you need to build an appreciable amount of muscle and take your physique to the next level.

2.   Enhanced Recovery

Our second point builds upon the first quite nicely.

Both protein and energy are integral when it comes to the repair of damaged muscle tissue. Most of us consider this from the perspective of muscle growth, but it is important to recognise it also impacts recovery after training.

With this in mind, mass gainers offer a great way to speed up recovery between training sessions, leading to less muscle soreness and better gym performance on subsequent gym sessions.

Over the long term this can have huge implications for your progress, leading to lasting increases in size and strength.

3.   Better Gym Performance

While a large portion of the energy found in mass gainers contribute to muscle growth, the excess energy availability associated with their consumption can also increase the amount of energy you have available to support your training.

This means better performance in the gym on a set-per-set basis.

While simply having more energy during your training sessions is a nice bonus, the compounding effect of training better every session is likely to improve muscle growth and strength development to a significant degree.

What to look for in a Mass Gainer

There are so many different mass gainers on the market -- and like with any supplement, some are much better than others.

With this in mind, if you want a high-quality mass gainer to support the results of your training, then they should include some of the following ingredients.

1.   Whey Protein

When it comes to protein powder, whey is king. It is fast digesting, very easily absorbed, and has an extremely high protein content on a percentage basis.

As a result, it is the perfect option to support the results of your training and boost muscle growth.

While we prefer whey protein isolate because it tends to be suitable for everyone (even those with sensitive stomachs) and is the fastest absorbed protein powder on the market, whey protein concentrate is also a great choice.

2.   Rice Powder

Rice powder is a form of refined carbohydrate derived from rice. With this in mind, it offers the perfect way to increase calorie intake to support your training and recovery.

As a bonus, because rice powder is derived from natural ingredients (i.e. rice), it also contains a number of important vitamins and minerals that can boost health and function.

This makes it a much better option that some of the cheaper carb powders you see in certain supplements.

3.   Waxy Maize Powder

As you may have guessed, waxy maize starch is a starch-based carbohydrate powder.

Interestingly, despite being carbohydrate based, waxy maize powder actually has a higher molecular weight compared to other carb powders like maltodextrin or dextrose. As a result, it is absorbed very quickly into the bloodstream.

This makes it a great ingredient that expedites the recovery process post-workout.

4.   Sweet potato powder

Much like rice power and waxy maize powder, sweet potato powder is another source of carbohydrates.

However, where it differs from the other two is in the fact that it is very low GI. This means that it is absorbed into your bloodstream at a slower rate, ensuring a sustained release of energy into your body.

As a bonus, it is also full to the brim with fibre, which can have a positive effect in your digestive system.

5.   MCT oil powder

MCT Oil powder is an interesting supplement that is composed entirely of highly concentrated medium-chain triglycerides -- which are a specific type of fat metabolized for energy in your body.

While very few mass gaining supplements include MCT oil powder, there are a couple of very good reasons as to why they should.

Firstly, MCTs are used for energy by the body after consumption. This means that if your mass gainer includes a MCT oil based supplement, it will use that for energy while “saving” the carbohydrates and protein for recovery and muscle growth.

Secondly, there is some evidence to suggest that MCT oil supplements can improve exercise performance [4]. This means that it can help you get more out of your workout while simultaneously boosting results.

Summary

Mass gaining supplements offer a great way to facilitate muscle growth and enhance recovery. Just make sure you choose a high quality option that contains at least a couple (if not all…) of the ingredients listed in this article to ensure you are getting the most bang-for-your-buck.

References

1. Morton, Robert W., et al. "A systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression of the effect of protein supplementation on resistance training-induced gains in muscle mass and strength in healthy adults." British journal of sports medicine 52.6 (2018): 376-384.
2. Stokes, Tanner, et al. "Recent perspectives regarding the role of dietary protein for the promotion of muscle hypertrophy with resistance exercise training." Nutrients 10.2 (2018): 180.
3. Slater, Gary John, et al. "Is an energy surplus required to maximize skeletal muscle hypertrophy associated with resistance training." Frontiers in nutrition 6 (2019): 131.
4. Gomes, Rodrigo Vitasovic, and Marcelo Saldanha Aoki. "Does medium chain triglyceride play an ergogenic role in endurance exercise performance?." Revista Brasileira de Medicina do Esporte 9.3 (2003): 162-168.

