Nutrition

If you’ve been wondering what ingredient in pre-workout makes you itchy, it’s beta-alanine. While some people actually like this (we assume because they either have to claw their face off or push some heavyweight), a lot of people don’t. It can be very uncomfortable and can actually cause us to lose focus. The question is, do you really even need beta alanine in a pre-workout? And if not, what should you look for in a pre-workout? 

In this article, we’re going to go over what you need to know about beta alanine and pre-workout and more specifically, a pre-workout without beta alanine.

• What is beta alanine?
• What does beta alanine do and is it necessary for a pre-workout supplement?
• Most important ingredients to look for in a pre-workout
• Our top 4 picks for pre-workout without beta-alanine 

Read on if you’re ready to start taking a pre-workout without the ingredient that makes you tingle and itch.

The Pre-Workout Ingredient That Makes Your Skin Itch

So you heard about this dope-ass pre-workout that’ll make your head explode; just what you need. You’re serious about gains, so you don’t mess around with testing a “half-scoop". You go full-on rounded scoop, and then some. You get to the gym, and things are going good, your heart’s beating fast, and you’re getting hyped. 100% you’re going to crush this session…then you start to get a little itch on your ear. You scratch it and seem to make it spread like wildfire across your whole freaking face. After clawing your face through the next exercise, you are looking at yourself like a madman. 

What causes this insane itching sensation is the pre-workout ingredient beta-alanine. That itching is technically known as paresthesia and refers to the feeling of “pin and needles” under the skin. But here’s the catch. While most people think this sensation is the pre-workout “kicking in,” it actually has nothing to do with the function of your pre-workout or beta-alanine. Actually, it’s not scientifically clear why it occurs.

For the purpose of this article, we won't go too much into the itchy side effect of beta-alanine, but rather it's purpose (if any) in a pre-workout. For those who want to learn more about the itchy side of things, we wrote an article with as much possible information about tingles and itch from pre-workout. 

What Does Beta-Alanine Do?

We want to go over the function of beta-alanine real quick because, surprisingly, it doesn’t really need to be taken as a pre-workout. The point being is that you can definitely take a pre-workout without beta-alanine and still see a positive effect.  There’s even a very valid argument that beta-alanine is only put into pre-workout solely based on its association as a pre-workout, as well as the itch. We’re not saying it's bad to, we’re just saying don’t think you’re losing out if you don’t include beta-alanine in your pre-workout of choice. 

Beta-alanine, along with histidine, is involved in the production of carnosine which is a powerful muscle buffer. However, in this reaction, beta-alanine is the rate-limiting factor meaning that once it’s used up, there is no more carnosine. 

Taking beta-alanine can gradually ensure that there is plenty to increase muscle carnosine levels. While beta-alanine definitely increases muscle carnosine levels and improves training performance, this takes a while to occur. Further, once your carnosine levels are full, you can take beta-alanine whenever to maintain those levels. Back to our original point, you do not need to take beta-alanine before a workout to see its benefits. 

Put simply, it's just like creatine in that it is a saturation ingredient, so it needs to be taken daily with the appropriate dosage (approximately 3-6g per day). Timing doesn't matter, AND if you don't take it every day, it's not going to be effective. Further, having a loading phase is best, just like creatine.

You might be thinking, then creatine isn't necessary as a pre-workout either? That's correct, unless you are factoring in the dose from the pre-workout with on and off days from using it, but we'll save the creatine talk for another post.  

What Ingredients Are Actually Important in a Pre Workout?

Since we can safely say beta alanine isn't necessary in a pre-workout, unless you are using it in addition to dosing beta alanine on off days and the pre-workout has an appropriate dosage of beta alanine (if not, you'll need to take the pre-workout as well as a little more beta alanine to reach the right daily dose - i.e. if your pre-workout has 1g, you'll need to take 2g or so more on the side)...OR, you just like beta alanine because of the itch...

...here are a few ingredients found in pre-workout that you SHOULD actually look for.

Note: This list below is far from complete, these are just some of the most important ingredients you’ll want from a pre-workout. For a more intensive look, check out this article on pre-workout ingredients.

1. Caffeine For Energy:

If you’ve ever wondered what ingredient in pre-workout gives you energy, it’s caffeine. Most people know of caffeine as most people love coffee and tea but what many don’t know is that studies show caffeine is one of the most effective ergogenic aids on the market. And “ergogenic aid” is a fancy way to refer to a substance that improves human performance, which caffeine does beautifully. 

Most people just assume that caffeine works as a central nervous stimulant and provides us with energy for a few hours. It keeps us focused as well as energized to work. If you thought that, you wouldn’t be wrong. However, caffeine also works by improving work performance in heat, mitigating fatigue, lengthening time to exhaustion, and even improving muscle contractions.  

Caffeine is so effective that it is generally believed to be the most important ingredient in a pre-workout for improved performance. Therefore, you don’t need beta-alanine in your pre-workout; you just need caffeine.

Know that some pre-workouts will use other stimulants for energy but caffeine is definitely the most common.

If you want to learn about pre-workout without stimulants, read this.

2. L-Arginine, L-Citrulline And Citrulline Malate For A Pump:

L-arginine, l- citrulline malate, and citrulline malate are the pre-workout ingredients that give you a pump. Together, these compounds are known as nitric boosters. These are compounds that help elevate the amount of nitric oxide in your bloodstream, widening your blood vessels. This will have several positive effects, physiological and aesthetic.

Physiologically, it will allow more blood flow to the muscles. In general, this works by improving oxygen utilization. Studies have shown that this may be able to improve tolerance to intense exercise by prolonging time to exhaustion. At the same time, this is not the case in other studies, so we want to emphasize it “may” be able to help. Here’s another study that shows the effectiveness of l-citrulline.

Aesthetically, it will make your veins pop. If you like the vascular look, l-arginine can definitely help enlarge your veins and make them more pronounced. While this look is temporary, it can definitely feel good and help motivate you in the gym. In addition, it will cause a general pump and make your muscles feel tight. While generally thought of as a transitory aesthetic benefit, it can definitely make you feel good and motivate you. Even still, evidence is showing that this extra blood flow to the muscles can have a long-term benefit.   

3. L-Theanine And L-Tyrosine For Focus:

L-Theanine is an amino acid that can be used to increase focus. L-Theanine is commonly seen in combination with caffeine due to the belief it can help reduce anxiety or other effects caused by caffeine. Basically, it’s believed the two will actually out each other. Regardless, it is reported to give “smooth” energy that helps focus. Compare this to caffeine which provides more of hyped-up energy. 

L-Tyrosine is also an amino acid bit metabolized into catecholamines dopamine and adrenaline. These are very important compounds that can definitely help your intensity and focus in the gym. While your body regulates the production of these catecholamines, your body will generally produce more under stressful circumstances. In other words, taking L-Tyrosine along with exercise can give you that little boost you need. 

4. Taurine...Kind Of Does A Lot (Reportedly):

Taurine is yet another amino acid that is commonly found in many pre-workouts (yes, there are a lot more amino acids other than your BCAAs that can improve performance). As the title suggests, taurine is reported to do a lot, including:

• Improving blood flow for massive pumps
• Shuttling of glucose for sustained energy
• Improve workout recovery

The extent of the effectiveness of all these benefits vary, at least to the extent that taking it as a pre-workout will make a noticeable difference. Regardless, expect to see it when you are looking at pre-workouts.

Best Pre Workouts Without Beta-Alanine

So now, let’s look at some great pre-workouts without beta-alanine. We’re going to give you some great options to choose from. We are only choosing four to keep your choices simple as we really believe these to have the most potential so why give more? 

We do want to mention that we have not tried all of these and are mainly going off their ingredient list and Amazon rating. 

Best Overall: PEScience Prolific Pre Workout

Our top pick goes to a lesser-known brand that offers a serious-looking pre-workout. PEScience sports a 4.5-star rating on Amazon with over 900 reviews which is hard to do as pre-workouts are notoriously difficult to please consumers. However, after looking at this impressive ingredient list, it’s easy to see why. It gives dosing for both one and two scoops.

• L-Citrulline- 3g/6g
• Betaine Anhydrous- 1.25g/2.5g
• Taurine- 750mg/1500mg
• Caffeine- 160mg/320mg
• L-Theanine- 100mg/200mg
• Rhodiola Rosea- 50/100mg
• Coffee Fruit Extract- 50/100mg 

Wow. That looks seriously awesome. Caffeine for the energy, theanine to smooth things out, and L-Citrulline and taurine for a massive pump. It also has a few other ingredients, but those will be the primary ones to support your workout. This is so impressive that we literally just bought our first bottle to give it a try. Like literally. 

Get PEScience Prolific Pre-Workout on Amazon

The Cheapest: Caffeine Pills

Simple, basic, cheap, and effective. You rarely ever hear of caffeine pills but it might be just what you need. We’re not going to list specific options, as caffeine is caffeine. However, some of the brands we have used include:

• ProLabs
• Mutant
• NutriCost

As mentioned above, caffeine is generally believed to be the most effective ingredient in pre-workouts for performance improvement. Therefore, we think that the obvious choice is to just take caffeine! There are three main reasons we love caffeine pills. For one, caffeine is very cheap. For example, you can get 100 200mg-pills from Prolab for $7.99! 

Secondly, most pre-workouts underdose caffeine compared to what literature suggests for performance enhancement at 3-6mg/kg body (study). Keep in mind these higher doses are for endurance but for a 70kg individual, you’re looking at 210mg on the low end. Some brands will hit this, but many only provide 150mg, and still, there are a lot of guys much bigger! Caffeine pills let you dose how much you do much more accurately.  

Last, it’s just convenient and easy to take. You can easily stick a bottle in your gym bag and just eat one with water when you want. No mixing or sticky mess to deal with. 

One word of advice, do not use powder. Caffeine is perfectly safe, but there have been instances where someone measured caffeine powder incorrectly and had serious consequences. Just use pills, and there’s no problem; it’s already cheap enough. 

Many advanced trainees have moved on to this option because it works. Keep in mind that you can use caffeine pills for “normal workouts” and use a more intense pre-workout when you need that extra boost in focus, pump, and power.

Most Natural With No Caffeine: ONNIT Total Nitric Oxide

ONNIT has a great pre-workout that is purely a NO booster. This means that it has no caffeine and no beta-alanine. It has multiple ingredients designed to increase your nitric oxide and give you a killer pump. This includes beetroot, perhaps the most popular food source for a NO booster. A quick rundown of its ingredients:

• L-Citrulline DL Malate- 3g
• Arginine Nitrate- 1.4g
• Proprietary Blend w/ Beet Root- 5.89g 

As you can see from the ingredient list, ONNIT’s number one goal is to increase NO. It has a 4.3-star rating on Amazon from 300+ reviewers, which says a lot as it’s hard to impress lifters with a pre-workout.  

The main complaint is its taste as it is too “earthy". Well, that’s because we have become accustomed to synthetic sweeteners and have gotten away from real food. The taste is from their proprietary blend which includes a healthy dose of beets. While we haven’t personally tested this supplement from ONNIT, we have taken beetroots, and it does have an “earthy” taste. To us, this just shows that ONNIT is living up to its reputation as more of a natural, holistic supplement company and they are using real products. This is not a problem with us, but it’s something to consider if you need a good tasting pre workout. 

Other than that, the reviews are highly positive, with repeated claims of awesome, sustained energy. We definitely recommend giving this a go. 

Get Onnit Total Nitric Oxide on Amazon

Best NO Booster: PEScience High Volume Nitric Oxide Booster

Yet another awesome pre-workout from PEScience. This one gets rid of the caffeine and is their pure NO booster, making it a great choice for looking for a stim-free pump pre-workout. It has a 4.5-star review from over 1,800 consumers. Its ingredient list includes:

• L-Citrulline- 4g
• Performance Pump Matrix- 3.75g (taurine, glycerol, ferula root extract_
• Arginine Nitrate- 2g
• Arginine Sulfate- 1g

As you can see, similar to their Prolific pre-workout, PEScience is very generous with their dosing. This is awesome to see as so many pre-workouts like to underdose. We like the idea of this pure NO booster as you can easily stack it with any other supplements you want, like caffeine pills, for example.  

Over the years, we have noticed that the more specific a supplement is, the better they are. When you find some that “do everything”, you realize that they tend to do everything half-ass. This is why we were so impressed with their Prolific, as it seems to really be all-encompassing. This is important for all supplements, especially pre-workouts, as you require specific doses to receive a noticeable benefit. PEScience NO booster definitely delivers.

Get PEScience High Volume Nitric Oxide Booster on Amazon

Pre Workouts With No Beta-Alanine

We just gave you 4 awesome pre-workouts without beta-alanine, so you can be sure to train without the itch. That being said, we want to clarify that beta-alanine is very effective at improving performance. However, it doesn’t need to be taken before you workout. 

There’s a simple solution if you are still interested in beta-alanine but tired of itching. Start taking beta-alanine in multiple, smaller doses throughout the day. This will allow you to get the benefits of beta-alanine without experiencing the itch sensation. Do that and let a beta-alanine free pre-workouts take care of you 30 minutes before the gym.

Related: 14 Best Pre-Workouts on the Market

The OMAD diet is one of the newer diets to hit the mainstream and has generated a lot of hype. OMAD stands for “One Meal A Day,” and at its core, it’s really just a form of intermittent fasting, except you are limited to eating just once per day. If we could only eat one meal per day, it would be the lunch buffet from 11-3, but I’m sure that’s bending the rules a little. Like all fad diets, it has also stirred up conversation in the athletic community about whether OMAD is good for muscle building or athletic performance. And with high-level athletes like Rhonda Rousey and Hershel Walker promoting it, people are curious. Therefore we wanted to dig into this extreme diet and see what it’s all about. More importantly, we will see if you can go to the weight room following OMAD and succeed. This article will go over:

• What is OMAD?
• What can you eat on OMAD?
• Can you build muscle with OMAD?
• Can you get stronger with OMAD?
• OMAD and weight loss

Let’s see what all the fuss is about and if it’s optimal for weight lifting and muscle gain. To be clear, this article is coming from the perspective of putting on muscle. While we will address other common questions regarding the OMAD diet, our main goal is to see if you should try this when wanting to build muscle.

What Is the OMAD Diet?

OMAD is actually quite simple in its design in that it allows you to just eat one meal per day. OMAD is essentially run as intermittent fasting with a 23:1 fast:feed ratio. In other words, you have one hour to eat all of your calories. While this hour of eating is 100% up to you, most people will choose to eat from late afternoon to early evening (3-7).

Other than that, there are no other restrictions on what food you can or can not eat. Similarly to other forms of intermittent fasting, OMAD isn’t really so much a diet but rather an eating pattern. However, it’s obviously recommended that you stick to healthy foods and concentrate on still getting your macros.

What Can You Eat On OMAD?

As mentioned above, you can technically eat whatever you want on OMAD. However, as most people are following OMAD for health concerns, they will tend to eat healthier foods. In fact, it’s not uncommon to combine OMAD with another diet such as OMAD and paleo or OMAD and carnivore. Or you can just combine OMAD with flexible dieting. Again, OMAD is not concerned about what you can eat but rather when you eat it.

Is the OMAD Diet Good For Building Muscle?

While this article will review some of the other proposed benefits of following OMAD, it has one primary purpose. Can you build muscle on OMAD? Are OMAD and weightlifting a good combination, and should you try it? In other words, can you pack on slabs of muscle while eating once a day?

Surprisingly, upon research, many articles are strongly confident that not only can you build muscle on OMAD, they claim OMAD is good for muscle growth. We’re going to have to kindly disagree, and our reasoning is quite simple for two simple reasons.

As far nutrition is concerned, these two reasons just so happen to be the two most important variables for muscle growth:

1. Eating a caloric surplus
2. Protein intake.

1) IT'S VERY DIFFICULT TO CONSUME ENOUGH CALORIES ON OMAD:

Surprisingly, many lifters actually have issues eating enough calories to promote muscle growth, even with a full day of eating allowed. Now let’s cut the usual 16 hours of feeding time down to 1 hour and see how well those same people do with getting in their calories (calories with the right macros that is). Yea, not going to happen.

As mentioned above, being in a caloric surplus is the first rule to follow when you are gaining muscle. It’s not uncommon for average guys to need to consume 2,500+ calories in a day, and that’s on the way lower end. When you are on one meal a day, you need to eat all those calories in just one hour. You can definitely get it done, but it won’t be the most fun.

Even still, when we talk about eating a lot of calories, ideally, these are mainly with “clean foods .” As far as OMAD is concerned, the problem with eating clean foods is they are not calorically dense. This means you need to eat a ton of volume to get all of your calories in within an hour if you are eating healthy. You could go the easier way and eat “unclean” foods, but then you are sacrificing healthy eating to get in a caloric surplus.

The bottom line is that OMAD is not designed for people to eat many calories, which is exactly what you need when building muscle. 

2) IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO OPTIMIZE PROTEIN INTAKE ON OMAD:

In addition to not eating enough calories, it would be extremely difficult to eat enough protein, even if it all came from protein powder; you’re talking about 8+ scoops!! Unfortunately (at least for OMAD), protein has the highest satiety and fills you up fast. This makes it extremely difficult to get in all of your protein in only an hour. For 200g of protein, you would need to eat more than 1.5lb of steak or 8-10 chicken breasts! And that’s just for your protein!

Now that you ate all of your protein, you still need to get in all of your other calories and nutrients. Being that you’re so full from the protein, you’d likely need to resort to the aforementioned processed foods which are not good.

Another thing to consider is that even if you somehow managed to get in all of your protein, it would be far from an optimal manner. In order to optimize your protein utilization, you should spread out your total protein intake into 4-5 feedings throughout the day. This is because your body is able to better utilize protein in smaller servings of around 20-40g. While the whole “your body can only utilize X amount of protein per serving” is exaggerated, eating your entire daily protein intake at once is definitely not ideal.

Further, you are stuck with a conundrum when it comes to training. You have three choices when eating one meal a day:

1. Train after being fasted for 23 hours so that you can eat your post-meal directly after.
2. Train after your meal, meaning you then have 23 hours where your body will receive no nutrition for recovery.
3. Train somewhere in the middle of your fast, meaning you have a substantial time of no nutrition before and after training.

None of the above scenarios are good for muscle growth, let alone optimal. While some may argue “it’s possible”, this is far from being “good” for muscle growth, especially when there are better ways to do it.

Is OMAD Good For Fat Loss?

One of the main reasons OMAD is used is for fat loss. Compared to gaining muscle mass, OMAD for fat loss would be a much more reasonable suggestion. However, similar to other forms of intermittent fasting, its effectiveness simply comes from the fact you are limited in the amount of time you have to eat, and thus calories you can consume. While only having an hour to eat isn’t great for eating a surplus for muscle growth, it does help in eating less food. Not much of a secret but not allowing yourself to eat all day will result in fewer calories consumed. Boom…weight loss.

What Are The Benefits Of OMAD?

To be honest, we don’t see any one benefit that OMAD offers that can’t be found on other diets. Further, the other diets, even other forms of fasting, seem to be much more realistic and plausible. That being said, we’ll go over some of the more commonly reported benefits of OMAD and why we don’t feel they apply to gaining muscle mass.

1. OMAD Can Save You Time

One of the more commonly reported benefits of OMAD is that it saves you time because you’re not bogged down with that annoying task of eating. Seriously. We suppose that you would save time, but we would also argue that if you’re too busy to eat, you probably have some serious issues with time management. While skipping breakfast makes sense to us in this aspect, a diet is about health, not saving time. Sure, no one wants to spend needless hours cooking, but there are plenty of time-efficient ways to prepare healthy meals. Regardless, time saved by OMAD has little to do with muscle gain.

