Busting Myths And Hype Behind Pre-Workouts, Part 2

Part 1 of this series looked at several misconceptions that haunt pre-workouts. In part 2, we will look at what a good pre-workout will do for you, what to avoid when shopping for one, and why you should choose a 5% pre-workout.

The Benefits Of A Pre-Workout

Playing off myths # 3 and #4, here are the major benefits of using a good pre-workout in general and 5% pre-workouts in particular.

• More Energy - This is one of the primary benefits of a pre-workout. The level of energy depends on the amount of caffeine and other stimulants. Are you sensitive to stimulants? There are many stim-free formulas available. These zero-stim formulas target pumps, performance, and sometimes cognitive enhancement. 
• Enhanced Focus & Concentration - The best pre-workouts include focus, motivation, and concentration ingredients. These compounds work synergistically to target enhanced cognitive performance. 
• Increased Pumps - A great pump is not only cosmetic. It’s also the basis of one theory of muscle growth (Sarcoplasmic Hypertrophy). Plus, as noted it supports increased oxygen and nutrient delivery to working muscles. At the same time, the increased blood flow caused by more nitric oxide production helps remove the buildup of waste products in the muscles. (1, 2)
• Greater Endurance - A good pre-workout, and every 5% pre-workout, contain ingredients that limit fatigue and increase endurance. More endurance means a better workout.
• Increased Strength & Power - Creatine and betaine are similar ingredients that increase cell volume as well as strength and power output. 5% innovation means that we’ve added creatine to both Kill It and Kill It Reloaded for these reasons.

Pre-Workouts - Looking Past The Hype

There’s a reason you should use 5% Nutrition pre-workouts. We feature clearly labeled products with proven ingredients and extremely generous dosing. Rich wouldn’t have it any other way.

Lately, a few companies have been pushing their pre-workout as “ground-breaking”, to use one example. The truth is, many of these products are dramatically underdosed. Lifters need to understand what to look for.

Effective dosing - It’s one thing to proclaim the benefits of certain ingredients. For example, citrulline. But when the “groundbreaking” pre-workout contains citrulline malate that’s 4th on the list of a 7-ingredient, 550mg prop blend, come on! There won’t be enough pure citrulline to make any difference whatsoever. 

In a prop blend, ingredients are listed by weight. That means that the first ingredient is the strongest, and they get progressively weaker from there. The other thing with a prop blend is that there are no individual doses listed. The primary reason any company uses a prop blend is to protect the specifics of the formula. That’s fine if the blend is well-dosed. 

As noted, our example pre-workout uses citrulline malate, which is half citrulline and half malic acid. Even if each of the 7 ingredients in this blend were equally dosed, that’s 78 mg of citrulline malate (550 / 7 = 78). Half of that is 39 mg of citrulline, and the other 39 mg is malic acid! Really?!?  BTW, incredibly, this example pre-workout really exists. Bottom line: Buyers beware! Don’t just fall for the hype of a company or website, read the label!

By the way, how much citrulline will you find in 5% pre-workouts? Kill It Reloaded, with an open-label, gives you a full 4g of pure citrulline. Compare that to the 39 mg in my example. That’s what quality is all about!

Recap

As you can see, there are a lot of misconceptions about pre-workouts. Clearly, they are not based on facts. Ultimately, it’s up to you whether or not you want to use a pre-workout. No doubt, many of you currently use one of 5% Nutrition’s innovative pre-workouts. We have some of the best, and they include varying amounts of stims or no stims at all. Our pre-workouts are well-balanced, complete formulas. If you plan to use a pre-workout 5% has the one for you. Even if you’re a long-time pre-workout user, 5% has some great options - try one out and see for yourself!