Pre-workout supplements have become synonymous with the gym lifestyle. If you ask any serious gym goer about their supplement stack, you can pretty much guarantee they will name the big three: protein, creatine, and a good pre-workout.

However, when it comes to pre-workout supplements specifically, there are a couple of things that should be considered.

One of which relates to their stimulant content.

What are stimulants?

Stimulants ultimately describe a broad category of drugs and compounds that increase energy, and can boost mood, heighten mental acuity, enhance focus and attention, and even improve emotional wellbeing.

Moreover, some have even been shown to have potent ergogenic effects, meaning they can enhance exercise performance.

Stimulants can be found in a variety of the foods we consume on a daily basis. However, they are often only consumed in small doses, and consequently only have a small effect on mental and physical performance.

It is for this reason that a number of pre-workout supplements include stimulants in higher doses -- to cause much larger improvement in performance.

Some of the most common natural stimulants include:

• Caffeine
• English walnut extract
• N-Methyltyramine
• Ginseng
• Guarana
• Taurine

It is these stimulants that are most commonly used in supplements.

Are stimulants safe?

I first want to preface this section with the caveat that I am talking about LEGAL stimulants here.

There are a variety of illegal stimulants available via various means that impact the body in a very different manner to the legal stimulants found in supplements --  and they are going to be much less safe as a result.

But, with respect to legal stimulants, they are relatively safe for most of the population.

There are certain individuals who may have heart issues or emotional disorders (for example, general anxiety disorder), and therefore may not be safe to take stimulants as it could potentially make their concerns worse.

Moreover, in higher dosages, stimulants can elicit certain side effect, including:

• Jitteriness and restlessness
• Feelings of anxiety and nervousness
• Becoming dizzy and losing balance
• Headaches
• Water retention and bloating
• Diarrhea
• Nausea and vomiting
• The onset of muscle spasms

Now, it is important to note that these side effects are very rare, and only likely to occur in higher dosages. In fact, in the low to moderate dosages applied in most pre-workout supplements, these are very unlikely to happen.

However, some people are simply more sensitive to stimulants than others -- which is why it is always important to seek advice from a medical professional before commencing supplementation with a stimulant based pre-workout.

One other thing to consider when it comes to stimulants is that they also have the potential to impact upon your sleep. If taken too close to bedtime, they can make it harder for you to fall asleep, while also impacting your sleep quality -- all of which can impact your recovery and the quality of your training.

High-Stim VS Non-Stim pre-workouts

With all this in mind, you might have guessed that the primary difference between high-stim pre-workouts and non-stim pre-workouts comes down to their stimulant content.

High stimulant pre-workouts contain a number of stimulants, while non-stimulant pre-workouts contain none.

This does not mean that one is better than the other, just that non-stim pre-workouts rely on other compounds to improve performance that don't act on the brain and central nervous system in a stimulant-like manner.

While high-stim pre workouts are likely to exhibit a more noticeable effect on mood and energy levels, they may also induce some of the side effects listed above. And of course, they also have the capacity to impact your sleep.

This means that they may not be all that suitable if you typically train later in the afternoon, or are sensitive to stimulants. On the other hand, they could be a great option if you train earlier in the day and are not sensitive to stimulants.

It all depends on you.

Best High Stim Ingredients

If you are after a high stimulant pre-workout that can take the results of your training to the next level, you want to make sure it includes at least two of the following three ingredients.

1.   Caffeine

Caffeine is one of the most effective, and the most well-researched, performance enhancing supplements on the planet. It is known to improve mental alertness, attention, and reaction time, and enhance strength, power, and endurance [1, 2].

With this in mind, it impacts both mental and physical performance in a very big way, and should be a staple in any high-stim pre-workout.

2.   English Walnut Extract

English Walnut Extract is a naturally occurring compound that is derived directly from the bark of the English Walnut tree.

This compound is a stimulant that acts directly on the central nervous system, where it boosts energy and mental alertness, improves cognitive function, and promotes the secretion of numerous feel good hormones [3, 4].

As a result it can seriously improve workout performance, causing significantly better training outcomes.