2. OMAD Lets You Eat Whatever You Want

We touched on this above, but again, “eating whatever you want” does not seem like it’s setting you up with healthy eating habits unless you plan on eating once a day for the rest of your life. Still, there’s no way to eat sufficient calories and protein to optimize muscle growth which ruins the point of doing OMAD for muscle growth (obviously). Maybe that is a benefit for others but not for those wanting to gain muscle. In fact, one short-term study found that eating once a day led to higher blood pressure, likely due to eating unprocessed foods as they were allowed to eat whatever they wanted. To be fair, they also saw fat reduction and a decrease in cortisol.

3. OMAD Can Fix Hormonal Issues

One of the most significant benefits of OMAD is its effect on hormone issues, specifically its improvement to insulin sensitivity. However, this benefit isn’t specific to OMAD, as studies have shown improved insulin sensitivity can occur in many forms of fasting. Still, that’s definitely a plus, especially in the modern world where diabetes is through the roof.

However, as the above study showed a decrease in cortisol levels, most studies show that fasting causes an increase in cortisol due to the elevated stress put on the body. In fact, a recent meta-analysis found that a long-term low calorie diet is less stressful on the body when compared to short-term fasting by way of measuring cortisol levels.

4. OMAD Promotes Autophagy

One of the loudest claims of proponents of OMAD is that it promotes a process known as autophagy. To keep things simple, autophagy is a process by which your body identifies old cells and disposes of them; basically a recycling system. Heightened levels of autophagy are reported to keep us feeling and looking young and can also mitigate disorders such as Alzheimer’s, cancer, and Parkinsons’. And to be fair, fasting does do this really well. 

However, fasting isn’t the only way we can induce autophagy. In fact, there are two extremely powerful catalysts related to this article; regular exercise and intense exercise. Studies have shown that being consistent with activity long-term can elevate autophagy levels significantly.

In the same vein, a positive relationship between autophagy and exercise intensity has also been discovered. However, it’s more than that and quite interesting. This study took well-trained athletes and created groups that differed in exercise intensity and in feeding and fasted states. They found that the most significant factor for inducing autophagy was exercise intensity, stating that exercise intensity seems to be “the most effective strategy to activate autophagy”.   

That being said, admittedly, this is a much more nuanced subject that is way beyond the scope of this article. In addition, there do seem to be some genuine benefits connected to fasting, OMAD, and longevity that should be explored further in its own right. Therefore, if you are interested in these benefits, we strongly recommend you to check out other resources.

OMAD’s Greatest Downfall

Unfortunately, when it comes to OMAD, we can’t really see any reason you would want to do it if you are into bodybuilding. Sure, only allowing yourself to eat one hour per day might help you lose weight, but cutting your feeding time down to 30 minutes would help you lose even more weight. And you can see where this leads. Greatly restricting your time to eat isn’t really fixing any poor diet habits. In fact, OMAD says nothing about fixing your diet, as it what types of foods you are consuming. Amazingly, most blogs that promote OMAD actually use the fact that you can eat whatever you want as a benefit of OMAD. That's not healthy.

In contrast, we feel that this is OMAD’s greatest failure as it’s not addressing the root issue of many people’s failure with diets. To be clear, we do not feel this way about all forms of intermittent fasting. Also, if you are using fasting for other health benefits, we understand that (even if we may disagree a bit). However, we do not feel that greatly limiting the time to eat is a healthy way to solve overeating and poor food choices; let alone it could lead to more significant eating disorders. 

OMAD And Weightlifting: The Bottom Line

When it comes to OMAD and weightlifting, our opinion is simple. No.

While OMAD might be able to help with weight loss, it is definitely not a diet made for weightlifting and muscle gain. If you read pro-OMAD articles, you will notice that they try really hard to explain why it’s possible not to lose muscle on OMAD. However, this is not gaining muscle, nor is it optimal to gain muscle. However, this isn’t new. Many new diets hit the scene and pretend to be a cure-all:

• You can gain muscle!
• You can lose weight!
• You can have more energy!
• You can save time!
• You can cure cancer!

Unfortunately, the vast majority of these are incredibly misleading. Many diets may have some genuine benefits, but they then decide to go overboard with their claims and act as if they are optimal for everything. They aren’t. 

Unfortunately, with OMAD, we personally can not identify one benefit that makes it optimal for putting on muscle. While it may work for some lifestyles or individuals, try something else if you want to put on mass and build strength.

There are two types of people in this world. Those who have had to run to the bathroom after taking pre-workout and those who lie about having to run to the bathroom after taking a pre-workout. Nothing to be ashamed about, shit happens! Alright people, let’s be mature about this. Let’s get it all out now so we can talk about poo like adults, go - poop, poop, poop, diarrhea, poop, fart, doo doo, poo. Ok, now that got that out of the way, let’s talk about what’s going on and why pre-workout makes us poop.

While usually never a huge issue (we’re gonna assume you always made it to the toilet on time), it can be a bit of an inconvenience and can sometimes cause a bit of discomfort. In this article, we’re going to talk about:

• What is a pre-workout?
• Why does pre-workout make us poop?
• What pre-workout ingredients make us poop
• How to minimize any poop sensations.

Ok…let’s talk poop.

What Is A Pre-Workout?

Knowing what a pre-workout is, is the first step to finding out why it makes us poop. In a nutshell, a pre-workout is any sports supplement that is designed to take before a workout to increase performance. Generally speaking, a pre-workout is made up of numerous different compounds rather than a single ingredient. These various ingredients will provide slightly different yet synergistic benefits. For example, caffeine is a prevalent pre-workout ingredient that acts as a stimulant to provide energy. At the same time, a muscle buffer, such as sodium bicarbonate, will be used to mitigate “the burn” and allow you to perform more work before reaching fatigue.

Related: Best Pre-Workout Supplements on the Market

Why Does Pre-Workout Make Us Poop?

While the pre-workout does have many different ingredients, stimulants are the most popular as that’s what the people want: to get psyched up before hitting the gym. To be clear, there has been an influx of non-stim pre-workouts released on the market lately, but there’s an excellent chance your pre-workout is loaded with stimulants. Again, that’s what the people want and pre-workouts give them it in huge amounts. 

As mentioned above, caffeine is easily the most popular and sought-after ingredient in pre-workouts. The reason being is that caffeine works; in fact, it’s one of the most highly effective ergogenic aids we know of. Caffeine works as a powerful stimulant of the nervous system, and studies have shown it to elicit numerous benefits in both aerobic and anaerobic nature. However, this lovely little compound can also cause you to run to the bathroom. This can occur through multiple mechanisms, such as over activation of the colon.

While most people are aware that a strong cup of joe can similarly also make you poop, consider that an average cup of coffee has 80mg of caffeine. In comparison, your average pre-workout caffeine content will be anywhere from 150-300mg! Aaaaaand we’re pooping.

In reality, researchers still aren’t entirely sure by what mechanism this happens. For example, a study found that while caffeinated coffee did stimulate the colon 23% more than decaf coffee, the decaf still stimulated the colon to a higher degree than water. This shows that while caffeine plays a large part in activating the colon, there are other reactions going on. The only thing we don’t understand is who drinks decaf?

Another likely culprit is all of the artificial sweeteners they put in most pre-workout. That’s how supplement companies get their pre-workout to taste like razzle-dazzle extreme strawberry punch with 0 calories. Unfortunately, that distinctly chemical-induced flavor wreaks havoc on your digestion system. Due to the makeup of artificial sweeteners, excessive gasses can be produced and accumulate inside the stomach causing discomfort. Combine this with excess sweetener being absorbed into the colon which causes overstimulation and you get an unplanned, but much-needed trip to the toilet. 

What Other Pre-Workout Ingredients Make Us Need to Use the Bathroom?

While caffeine and artificial sweeteners are the primary reason for your BM (trying to think of other words to use other than poop), there could be some other ingredients lurking in your powder that could be contributing to the issue. 

Yohimbe is a common stimulant found in many pre-workouts and has been praised for its effects on human performance. While mainly anecdotal, its effects have led it to be added to many pre-workouts, usually in addition to caffeine! Unfortunately, like caffeine, it can often leave you running to the bathroom. Reportedly, this issue is elevated when taking Yohimbe on an empty stomach. If this is an issue, be sure to eat something beforehand. 

If you are sensitive to specific vitamins and minerals, something else to consider. While not common, certain micronutrients can cause a rush to the loo in certain people. This would include nutrients such as vitamin C, Magnesium, and some B vitamins. These are often added to pre-workouts. They can help with various performance variables such as hydration or immune support. Again, while unlikely, if you know you are sensitive to certain nutrients, stay away from these.

How To Minimize The Need To Poop After Pre-Workout

The problem that arises is what do you do if you still wanna get hyped for the gym but don’t feel like crapping your pants? The most obvious answer would be to try some stimulant-free pre-workouts that we spoke about above. These mainly function by adding nitric booster and beta-alanine. For some people, this is enough and works fantastic. However, as mentioned above, most people are looking for that energy.

In this case, there are a few options. The first is to lower the dose and try to gradually increase the amount over time. Ideally, this will allow your body to acclimate to the ingredients and not let loose. This can be very effective but you’ll have to deal with a little less hype for a few weeks.

At the same time, be sure to always have some food in the stomach before taking your pre-workout. This can slow the absorption and prevent the stimulants from hitting your colon like a bomb. Taking a pre-workout without food in the stomach is often reported to have less damage on the digestive system, so definitely give this a shot. 

Finally, you can try different pre-workouts and see how your body reacts. As mentioned, there could be various ingredients affecting you. However, everyone reacts differently to these compounds, so it’s difficult to say what it is exactly that is affecting you. 

Therefore, try some different brands of pre-workout and pay attention to their ingredients. Doing so can help you pinpoint which one is the issue, and you can then decide what you want to do.

Other than that, if you know that pre-workouts make you go poo, we would suggest staying close to a toilet before you hit the gym.

Dealing With Pre-Workout And Poop

At the end of the day, you might just have to learn to run to the john after you double scoop your favorite pre-workout at the end of the day. To be honest, working out after cleansing your bowels doesn’t necessarily sound like a bad thing so think of it as a good thing. 

Anyway, this is why pre-workouts make you poop. The same ingredients that get you hyped for the gym are also the ones getting you hyped for the bathroom. It’s like a yin and yang, sweet and sour, crushing new PRs and going poop. Pre-workouts can help with both.

Related: Why Does Pre-Workout Make You Tingle & Itch?

Everybody loves a pre-workout. Well, maybe not everybody but most people, and for a good reason. Pre-workouts work. No one likes going to the gym feeling tired, and a good pre-workout does a really good job straightening that out. This is known and accepted as that’s literally the entire purpose of a pre-workout. That being said, you might be wondering about a secondary benefit; can pre-workout help you lose weight?

The short answer is - yes, it can. Perhaps not in a direct manner, but it can definitely help the process of shedding pounds. In this article, we’re going to talk about pre-workout and how it can help you lose weight.

What Does Pre-Workout Do?

If losing weight is a secondary benefit to pre-workout, what is the primary benefit of a pre-workout? What’s its main function? Easy answer - to get you hyped for the gym.  

The term “pre-workout” simply refers to a sports supplement designed to be taken before a workout to enhance your performance. The primary working mechanism of pre-workouts vary depending on their ingredients which could include different stimulants, such as caffeine, that give lifters a temporary boost of energy, which allows greater intensity in the gym.  

Still, other pre-workouts may rely on nitric boosters or muscle buffering agents. Or, they may just use everything to ensure you get all the benefits. Regardless, this article is not meant to break down every ingredient in detail, but if you are interested in that here's an in-depth look at pre-workout ingredients.

Generally speaking, pre-workouts will cause some sort of stimulation that allows more energy at the gym and results in the ability to perform a more significant workload. 

Can Pre-Workouts Help You Lose Weight?

Pre-workouts can definitely give you the boost you need to crush your gym session, but how does this relate to weight loss? Actually, pre-workout can help you lose weight through several different mechanisms. Before we go into how, we want to make one thing clear. The primary means by which you lose weight is by fixing your diet and getting into a caloric deficit. Without doing that, pre-workout will do nothing in terms of weight loss.

That being said, once you can commit to staying in a caloric deficit, pre-workout can help you reach your weight loss goals in various ways:

1. Pre-Workout Allows A Greater Workload And Caloric Burn

One of the pre-workout primary functions is increasing the overall workload you perform at the gym. This is done utilizing a stimulant that gives you energy and buffering agents, which help mitigate fatigue. When combined, you are able to lift more weight at the gym. In terms of energy balance, more weight means more work which requires more calories which means more weight loss. If your pre-workout allows you to increase your workload and burn more calories, you’re going to have an easier time losing weight.

2. Pre-Workout Can Increase Motivation

Everyone can have “one of those days” when being in a prolonged caloric deficit. We’re talking about when you just feel a bit sluggish and lethargic. While you usually love hitting the weights, the appeal just isn’t there on these days. If you succumb to lethargy and skip your session, not only are you sacrificing stimulus for muscle growth/maintenance, you’re also losing the chance to burn calories. Even if you muster up enough energy to get to the gym, your workout will be subpar once you get there. 

However, taking a scoop of your favorite pre-workout will fix that and give you that little oomph you need. Now you’re ready to crush the gym, lift some weight, and burn some calories.  

Note: You do need to be cautious that you don’t become dependent on pre-workout for energy but it can definitely help you out. If you are feeling extra tired, be sure to check your sleep as that is often the biggest cause for general fatigue. 

3. Pre-Workout Can Increase Your Metabolism

One of the direct mechanisms by which pre-workout can help you lose weight is by speeding up your metabolism. The only caveat is that your pre-workout needs to contain certain stimulants, specifically caffeine.

Why caffeine? That’s because studies have shown that caffeine can increase your metabolic rate by as much as 11%¹! These are basically “free” burned calories that require nothing of you other than consuming caffeine-containing your pre-workout! Now add these with the additional extra calories burned, and now you have some serious caloric burn. 

4. Pre-Workout Can Suppress Appetite

Another intriguing effect of pre-workout ingredients is that they can suppress your appetite. This effect will largely depend on the ingredients used, but caffeine is one of the primary ingredients that can lead to suppressed food intake². Obviously, less food intake means less calorie intake, which directly affects weight loss. However, and perhaps more importantly, a suppressed appetite makes it more bearable to eat fewer calories. You can still eat less food even if your appetite isn’t suppressed. However, it sucks being hungry and can eventually lead to overeating. When your appetite is suppressed, eating isn’t even an issue to talk about, making the entire process more enjoyable. 

Another common pre-workout ingredient that is rarely, if ever, linked to appetite suppression is your BCAAs, especially leucine. Studies have shown that leucine is unique in its ability to suppress the appetite upon consumption³. This is primarily through two mechanisms:

• Activation of mTOR
• Increases levels of the hormone leptin, which mitigates hunger

We also need to consider that one of the leading causes of overeating is “snacking.” This is random eating that occurs throughout the day due to boredom or emotions. Or maybe just because. Now, if your pre-workout can suppress your appetite, there will be a significant reduction in this snacking, meaning a significant reduction in caloric intake.  

With that in mind, be aware this time of suppression is transient and will differ depending on your size, sensitivity, and the dose taken. 

5. Pre-Workout Can Lead To Better Food Choices

Stay with us on this one. A study took 2,680 participants and had them follow a 15-week exercise program. They were instructed to not change their diet, but the vast majority did so naturally⁴. By naturally, we mean that they didn’t make the conscious decision to eat better; it was just a side effect of the exercise. Researchers believe this occurs due to exercise having a positive impact on the brain’s executive function; or ability to make rational choices. 

So, where does pre-workout come into play? Interestingly enough, the researchers spotted a positive relationship between intensity and food choices; in other words, the participants who participated in more intense exercise saw greater improvements in their food choices. As the primary benefit of pre-workout is to increase the intensity of your exercise, we think it’s pretty safe to conclude that pre-workout could improve food choices, thus lowering caloric intake.

6. Can Improve Body Composition

This is a bit nuanced as there is definitely a discussion to be had on if you can gain muscle and lose fat at the same time. However, it’s still worth being mentioned. Even if you were to not lose any fat but gain muscle mass, your body composition would still improve, leaving you looking leaner. This is totally possible as a pre-workout allows for extra workload, which can translate into muscle growth. At the same time, you could look at your weight loss in the long term over months. Pre-workout can definitely aid in your cutting and bulking blocks, leaving you with an overall better physique and lower body fat percent than when you first started.   

Related: Can Pre-Workout Help You Build Muscle?

How To Use Pre-Workout To Lose Weight?

While pre-workout can definitely aid in your weight loss, it shouldn’t be explicitly used to lose weight. By that, we mean you shouldn’t randomly take a scoop when you wake up to keep you from eating breakfast. Therefore, you should continue using it as you would normally before your gym sessions. You will need to check your specific pre-workout but the majority will instruct you to take a serving 30-60 minutes before you hit the gym. Therefore, you may need to play around with pre-workout timing and actual serving amount to see what best works for you.

Again, we can’t reiterate this enough, pre-workout is not going to cause you to lose weight if you don’t have your diet in check. While it can support weight loss by all of the mechanisms mentioned above, you can not use it to fix a bad diet. 

What Pre-Workouts Work Best For Weight Loss?

It’s really hard to say what pre-workout is best for losing weight as, again, that’s not its primary purpose. Further, it’s difficult to find substantial reviews on this aspect of pre-workout. That being said, you will need to experiment to see what pre-workout gives you the best “pump” and provides the best stimulus for a workout. We would definitely recommend a pre-workout with a generous dose of caffeine (we’d suggest 200mg+ for optimal effect), arginine (nitric booster), citrulline (nitric booster), and some sort of buffering agent. 

To get you started, here are the 14 best pre-workouts on the market!

Can Pre-Workout Help Lose Weight? The Final Word

Pre-workout is unique in its design as it really is very versatile and can be used to support whatever your goal is. Its primary purpose is to help elevate the intensity of your workload which can help reach any goal, unless your goal is to be weak (we’re assuming it’s not). Therefore, yes, pre-workout can definitely help you lose weight. If you have your diet and programming already in check, adding an excellent pre-workout to the mix can help boost the effects and make the entire process more enjoyable and effective. 

Here are a few helpful articles if you need help with your diet:

• The Ultimate Clean Bulk Guide
• The Ultimate Cutting Guide
• IFBB Pro Kuba Cielen's Diet to Lose Fat Fast

References:

1. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7486839/
2. https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/jbcpp-2016-0090/html
3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4121631/
4. https://msutoday.msu.edu/news/2019/exercising-helps-you-make-better-food-choices

People looking to lose fat quickly have turned to all types of fad diets over the past few decades. From low fat to high fat to low carb to gluten free to 6 small meals a day to raw veggies without dressing.

Well, if you’ve tried any of these fad diets then you’ve probably come to a realization that either it was too difficult to be consistent with or the results weren’t worth the strict diet.

What's a simpler solution?

The solution could simply be skipping a meal or two each day or a few days a week.

Ever heard of intermittent fasting?

What is Intermittent Fasting?

This is fasting (abstaining from food and beverages) for an amount of time ranging from 14 to 36 hours. With intermittent fasting, you are given a "window" to eat.

So if you fast for 16 hours a day, you can eat for 8 hours...i.e. fasting from 6pm to 10am, and eating from 10:01am to 5:59pm. 

