How To Choose A Pre-Workout: 3 Questions To Answer

Choosing your pre-workout of the month can be challenging; with dozens of options, how do you choose to best pre-workout for you? 

3 Things To Know

1) All Pre-Workouts Are NOT Created Equal

Many have a common misconception, but it is important to understand that just because two different products are labelled as a pre-workout, there can be a vast difference between them. Whether that be the strength of stimulants inside or the number of performance ingredients, each pre-workout tells its own story based on the components inside. 

2) There Are Caffeine-Based & Caffeine-Free Options

Pre-workout is traditionally thought of as being highly stimulatory, but that is no longer the case. Pre-workout can be classified based on the number of stimulants inside, including caffeine. You can even grab a caffeine-free pre-workout if desired. We'll chat more about this in a bit. 

While pre-workout can be a reliable boost of energy, they also come packed with ingredients that you don't "feel" but work in the background to improve your exercise performance. Muscle pumps, endurance, and strength can all be positively affected by a pre-workout supplement.

Now, let's dig into what to consider when choosing your next pre-workout supplement.

3 Questions To Answer

1) How Much Caffeine Do You Consume Per Day On Average? 

Energy drinks, coffee, tea all contain varying amounts of caffeine. Caffeine tolerance builds in your body over time, meaning you can handle higher doses without uncomfortable side effects such as jitters. 

This is an excellent place to start when choosing a pre-workout. Suppose you don't consume much caffeine at all. In that case, some higher-stimulatory pre-workout options won't be best suited for you as they will likely be too strong, leading to the uncomfortable side effects noted above. 

However, maybe you are a regular caffeine consumer looking for something to give a bigger jolt. It's important to consider these variables to improve potential satisfaction with your purchase. 

2) What Are You Looking For In A Pre-Workout?

This may sound like a silly question to some, as a standard answer would probably be "um, to give me energy before my workout, of course." While this is a perfectly fine answer, there may be some other areas to consider. 

Focus: Feeling dialled into your workout can make for great results. Being attentive to your movements and staying "in the zone" are attractive outcomes to consider. Particular pre-workouts trend more in this direction of focus than others. Is this an area you're looking to improve? If so, matching yourself to a product that emphasizes this is key. 

Performance: Depending on your training goals, performance may be more important to you than some. Suppose you exercise casually to stay in shape and feel good. In that case, specific ingredients to improve performance may not be as crucial to you. However, if you have training-specific goals for a sport or event, ensuring your pre-workout product contains key ingredients at proper dosages to ensure you're getting every ounce out of your training is critical. 

3) What Time Of Day Do You Exercise? 

Depending on what time of day you exercise, there may be some different considerations for what pre-workout is best suited for you. For example, many people can run into sleep issues if they consume too much caffeine later in the evening. If you are one of these people, and you also exercise at this time, it's probably a good idea to check out a lower-caffeine or a non-caffeine option. 

Non-caffeine pre-workouts can help with performance and focus noted above without being stimulatory like caffeine. This a great tool to use if you run into this issue. 

We're Here To Help!

Still have questions? Want to know about the pre-workout products we carry at Synergy? Swing by one of our locations to chat with our team or utilize our live chat feature to the right of your screen.