3.   N-Methyltyramine

One rather interesting stimulant is N-methyltyramine, which is a powerful compound found in the bitter orange plant.

This particular supplement interacts with the neuroendocrine system, causing the secretion of noradrenaline -- the neurotransmitter that promotes the “flight or fight” response [5, 6].

As a result, it acts as a potent stimulant, increases focus and attention, boosts mood, and vastly improves exercise performance.

Best Non-Stim Ingredients

Now, if you are someone who does not respond well to stimulants, or likes to train in the evening, a non-stim pre-workout is going to be a better option -- and you want to make sure it contains some of these ingredients:

1.   L-Citrulline Malate

Citrulline is an amino acid that increases your body's production of nitric oxide. This then increases blood flow to your muscle tissue, which results in a marked improvement in exercise performance [7, 8].

More specifically, citrulline has been shown to increase the number or reps you can perform per set, or the amount of weight you can put on the bar for a given set.

In short, this means more strength and muscle size over the duration of a training block.

Moreover, citrulline has also been shown to speed up recovery after training. This pretty much guarantees that you will get more out of every gym session, which is the integral to long term changes in size and strength.

2.   Beta Alanine

Beta-alanine is a unique amino acid that your body uses to produce the compound “carnosine” -- which your body uses to prevent the accumulation of lactate in your muscle tissue.

As a result, beta alanine has been shown to cause large improvement in muscular endurance, while also preventing the accumulation of fatigue throughout a training session [9, 10].

This ultimately means that beta-alanine allows you to get the most out of your workouts, leading to significant improvements in muscle growth and fat loss.

3.   Agmatine

Agmatine is a neurotransmitter that is found in the cells of your brain. With this in mind, its supplementation has been shown to reduce sensations of pain, while also improving mood and emotional wellbeing [11, 12].

As I am sure you can imagine, this can have a huge impact on exercise performance.

Interestingly, agmatine has also been shown to act in a manner similar to citrulline, where it increases nitric oxide production. This increases blood flow to your muscle tissue, giving you a better pump and speeding up recovery.

Talk about a win-win.

Summary

Pre-workouts that contain both high amounts and zero stimulants can offer a myriad of benefits -- which means the choice comes down to which one is better for you.

If you are sensitive to stimulants or train later in the afternoon, maybe opt for a non-stim pre workout option as this will not have any negative effects on your sleep. On the other hand, if you train early in the morning and dont feel sensitive to stims, you can take your pick.

1. McLellan, T. M., Caldwell, J. A., & Lieberman, H. R. (2016). A review of caffeine’s effects on cognitive, physical and occupational performance. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 71, 294-312.
2. Grgic, J., Grgic, I., Pickering, C., Schoenfeld, B. J., Bishop, D. J., & Pedisic, Z. (2020). Wake up and smell the coffee: caffeine supplementation and exercise performance—an umbrella review of 21 published meta-analyses. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 54(11), 681-688.
3. Liu, Rui, et al. "Small Molecule Oligopeptides Isolated from Walnut (Juglans regia L.) and Their Anti-Fatigue Effects in Mice." Molecules 24.1 (2019): 45.
4. Kim, Dae-Ik, and Kil-Soo Kim. "Walnut extract exhibits anti-fatigue action via improvement of exercise tolerance in mice." Laboratory animal research 29.4 (2013): 190-195.
5. Camp BJ. Action of N-methyltyramine and N-methyl beta-phenylethylamine on certain biological systems. Am J Vet Res. 1970 Apr;31(4):755-62.
6. Koda H, Yokoo Y, Matsumoto N, Suwa Y, Fukazawa H, Ishida H, Tsuji K, Nukaya H, Kuriyama K. Antagonistic effect of N-methyltyramine on alpha2-adrenoceptor in mice. Jpn J Pharmacol. 1999 Nov;81(3):313-5.
7. Gonzalez, A. M., & Trexler, E. T. (2020). Effects of Citrulline Supplementation on Exercise Performance in Humans: A Review of the Current Literature. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 34(5), 1480-1495.
8. Pérez-Guisado, J., & Jakeman, P. M. (2010). Citrulline malate enhances athletic anaerobic performance and relieves muscle soreness. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 24(5), 1215-1222.
9. Hobson, R. M., Saunders, B., Ball, G., Harris, R. C., & Sale, C. (2012). Effects of ?-alanine supplementation on exercise performance: a meta-analysis. Amino acids, 43(1), 25-37.
10. Kern, B. D., & Robinson, T. L. (2011). Effects of ?-alanine supplementation on performance and body composition in collegiate wrestlers and football players. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 25(7), 1804-1815.
11. Keynan, O., Mirovsky, Y., Dekel, S., Gilad, V. H., & Gilad, G. M. (2010). Safety and efficacy of dietary agmatine sulfate in lumbar disc-associated radiculopathy. An open-label, dose-escalating study followed by a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Pain Medicine, 11(3), 356-368.
12. Shopsin, B. (2013). The clinical antidepressant effect of exogenous agmatine is not reversed by parachlorophenylalanine: a pilot study. Acta Neuropsychiatrica, 25(2), 113-118.