Think that’s too difficult?

Think about the fact that each of us “fasts” every day; it is just known to us as “sleep”. All you need to do is extend that period of time several more hours.

It's actually not difficult at all. 

But, why would you even do this?

Benefits of Intermittent Fasting

Intermittent fasting is proven to positively change the function of cells, hormones, and genes, which allows you to burn fat better, keep insulin levels down, increase growth hormone, and it helps your cells initiate vital cellular repair processes.

Intermittent fasting is also good for heart health, brain health, reducing inflammation and oxidative stress. It can even reduce the chance of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimers, as well as cancers, and potentially increase your lifespan. 

While there are tons of health benefits, most people love intermittent fasting as it is a great way to lose weight, feel better, and to improve body composition.

Our distant hunter gather ancestors had no choice but to fast each day as they searched for food. You can be sure none of them were fat. Intermittent fasting for periods of time is biological to our human evolution. We are meant to fast as humans. 

What is the science behind intermittent fasting?

As far back as the 1930’s researchers found that by drastically reducing the number of calories consumed by mice lead to a longer healthier life. Since then the same studies with similar results have been performed on other animals such as monkeys, fruit flies and roundworms.

According to Mark Mattson, senior investigator for the National Institute on Aging, part of the US National Institutes of Health says that fasting has been shown to improve biomarkers of disease, reduce oxidative stress and preserve learning and memory functioning (source).

So, how do you do intermittent fasting?

Below are 6 types of intermittent fasting techniques and schedules you can try out! We've also provided links to books on each of the fasting diets. While they are not necessary to read, as we explain what you need to know about each below, they are definitely worth reading if you decide to do the diet. 

6 INTERMIITENT FASTING METHODS

The six most common types of intermittent fasting all have the common goal of achieving the benefits of fasting with varying approaches. You should choose the method that fits your daily schedule and lifestyle. If you choose a method that isn’t in tune with your lifestyle, chances are you won’t last too long. So, pick one that you think best suits you then reap the benefits of fasting.

As in all diets, intermittent fasting isn’t right for everyone. Before making a drastic change in your daily nutrition routine please consult your doctor, especially those with existing health conditions. Please keep in mind that the intermittent fasting method should be in sync with your individual goals and daily lifestyle.

Please note that these methods used in conjunction with regular exercise will yield far superior results.

1. Eat Stop Eat by Brad Pilon

Method: Complete a 24-hour fast one or two times weekly.

Suited for: Already healthy eaters looking for an extra boost to break plateaus.

How to:

• Take a break from food for 24 hours once or twice per week.
• Choose start/end time that fits your schedule.
• Calorie-free drinks CAN be consumed during the fasting period.

Ex. If you finish lunch at 1pm on Monday, then you wouldn’t eat again until Tuesday at 1pm. There’s one of your 24 hour fasts for the week.

Why Eat Stop Eat?

• Reduce total calorie consumption.
• No restriction of certain foods.

Pros:

• Flexible program (1-2 times weekly).
• No forbidden foods.
• No counting calories, no weighing food *(Don’t go overboard it’s always about moderation).

Cons:

• Difficult for some to go 24 hours without food at the beginning (Start with a 16-hour fast build up to the 24-hour fast).
• Some people will experience side effects such as headaches, fatigue, or feeling cranky or anxious (Don’t worry these symptoms will diminish over time as your body adjusts).
• The extended period of fasting might lead to certain people to binge eat once the fast is completed.

Tip: Start the fast on a very busy day or days without eating obligations (business lunches, family gatherings etc.)

Buy the Eat Stop Eat book on Amazon

2. The Leangains Method A.K.A The 16/8 Method by Martin Berkhan

Method: Don’t eat after dinner, then skip breakfast the next day.

Suited for: Devoted gym-goers who want to build muscle and lose fat.

How to:

• Women = Fasting time 14 hours, feeding time 10 hours.
• Men = Fasting time 16 hours, feeding time 8 hours.
• Calorie-free drinks permitted during fast (coffee, diet beverages etc.).
• Start fast after dinner so sleeping takes up most of fasting time. (Break the fast about 6 hours after waking up).

Ex. If you finish your last meal at 8 pm on Monday and then don’t eat until 12 in the afternoon on Tuesday; you’ve completed your 16 hour fasting time.

Why Leangains?

• Most natural fasting time (you’ll be sleeping through the majority of the fasting time).
• Still able to eat 2-3 meals during feeding time.

Pros:

• Fits most people’s schedule (Most natural fasting time).
• Meal frequency is irrelevant (Eat any time during feeding period. Most people would eat 3 meals as this is ingrained in our brains).

Cons: Lean gains has strict guidelines of what to eat especially if you’re working out.

Tips:

• Try to keep fasting/feeding times constant for best results.
• Whole unprocessed foods should make up the bulk of your calorie intake.  

Buy the Leangains Method book on Amazon

3. The Warrior Diet by Ori Hofmekler

Method: Under eat during the day; eat one huge meal at night.

Suited for: The dedicated few who can follow rules.

How to:

• Fast for about 20 hours/day.
• Eat 1 large meal at night.
• Maximize the Sympathetic Nervous System’s “fight or flight” response by eating small servings of raw vegetables, fruits and protein during the 20 hour “fasting” time.
• Maximize the Parasympathetic Nervous System’s ability by overeating during the 4 hours of feeding time at night.

Ex.:

• Daytime under-eating 20 hours (eat small amount of raw fruits, veggies and protein).
• Nighttime overeating (4 hours) - Eat in this order: veggies, fats, proteins, carbs(only if you’re still hungry).

Why ­­­The Warrior Diet?

• Feeding the body the nutrients it needs in sync with circadian rhythms.
• Humans are nocturnal eaters programmed to eat at night.

Pros:

• Fasting period allows you to still eat small snacks.
• People have reported increased energy and fat loss.

Cons:

• What/when to eat guidelines can be tough to follow.
• Strict scheduling and meal plan makes it difficult to adhere to especially for social butterflies.
• Some people don’t like to eat large meals at night.

Tip: Food choices similar to the Paleo diet.

Buy The Warrior Diet book on Amazon

4. The Alternate-Day Diet by James Johnson, M.D.

Method: Fasting every other day. (Eat normal one day, next day extreme caloric deficit).

Suited for: Experienced dieters trying to hit a specific weight goal.

How to:

• Eat normal (Men:2500cal/day  Women: 2000cal/day) -Eat VERY LITTLE (1/5^th of normal caloric intake) the next day.
• Try to schedule intense workouts with the normal feeding days.

Ex. Monday eat normally throughout the day, then Tuesday eat 1/5^th of what you ate on Monday.

Why ­­­Alternate Day Fasting?

• Fast way to cut fat.
• Can still eat (up to 500calories) during fasting period.

Pros:

• Mainly for achieving weight loss.
• According to UpDayDownDayDiet people who cut their calories 20-35% saw about a 2 ½ pound loss per week.

Cons: Those lacking self control tend to binge eat on their “normal” days.

Tip: Use meal replacement shakes on the “fasting” days in the beginning.

Buy The Alternate-Day Diet book on Amazon

5. The FastDiet by Michael Mosley

Method: 5 days/week eat normally; 2 days a week restrict calories to 500-600/day.

Suited for: Anyone looking to lose weight as it is easier to follow for beginners.

How to:

• Normal (5) days eat daily recommended calories (Men:2500cal/day Women:2000cal/day).
• 2 days caloric deficit spaced between normal eating days. (Men:600cal/day Women:500cal/day).
• Focus on eating nutritious, high protein, high fiber foods that will make you feel full.

Ex. Monday/Thursday fasting days. Rest of the week consume normal amount of calories.

Why ­­­FastDiet? People are more likely to stay consistent with this type of dieting long term. This diet will help to lose weight and improve metabolic condition.

Pros:

• Easy to follow for people with hectic daily schedules.
• Lose weight without long periods of fasting.

Cons: No clinical studies that show the Fastdiet itself.

Tip: Eat soup on your down days to help feel fuller.

Buy The FastDiet on Amazon

6. Feast/Fast by John Romaniello

Method: 5 days normal eating; One cheat day; One day water fast (ends up being an approx. 36 hours fast). 

Suited for: People who exercise regularly and like the concept of cheat days.

How to:

• Eat normal nutritious diet 5 days a week.
• Have one cheat day.
• Don’t eat from your last meal of your cheat day until the morning two days later.

Ex. Have your cheat day on Sunday and finish last meal at 10pm. Don’t eat anything on Monday, start eating your balanced diet on Tuesday morning.

Why Feast/Fast?

Dieting causes leptin levels to drop which in turn slows down fat loss. When you cheat (overeat), your leptin levels increase, thus speeding up the rate of fat loss. So, by scheduling a period of fasting subsequent to a cheat day does the following things:

1. Prevents fat gain from the caloric overload of cheating by creating an immediate caloric deficit.
2. Higher leptin levels from the cheat day prevent stagnated fat loss, which allows the hormonal benefits from the fast to continue unhindered.

Pros:

• People are able to stick with this method because they can look forward to the cheat day.
• Only one true day of fasting each week.

Cons: Some people might have trouble adhering to the 36 hour fasting period every week.

Tip: Eat all the foods (ice cream, wings, pizza, beer) you might crave throughout the week...EAT A LOT!

How to handle the hunger when intermittent fasting?

If this is your first foray into the world of fasting then you should be prepared to face some of the side effects such as hunger, sleepiness and overall weakness. However, these feelings will pass after your body gets used to the change in your diet routine. Try to keep busy to get your mind off of FOOD.

Those of you who are newbies to fasting might want to consider keeping some small snacks handy for your first few fasting days, just in case you feel faint or ill.

Intermittent fasting isn’t good for everyone, so if you are feeling faint or ill constantly after your first few fasting days please consult with your doctor before continuing any type of fasting.

People Who Shouldn’t Intermittent Fast:

• People who suffer or experienced eating disorders.
• Women who are attempting to conceive or have issues with fertility.
• Pregnant women, nursing mothers.
• Children and individuals who have Type 1 diabetes.
• People sensitive to drops in blood sugar levels.
• Individuals with known nutrient deficiencies as well as malnourished or underweight. 

Women should consult a medical professional before starting any type of fasting due to:

• Fasting not as effective for women compared with men.
• Some women reported their menstrual periods stopped while fasting but returned once they went back to a traditional eating regiment.

What foods or beverages can you consume while fasting?

No foods should be eaten while fasting as it will break your fast. Some people will drink bone broth or curb their appetite with healthy fats like MCT oil, however this technically breaks your fast (but it won't take you out of ketosis, which is what you want for burning fat). So, if you want to do intermittent fasting correctly, don't eat anything. There are only three things you should drink and that's water, coffee and tea. Needless to say, the coffee and tea must be consumed plain, without added sugar, milk or cream. 

What not to eat after fasting?

After fasting, you do not want to break your fast with unhealthy foods. It defeats the purpose of fasting as it derails results. After a fast, you want to eat healthy foods. However, not all healthy foods are ideal for breaking a fast, as they can cause discomfort. You want to eat foods that are easily digestible, like protein, non-cruciferous vegetables (cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli) are hard to digest, avocado, and bone broth. Avoid cruciferous vegetables, lactose, and of course processed foods. After your first meal, you can add some more hard to digest foods to your plate if you like. 

How long should You Do intermittent fasting?

You could intermittent fast every day for the rest of your life if you wanted. You can also do it on specific days. A lot of people like to do intermittent fasting on the weekdays and then take the weekends off. It's completely up to you.

For best results, try one of the intermittent fasting methods we listed above for a month and see how it goes. This will give you enough time to see noticeable results. 

How much weight can you lose in a month with intermittent fasting?

It depends on what foods you are eating when you are not fasting and if you are exercising. It also depends on if you are overweight or not. But on average, if you eat healthy foods during your windows of eating and you workout 3-5 times a week, someone who is overweight can lose 10-15 pounds safely in a month. 

Conclusion

Now you have a few weapons in your fat loss arsenal. These methods can be used to achieve amazing results if done correctly and combined with regular exercise. We may not have the miracle get ripped quick pill but with a few simple changes to your diet and the frequency you eat, you can reap the benefits of fasting. If you’re looking to lose weight or improve your health through eating habits, look no further than intermittent fasting.

Related Content:

• OMAD Diet: Can You Build Muscle Eating Once Per Day?
• Learn How to Master Your Metabolism
• 3 Day Fast Guide: Before & After Results, Benefits & Tips
• Is it Possible to Lose 20LBS in a Month?
• Is Fasted Cardio Better for Fat Loss?

For this supplement comparison, we're putting branch-chained amino acids, also known as BCAAs, up against glutamine. These are two of the most popular supplements on the market and also two of the most misunderstood. Will glutamine help muscle growth? Will BCAAs let you workout longer? These are just a couple questions that trainees have about these powders and we think they deserve an answer.

In this article, we'll go over:

• What are BCAAs?
• What is Glutamine?
• Does BCAA and Glutamine help muscle growth and strength
• Does BCAA and Glutamine help improve performance
• BCAA vs Glutamine for workout
• BCAA vs Glutamine: Which is best?

Before we ever talk about supplements, at SET FOR SET, we always like to clarify that supplements sit at about #5 for things to worry about with your training. We love ergogenic aids and the science behind them, but we also like to keep them in check. If you are wondering if BCAA or glutamine is better, we will assume that your programming, nutrition, recovery, and sleep are all in check. If so, carry on. If not, still carry on because learning is always good. However, we would highly recommend you get these in check first. While BCAAs and glutamine might be able to improve your performance, it's nowhere near as effective as quality sleep or proper programming. Now that's over, let's talk about BCAA vs glutamine.

BCAAs And Glutamine

BCAAs and glutamine are both some of the most popular sports supplements on the market today. In fact, it's fair to say that the vast majority of lifters or athletes who have ever bought workout supplements have consumed both of these before in the past so let’s talk about what they are.

To start, many people don't understand that both are actually isolated amino acids taken from whole protein. In other words, if you are eating protein, you are already eating BCAAs and glutamine. That being said, they serve very different functions, and one does tend to be better than the other.

But first, let's first clarify what amino acids are. This will be important to know when comparing BCAA and glutamine as we will better understand their roles in human performance and use as an ergogenic aid. 

What Are Amino Acids?

Amino acids are protein, and protein is amino acids. Make sense? Ok, we’ll break it down a little more. 

When we use the word "protein”, we are actually referring to a long sequence of amino acids, similar to how several amino acids joined together are called a “peptide.”  In this sense, “protein” is really just nomenclature to explain how many amino acids are present, which is generally a sequence of 50 or more amino acids. 

This sequence can consist of up to 21 different amino acids, which are further broken down into 3 categories:

1. Non-Essential: There are a total of 6 amino acids that are considered to be non-essential. This means that you do not need to consume these in your diet as your body can synthesize them from other amino acids.
2. Conditionally Essential: Another 6 amino acids are considered to be conditionally essential. This means that while your body can synthesize them in your body, you may need to consume them through your diet during certain events in your life, such as during times of high stress or strenuous exercise.
3. Essential: The last 9 amino acids are classified as essential, more commonly known as your EAAs (Essential Amino Acids). These are amino acids that your body can not synthesize, so you must consume them in your diet.

So which are glutamine and BCAAS?

As it's so hyped up for being so effective, it may surprise you to learn that glutamine is actually a conditionally essential amino acid. Again, this means that your body can produce sufficient amounts under normal circumstances and there’s no need to consume any from your diet. Interestingly enough, glutamine is actually the most abundant amino acid in the body and accounts for 50-60% of free amino acid! 

When it comes to BCAAs, they are actually considered essential amino acids as you must consume these from your diet as your body can not synthesize them. In this aspect, it would seem that exogenous BCAAs are more important merely because your body can only get them from the diet. 

Regardless, now let's take a closer look at their actual physiological function in the body.

What Is Glutamine?

As mentioned above, glutamine is the most abundant amino acid in the human body. However, its abundance is because it's involved in so many physiological processes that this amount is necessary. In relation to weight training, it has been reported to:

• Improve the immune system
• Increase muscle recovery
• Improve glycogen uptake
• Increase growth hormone

...and that's not even the entire list of supposed benefits. Out of all of these, the most common reason weight lifters will take glutamine is due to its role in muscle recovery. It's often suggested that glutamine can help reduce muscle soreness and improve muscle recovery which ultimately leads to more volume being able to be performed resulting in greater muscle growth.

Does Glutamine Work?

Here's where things get conflated. What do you mean when you say, "Does glutamine work?". In reality, glutamine actually does play a role in numerous critical physiological processes, even with processes related to muscle building. So in that sense, yes, glutamine works.

However, we want to know if supplementing with glutamine works. Are you going to see benefits by going to a store and spending money on another powder? While this may disappoint many people, if you have been buying glutamine, you have likely just been wasting money.

The best way to describe supplementing with glutamine is "More does not mean better." Just because glutamine is an essential amino acid that plays a vital part in numerous processes does not mean that you should take even more. However, we should mention that this assumes you are already eating adequate protein. Remember that glutamine is already in protein, so in reality, you are already supplementing with glutamine; you just don't need to take it as a solitary ingredient. 

Besides, you need to remember that glutamine is the most abundant amino acid in the body by far; it represents 50-60% of all the free amino acids⁽¹⁾. That's a lot of glutamine. However, it’s also a conditionally essential amino acid which should make you question if you really need it anymore as your body seems to be able to get plenty without supplementation.

While some studies may show some benefit, there are a lot more that have shown no benefit. A recent meta-analysis from 2019 looked at a total of 72 studies and clinical trials on glutamine and athletic performance and fitness. Unfortunately, they found no relationship between glutamine and athletic performance. However, interestingly enough, they did note that individuals who took glutamine had more significant weight reduction⁽²⁾. While this definitely shouldn't be ignored, the vast majority of people who take glutamine are not doing it for weight loss.

This isn't the only meta-analysis to show this. In 2008, yet another large review examined studies on glutamine and sports training. They also found that while glutamine is an important amino acid, there is little to no evidence that it benefits training and fitness⁽³⁾. In fact, they note that at the time, there were limited studies done with appropriate variables (i.e. using sick adults rather than healthy adults). However, companies were still making similar bombastic claims we see today. Unfortunately, glutamine seems to be another victim of a common trick seen in the fitness industry; the truth is taken out of context, and studies are used incorrectly to hype up a product. 

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What Are BCAAs?

BCAAs get their name due to their structure as one of their chains has a branch attached. Therefore, BCAA stands for Branch Chained Amino Acids. Your BCAAs are actually composed of three different amino acids including:

• Leucine
• Isoleucine
• Valine

Mentioned above, all three are classified as essential, which means that ⅓ of your essential amino acids are composed of BCAAs. At the same time, these 3 account for nearly half of the total quantity of BCAAS. 

Remember that we have briefly discussed how protein comprises different amino acids and different amino acids have specific duties or functions. BCAAs are so important because these three amino acids play the most vital role in protein synthesis and muscle repair, specifically leucine. Leucine is definitely the most important as its role is to signal mTOR⁽⁴⁾, which is in charge of protein synthesis and cell growth; basically, it's the first domino that drops before a complex chain of events occurs.

Due to this pivotal role, BCAAs in athletics and weight training have become very popular.

Do BCAAs Work?

Meh. While there is better evidence for BCAA than glutamine, it's still not nearly as straightforward as you'd think. Again, the problem is that companies will take a study that shows what they want and just use that while neglecting all the other studies that show the contrary. Or, they may completely leave out important information that totally alters the perception of the outcome.

