3 Ingredients To Look For In A Pre-Workout Supplement

When you're looking for a way to increase the effectiveness of your workout routine, pre-workout supplements are a good place to start. These supplements, often available in powdered form that can be mixed into water or a sports drink, contain ingredients that are meant to boost your stamina and power, while enhancing muscle buildup. But what are those ingredients? If you're not familiar with the sometimes difficult-to-pronounce compounds listed on the label, it can be hard to tell whether or not a particular supplement will be helpful to you. Take a look at the details of a few helpful pre-workout supplement ingredients.

BCAAs

You may see a pre-workout supplement label boast that the formula contains BCAAs. BCAA stands for Branched Chain Amino Acids. You may recognize amino acids as the building blocks that proteins are made of. Branched chain amino acids, a classification that includes the amino acids leucine, isoleucine, and valine, are different because they're metabolized differently from other types of amino acids.

BCAAs are oxidized in your muscles while you're working out. This helps to protect your muscles from the protein breakdown that can occur during strenuous activity. This prevents muscle damage and allows you to exercise harder for longer periods of time.

Creatine

Like BCAAs, creatine is a supplement ingredient that is made up of amino acids – in this case arginine, glycine and methionine. Your muscles do not produce creatine; instead, they take it from your bloodstream. Once your muscles have absorbed the creatine, they use it to create creatine phosphate, which is what gives your muscles a big benefit during a workout.

Creatine phosphate increases muscle strength and force, boosting your athletic performance. Creatine has also been shown to help increase muscle mass. Researchers found that weightlifters taking a creatine supplement gained about 6 pounds of lean body weight on average over only 4 weeks. Creatine is most effective when taken regularly over time, so choose a creatine supplement that you can take before every workout, not just now and then.

Alpha GPC

Alpha Glycerophosphocholine, or Alpha GPC, is a precursor to a neurotransmitter called acetyl-choline. Acetyl-choline helps the brain perform cognitive functions like learning, focusing, and memorizing. It can be useful for helping to give you the mental focus and clarity that you need to get through your workout. But that's not the only benefit of Alpha GPC.

Studies show that Alpha GPC also boosts human growth hormone, which is helpful if you're trying to increase muscle mass. Furthermore, it helps the liver break down fat, which can then be burned off more easily during a workout.

Each pre-workout formula is different, and there are a lot of variables when it comes to deciding which one is right for you. However, looking for these ingredients can give you an indication that you've found a useful and powerful pre-workout supplement. Talk to a company like Nutrition 4 Texas to see what supplements they have available.

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