Over the last decade pre-workouts have arguably become the most commonly used supplement in the world. They have gone from being “non-essential” to deeply embedded into gym culture in less than a decade.

But what are the benefits? And are they really all they’re cracked up to be?

What are the benefits of a pre-workout?

Now, something that I really do want to highlight here is that you can undoubtedly make some serious gains without pre-workout supplements.

I mean, from a muscle building perspective, as long as you are training hard, recovering adequately, and eating sufficient protein, you can be pretty certain that you are doing everything you need to maximise growth and adaptation.

However, ask anyone who has been training for a decent amount of time and they will tell you that the “training hard” part of the equation can be easier said than done.

Which is where pre-workouts really come into their own.

1.   Better Focus

It is well established that many of the common ingredients found in pre-workouts increase mental alertness, leading to improvements in attention, reaction time, problem solving capability, short term memory, and judgement [1].

Moreover, some of them can reverse some of the mental effects that come from a lack of sleep [2].

Taking this back to the gym, it is highly likely that improved mental performance could cause better physical performance, and ultimately, a better workout. If this leads to more reps per session, or more weight on the bar, then we are looking at some serious improvements in gains over time.

Moreover, taking a pre-workout before your session after a bad night sleep might help you train well, even if you are feeling subpar.

2.   Increased Strength

Pre-workouts have the capacity to cause substantial increases in muscle strength on a per-session basis [3, 4, 6].

This means that if you were to take a pre-workout before a weight training session, you will be able to lift more weight than you could without it. While this is cool in its own right, it happens to have some impressive long-term benefits.

If you are undertaking a long term strength training program, a good pre-workout will help you lift more weight every single session. This will lead to greater training adaptations, and more strength gains over time.

And when you think about how this effect compounds over the duration of months and years, it becomes huge.

3.   More Muscle Growth

In addition to improvements in strength, a good pre-workout also has the potential to improve weight training performance at more moderate loads, by increasing the number of reps you can do at a given weight [3, 5].

For example, without a pre-workout you might be able to leg press 180kg for 8 repetitions. However, after taking a pre-workout, you might be able to leg press the same weight for 10 repetitions.

This directly increases the amount of volume you perform each training session, and is going to increase the amount of muscle growth you are likely to experience over the duration of a training block [7].

4.   Greater Endurance

Many of the core ingredients in most pre-workout supplements play an important role in preventing the accumulation of lactic acid in your muscle tissue during exercise [6, 8].

This can in turn lead to case improvements in both muscular and aerobic endurance, while limiting fatigue accumulation during a training session.

This can also increase the amount of volume you lift per session, while simultaneously boosting the quality of your working sets. Over time you can expect this to manifest itself in improvements in muscle strength, muscle growth, and even fat loss.

5.   Bigger Pumps

There are a number of pre-workouts that include ingredients that can be classified as “vasodilators” [4, 6].

While this word might sound very technical, it very simply describes a type of compound that helps relax and widen your blood vessels. This increases blood flow throughout your body and to your muscle tissue, enhancing the delivery of oxygen and nutrients.

The result?

A significantly greater pump!

This can further increase the results of your training, while simultaneously increasing the size of your guns when you leave the gym (a nice bonus, if you ask me).

6.   Faster Recovery

Lastly, in addition to better gym performance, taking a pre-workout before you train will also improve your recovery after exercise [4, 5].