For example, a huge review just published in 2021 specifically looked at all the literature on BCAA supplementation for strength and hypertrophy. They concluded that, generally speaking, research does not show the efficacy of BCAA for the benefits claimed by supplement companies⁽⁵⁾. In fact, they specifically mention this aspect; that marketing claims are at odds with research. However, they note that there are certain circumstances where BCAAs may be of benefit, such as in individuals consuming low calories or in the elderly population. 

However, another meta-analysis from 2019 concluded that, in fact, BCAAs might be able to improve performance as they "led to a favorable effect on fatigue substances, energy metabolites, and muscle soreness substances"⁽⁶⁾. And yet another from 2019 showed that BCAA can help reduce DOMS, yet this is when compared to a placebo⁽⁷⁾.

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The bottom line is that BCAA may be able to help, especially during times of caloric deficit or strenuous exercise (this does not mean a 45-minute session).  However, if you are consuming enough protein, it likely won't help improve muscle hypertrophy or strength gains. If you are eating enough protein, the only situation where you might want to try BCAAs is during an extra-long or extra strenuous workout session. 

BCAAs vs Glutamine: Which Is Better?

After looking at all of the information above, the answer to glutamine vs. BCAA should be relatively clear. While both are vital compounds for your body to function properly, only one of them might be effective as an exogenous supplement. And that would be your BCAAs.

There is just far too little evidence to suggest any athlete or weightlifter take glutamine. After looking at the studies on glutamine supplementation, the evidence is "unclear" at the very best while "waste of money" is likely a more accurate conclusion. However, the evidence surrounding BCAAs is a bit more compelling and could serve some purpose.

In fact, this is exactly how the International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN) has these supplements classified. The ISSN reviews every sports supplement and classifies it with one of three labels⁽⁸⁾:

• Strong evidence to support the efficacy and apparently safe
• Limited or mixed evidence to support the efficacy
• Little to no evidence to support the efficacy and/or safety

While glutamine is given the low class of "little to no evidence', BCCAs are awarded the "limited or mixed evidence". Still not even that great, but if you had to choose one of the two, BCAAs are the way to go.

However, there is a third option better than BCAAs. Rather than just eat three of the nine essential amino acids, you should just eat all nine! EEAs are quickly becoming the preferred amino acid supplement to take, thanks to more interest and research surrounding this topic. In fact, going back to ISSNs classification system, EAAs are one of the few supplements to be given the top "strong evidence to support efficacy" classification. This means it shares the same rank as creatine and HMB (not that we're saying it's better than creatine as creatine is still the best!)

We can't give a full breakdown here, but basically. At the same time, BCAAs are the most important amino acids regarding muscle protein synthesis, the other amino acids still play a role, and the effect is buffered without them. Therefore, whenever anyone asks about BCAAs, we suggest they get some EAAs instead - Check out this article for a more in-depth comparison of EAAs vs BCAAs.

BCAAs or Glutamine Supplement - SUMMARY:

While BCAAs and glutamine are some of the most popular supplements on the market, unfortunately, neither are really that great for athletic performance, especially glutamine. While technically, BCAAs are the superior supplement, you really should just do yourself a favor and buy some EAAs. Realize that we aren't suggesting a completely different supplement with a different function, like when you ask if you should buy a truck or SUV and someone says you should buy a bike. EAAs do exactly what you think BCAAs do, just better.

Even still, we only suggest EAAs if all of your other variables are in check. 

1. Nutrition: Check
2. Programming: Check
3. Sleep: Check
4. Recovery: Check

Now you can start to worry about supplements. Enjoy!

More Supplement Comparisons:

• BCAA vs Pre-Workout
• BCAA vs Creatine
• Creatine Monohydrate vs Creatine HCL
• Fish Oil vs Krill Oil
• Plant Protein vs Whey Protein Powder

References:
(1) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6266414/
(2) https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0261561418301730
(3) https://academic.oup.com/jn/article/138/10/2045S/4670120
(4) https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-01943-7
(5) https://journals.humankinetics.com/view/journals/ijsnem/31/3/article-p292.xml
(6) https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11332-019-00542-4
(7) https://econtent.hogrefe.com/doi/abs/10.1024/0300-9831/a000543
(8) https://jissn.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12970-018-0242-y

Whether you are looking to cut weight for summer, a fitness event, or simply to achieve your ideal body mass index (body fat percentage), we guarantee this cutting workout and diet plan will get you there. This guide has everything you need to know about cutting and it even lays out what you need to eat and a workout program for you to follow. Our ultimate goal with this cutting plan is to help you lose fat while maintaining muscle.

WHAT IS CUTTING? 

In the world of fitness, especially bodybuilding and strength training, the term cutting refers to losing weight while retaining as much muscle mass as possible. 

Really, the key point is at the end of the statement above. For a cut to be truly successful, the trainee must be able to restrict muscle loss. If not, you are not really “cutting”, rather you are simply losing weight.

So, the goal of any good cutting workout & diet plan, ours included, is to take pounds off the scale while maintaining pure muscle mass. That means the pounds must mainly be FAT. To do that, we must eat at a slight deficit and continue weight training (and for most, up the cardio).

There’s obviously more to cutting, but before we get into the how of cutting, let’s go over some frequently asked questions about cutting, as we are sure many of you reading this will be wondering the same things.

FAQ ABOUT CUTTING PHASES IN FITNESS:

Here are some of the most common questions we get about cutting...

Can I cut without losing muscle?

While the goal of a cutting phase is to lose fat while maintaining muscle, a little muscle loss may occur along the way. HOWEVER, as long as you cut using a reasonable deficit, keep your protein intake high, and continue lifting weights, muscle loss will be very negligible. Most people make out the whole “losing muscle when cutting” to be a bigger deal than it really is. In fact, it’s pretty hard to lose a significant amount of muscle as long as you aren’t on a starvation diet, doing super long cardio sessions (marathon long), and/or doing a strict cutting plan for way too long (like all year round, which is obviously not sustainable). 

All in all, you really don’t need to worry much about muscle loss when cutting. If you follow a plan like ours, you will certainly maintain most of your muscle mass. Also, it should be noted, the slower the fat loss, the less likely muscle will be loss. A slow and proper cut should see little to no muscle loss. Of course, don’t expect to gain muscle (or strength) on a cut, as that simply goes against science (calories in vs calories out - you can’t gain weight on a deficit).

We will get into the details of what your diet and workouts should be further below.

Should I bulk or cut first?

It depends on the individual.

As cutting is more than just losing weight, it’s about losing fat while maintain muscle mass as best as possible, bulking is more than just gaining weight, it’s about building muscle (while hopefully not getting too fat **cough cough** clean bulk FTW).

Now, back to the question... 

If you are a beginner, who isn’t skinny or very overweight, then you honestly don’t need to worry about bulking or cutting. You will see good results as long as you train hard and eat a healthy diet. The worst thing you can do is succumb to paralysis by analysis. 

If you are a beginner who is considerably overweight, then the first thing you should do is obviously lose fat, so following a cutting plan is the way to go. 

If you are skinny, then you obviously should bulk up.

Where people get a little confused is when they are in the middle...the infamous, SKINNY FAT. If you are skinny fat, you could go either way. Some recommend putting on muscle first, others recommend cutting.

We have a specific guide for Skinny Fat Beginners - The Ultimate Workout & Diet Plan For Skinny Fat People.

Is it possible to lose fat and gain muscle at the same time?

According to this study, where a group of young men were able to lose 7 pounds of fat while gaining 3 pounds of muscle within 4 weeks by following a strength training program and increasing protein intake while at a caloric deficit, IT IS. This is especially true for beginners. 

In terms of body composition, you will look a lot better with considerable muscle at a lower body fat percentage than without. So, if you are seriously lacking muscle, then just focus on gaining muscle and don’t worry about belly fat yet. Plus, the more muscle you have, the more fat you will burn when resting and newbies will shed off that belly fat even on a clean bulk.

FOR EVERYONE ELSE...

If you are intermediate to advanced, then you probably already know what to do, but to answer the question...

A healthy body fat percentage for men is anywhere from 10-17%. However, athletes may be a little lower, especially during their respective season, and as you get older, being on the higher side (even around 20% BF in your 50s) is fine. So, if you are simply worried about your health, then do a cut if and when you are above ~17% body fat percentage. If you simply want to look leaner, then do a cut until you reach your body fat percentage goal. Most people do this in the lead up to summer, at which time shirts come off often. For most men, being around 10-12% will look great, so you can plan a cut to this body fat percentage. 

A healthy body fat percentage for women is around 21-31%. Women athletes may be lower, i.e. around 14-20% and women who take fitness very seriously yet not competitively around 21-24%. The same rules for men apply to women. You should cut if you want to reach a certain body fat percentage for an event, summer or just for how you want to look OR if you are above the healthy range. 

Generally speaking, most lifters do phases of bulking and cutting as bulking will enviably come with some fat increase, so to maintain the body fat percentage they want, they will pack on some muscle then do a 8-12 week cut (some even shorter). That said, if you are already happy with your body fat percentage, you can just do a very slow bulk (aka a clean bulk) and you shouldn’t have to worry much about the whole bulking then cutting then bulking then cutting thing.

Related: Body Recomposition: Gain Muscle While Losing Fat

How Long Should You Cut For? 

A cutting diet typically lasts 8-16 weeks, with 12 weeks usually being the best as it allows for a slower cut that minimizes or completely restricts muscle loss. 

Can you do a cutting diet all year round?

There would be no point to do a non-stop cut. Once you reach your ideal body fat percentage, then you would want to maintain or build muscle. You obviously can’t keep losing weight forever. Moreover, a cutting workout plan is non sustainable. You simply can't train hard and eat a deficit for long periods of time, which is why 8 to 12 or 16 weeks is recommended for cutting phases. 

Most research shows that you can lose about 1 pound of fat per week, healthily, without noticeable muscle or performance loss. So, in 12 weeks, that’s a lot of fat!

When to start cutting? 

This depends on the purpose of your cut. 

Are you cutting for a sporting event (i.e. bodybuilding competition), season (i.e. summer) or special date (i.e. wedding)? If so, give yourself 8-12 weeks for a cut. If you have an event July 1st, you should start your cut at the latest May 1st or the earliest March 1st.

Are you cutting just to reach your ideal body fat percentage? If so, then start anytime you want, but in theory you’ll want to have a good foundation of muscle before even bothering with reaching your target body fat percentage.

KEY ASPECTS OF CUTTING:

1. SET YOUR GOAL: Before you start, know what you want to achieve. Whether that’s a specific body fat percentage or simply your abs showing very visibly, make it clear so you know what you are working towards.
2. TIMELINE: Set a specific timeline to reach that goal. If you know how much weight you need to lose for an event or what body fat percentage you are working towards, then you can plan your diet accordingly. So, set a start and end date. Remember, you can’t cut forever. Cutting is a lot more tiring and difficult than bulking for most, but it’s easier if you do things slowly. So, if you have the time, give yourself something like 12 weeks. If you only have 4-8 weeks, then you can make it work, but you’ll need to plan accordingly. Our cutting guide is for 12 weeks, which is the best, but it can be adapted easily to any number of weeks from 4-16 weeks by adjusting the calorie deficit, which we will make note of when it comes time. Overall, most research concludes that 1 pound of fat loss/weight per week is perfectly healthy and do able with minimal muscle and performance loss.
3. DIET: You are going to have to really hone in on your diet during a cut. Obviously you need to be in a calorie deficit. There are two ways to do this: eat less and burn more calories. We will break down a clear cut diet plan for you below.
4. WORKOUT: Working out is just as important for cutting as you want to minimize or completely restrict muscle loss during a cut. If you were just “losing weight” then you could do so based simply on diet, but this is about losing fat and keeping muscle. We also have a clear cut workout plan for you, with options, below.

12 WEEK CUTTING AND DIET PLAN

Our “Ultimate” workout and diet plan is based on 12 weeks. However, it can be adjusted by simply adjusting your calorie intake, as you will see below. 

We chose 12 weeks as this will allow you to have a slow cut that maximizes fat loss and minimizes muscle and performance loss.

While we recommend 12 weeks for cutting, you can adjust the plan to the amount of time you have. We will show you how. The good news is, all of the same rules you are about to read will apply no matter what length of time you choose for your cut, as will the workouts. 

CUTTING DIET PLAN:

When it comes to cutting, everything depends on your diet. Your results will be directly correlated to your diet. It doesn’t matter how hard you workout, if your diet is poor, your results will be too. 

So, let’s first dig into the diet plan...

CALORIE INTAKE 

The fundamental aspect of your diet comes down to calorie intake. As this is a cut, you will want to be on a calorie deficit. 

Since this is a 12 Week Cutting Plan, we will break this down based on 12 weeks. 

TDEE Calculator: Before you start, you need to figure out your calorie maintenance level. To do this, you can use a TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) calculator. You just plug in your info and it is going to tell you what your calorie maintenance level is. You can Google TDEE calculator and many will pop up.

As you lose weight, you will need to keep track of your maintenance level as it will change slightly.

Note: You will also need a find calculator to count your calories, at least at first. Google Food Calorie Calculator or get an app to keep track nice and neatly. 

Now, to the numbers... 

Rather than just dropping 300-500 calories below your maintenance level right away (which would be about 1 pound per week for the average male), the best way to cut is with a taper, especially considering we have 12 weeks. This will help you to easily adjust to the lower calorie intake and not feel sluggish or let your workouts suffer.

Here is how it’ll look week by week:

• Week 1: Maintenance level
• Week 2-4: 100-200 below maintenance level
• Week 5-8: 200-300 below maintenance level
• Week 9-10: 300-500 below maintenance level
• Week 11: 200-300 below maintenance level
• Week 12: 100-200 below maintenance level

Another way to look at it is:

• Week 1: Maintenance
• Week 2-4: 90% maintenance
• Week 5-7: 85% maintenance
• Week 8-10: 80% maintenance
• Week 11: 85% maintenance
• Week 12: 90% maintenance

Note:

• You may need to adjust this depending on your target. If you reach your target before the 12 weeks is up, simply taper back up to maintenance level week by week or even every few days. You may also need to readjust if you change your workouts or your daily activities become more busy than normal.
• Remember, you need to readjust based on new maintenance levels each week (since you will be losing weight along the way, your maintenance level will drop a little). However, don’t stress too much. It’s hard to be super exact with calorie expenditure and intake. Just do your best. You will know if you are in a deficit and if not simply adjust the next day. It’s all an experiment and as you move through your cutting phase, you will really start to understand your body more. People who have done multiple cuts don’t even need calculators or calorie counters.

After the 12th week. Don’t just go back into a calorie surplus and start eating whatever you want. That is, unless you want to just blow right back up and get all that fat back.

After your cut, you should do a maintenance period that lasts around 2-4 weeks. Simply eat at maintenance for a while and let your body get used to it. After cutting, even maintenance will feel great.

When you finish your maintenance period, you can begin to gradually increase your calories.

For those who only have 8 weeks, your taper can look like this:

• Week 1: Maintenance
• Week 2: 90% maintenance
• Week 3: 85% maintenance
• Week 4: 80%
• Week 5-6: 75%
• Week 7: 80%
• Week 8: 85-90%

You could even be more aggressive than this. For example, by week 2 you could be at around 500 calories below maintenance, which will be around 1 pound per week, and then maintain this until week 8. Your workout plan for the 8 weeks will be the same as the one for 12 weeks, so all you need to do is focus on your calories when it comes to the length of your cut. 

Related: Is It Possible to Lose 20 Pounds in a Month?

MACROS

Your macronutrients are what make up your calories (energy).

The 3 Macros:

• Protein
• Carbohydrates
• Fats 

Your macros will look different on a cut than they do on a bulk. On a cut, you will be on a high protein diet, since sparing muscle mass is priority.

Complicated Method:

• Weight Training Days: 32% Protein, 20% fat, 48% carbs
• Cardio Days: 32% protein, 30% fat, 38% carbs
• Rest Day: 32% protein, 40% fat, 28% carbs

Simple Method:

If you don’t want to worry about changing things up everyday, you can really just stick to a 40% P, 30% F, 30% C diet or 50%-40%-20% diet. 

If you don’t want to deal with too much calculations, the simplest way is to just eat carbs in moderation (mornings, before weight training, early afternoons, and just a little at dinner - all healthy carbs), up your fat intake a little (healthy fats) and increase your protein intake to 1g per pound of bodyweight. So, if you weigh 200lbs, you will want to eat 200 grams of protein each day.

You can always play around with your macros based on how you feel and progress. You may need to decrease carbs or increase fat. But one thing that should really remain consistent is your protein intake of 1g/lb of bodyweight. For the first few weeks as you taper down your calories, you can be at .8-1g, but once you are in the thick of your cut, you will want to be at 1g+ per lb of bodyweight per day. More protein can’t hurt as long as you are eating healthy and keeping your total calories where they should be.

MEALS PER DAY & WHEN TO EAT

When cutting, it’s best to eat multiple smaller meals per day.

While some people ask about intermittent fasting when cutting, reports are conflicting and we don’t recommend it for two reasons:

1. Your macros can get screwy.
2. Some people don’t do well working out fasted, which you likely will if you are intermittent fasting.

So, we recommend 4-6 meals per day. i.e. Breakfast, Lunch, Snack, Dinner, Snacks or just all small even meals like you see when bodybuilders meal prep.

Work your macros and total calorie intake into those meals.

No one meal should ever make you super full. Don’t expect to get very full while cutting, but you should feel content after each meal, which is perfectly fine. In fact, this will help keep your metabolism up.

Overall, multiple small meals will keep your digestive system working strong and it’ll boost your metabolism. Moreover, you shouldn’t eat few a few hours before bed (unless its a protein shake to get your protein level/calorie level where they need to be). By doing this, each day you will have around 11-12 hours of fasting (last meal to first meal of next day), which is good too for fat loss.

The most important thing is you eat the right amount of calories, you get plenty of protein, and you eat healthy foods...and, of course, that you feel good!

BEST FOODS

You’ll want to eat healthy, unprocessed foods when cutting - Nutrient dense foods. They will give you the best bang for your buck and help you to feel full because you can eat more of these foods while staying at your required calorie intake. 

What should you eat when cutting?

• meats like chicken, grassfed beef, salmon, pork, lamb
• protein powders such as whey, hemp, rice, and peas
• nuts and seeds
• beans
• avocados, olive oil, and olives
• whole grains like brown rice and pasta, oats, whole grain bread, barley, and quinoa.
• leafy greens.
• Berries and different vegetables 

Your diet can be rich, just be sure its not processed garbage and it works with your macros. Also, try to avoid liquid calories, because they add up fast and they don’t keep you full! Water is your best liquid friend on a cut. Milk is ok too in moderation.

What foods to avoid while cutting?

• Most Sausages & Bacon
• Sugary drinks
• Most Fruit Juices
• Fried Foods
• Processed Foods & Cheeses
• White Bread
• Candy, Cookies, Cakes and Other Junk Food
• Beer and any high calorie alcohol 

Essentially, if you think it might be unhealthy, it likely is...

If you are out partying and must drink alcohol, then stick to whiskey, vodka, tequila or gin, STRAIGHT, and of course don’t overdo it. But a couple is fine. Be that as it may, even these will add up in calories. Whiskey is about 70 calories per shot. Vodka 64 calories. These are not carbs either, this kind of alcohol is essentially its own macro, so it’s providing completely useless calories.  

What foods help you lose fat? 

Some foods are said to even help you lose fat! “Fat-burning” foods like:

• Fatty fish: Cod, Salmon, Anchovies
• Eggs
• MCT Oil (use in moderation)
• Coffee (use in moderation)
• Green Tea
• Apple Cider Vinegar

What should I eat for breakfast when cutting?

Most breakfasts are high in carbs, but what you want to do when cutting is eat a breakfast high in protein. 

The amount you eat will depend on your current bodyweight and how much calories and macros you need for the day.

Here is a sample breakfast when cutting:

• Whole Eggs & Egg Whites
• 1/2 Cup Oatmeal with Raspberries
• 1 Cup Spinach
• Protein Shake

What should I eat for lunch when cutting?

Here is a sample lunch when cutting:

• 200g Chicken
• Leafy Greens or Broccoli
• Whole Grain Bread with Avocado

What should I eat for dinner when cutting?

Here is a sample dinner when cutting:

• ~200g Salmon Fillet
• Kale Salad with Goat Cheese and Seeds
• Rice with Olive Oil 

What should I eat for snacks when cutting?

The best snacks when cutting will be high in protein and fats. But sometimes you just need to put something in your stomach, so we will include that as well. Fiber is going to be your friend too during your cut. 

Sample snacks:

• Protein shake with natural almond or peanut butter
• Greek Yogurt with Berries and Half Scoop of Protein
• Pickles & Steak Slices
• Carrot Sticks
• Hummus and Celery
• Sunflower Seeds
• Boiled Eggs
• Almonds, Pecans or Walnuts

A lot of bodybuilders will simply eat 4-6 small meals rather than the normal three bigger meals and snacks, for example:

• Meal 1: 6-10 egg whites, with ½ cup of oats.
• Meal 2: 150g chicken or fish, with ½ cup oats, 2 – 4 tspn natural peanut butter.
• Meal 3: 150oz chicken or fish, with 1/2-1 cup of brown rice, 2-4 tspn natural peanut butter.
• Meal 4: 2 scoop protein powder with 1–½ cup of oats (preworkout or coffee before gym)
• Meal 5: 200g chicken or fish, with 10oz sweet potato (post workout).
• Meal 6: 250oz chicken, with ½ cup of brown rice, 2-4 tspn natural peanut butter or almond butter. 

There are so many ways to go about your diet on a cut, intermittent fasting included. All that really matters is your stay below your TDEE and you get enough protein. Also, that you are feeling good and can hit the weights relatively hard! 

CUTTING WORKOUT PLAN:

As minimizing muscle loss is a huge part of cutting, we need to get our workouts dialed in.

We have two things to focus on when it comes to working out during a cut and that is cardio and weightlifting.

Let’s start with cardio... 

Cardio

While some people don’t even bother with cardio during a cut and they simply continue lifting weights and just eat less, we prefer to do cardio on a cut because it heightens your metabolic rate and it burns more calories on the days you do cardio which means you can eat a little more, and who doesn’t like to eat more if they can. 

Be that as it may, you don’t want to go overboard on cardio, so follow the instructions of our cutting workout plan below...

There are two types of cardio that you can do, and you can do both depending on how you feel on any given cardio day.

The two types of "cardio" you will do in our plan are:

• Low Intensity Long Duration Cardio
• HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training)

Option 1: Low Intensity Long Duration Cardio

Not a lot of weightlifters are big on steady state cardio, however, it surely has its place in a cutting program, you just need to do it in moderation.

The reason people avoid long duration cardio is because they worry about losing muscle. However, this is not something you need to think about as you won’t be running for that long. All it takes is 30-60 minute sessions of low intensity long duration cardio to get what you need in terms of fat loss, and with that, you won’t sacrifice muscle mass. TRUST US. It’s once you get past the 60 minute point where muscle starts to be used for energy.

Many pro bodybuilders use low intensity long duration cardio (again, 30-60 minutes) and for them preserving muscle is of utmost importance. These guys know what they are doing...

The key point of low intensity long duration cardio is to be LOW INTENSITY. By doing this, the main fuel will be your fat and your body will reserve the carbs for more intense exercise. So, as long as you don’t go overboard on the intensity of your runs, you will be honed in on burning fat. 

Low Intensity Long Duration Cardio Rules:

• Duration: Aim for 30 minutes at a minimum and 60 minutes at a maximum. Your body won’t start using fat for energy until about the 15 minute mark.
• Intensity: Intensity is very important. Again, you want to go low intensity so that you use fat for energy. After your cardio session you should be comfortably tired, not damn near passed out on the floor in a pile of sweat. This means you should be running at around 60-75% of your max heart rate.
• Variety: You can use different mediums for cardio, such as running out side or on a treadmill, cycling, or other forms of cardio. Whatever you choose, just make sure you keep your heart rate to 60-75% max for 30-60 minutes. We recommend sticking to one form of cardio for one month, then switching to another for a month, then switching to another for the final month. That way you body doesn’t get used to the cardio. You can also switch things up weekly or even daily. 

Option 2: HIIT

At this point, you must have heard of High Intensity Interval Training. 

HIIT is great because you can burn as much calories as low intensity long duration cardio in a fraction of the time. With HIIT, all you need is around 15 minutes.

While the efficiency of HIIT is great, the real benefit comes after a HIIT workout due to the after burn effect. After a HIIT workout, you will be burning calories at a higher rate than you normally would when resting. HIIT is great for keeping your metabolic rate strong.

The only downfall to HIIT is it is much more taxing than low intensity long duration cardio, so it might not be the best for beginners. You will need to make sure that you are not overtraining yourself (yes, even with just a 15 minute HIIT workout). 

How to do a HIIT Workout?

HIIT is pretty simple. All you need to do is have intervals of 60-75% max heart rate with short bursts of 90-95% max heart rate.

For example... 

60 seconds jog x 15 second sprint, repeated without stopping for 10 minutes. 

With HIIT, you can also choose different mediums. However, running is usually the most straightforward and easiest do correctly. So, for our program, you will be doing running forms of HIIT.

Keep your HIIT workouts to 10-20 minutes. 

Here are some sample HIIT workouts for you to use during your cutting phase: 

HIIT Workout #1:

• Warm Up: 5 Minute Jog
• Workout: 1 Min Run (60-70% max heart rate) followed by 20 second sprint (90-95% max heart rate) x 10 (which makes for a total of 15 minutes)
• Cool down: 5 minutes light jog for 2 minutes then walk for last 3 minutes

HIIT Workout #2:

• Warm Up: 5 Minute Jog
• Workout: 10 sets of 100m sprints (walk back the 100m each set and immediately perform your next set when you reach the starting line)
• Cool down: 5 minutes walk 

For the above sprints, use a pyramid scheme for intensity. So your 10 sets will go like this (max speed not heart rate) 70%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 90%, 85%, 80%, 75%, 70%. 

HIIT Workout #3 (TREADMILL):

• Warm Up: 5 Minute Jog
• Workout (treadmill turned off): 16 x 15 seconds sprinting on treadmill with it turned off (so you will be powering the belt with pure force while holding the handles of the treadmill). This is an EMOM HIIT, which means Every Minute On The Minute, so you will do the sprint for 15 seconds and then at the start of every new minute repeat until 16 sets is finished, which means the workout will take ~16 minutes.
• Cool down: 5 minutes walk and light stretching 

FREQUENCY & TIMING OF CARDIO

Our cutting plan will have you working out 6 days per week, with 3 days of cardio and 3 days weightlifting.

So, you will do cardio 3 times a week and it’s up to you whether its low intensity long duration or HIIT. You can choose one or the other or mix it up week by week or month by month. 

For example, you may do one HIIT workout per week and 2 low intensity long duration workouts or vice versa. OR, maybe you do low intensity long duration cardio for 2 weeks, then HIIT for 2 weeks, then low intensity long duration cardio for 2 weeks, and so on and so forth. It’s up to you, just get it done. 

As for timing, we will place your cardio on non weight lifting days as it will allow you to have the most energy and is actually easier to manage than something like cardio in the morning and weight training in the evening 3 days per week. Moreover, you get more calorie burn spread throughout the week rather than just double on 3 days.

Note: If you want to shorten your training schedule to 3-5 days per week, you can simply add the cardio session(s) to your weight training days, separated by at least several hours. Since your weight training won’t be as taxing as it would on bulk, you should also be able to manage this.

To wrap up the cardio section...here are the general pros and cons of HIIT and Low Intensity Long Duration Cardio for you to consider: 

Low Intensity Cardio Pros:

• Best for people who are not already in great shape as it’s easier.
• Main source of energy is fat not carbohydrates stores.
• Also works on endurance.

Low Intensity Cardio Cons:

• Can be boring.
• Doesn’t work on fast twitch muscles (which are sued in activates like sprinting and jumping).
• Only burns calories on the spot.

HIIT Pros:

• Short duration.
• Burns more calories, including after the workout is over.
• Can be adapted to sport specific training, so athletes can kill two birds with one stone.

HIIT Cons:

• Difficult for people who are out of shape to get an effective HIIT workout done.
• Carbs are the main source of energy, not fat.
• Wont’ work endurance as much. 

Related:

• HIIT vs Steady-State Cardio for Fat Loss (Backed by Science)
• HIIT For Beginners

Weight Lifting

We don’t mean to beat this point down too much but we will say it one last time, cutting is not just about losing fat, it’s also about preserving muscle.

When it comes to a cutting phase, you shouldn’t attempting a very heavy lifting schedule like you normally would. You are restricting calories, so your energy will not be as good and thus neither will your strength. Be that as it may, the goal is to continue training hard and keep your strength up as much as possible.

There are many weightlifting programs that you can follow during a cut, but all should follow two key principles, which are as follows... 

1. Focus On Large Muscles & Compound Exercises

The best workouts during a cut will focus on large muscle groups, and thus, compound exercises. This is because compound exercises will give you the biggest bang for your buck in terms of maintaining strength, hypertrophy and even more importantly calorie burn (you are going to burn A LOT more calories with a squat than a leg extension, right!?). Moreover, big compound lifts keep testosterone levels high.

So, your main focus will be your Legs, Back, Chest, and Core. But don’t worry, your arms and shoulders will also get attention with our plan. 

Here are the movements your workouts will/should revolve around:

• Squat
• Deadlift
• Lunge
• Bench Press
• Overhead Press
• Row
• Pull Up
• Core Work

Variations of these big lifts will be included (i.e. RDL, Incline Bench).

2. Keep Your Heart Rate Up When Working Out

Doing compound exercises burns more calories than isolation exercises, but that’s only half the battle during cutting workouts. You will also have to keep your rest time to a minimum.

Rather than taking 90-180+ seconds rest between sets like you may normally do during a bulking phase, you will need to keep your rest time between sets to 30-45 seconds on a cut. That way you can maximize calorie burn. This kind of metabolic style of training will allow you to maximize hypertrophy with lighter weights as well. So, your workouts will be volume-centric rather than load-centric. You won’t be lifting heavy, so long rest won’t be needed. But, you should still be challenging yourself with the weights. You should be around 70-80% your 1RM for sets of 8-12. 

Note: Many cutting programs use circuit training protocols, which may have your rest time like 10-20 seconds between exercises and 60 seconds between rounds, but our cutting program is called HST (Hypertrophy Specific Training) so you will just stick to 30-45 seconds between sets. All in all, no matter what program you choose when cutting, you should try to minimize rest to keep your heart rate up at a fat burning level for the duration of the workout so its kind of like a cardio/hypertrophy session.

HST WORKOUT CUTTING PROGRAM

For this cutting program, you will be doing Hypertrophy Specific Training (HST Workouts). 

HST workouts are perfect for cutting. They are full body workouts that mainly focus on compound exercises. The total weekly volume is spread out nicely throughout the week too, so it’s manageable to get the volume needed each week to maintain muscle mass while on a calorie deficit. You should have no issue with overtraining with our HST program.

Key Points of our HST Cutting Workout Plan:

• 3 full body workouts per week.
• Mainly compound exercises.
• 2 Exercises for each major muscle group per workout but only 3-4 sets in total spread between the 2 exercises.
• 23 sets per workout.
• 30-45 seconds rest between sets (only more if really needed).
• Reps of 8-12.
• Workout should take no longer than 60 minutes, but aim for 45 minutes.
• You can turn exercises into supersets at your own discretion. 

Ok, now let’s take a close look at how the workouts are broken down. 

Exercises & Sets:

Each workout will include:

• Legs: 2 exercises for a total of 4 sets
• Back: 2 exercises for a total of 4 sets
• Chest: 2 exercises for a total of 3 sets
• Shoulder: 2 exercises for a total of 3 sets
• Arms: 2 exercises (1 biceps, 1 triceps) for a total of 4 sets
• Calves: 1 exercise for a total of 1 set
• Core: 3 exercises (1 for upper abs, 1 for lower abs, 1 for obliques) for a total of 3 sets

Reps:

You will be working in the 8-12 repetition range. It’s ok if you go a little over or under this on a certain set if you end up choosing a weight load that is too light or too heavy.

Rest:

You have 23 sets in the workout, which is quite a bit. But, remember, you only have three workouts per week so the total weekly volume for each muscle group is ideal. You want to keep this structure. However, you don’t want your workouts to go too long, and you want to maximize calorie burn to get some cardio, fat burning effect as you lift. So, do you best to keep rest time to 25-45 seconds (maximum 60 seconds). 

As you progress through the plan, you will likely be able to decrease rest time (rather than progressing by increasing load). This will help you to avoid plateau and keep your muscles overloaded appropriately for a cut. 

If you notice your workouts are going a little long, implement supersets. You can superset the less taxing exercises like arms and calves.

Variety:

While this program is only 3 months, and you should be fine doing the same exercises for the duration of this cutting program, you can change up the exercises each month or even just the order of the exercises. This is up to you and how you feel. If things are getting too easy, do this or simply decrease rest time a little each week. 

Now, let us give you your 3 HST workouts, which you will do all three each week. 

WORKOUT A:

1. Squats: 2 sets x 8-12 reps
2. Stiff-Leg Deadlifts: 2 sets x 8-12 reps
3. Chin Ups: 2 sets x 8-12 reps
4. Bent Over Barbell Rows: 2 sets x 8-12 reps
5. Incline Dumbbell Bench Press: 2 sets x 8-12 reps
6. Parallel Dips: 1 set x 8-12 reps
7. DB Overhead Shoulder Press: 2 sets x 8-12 reps
8. Lateral Raises: 1 sets x 8-12 reps
9. Dumbbell Curls: 2 sets x 8-12 reps
10. Tricep Kickbacks: 2 sets x 8-12 reps
11. Standing Calf Raises: 2 sets x 8-12 reps
12. Hanging Leg Raises: 2 sets x 8-12 reps
13. Side Plank: 1 sets x 8-12 reps (pulses, so approx 30 seconds each side)

WORKOUT B:

1. Barbell Bench Press: 2 sets x 8-12 reps
2. Flat DB Chest Fly: 1 set x 8-12 reps
3. Deadlift: 2 sets x 8-12 reps
4. DB Lunges: 2 sets x 8-12 reps
5. Barbell Overhead Press: 2 sets x 8-12 reps
6. Farmer’s Walk: 1 set x 15-30 meters
7. Pull Ups: 2 sets x 8-12 reps
8. Barbell Shrugs: 1 set x 8-12 reps
9. Skull Crushers: 2 sets x 8-12 reps
10. Hammer Curl: 2 sets x 8-12 reps
11. Seated Calf Raises: 1 set x 8-12 reps
12. V-Ups: 2 sets x 8-12 reps
13. Side Bends: 1 set x 8-12 reps 

WORKOUT C:

1. Chin Ups: 2 sets x 8-12 reps
2. T-Bar Row: 2 sets x 8-12 reps
3. Incline Barbell Bench Press: 2 sets x 8-12 reps
4. Weighted Push Ups: 1 set x 8-12 reps
5. Squats: 2 sets x 8-12 reps
6. Hip Thrusts: 2 sets x 8-12 reps
7. Arnold Press: 2 sets x 8-12 reps
8. Upright Rows: 1 set x 8-12 reps
9. Barbell Curl: 2 sets x 8-12 reps
10. Close Grip Bench Press: 2 sets x 8-12 reps
11. Standing Calf Raise: 1 set x 8-12 reps
12. Lying Leg Raise: 1 set x 8-12 reps
13. Stability Ball Crunches: 1 set x 8-12 reps
14. Alternating Heel Touches: 1 set x 8-12 reps 

WEEKLY SCHEDULE FOR 6 DAY CUTTING WORKOUT PLAN

• Day 1: Workout A
• Day 2: Low Intensity Cardio or HIIT
• Day 3: Workout B
• Day 4: Low Intensity Cardio or HIIT
• Day 5: Workout C
• Day 6: Low Intensity Cardio or HIIT

You can play around with the schedule, such as...

3 Days Per Week:

• Day 1: Low Intensity Cardio or HIIT (morning) Workout A (afternoon or evening)
• Day 2: Rest
• Day 3: Low Intensity Cardio or HIIT (morning) Workout B (afternoon or evening)
• Day 4: Rest
• Day 5: Low Intensity Cardio or HIIT (morning) Workout C (afternoon or evening)
• Day 6-7: Rest

or... 

4 Days Per Week:

• Day 1: Low Intensity Cardio or HIIT (morning) Workout A (afternoon or evening)
• Day 2: Rest
• Day 3: Workout B
• Day 4: Low Intensity Cardio or HIIT
• Day 5: Rest
• Day 6: Low Intensity Cardio or HIIT (morning) Workout C (afternoon or evening)
• Day 7: Rest

All in all, just try to get your 3 weight training sessions and 3 cardio sessions done each week! Worst case, if you need to skip a day, it won’t kill you as you are doing full body routines so it’s not like you’d have skipped a major muscle group.

Continue this for 12 weeks! And remember to follow the diet plan throughout the weeks.

Note: If you don't have 12 weeks, all the same rules apply, you'll just have to be more aggressive on your calorie deficit taper. It's really that simple. 

TIPS FOR CUTTING FAT:

• Remember, it’s all about calories. Know your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) and keep your calorie intake below that. Find a good TDEE calculator when starting out and a food counter calculator or app.
• Watch your insulin levels. You know you need to avoid sugary foods, but remember, a lot of carbs spike blood glucose (sugar) levels, which turns into fat. Eat good sources of carbs to keep insulin leveled, such as oatmeal, brown rice, whole wheat bread, veggies, fruits, potatoes and sweet potatoes.
• Don’t completely cut out carbs. A low carb diet is not what you want for a cutting diet. You want a good ratio of macros. Try 40%-30%-30%, 40%-40%-20% or 50%-30%-20%, which is protein, carbs, and fats, respectively.
• Eat 5-6 meals per day. Don’t try to get all you calories in one or two meals with intermittent fasting. It’s best to have a constant flow of nutrients throughout the day. This will help with workouts and recovery and overall absorption of the the nutrients needed each day.
• Keep rest time low during workouts and do big compound movements.
• If you feel you are overtraining, take a deload week where you reduce the number of exercises or sets or the load for each exercise.
• Get plenty of sleep and HYDRATE, HYRDATE, HYDRATE.

Other Good Workout Programs for Cutting: 

If you don’t like this workout plan, you can also do a simple Upper/Lower Split or a PPL. Just adjust the reps/volume/intensity/rest appropriately for your cut. 

You can also do full body workouts three times a week with a circuit format. Essentially, you would do 5-6 exercises with 10-20 seconds rest between each exercises for 3 rounds (60 seconds rest between each round) OR you could break the exercises into two circuits and do all three exercises without rest and just rest between rounds. 