By increasing the movement of proteins and nutrients into your muscle tissue, pre-workouts can make sure that your body has everything it needs to repair itself after a solid session. This accelerates recovery between sessions, while also reducing muscle soreness.

The best bit here is that this improved recovery between training sessions will ensure that the quality of your training stays high over the duration of a training block -- again enhancing the result of your training.

What to look for in a pre-workout supplement?

I also want to highlight that while a GOOD pre-workout will provide the above benefits, there are some that are much better than others. Which is why if you are after a high-quality pre-workout to take your training to the next level, they should tick the following three boxes.

1.   No Proprietary Blends

A proprietary blend is a combination of several different ingredients that sit within a supplement.

Unfortunately, despite being extremely common, proprietary blends are actually a loophole that supplement companies use to avoid listing how much of each individual ingredient is in their pre-workout. This makes it much easier to hide smaller doses of effective (and often costly) ingredients, while bulking it up with a larger amount of ‘filler’ ingredients.

Obviously this means the supplement is cheaper to make, but it also makes it much less effective -- even if it does happen to include some good ingredients.

So, if you are looking at a pre-workout that contains a priority blend, turn and run.

2.   Too Many Ingredients

Another you want to be wary of is a pre-workout having too many ingredients -- which I would define as ant more than 6 or 7.

When it comes to pre-workout supplements, they generally have small serving sizes (5-10 grams on average). As such, the more ingredients they contain, the less of each ingredient you get.

This again makes it easier to provide you with less of the more effective (and more expensive) ingredients, making the supplement less effective.

3.   Scientifically supported ingredients

Lastly, you want to make sure that the pre-workout you are taking actually contains ingredients that have been shown to work in the scientific literature -- something that is not always the case (despite what advertisements might have you believe...).

With this in mind, they should include some of the following:

• Caffeine
• Creatine
• Beta-alanine
• Citrulline malate
• Agmatine
• L-Tyrosine

And if they don't? Put it back on the shelf and never consider it again.

Final Remarks

Before we finish up, I want to also mention the fact that many compounds found within pre-workouts are classified as stimulants -- which means they have a direct impact on your physiological and psychological systems.

As a result, you should definitely touch base with your GP before commenting supplementation.

However, once you have done that, you can expect to see some serious benefits from taking good quality pre-workout supplements, including improved physical and mental performance, better recovery and more intense pumps, and over time, greater improvements in strength and size.

Just make sure you do your research and find a good one.

References

1. McLellan, T. M., Caldwell, J. A., & Lieberman, H. R. (2016). A review of caffeine’s effects on cognitive, physical and occupational performance. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 71, 294-312.
2. Cook, Christian J., et al. "Skill execution and sleep deprivation: effects of acute caffeine or creatine supplementation-a randomized placebo-controlled trial." Journal of the international society of sports nutrition 8.1 (2011): 1-8.
3. Grgic, J., Grgic, I., Pickering, C., Schoenfeld, B. J., Bishop, D. J., & Pedisic, Z. (2020). Wake up and smell the coffee: caffeine supplementation and exercise performance—an umbrella review of 21 published meta-analyses. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 54(11), 681-688.
4. Gonzalez, A. M., & Trexler, E. T. (2020). Effects of Citrulline Supplementation on Exercise Performance in Humans: A Review of the Current Literature. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 34(5), 1480-1495.
5. Pérez-Guisado, J., & Jakeman, P. M. (2010). Citrulline malate enhances athletic anaerobic performance and relieves muscle soreness. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 24(5), 1215-1222.
6. Hobson, R. M., Saunders, B., Ball, G., Harris, R. C., & Sale, C. (2012). Effects of ?-alanine supplementation on exercise performance: a meta-analysis. Amino acids, 43(1), 25-37.
7. Kern, B. D., & Robinson, T. L. (2011). Effects of ?-alanine supplementation on performance and body composition in collegiate wrestlers and football players. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 25(7), 1804-1815.
8. Tumilty, L., Davison, G., Beckmann, M., & Thatcher, R. (2011). Oral tyrosine supplementation improves exercise capacity in the heat. European journal of applied physiology, 111(12), 2941-2950.