The exercises should also be compound exercises no matter which plan you choose. All in all, Upper Lower, Push Pull Leg, and Full Body Circuit or HST are best for cutting phases.

If you have any questions for us about this cutting workout and diet plan, please feel free to reach out! And if you do decide to do this, take before and after pics and send them to us. We’d love to share your photos after you finish the program!

Related: The Ultimate Clean Bulk Workout & Diet Plan

Protein is the single most important nutrient there is for weightlifting. Pretty much everyone knows that. However, what can be a bit confusing is deciding just how much to eat. It gets even more complex when we talk about how much per serving, or does it even matter? Finding out how much protein to eat per serving is actually quite easy and is done by following some simple math and using a bit of science. This article will lay it all out for you nice and simple. 

By the way, how much protein you need per serving will be the same whether you are talking about protein powder or protein from meats and other food sources.

Contents:

• How much protein do you need per day?
• How much protein should you eat per serving?
• Protein intake post-workout
• The basic guidelines to consider when determining protein serving

How Much Protein Do You Need Per Day?

As mentioned, in order to know how much protein to eat per serving, you need to know how much to eat per day. Many people eat too little, as the RDA suggests a measly 0.8g/kg of bodyweight. However, these same people don’t realize that this amount is the minimum you need for basic healthy functioning. When talking about athletes and weightlifters, the needs are increased dramatically.

Many studies have suggested a daily intake of 1.6-2.2g/kg for optimal athletic performance, up to 3x the RDA recommendation. The International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN) also reported a similar number, who recommend 1.4-2.0g/kg.

For example, a person who weighs 80kg would need to eat somewhere between 112g (1.4g/kg) to 176g (2.3g/kg). In fact, certain circumstances may even call for more, but this is fine for most lifters and athletes.

If you want a more in-depth look at daily protein intake and if there is such thing as too much protein, check out this article.

How Much Protein Do You Need Per Serving?

Now that you know how much protein you need per day, you just need to divide that number by the number of times you will eat that day. While the total amount of protein you eat during the day is most important, in order to optimize your protein consumption, spread this out throughout the day. Your protein feedings should be about once every 3-4 hours. Assuming you’re up for 16 hours, this equates to about 4-5 servings per day. You would now just divide your total intake by the number of servings you will eat per day.

For example, if you decided to go with 112g per day, you would want to eat 28g (4 servings/day.) to 22.4g (5 servings/day). It’s important to realize that these numbers don’t need to be exact as long as you follow one small caveat. After complete analysis of all literature, the ISSN concludes that each serving should contain AT LEAST 20g of protein per serving as muscle protein synthesis is maximally stimulated with larger doses. However, keep in mind that 20g is the minimum threshold, with larger MPS being seen in amounts up to 40g per serving.

However, you may want to “save” some of your protein for your post-workout meal as studies show that higher doses of protein can result in larger spikes of muscle protein synthesis. For example, we’ll use the 80kg athletes eating 112g per day in 4 servings of 28g. You could bump up your post-workout to 40g, meaning you would need an extra 12g which you could subtract from the other 3 servings. In the real world it would look like this.

• Serving 1 - 24g
• Serving 2 - 24g
• Post-Workout - 40g
• Serving 3 - 24g

As you see, the daily total is still 112g but this person is eating a large 40g serving post-workout with the other three servings all being above 20g. Perfect.

If you are supplementing with protein powder, it would simply be making up ~1 of your servings. All the same info applies. 

How Much Protein Can Your Body Absorb?

One of the prevailing myths with protein is concerned with how much your body can utilize. The argument says that your body can only process a certain amount of protein, generally around 20-25g, and all of the amino acids above this are oxidized. This belief is based on a flawed and oversimplification of how our body operates. Firstly, we can look at massive NFL players who are consuming extraordinary amounts of protein daily. If they were to only eat 25g/serving, they likely would be eating up to 15 servings a day! Obviously this is not the case yet they continue to grow.

To begin with, research has shown there are many factors which affect the metabolism of protein such as protein source, composition of the meal. For example a faster acting protein such as whey protein is processed at a rate of about 10g/hour. However, a slower acting protein, such as eggs, are processed at a rate of just 3g/hr. On top of this, these rates slow down even more so when you add carbs into the mix which mitigates the oxidation of amino acids.

Another factor to consider is exercise intensity. For example, we just saw above where a 40g dose of whey protein produced greater MPS than a 20g dose of whey protein following heavy resistance training. The point being is that it’s theorized that your body is able to utilize more protein during times of need which was proven in this study.

That being said, theoretically you could possibly run the risk of “wasting” protein if all you ate was whey protein in a couple massive doses by itself without any exercise. However, that’s not reality. Still, it does seem that your body can better utilize smaller doses of protein (assuming it’s over the 20g threshold) which is why it’s recommended to space out your total protein into equal doses (other than post-workout feeding) throughout the day.  

Still, there is a trend in sports nutrition that suggests that casein protein, a slow-acting protein, could be a better “general use” protein such as in a morning smoothie. Then for post-workout, you can use your whey protein. As mentioned, this is a new area of research but something to consider.

The Bottom Line On Protein Serving

Don’t make this more complicated than this needs to be. Be aware that you don’t need to hit these numbers exactly; if you’re off by 5-10g here and there, it’s not going to kill you. However, we’ll review the few basic guidelines when determining the optimal protein dose per serving.

1. Eat 1.4-2.2g of protein per kg of bodyweight.
2. Consume protein once every 3-4 hours.
3. The minimal dose for any serving is 20g.
4. Eating a larger dose of protein post-workout may be advantageous.

And that’s it. Be mindful but don’t freak out about how much protein to eat. If you follow these guidelines, you’ll be good to go.

If you need help finding an awesome protein powder, check out this article on the best protein powders on the market.

And, check out our article on if you should take protein before bed!

It’s not surprising the market is absolutely flooded with creatine powders. Other than protein powder, creatine is by far the most popular sports supplement there is. And that’s not surprising either as it’s the most studied AND the most effective ergogenic aid there is. Being so, the supplement industry has scooped up this remarkable and simple powder and has managed to complicate it to the point you need a degree to figure it out; and sometimes that isn’t even enough! Point being, knowing what creatine to buy can be a bit intimidating, so we want to fix that.

This article will go over what you need to know about creatine so the next time you go supp shopping, you’ll understand what creatine brands to look out for.

Contents:

• What is creatine?
• Why should you supplement creatine?
• What to look for in a creatine supplement
• Creatine powder vs capsules
• Creatine monohydrate vs other forms of creatine
• The top creatine supplements on the market in 2022
• Our favorite creatine powder on the market 2022

What Is Creatine?

Creatine is a non-protogenic amino acid that is vital for basic human function. It’s found naturally in the human body with 95% being stored within our muscles and 5% within our brain and testes. Without supplementation, we consume our creatine through our diet (meat, fish) or it is synthesized within the body from the amino acids arginine, glycine, and methionine. 

ATP is a high energy phosphate that is also known as the body’s “energy currency. This is because it’s required for various physiological processes including every muscle contraction that takes place. However, it is constantly being used and then replenished which is done by one of our three metabolic processes. In other words, if you run out of ATP, you’re not moving.

Creatine is primarily used in the ATP-CP metabolic system to resynthesize this energy molecule making it vital for success in the gym. This is because the ATP-CP system is responsible for replenishing ATP during very high intense events for short durations, such as lifting weights.

7 Best Creatine Supplements On The Market

So now that we know what we’re looking for, we will go over the top creatine powders that you should keep your eye out for. The good thing about creatine is that there’s actually not a ton of room for it to differentiate it from other creatine supplement brands. While there can be differences in purity and price, the only other way brands can put themselves on top is with fancy marketing. In other words, you don’t need a ton of choices; you just need a few quality choices. 

1. Optimum Nutrition Micronized Creatine Monohydrate
2. Muscle Feast Creapure Creatine Monohydrate Powder
3. MTS Nutrition: Creatine Powder (Creapure) German Powder
4. Bulk Supplements Creatine
5. Optimum Nutrition Micronized Creatine Capsules
6. NutraBio Creatine Monohydrate
7. Kaged Muscle C-HCL

3 Best Creatine Monohydrate Powders:

Instead of coming up with special titles for different creatine powders, such as “Best for men”, we’re just going to give you our three top picks for a creatine monohydrate powder.

As mentioned above, creatine is creatine, and there’s no such thing as a “best for men” or “best for bodybuilders”. It's like saying a piece of steak is best for men or best for bodybuilding. A creatine supplement has one job and that’s to fill your creatine stores. If it does that, building muscle or losing weight is up to you, your programing, and diet.

Here are our top 3 picks for a creatine monohydrate powder...

1) Optimum Nutrition Micronized Creatine Monohydrate

It’s always a safe bet to say that Optimum Nutrition will end up on a “Best of” list for supplements. They are generally seen as the #1 company on the market and for good reason. Being founded in 1986, Optimum Nutrition is one of the pioneers in the supplement industry. Since then, they have earned their premier reputation by consistently delivering top quality products at affordable prices; including their creatine. 

Optimum Nutrition offers a micronized creatine monohydrate produced from Creapure. From this we know two things; it’s highly soluble and is as pure as you can get. “Micronized” simply means that particles of creatine have been “microparticle size”; in other words, extremely fine. To be exact, Optimum Nutrition’s micronized creatine is reportedly 20x smaller than normal creatine powders. As far as the purity, we have already discussed Creapure, so there’s really nothing much left to say; it’s the best. 

They offer several sizes, but the most commonly purchased product is their 114 serving bottle. We actually already discussed this above, but to re-cap, their serving size is 5g which means this bottle actually has 570g. At $40, this comes out to 0.35/serving. Considering this is as good as it gets, this is actually economically feasible as well. 

Bottom Line:

You can’t go wrong with Optimum Nutrition, and it’s a sure bet. We love that Optimum Nutrition has stood the test of time and has always remained on top. It’s really hard to come up with any reason to buy other than optimum nutrition as they offer some of the highest purity creatine on the market at one of the most affordable; even when compared to those of less purity. 

Best Creatine Overall

ON Micronized Creatine

Supports increases in energy, endurance and recovery. 5 grams pure creatine monohydrate per serving ...

CHECK PRICE

2) Muscle Feast Creapure Creatine Monohydrate Powder

While not as popular as Optimum Nutrition, Muscle Feast is another quality creatine monohydrate on the market to look out for. Similar to Optimum Nutrition, they too have decided to source their creatine from Creapure so again, you’re talking about top quality. At once they did stand out as they offered flavored creatine monohydrate; however, that seems to be no longer continued. They do offer creatine candy, which is more similar to pills, but it appears that you can only buy unflavored creatine monohydrate powder for now. However, that doesn’t really affect our thoughts as in reality, you should mix creatine with carbs and liquid anyways, such as juice. This makes flavoring completely unnecessary. 

All that being said, we like that they too offer top-quality creatine at an affordable price. Currently, they seem to only offer a 55 serving bottle on Amazon for $32.99. This places one serving at around $0.60, which is a bit more expensive than Optimum Nutrition. However, it’s still acceptable considering you’re buying the best quality on the market. 

Bottom Line:

Muscle Feast delivers a top notch creatine monohydrate. While more expensive than Optimum Nutrition, it’s still a great product if you find yourself in a bind. 

Top Pick

Muscle Feast Creapure

99.9% PURE: Ranked highly on Labdoor, vegan creatine monohydrate contains only pure creatine and no other ingredients...

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3) MTS Nutrition: Creatine Powder (Creapure) German Powder

Marc Lobliner is the man behind Tiger Fitness. He is an IFBB Pro bodybuilder and an Old School Youtuber; literally one of the first to run a fitness channel on Youtube. While he can be a polarizing figure due to his bluntness, we love that because he speaks the truth and doesn’t spread BS. This includes his supplement line MTS which he created along his path to success.

MTS offers top-quality creatine with a name that includes all you need to know “Creapure German Powder”. And that’s what he delivers, a creatine monohydrate powder produced with Creapure. And if you haven’t noticed yet, all of our top picks are Creapure based creatines.  

MTS comes with an 80 serving bottle priced at $39.99, equating to about 0.50/serving. However, you also have the option of buying on a subscription service which brings the total prices down to $34.99. This definitely isn’t a bad way to go as, again, creatine is something that most will take for extended periods of time. Regardless, Mark Lobliner and his line of supplements are top quality that have gained respect over the years.

Bottom Line:

MTS again offers a Creapure base creatine monohydrate powder so you know it’s top quality. We like the idea that they offer a chance to save a little bit of cash by being put on a subscription service which is always a good idea as you know you’ll be buying again.  

Top Pick

Muscle Feast Creapure

99.9% PURE: Ranked highly on Labdoor, vegan creatine monohydrate contains only pure creatine and no other ingredients...

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4 Other Good Options For Creatine Supplements:

If the three options above aren't for you, here are 4 more options for creatine to consider. These are based on:

• Best for those on a budget
• Best creatine pills
• Best "unknown" creatine brand
• Best creatine HCL

4) Best Budget Creatine Powder: Bulk Supplements Creatine

We talked about this product above but we can now officially introduce it on our list of top creatine supplements. If you are watching your spending but still want a quality creatine product, you should definitely check out Bulk Supplements. Bulk Supplements have quickly become the go-to brand for those wanting to buy quality without “quality” prices. Part of the way they are able to offer such low prices is due to their marketing and packaging, or lack of thereafter. They rely on minimal marketing and a very basic packaging as a means to offset their price and it has definitely worked in their favor.

Their creatine monohydrate product is the cheapest that you’ll be able to find. Further, they have several different sizes which generate an even lower price. For example, they sell a 5kg bag of creatine for just $270! That’s 1000 servings at just 0.27/serving! Even their smallest bag of 250g (50 servings) sits at just 0.60/serving.  

Note: They have 1.1lb and 2.2lb options on Amazon.

Still, all of their products are tested by third parties to ensure quality. Their creatine product holds the following certifications:

• Lab verified
• Third-party tested
• cGMP (Good Manufacturing Practices)
• Triple Inspected 

Bottom Line:

You’re not going to find a cheaper product of this quality on the market. If you don’t need the 99.9% purity of Creapure (which it’s hard to confidently say we do), save yourself some money and buy Bulk Supplements. If you really want to save money or have friends, buy one of their bigger bags of creatine!

Best Budget Creatine

Bulk Supplements Creatine

Micronized creatine monohydrate, helps boost performance in short duration high intensity activities such as weightlifting by increasing ...

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5) Best Creatine Pill: Optimum Nutrition Micronized Creatine Capsules

Above we went over the differences between pills and powders and how you’re basically just paying for convenience. Well, if you’re willing to pay for convenience, then you might as well buy a creatine pill that offers convenience AND quality. For that, we will go with Optimum Nutrition’s Micronized Creatine Capsules. Again, this is the same exact creatine that is found in their powder version except now, their creatine has been pre-measured into 2.5g gelatin capsules for ease of use.

While 2.5g seems like an odd dosage, it actually makes a lot of sense. This is because the average dose is anywhere from 3-5g a day. This means that unless you make pills that deliver 1g of creatine, someone will always be a bit off so pills will never be sufficient for everyone. Many other brands will actually choose to make a 3g pill however, the majority of people prefer to just take the 5g dose. This means this large group of people will always be underdosed by 2g or overdosed by 1g (2 pills=6g). By making 2.5g pills, Optimum Nutrition chooses to satisfy the desired dose for the majority of people. 

Bottom Line:

If you are looking for creatine in capsule form, go with Optimum Nutrition. Not only are you guaranteed to get high quality creatine, but you get the appropriate dosage with 2 capsules AND you can be sure the dose per capsule is correct. ON is methodical.

Best Creatine Pill

ON Micronized Creatine Capsules

Micronized creatine monohydrate, helps boost performance in short duration high intensity activities such as weightlifting by increasing ...

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6) Best “Unknown” Creatine: NutraBio Creatine Monohydrate

When most people think about nutritional supplements, they automatically think of Dymatize, Optimum Nutrition, or Animal. All of these are powerhouses in the supplement game and should be as they all consistently deliver high-quality products. However, other lesser-known brands offer equal or even higher quality products. One of these brands is called NutraBio. 

What makes NutraBio stand out is that it claims to have some of the highest quality ingredients on the market. Concerning their creatine, they claim a purity level of >99.98%! Not only that, they can guarantee this as they have 3rd party testing on every batch. If that wasn’t enough, they started a website called www.checkmysupps.com which allows consumers to directly check the batch number of their product. You simply go to this site and enter the batch number of your product and it takes you to the actual lab analysis of the 3rd party testing organization. That’s confidence, and we love it. Purity is the number one variable next to an economical price. Plus, at 99.98%, you can’t really get too much higher. Further, all of their products are made in-house in their FDA-inspected, GMP certified facility in New Jersey.

Other than being 99.8% pure, creatine is reportedly some of the finest on the market. With 20x more surface area than normal creatine, NutraBio creatine monohydrate is highly soluble and incredibly easy to mix. When these qualities are put together, NutraBio comes out on top as one of the supreme products that allow the greatest absorption and mitigates distress.

Currently, they only have two quantities, 150g and 300g. If you’re going to buy creatine, we firmly believe in purchasing larger quantities as creatine must be taken chronically for optimal effects. Therefore, we would advise you to buy the 300g. At $34.99, this gives a per serving (5g) of $0.58. That’s actually in line with the Bulk Supplements 250g bag.

Bottom Line:

NutraBio is an excellent company that you should definitely look into. It’s hard to argue with a company that makes an entire website just so you can check the 3rd party lab analysis yourself. When combined with the quality of their creatine at 99.8%, we think it’s worth it to pay a little extra for that guarantee if you were looking for a supreme product.

Top Pick Creatine Monohydrate

NutraBio Creatine Monohydrate

Micronized creatine monohydrate, helps boost performance in short duration high intensity activities such as weightlifting by increasing ...

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7) Best Creatine HCL: Kaged Muscle C-HCL

As mentioned above, most people don’t need anything other than creatine monohydrate. However, if you really do have an issue with digestion, it’s good to have options. Therefore, we want to pick you our top creatine HCL, which comes from Kaged Muscle.

Kaged Muscle has become very popular for their Creatine HCL over the past years. Compared to creatine monohydrate, it is difficult to review as there haven’t been enough studies to establish its effectiveness. However, they do claim to be the only patented creatine on the market due to the make-up of their product; again, difficult to review. 

They offer a 75 serving bottle for $29.39. One odd thing to mention right now is their flavored version is actually cheaper, but anyways. At first this seems to be extremely cheap until you realize that a serving is only 750mg. Again, the major claim for creatine HCL is that you don’t need to take as much, but the general consensus is that 750mg still seems low as 1.5-2g daily is recommended for HCL. However, due to the patent, we can’t really say much about that. 

That being said, they have over 2,000 quality reviews on Amazon, so we will go with that. The vast majority do talk about how Kaged Muscle HCL could fix their digestive issues with creatine monohydrate. Further, you’ll almost always find Kaged Muscle on the top of creatine lists, so we’re sticking with what we see. 

Bottom Line:

As mentioned, it’s a bit more challenging to review other versions of creatine as there just hasn’t been a lot of time to evaluate products. Further, our own experience with different versions is limited as we use creatine monohydrate with no problem. Therefore, we are collecting all of the information from the internet to identify trends, and that trend is Kaged Muscle. Therefore, if you do need a creatine HCL, go with Kaged Muscle. 

Best HCL Creatine

Kaged Muscle C-HCL Creatine

With superior solubility and unmatched bioavailability, Kaged Muscle Patented Creatine HCl gets to work fast...

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WINNER: Our Favorite Creatine Monohydrate For 2022 - Optimum Nutrition Micronized Creatine Monohydrate

If you were to come look in our company's pantry, you would find a big bottle of Optimum Nutrition Micronized Creatine Monohydrate as it’s our favorite creatine for 2022. At just $0.35/serving for Creapure, Optimum Nutrition shows why they’re the best. Perhaps we’re creatures of habit, but we firmly believe in the motto “If it’s not broken, don’t fix it."

While all of the options on this list are great, we don’t think any offer anything that would make us try something other than what we have used for years and know works. Optimum Nutrition offers the supreme creatine monohydrate at an awesome price. 

Note: This article contains Amazon affiliate links where we will receive a small commission on any purchase at no additional cost to you.

Why Should You Supplement Creatine?

As mentioned, our bodies will always have natural stores of creatine. However, depending on the diet, most individuals’ creatine stores are only 60-80% full at any given time. Therefore, when we supplement with creatine, we are merely filling up our creatine stores to 100%. With our creatine stores at 100%, we are then able to produce stronger muscle contractions which means either lifting more weight or performing more reps. This higher workload will then translate into more gains in strength and muscle hypertrophy.

All this said, creatine is the most studied and well researched ergogenic aids on the market which is why the ISSN always ranks it as one of the best nutritional supplements there is.

What To Look For In A Creatine Supplement

At the end of the day, creatine is a very basic supplement. It’s composed of one compound which generally comes in a powder form. In other words, there are no proprietary blends or special ingredients that you need to be aware of. Creatine is creatine.

That being said, there are some variables you need to look out for...

1. Purity Of The Creatine:

Perhaps the most important factor when deciding what creatine supplement to buy is its purity; basically, how much filler are you getting? The good news is that with so many products on the market today, it’s pretty safe to say that the vast majority of creatine powders are going to have very high purity.

Be aware that no product is truly 100% pure even if the labels say so. 

That being said, the brand Creapure does deliver creatine with the highest level of purity at 99.9% (which is basically 100%). Creapure is actually a lab in Germany that sells creatine to different supplement companies who can use it in their products; either part of multi-ingredients or single-ingredient supplements. While other brands who don’t use Creapure most likely also have products with very high purity, the Creapure logo can guarantee it. To put it in perspective, we’re talking about 99.9% purity vs 99.5%; either way is likely going to be sufficient.

2. Cost Per Unit:

After the purity has been dealt with, cost is the next major factor. As mentioned, creatine is creatine, so there’s really no reason to pay more money unless there’s a major difference in the purity. If you do pay more, you’re likely spending money on marketing or packaging. For example, one of the cheapest products on the market is from a company known as Bulk Supplements. You are able to buy 1kg, which equals 200 servings for under $50. That’s just $0.25 per serving! 

3. Stay Away From Multiple Ingredients:

You would do well by staying away from any type of multi-ingredient supplement with creatine. To begin with, assuming you’re getting what you think you’re getting, these are generally over-priced due to the tedious process of putting the ingredients together. These supplements will sell you their products with the assumption that you won’t do the math and add up what you’re actually getting. They also assume you’ll pay for the convenience.

Regardless, multi-ingredient supplements are always more expensive than if you just buy single ingredients and mix them yourself.

In addition, they probably add something you don’t even want or possibly doesn’t even work. This means you’re literally paying for something you don’t need.

Further, these blends can make it very difficult to dose correctly. Let’s say you buy a supplement that comes with 2g of creatine per serving. This would mean you need to take 2.5 servings just to hit the recommended maintenance dose of 5g of creatine per day. And that’s if you’re lucky enough to even know how much you’re getting! Many supplement brands will hide behind proprietary blends so as not to tell you exactly how much of each compound you’re getting. This is not ideal for obvious reasons (if the supplement doesn't say how much of an ingredient, don't buy it). 

While multi-ingredient products aren’t always a bad thing (i.e. with pre-workouts), when it comes to creatine, stick with just buying a single ingredient product to ensure proper dosing. 

Creatine Powder vs Creatine Capsules

One of the major decisions you’ll need to make is buying creatine powder or creatine pills. So what’s the difference?

Well, one is in a powder form and one comes in capsules. And that’s it. When you buy creatine capsules, you are effectively paying for convenience as it’s literally the same creatine. The only advantage is that you don’t have to measure out the creatine (it can be more accurate than scoops of powder) making it a faster and more convenient option.

Further, it’s easier to take with you on the go if you are a fan of food timing (but be aware that timing of creatine has been shown to really not be that important). That being said, you do pay for this convenience as creatine capsules are quite a bit more expensive than powder.

For example, when looking at Optimum Nutrition, they have creatine capsules and creatine powder. The powder has 114 servings at 5g which equals 570g. At $40, this comes out to $0.35/serving. Their capsules only have 370g total (150 servings of 2.5g) which equals 74 servings. At a price of $58, this comes out to $0.78/ serving - more than twice as much! 

So, if you find capsules more convenient OR you simply don't want to drink it in powder form, then go for it; other than that, you’ll end up paying a lot more money for nothing.

Creatine Monohydrate vs Other Creatine Variations

Another common question that comes when deciding what creatine to buy is “What’s the difference between creatine monohydrate and other creatine versions”. Over the past few years, the market has seen an influx in different kinds of creatine such as creatine HCL, buffered creatine, liquid creatine, and others. While we won’t break down every version here (you can check out this in-depth article we wrote on creatine HCL vs monohydrate), the basic explanation for all of these is they are a money grab. The supplement company has tried to create new and better versions of creatine with vague claims of more effectiveness and the like. There is very little, if any, evidence to back up any of these claims. Creatine monohydrate is awesome and there is really no reason to use any other version.  

The only time you might want to look at a different variation is if you have problems with bloating, which some people claim they get with creatine monohydrate. While you can just take smaller doses more frequently (i.e. take 1g in the morning, 2g at lunch, and 1g at night), it's rare for it to occur with just 5 grams. It's more likely to occur during the loading phase, but again, you can just split up your daily dosages over the day.

Nevertheless, if you really do have a bloating issue with monohydrate, you may want to look into creatine HCL as it involves lower daily dosing (1.5-2g).

If you are unsure about bloating (meaning you haven't taken creatine so you don't even know if you get bloated), then just start with creatine monohydrate. If you have no issues with it, there’s no reason to use another version.

All in all, creatine monohydrate is king for the vast majority of people. It's the most studied and a better price. 

If you want to learn more about creatine, check out these articles:

• BCAA vs Creatine
• Creatine Vs. Pre-Workout

Related Content:

• Best Protein Powders on the Market
• Best Pre-Workouts on the Market
• Best Caffeine Free Pre-Workouts 

If you regularly use pre-workouts, then you’re likely used to that familiar tingling and itching in your lips and skin. Some say this is evidence that the pre-workout is doing its job. This isn’t incorrect, but these sensations come from a few specific ingredients that may or may not have anything to do with whether a pre-workout is working.

The tingling and itching are usually attributed to two common ingredients – beta alanine and niacin.

In this article we’ll discuss these ingredients and how they contribute to exercise performance, as well as why they cause the itching and tingling sensation you may be familiar with. Then we’ll dig deeper into things you can do to prevent or offset the pre-workout tingle and itch.

Is it normal for pre-workout to make you tingle and/or itch?

The short answer is yes, but these sensations come from certain ingredients – beta alanine and niacin. There is a handful of common pre-workout ingredients that have various effects, ranging from energy to increased blood flow. The most common pre-workout ingredients are caffeine, creatine, beta alanine, taurine, citrulline and tyrosine¹.

Caffeine is likely the most notable and understood ingredient – caffeine gives you energy and helps prolong performance. But too much caffeine, and you’ll start to feel jittery, even anxious.

This isn’t the only ingredient that can cause annoying or weird side effects. The others are a bit more benign, but no less weird.

Why Does Pre-Workout Make Your Tingle & Itch?

As mentioned above, the tingling and itching sensations you may experience after drinking pre-workout are not properties of the pre-workout as a whole – they are caused by two common ingredients found within the pre-workout. These ingredients are beta alanine, an amino acid, and niacin, a B vitamin.

Let’s take a closer look at why these two ingredients cause the familiar tingling and skin itching or flushing...

BETA ALANINE (THE ITCH & TINGLE)

So, if you’ve ever gulped down a pre-workout, then a short while later felt your lips and maybe fingers tingle, you’re not alone. This is a sensation called paresthesia, and it’s a normal effect of beta alanine intake.

WHY beta alanine causes itching isn’t completely understood, but it has to do with how it works in the body – when beta alanine enters the blood, it binds with the amino acid histidine. This triggers a little bit of neurologic activity in the peripheral nervous system (the part that signals to the extremities), which causes that notorious tingling. It’s typically concentrated in the lips because, well, that’s how it got in!

You shouldn’t be alarmed by the tingling – this is a normal effect of taking beta alanine, especially at doses greater than 1g, which is what you’ll likely find in most pre-workouts¹. In fact, some bodybuilders tend to see the tingling sensation as a sign that the pre workout supplement is doing its job. What’s more interesting, some cyclists have even reported that the tingling actually contributed to increased performance in time trials – in other words, the tingling gave them the feeling of a boost¹. 

In actuality, this is more of a placebo effect (unless they are dosing beta alanine properly - more on that in a moment).

The tingling and itching brought on by beta alanine usually has a peak intensity no matter the dose, but it will tend to last longer based on how much you’ve taken, or what you do.

The best thing you can expect is ~20 minutes of tingling. There's no way to stop beta alanine itch or beta alanine tingles, but the itchiness and tingling tends to subside once you start working out, so be sure you put that pre-workout to use!

BETA ALANINE - HOW IT WORKS:

It’s time we discussed how beta alanine helps with performance, and how that contributes to the tingling and itch.

Beta alanine is commonly found in pre-workout supplements. It has been well studied, and is known to dramatically reduce muscle fatigue during intense resistance training^1,2.

Beta alanine, when combined with the amino acid histidine, forms carnosine. Carnosine removes hydrogen ions that are waste products of muscular contraction. As hydrogen ions build up in the muscle, the muscle environment becomes acidic, which contributes to fatigue and the burning sensation you feel when you get close to failure.^2,3

Supplemental beta alanine helps to generate more carnosine, meaning better hydrogen removal, and improved fatigue resistance.

SUPPLEMENTING WITH BETA ALANINE:

Now that we know WHAT beta alanine does, let’s discuss how to supplement with it to get the best results.

As mentioned, beta alanine works to reduce muscle fatigue during a given exercise. But, taking it with a preworkout may not be the best way to maximize its effects...

Here’s why:

• Dosage: The effective dose of beta alanine is between 2-6g daily; pre-workouts usually contain only 2g. You also need to take beta alanine every day, whether working out or not, to ensure maximum muscle saturation. The best optimum dose for beta alanine is 4g-6g daily².
• Loading: beta alanine is much like creatine in that you may want to load with a high dose for 2-4 weeks to optimize muscle concentrations. Research has suggested users should load with 4-6g per day divided into 2 g doses for at least two weeks².

As you see, beta alanine can be an effective supplement to help you boost your performance, but you should supplement with it separately from a pre-workout to get the most out of it. In fact, there may be no real use for beta alanine in pre-workouts other than giving consumers the tingling sensation to show it’s working.

Ultimately, here’s how you should take beta alanine:

• Separately from a pre-workout
• Doses of 4-6g daily for 2 weeks to load
• 2g/day maintenance
• For at least 6 weeks

Now that you know the secrets of beta alanine, let’s shift our focus to niacin, another pre-workout ingredient that may cause tingling and itching.

Niacin (The Skin Flushing & Tingle)

Niacin is another ingredient found commonly in pre-workouts that contributes to energy levels but may be better known for the tingling and skin flushing that it causes, which usually feels and looks like a sunburn.

Niacin is a B vitamin (B3) that helps the body generate ATP during respiration and is found in many different foods naturally. It is an essential nutrient, and adults need ~14-16mg daily, and the average dietary intake is ~20-30mg⁴. This is important to note because niacin intake can quickly approach toxicity levels, and niacin toxicity, while rare, can be severe.

Niacin is not like beta alanine or other amino acids and nutrients – it is an essential nutrient that helps with vital processes in every cell of the body and does not exclusively contribute to improved performance. It may help boost endurance during lifting or cardio, but this isn’t well-studied.

HOW NIACIN CAUSES SKIN FLUSHING:

Niacin is known to cause itching and flushing of the skin, also known as pruritis. The reason for this is not really understood, but it is known to occur at doses of about 30mg/day⁴.

Pre-workouts can contain anywhere from 13mg-31mg of niacin, which can be almost double the recommended intake¹.

The tolerable upper level for niacin intake is 35mg/day. This means that you can take up to 35 mg/day before experiencing adverse effects and even toxicity.

NIACIN SUPPLEMENT STRATEGIES:

Niacin isn’t really something you supplement with, in the traditional bodybuilding supplement sense, like creatine or beta alanine. The tingling and flush of niacin is often the property that bodybuilders look for to let them know the pre-workout is working, and supplement manufacturers know this. Unfortunately, companies can hide the amounts of a given nutrient in a proprietary blend, so you never know how much you’re really getting.

When it comes to niacin supplementation, look for pre-workouts that list the amount, or avoid it altogether. Nearly 50% of all pre-workouts contain some level of niacin, so try to find the ones that don’t¹.

How Do I Avoid the Itching and Tingling from Pre-workouts?

Before we conclude, let’s take a minute to discuss some strategies for reducing these tingling and itching sensations.

1. Find a pre-workout that doesn’t contain beta-alanine. A lot of newer, advanced pre-workout formulas are withholding beta alanine as it is not really useful in a pre-workout (unless you are supplementing it on the side as well on pre-workout off days). The pre-workout industry has come a long way over the years and companies are really being more thoughtful with their formulas. Still, many pre-workouts (the majority) will have beta alanine, whether it is as a way to "feel" your pre-workout, the company doesn't do it's research, or they just think people expect it. Again, beta alanine won't do anything for you unless you load and dose every day the proper amount, so if you get a pre-workout without beta alanine, you won't be missing anything in terms of energy, focus, pump, and power. And, you won't get the beta alanine tingle or itch.
2. Find a pre-workout with a lower dosage of niacin. Niacin is not a saturation ingredient so it will be effective with one time use. The vast majority of pre-workouts will contain niacin. That said, some pre-workouts contain higher doses that cause skin flushing, and thus tingles. So, if you don't like that, find a pre-workout with a lower dose - around 20mg or less should avoid these side effects while still granting potential energy and blood flow enhancement.
3. Work out sooner. This may not be the best advice, but it seems that the increased blood flow helps to reduce these symptoms, although this is anecdotal and may just be attributed to the 20 or so minutes it takes for these nutrients to be metabolized.

Ultimately, your best bet is to avoid a pre-workout with beta alanine and a high niacin dose. 

Another thing to consider is avoiding pre-workouts from shady companies and pre-workouts that show you ALL of the the ingredients and dosages. You really never know what you are getting with these pre-workouts. One study found the ingredient doses vary significantly across products, and the doses, when listed, don’t match what the research actually supports for performance boosting¹.

Final Thoughts on the Infamous Beta Alanine Itch:

In the end, our goal here was to discuss the notorious tingle and itch associated with some pre-workout ingredients. While caffeine is known for its energy boosting, and often jitter-inducing, properties, beta alanine are right up there.

Unfortunately, many supplement manufacturers don’t list the amounts of these ingredients, so it can be hard to know how much you’re getting – too much or not enough.

Your best bet is to find a pre-workout formula that has no beta alanine if you hate the tingles and itch. The best ingredients to look for are energy and endurance ingredients like caffeine, theanine, and taurine; pump ingredients like citruilline and glycerpump; focus ingredients like tyrosine and Alpha-GPC; and power ingredients like betaine, elevATP, and creatine. 

Related: What You Need To Know About Pre-Workout Ingredients

With that in mind, here are some key takeaways to consider. In the end, don’t forget to add on a few extra reps as it will help you build lean muscle mass in the long run!

Key Points:

Beta alanine:

• Beta alanine causes tingling, usually in the lips and face.
• This is caused by its conversion to carnosine, which helps reduce muscle fatigue and increase exercise capacity.
• Tingling occurs at doses as low as 1-2g/day.
• Beta alanine should be taken separately, at ~2-6g/day for up to 6 weeks.
• Beta alanine may be best effective with early loading doses at 6g/day.

• Niacin causes skin itching and flushing that can feel sort of like the start of a sunburn.
• Niacin is essential for energy production and fat metabolism.
• Niacin doses in pre-workouts range from 15mg-31mg/serving.
• Niacin may or may not improve workout performance.
• Niacin doses at 20mg or less shouldn't cause any side effect like skin flushing or tingling. 

14 Best Pre-Workout Supplements Of 2022

9 Best Caffeine Free Pre-Workouts 

More Pre-Workout Questions:

• Why Does Pre-Workout Make You Poop?
• How Long Does Pre-Workout Last?
• When to Take Pre-Workout? Make the Most of Your Scoop!
• Stimulant Free Pre-Workout, Does It Work?

References:

(1) Jagim, A. R.; Harty, P. S.; Camic, C. L. Common Ingredient Profiles of Multi-Ingredient Pre-Workout Supplements. Nutrients 2019, 11 (2), 254. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11020254.

(2) Trexler, E. T.; Smith-Ryan, A. E.; Stout, J. R.; Hoffman, J. R.; Wilborn, C. D.; Sale, C.; Kreider, R. B.; Jäger, R.; Earnest, C. P.; Bannock, L.; Campbell, B.; Kalman, D.; Ziegenfuss, T. N.; Antonio, J. International Society of Sports Nutrition Position Stand: Beta-Alanine. J. Int. Soc. Sports Nutr. 2015, 12 (1), 30. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12970-015-0090-y.

(3) Perim, P.; Marticorena, F. M.; Ribeiro, F.; Barreto, G.; Gobbi, N.; Kerksick, C.; Dolan, E.; Saunders, B. Can the Skeletal Muscle Carnosine Response to Beta-Alanine Supplementation Be Optimized? Front. Nutr. 2019, 6.

(4) Niacin https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/vitamins/niacin (accessed 2022-03-08).

By now, most people know the basics of creatine. They know that it’s the most effective ergogenic aid behind protein on the market. They know that, despite what some commentators will have you believe, there actually are long-term studies that show it’s 100% safe for healthy individuals of all ages (yes, even children!)¹. They probably also know that the best type of creatine is good ‘ol creatine monohydrate. However, what many people do seem to get confused about is when to take creatine. AM? PM? Before or after a workout? Today, you will learn the answer as this article will tell PLUS a lot more:

• What is creatine?
• How does creatine work? (This will help explain when to take it)
• The best time to take creatine
• How much creatine to take
• The best way to consume creatine

You’re gonna learn a lot in this article. The supplement industry wants to confuse you with marketing; we’re gonna make it clear with science. So let’s start off with the basics.

What Is Creatine?

One of the biggest misunderstandings is that creatine is a foreign substance that you are introducing to your body. In reality, your body already has creatine stored in the muscles. In fact, you NEED to have creatine stored up, or your body simply wouldn’t function, or if it did, it would function at a very low level. 

This is because creatine is the primary component in your ATP-CP metabolic system. This system is responsible for supplying ATP for events of very high intensity, such as sprinting or lifting weights. However, the ATP-CP system is continuously operating in conjunction with the other two systems (You have three metabolic systems in total) to supply a consistent stream of ATP. ATP is of utmost importance as it’s what actually gives our muscles the energy to contract. No ATP means no muscle movement. 

So, in a nutshell, this is what creatine is. It’s a high-energy compound that’s predominantly stored in the muscles that allows the resynthesis of ATP quickly to ensure the body can continue to operate at higher levels of intensity. 

It is NOT a foreign substance or steroid. It’s a vital compound necessary for basic function.

How Does Creatine Supplementation Actually Work?

So if our bodies already have creatine, why supplement? To be clear, we don’t HAVE to supplement with creatine. We consume most of our creatine through our diet (meat, fish), while some are synthesized from other amino acids. However, people’s creatine stores are rarely ever full from diet alone. When looking at various analyses, your average person’s creatine stores are only 60-80% full, with vegans and the elderly at the lower end of the spectrum. Therefore, when we supplement with exogenous creatine, we are merely filling up these stores; we go from being 60-80% full to being 100% full. This is why vegans and the elderly actually see greater benefits from creatine supplementation because they have a more significant increase in their stores. 

This major increase in our stores also explains the loading phase that is performed when beginning creatine supplementation. A “loading phase” refers to a short period of time (usually 5-7 days) in which a person will take a high amount of creatine, generally, 20-25g spread out over 4-5 servings. This is done to get our stores to 100% as fast as possible. After this period of time, the trainee will go back to a maintenance phase in which they take 3-5g/day.  

When Is The Best Time To Take Creatine?

You may have heard that it’s best to take creatine before your workout; or maybe after. Before bed or when you wake. In reality, it doesn’t actually really matter when you take creatine. Looking back at the mechanism of creatine, we actually see that creatine does not work acutely. In other words, you do not use the creatine you consume immediately; it works due to its build-up after chronic consumption, not an individual dose. So, in general terms, it doesn’t really matter when you take it, as long as you take it. The most important factor with creatine is following a loading scheme and being consistent with your maintenance dose.  Basically, you want to keep these levels topped off consistently rather than fluctuating throughout the week.  

That being said, while consistency is the most important factor, could timing play a role? We can take a look at some science for that answer. 

Should You Take Creatine Pre or Post Workout?

The primary concern that most lifters have is should you take creatine before a workout or after a workout. After looking at studies, we can conclude two things.

1. There haven’t been enough studies or strong enough findings to say one is better than the other.
2. Putting “definitively better” to the side, a trend suggests creatine consumption post-workout is advantageous. However, this may be due to the consumption of protein and carbs along with large amounts of hydration.

A study from 2013 was conducted and specifically looked at the effect creatine has when taken pre-workout or post-workout. The study consisted of trained young men (1+ year of training, average age 23) who followed a 4-week program and their normal diet. At the end of the program, the group of men who consumed protein post-workout saw better improvements in body composition and greater strength². However, as admitted by the authors, there was a relatively small pool, and they did not do any analysis to actually measure creatine levels. That being said, this agrees with other studies. 

In 2015, another study looked at creatine’s pre and post-workout consumption. However, this study tested on older healthy adults (50-71 years of age) who followed a resistance training program for 32 weeks. Similar to the 2013 study, they too found a favorable outcome by those who consumed creatine post-workout. Compared to a placebo group, greater gains in strength were seen in both the pre and post workout groups. However, more significant improvements in lean tissue were seen in the post-workout group³. 

That being said, in 2014, the same lead researcher from the 2015 study had conducted a very similar study. However, this time there were no differences⁴. 

In 2018, a meta-analysis was done and was only able to find three studies that had looked at creatine timing, the three that we just discussed. They came to the conclusion that we postulated above⁵. While there’s too little data to say conclusively, two out of three studies suggest that post-workout consumption can produce greater benefits. It’s also important to note that no study has shown better pre-workout consumption. Therefore, if you have a choice, post-workout creatine supplementation may be more beneficial. And just to really clarify, the latest review was conducted in 2021 and ended with the same conclusion⁶.

The Best Way To Consume Creatine

Now that we’ve talked about timing, let's discuss how to consume it. When it comes to actually consuming your creatine, a few factors are likely more critical than when you drink your creatine.

Take Creatine With Carbohydrates (And Possibly Protein)

Almost as sure as the fact that creatine will improve performance variables, carbohydrates have been found to help the absorption of creatine. In other words, your body will absorb more creatine, providing more for availability. 

A simple study from 1996 was able to show the body absorbs more creatine by dividing a group in half. One group then ate 5 grams of creatine, while the other ate 5 grams plus 93 grams of carbohydrate. The next day (24 hours later), both groups provided urine samples to test for increased excretion. While both groups had elevated levels of creatine, the carbohydrate group had an impressive 60% greater creatine retention⁷.

Another study from 2000 performed a similar study but had four groups consume 20 grams of creatine over four events. The four nutrition protocols were as follows:

• 5g carbohydrate
• 50g protein and 47g carbohydrate
• 96g carbohydrate
• 50g of carbohydrate

After 24 hours, urine samples were taken and compared. They found that both the 96g carbohydrate group and 50g protein with 47g carbohydrate had similar creatine retention but were both significantly higher than the lower carbohydrate groups. This led to the conclusion that instead of a lifter needing to eat almost 100g of carbohydrates, they could supplement that with protein⁸ (check these out if you’re looking for a great protein powder).

Take Creatine With Plenty Of Water

The relationship between water and creatine is an oxymoron that can tell you how the fitness industry likes to confuse you. On the one hand, it’s popular to say that creatine can cause muscle cramping and dehydration. Oh, that sounds bad. But then they also say that creatine can cause water retention so the weight gain isn’t natural muscle but actually water. So which is it? Dehydration or water retention? Or are you walking around dehydrated and with oversaturated muscles?

While neither of these is true, we need to consider that creatine is an osmotically active substance, meaning it relies on water intake to be stored. This means we should increase our fluid intakes when consuming creatine due to possible better absorption, not to prevent dehydration. There’s also reason to believe this increased uptake should be taken concurrently with the creatine to further dilute the creatine for better absorption. Again, no studies (that we know of) have looked at this, but it makes sense. Further, no studies have shown exactly how much of an increase to take, but the number 100ml per gram of creatine is used, so we’re not talking gallons. Being that you're an active individual, there’s very little chance of you being too hydrated unless you are drinking gallons and gallons, so just be conscious of adding a little extra.

The Best Time To Take Creatine

Looking at all of the available evidence, we can come to a safe suggestion about the best time to take creatine. If you are looking to optimize your creatine supplementation, we would suggest that you take it post-workout. Further, you should consume an adequate mixture of protein and carbohydrates totaling 80-100g total. If we looked at an essential 1:2 carb:protein ratio, this is about 33.3g protein and 66.6g carbs, which is right around where we want to be anyway, so it all works out great.  

This is perfect as there’s a pretty good chance you’ll be consuming a post workout shake so go ahead and just drop a scoop in there! This also eliminates any silly argument about creatine tasting bad, being gritty, or not mixing well. You can also add an extra splash of water and call it a day. Again, we at SET FOR SET like to keep things simple, not overcomplicate things.

Regardless Of When You Take Creatine, It Works!!!

The most vital variable to remember is that studies don’t really show any benefits to pre- or post-workout consumption because they both worked! We can sometimes get lost in these conclusions because it’s “negative”, but all these studies say it’s hard to say which one is better. Even in the two studies that did show some favorable outcomes in the post-workout group, the pre-workout group still improved!

Creatine FAQ

What’s better, creatine monohydrate or creatine HCL?

If you have thought about this question, then you obviously know of other variations of creatine besides the most popular - creatine monohydrate. We wrote an article on creatine monohydrate vs HCL, so check it out for more detail, but in a nutshell, creatine monohydrate is the way to go. Many of these other variations, including HCL, claim to be absorbed faster, meaning you can load faster and you don’t need to take as much. In reality, there just haven’t been enough studies with these other variations. In fact, the ones that have been done are far from conclusive, and one even shows the opposite; creatine monohydrate is absorbed better⁹.

As of now, these seem to be money grabs, so save your cash and buy creatine monohydrate.

What’s the best brand of creatine?

Ironically, the best brand of creatine isn’t necessarily a brand but a lab out of Germany. We’re talking about CreaPure. Creapure is manufactured by AlzChem Trostberg GmbH located in Germany and is then sold to various supplement companies to use in their products, either pure creatine or as a combined with protein or pre-workout. CreaPure is generally designated as the purest form of creatine so when looking for a creatine product, look for their logo. 

Related: Best Creatine Brands on the Market

What’s the best loading protocol for creatine?

Keep it simple. Consume 20-25g per day with equal servings spaced evenly throughout the day. Continue this for 5-7 days and then drop down to a maintenance serving of 3-5g per day. If you do find that you have bloating, which can happen in some individuals, you can take smaller servings more frequently. If this is still an issue, you can take less during the day. However, this will just lengthen the loading period. For example, instead of taking 20-25g per day for 5-7 days, you can take 10-15g per day for 14-18 days. In fact, you don’t even need to do a load; it's just that a load can fill your creatine stores faster.

Related: Should You Take Creatine While Cutting?

References:

1. https://jissn.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1550-2783-4-6
2. https://jissn.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1550-2783-10-36 
3. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25993883/ 
4. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15438627.2013.852088
5. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/328075908_Timing_of_Creatine_Supplementation_and_Resistance_Training_A_Brief_Review
6. https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/13/8/2844/htm%23B22-nutrients-13-02844
7. https://journals.physiology.org/doi/abs/10.1152/ajpendo.1996.271.5.e821
8. https://journals.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/jappl.2000.89.3.1165
9. https://jissn.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1550-2783-9-43

If you workout – there’s a good chance you take, or have taken, a pre-workout supplement. Call me presumptuous, but many people consider pre-workout supplements a necessary part of their workout routine. In fact, nearly a quarter of gym-goers consistently use some form of pre-workout^1-2.

Pre-workouts are popular for good reason – they work. Pre-workouts provide a boost of energy to kick up your workouts a notch or two (or four depending on how much you take). Pre-workout use seems to be largely relegated to the heavy lifters – those who are trying to get big or move heavy weight. However, you may be surprised to find pre-workout use is popular for cardio days. Actually, a good number of runners and aerobic enthusiasts prefer pre-workout supplements over coffee before carving up the streets or the treadmill^3-5.

Clearly pre-workouts are popular for all sorts of exercises. But should you actually take a pre-workout supplement for cardio, and is it effective? In this article, we’ll discuss what makes a pre-workout, and if you should consider using one for cardio.

What Is A Pre-Workout?

A pre-workout supplement is exactly what it sounds like – a supplement designed to be take PRIOR to working out (bodybuilding, running, HIIT). They typically contain ingredients – caffeine or arginine – that increase energy and focus, improve power and strength, and help reduce fatigue. Almost all contain caffeine as the primary ingredient, and amounts vary anywhere from 100mg up to 500mg in some products!

There are several other ingredients you can find in pre-workout, most of them are analogues to caffeine, that is they give you a boost of energy and mental focus. Others include arginine, creatine and beta alanine, which are geared toward resistance training as they help to reduce fatigue and increase power.

Not all pre-workouts are made the same, and most have proprietary pre-workout blends, so you can’t always be sure of ingredients or doses. This is important because different ingredients will have different effects, especially depending on the workout you are doing.

Should I use pre-workout for cardio?

Yes.

Pre-workout supplements may be a great way to improve your cardiovascular endurance. which is less about power and strength, and more about sustained activity. There are components of strength inherent to cardio, which is just another reason you may want to consider taking a preworkout on cardio days. Pre-workouts support energy systems that sustain endurance as well as strength.

That said, let’s take a moment to reflect on the most common ingredients in pre-workouts and how they may impact cardio.

Now that we’re familiar with how pre-workout ingredients can impact cardio, let’s explore some of the more common kinds of cardio:

1. High Intensity Interval Training:

This type of exercise involves short intervals of high intensity work – think one minute of burpees or bench presses until failure – follow by a short rest, then another round of intense work, and so on…

The point of HIIT is to improve overall conditioning by combining resistance and power training with aerobics. You will increase your heart rate for sure, but only for a short period.

Pre-workout supplements can definitely support HIIT workouts. A pre-workout will give you the energy you need to prolong your workout, usually caffeine; the other ingredients will help to increase power, and muscle growth.

2. Sprinting:

Sprinting can be a form of cardio, or a supplement to it. In general, sprinting is typically anaerobic, as each sprint usually lasts less than a minute. However, performing repeated intervals of sprints, or running at threshold, will improve your cardiovascular endurance.

Again, caffeine will support energy and endurance during sprinting. Creatine and beta alanine will come in handy as they’ll be good for regenerating energy lost during anaerobic parts of sprinting.

3. Steady-State Cardio:

Or simply running, this seems to be the line between lifters and runners, the skinny and the strong. Truth be told, running requires as much, if not more, energy and focus than mere bodybuilding. But whatever your alliance, running is certainly a great activity to add to your routine.

Steady-state cardio derives energy primarily from glucose and fat, and the working muscles don’t generate the force required to move a heavy weight. That said, most of the ingredients in a given pre-workout will enhance endurance and reduce fatigue on long distance runs, whether slow or at threshold pace.

Related: What's Better For Fat Loss, HIIT or Steady-State Cardio?

Find The Right Pre-workout For Cardio

As mentioned, most pre-workouts are designed for resistance training, but that doesn’t mean you can’t use them to boost your cardio. The ingredients in pre-workouts help to generate and sustain energy and improve power and recovery. Below is a list of key pre-workout ingredients with a description of their effects and benefits to cardio.

• Caffeine: Enhances energy, focus, and mood. Has been shown to improve running time and distance.
• Arginine: Creates nitric oxide, which increases blood flow to working muscles, particularly when lifting heavy, or sprinting
• Citrulline: Increases oxygen saturation to the muscles, which is exactly what is needed for sustained cardio, particularly long distance running.
• Creatine: Better for resistance training, creatine can help increase endurance through ATP production during lifting or bodyweight HIIT exercises and sprints.
• Beta Alanine: Increases the ability to remove lactic acid, which builds up during resistance training and threshold level cardio, like sprinting.
• Essential Amino Acids: EAA’s support everything, from muscle growth to recovery and fatigue resistance, all of which are incredibly important for cardio.
• Carbohydrates: Not common, but a preworkout with carbs will provide your muscles with immediately useable energy, which is key for cardio. This will also slow absorption of the other ingredients, meaning a sustained effect overall.

Note: Both creatine and beta alanine require a loading phase and daily dosing to be effective. As such, if you are not doing that, they will not prove to be of any real use during running. Best practice is to supplement creatine and beta alanine separately to ensure you are loading correctly and then getting the proper dosage daily moving forward. Besides these two "saturation" ingredients, other acute pre-workout ingredients will help benefit your runs.

Want pre-workout? Here are the 14 Best Pre-Workout Supplements on the Market (we share the best pre-workouts for cardio in there).

When To Take a Pre-Workout?

Timing of any nutrient is important; fortunately with pre-workouts, the name says it all – take before a workout. That said, all pre-workouts will have their own timing suggestions, which vary from 30 minutes to 60 minutes before working out. When doing cardio, we’d aim for 45-60 minutes prior, just to avoid any stomach issues or to allow feelings of fullness to subside.

Side Effects of Pre-Workout Supplements

Pre-workouts are thought to be safe in most doses, however they are not studied regularly, nor are they regulated by the FDA as supplements. That said, most ingredients within pre-workouts are well-studied, so their side effect are known. Here are some of the common side effects reported with pre-workout use:

• Jitteriness: Caffeine is a heck of a drug! It increases heart rate and blood pressure. This can lead to jitteriness and even feelings of anxiety in some. The dose at which this happens is almost entirely subjective, but caffeine intake at high levels (i.e. greater than 300mg/serving) can cause acute heart arrhythmias. For example - an 8 oz of coffee contains 95mg of caffeine on average. Pre-workouts can contain anywhere from 95 – 500mg of caffeine per serving; the average amount is 200mg though.
• Tingling: if you’re familiar with pre-workouts, you’ve likely experienced a tingling sensation in your lips. This is called paresthesia, and is due to the beta alanine. It’s nothing to worry about, but it can be frustrating or uncomfortable at first.
• Unknown ingredients: Unfortunately, not all dietary supplements are honest. The FDA requires manufacturers to list their ingredients, and forbids marketing of adulterated or misbranded ingredients. However, manufacturers can get around this by developing proprietary blends, so they don’t have to disclose the dosages. If you’re unfamiliar with a product’s ingredients, do thorough research or contact the manufacturer. Or, avoid the product.
• Stomach Issues: Caffeine, the primary ingredient in most pre-workouts, is notorious for causing stomach distress, including diarrhea and gas, especially at higher doses. Be aware of this and make sure you have plenty of time before your workout just in case you need to make a stop!

Summary

In this article, we discussed using pre-workouts for cardio. As we’ve seen, pre-workouts are used to boost energy, focus, and power, typically for resistance training. But these same ingredients can be used to effectively enhance endurance and improve recovery during and after cardio.

No matter your flavor of cardio – HIIT, sprinting, or good old long distance running – you may want to consider using a preworkout to give your routine a bump.

Remember, when considering dietary supplements, take the time to read the labels and understand the ingredients. Stimulants can increase heart rate, and this may be uncomfortable and, at very high doses, dangerous.

Overall, experimentation with supplements and exercises is always a great way to improve performance, break a plateau, or just familiarize with a new product.

Good luck, and don’t forget to tack on a few reps, or in this case, miles.

14 Best Pre-Workout Supplements

More frequently asked questions about pre-workout:

• How Often Should You Take Pre-Workout
• Is Pre-Workout Good for Weight Loss?
• Do Pre-Workout Supplements Break a Fast?
• Stimulant Free Pre-Workout, Does it Work?

References:

(1) Shoshan, T.; Post, E. Prevalence of Protein and Pre-Workout Supplement Use among High School Football Players and Potential Product Contamination. Glob. Pediatr. Health 2021, 8, 2333794X211031202. https://doi.org/10.1177/2333794X211031202.

(2) Prevalence and predictors of high-risk supplement use among collegiate athletes - ProQuest https://www.proquest.com/openview/17b3005b06df2604cd0ece3941ffa357/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=18750 (accessed 2022 -02 -26).

(3) LUTSCH, D. J.; CAMIC, C. L.; JAGIM, A. R.; JOHNSTON, N. J.; MUSGJERD, T. L. Acute Effects of a Multi-Ingredient Pre-Workout Supplement On 5-KM Running Performance in Recreationally-Trained Athletes. Int. J. Exerc. Sci. 2019, 12 (2), 1045–1056.

(4) Erickson, J. R.; Camic, C. L.; Jagim, A. R.; Pellersels, P. M.; Wright, G. A.; Henert, S. E.; Foster, C. Effects of One Versus Two Doses of a Multi-Ingredient Pre-Workout Supplement on Metabolic Factors and Perceived Exertion during Moderate-Intensity Running in Females. Sports 2020, 8 (4), 52. https://doi.org/10.3390/sports8040052.

(5) Smith, A. E.; Fukuda, D. H.; Kendall, K. L.; Stout, J. R. The Effects of a Pre-Workout Supplement Containing Caffeine, Creatine, and Amino Acids during Three Weeks of High-Intensity Exercise on Aerobic and Anaerobic Performance. J. Int. Soc. Sports Nutr. 2010, 7 (1), 10. https://doi.org/10.1186/1550-2783-7-10.