Pre-Workout+Supplements+Description+and+Use+Information

=**Introduction to Pre-Workout Supplements **=

toc Pre-workout supplements are widely used today by people ranging from normal three-time a week gym-goers to bodybuilding competitors who basically live in the gym. Pre-workout, for those of you who don’t know, is a supplement you mix with water (suggested use) that may give you a tingly sensation (caused by [|beta-alanine] and [|niacin]) which makes you feel energetic, but overall gives the body that extra urge to workout (caffeine induced). Many studies have been conducted that conclude pre-workout gives people more strength after ingestion. However, many people have argued this statement by saying that this supplement is a placebo that tricks the user into working harder.

Pre-workout can be bought online via various websites, your local workout supplement store (GNC for example), or even your local supermarkets (King Soopers, Walmart, etc.). The product is fairly expensive averaging at about seventy-five cents to a dollar per use but can get as expensive as about two dollars per serving or even more. There is a suggested amount, normally at one scoop, and drinking too much can result in serious health issues. Pre-workout should be used wisely and moderately and carefully measured. Researching this can aide the consumer on how much to take, but using the recommended amount on the container is best as companies have put the recommended amount on the bottle for good reasons, such as health and effectiveness.

=**Safety of Ingestion **=

The safety concerns that come with taking workout supplements in general is a huge topic of discussion in the physical fitness world. Extreme caution should be utilized when searching for which pre-workout supplements to take. If not chosen wisely, there are major consequences due to taking these supplements as an aide. A known case of a 21 year-old ingesting a pre-workout supplement containing [|3-DMAA] shows that he experienced cardiac arrest and died. Another example of harmful ingredients in a pre-workout formula is when the FDA found a form of methamphetamine in a mainstream dietary supplement. The company wasn’t disclosed, but it was confirmed that they were shut down and are now out of business. There's a plethora of cases involving illegal substances being found in health supplements. Another example is when the NSF Organization identified four [|DMAA] like substances in six over the counter weight loss and pre-workout supplements. Even though we have these protective services to ensure our health, it’s important to be a vigilant consumer when considering to purchase things that can affect your health. There are harmful ingredients to be careful of, as these two cases suggest.

=**Safety: Males VS. Females **=

Another topic of discussion is whether or not pre-workout supplement use is safe for females as well as males. Male and female bodies are different and react in different ways. One of the main reasons this is a question of concern, however, is because how much smaller the female body is and if the same recommended dosage should be used. A study carried out by Food & Nutrition Research suggests that “The PWS appears to be safe for heart, liver, and kidney function in both one-serving and two-serving doses when consumed daily for 28 days. Despite the changes observed for select variables, no variable reached clinical significance”. PWS here is just an abbreviation of pre-workout supplement. This sentence shows that women can take just as much as men and still have perfect health! Two-servings is the most that any pre-workout supplement supplier will recommend. On rare occasions, three scoops is allowed but this varies upon which brand is being taken. Anything above this is considered dangerous to a human beings health and should be avoided.

Another study was conducted by the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition which concluded that pre-workout supplements containing [|caffeine], beta-alanine, and [|nitrate] will not cause abnormal changes in hematological markers or resting vitals among female adults. Overall, females are just as safe to take these supplements as males.

=**Safety: Consumer's Intelligent Choices Help Avoid Health Concerns **=

As discussed above, there are many ingredients that can cause health problems that have been found and banned. For example, 3-DMAA is an ingredient that has been banned from use in all of these supplements. No matter what brand users decide to go with, this isn’t a concern any longer.

A factor you see contribute to mostly all of these health concerns is the victim normally ingests more than the recommended amount. A pre-workout supplement called Animal Rage XL had a recommended dosage of one scoop per use. A German airman with no past medical history presented to the emergency department of a military treatment facility in Ramstein, Germany with complaints of severe headache, nausea, vomiting, and balance disturbances. One hour before presentation to the emergency department, he had consumed this pre-workout supplement (Animal Rage XL by Universal Nutrition). He used 2 scoops of this supplement, mixed with water (twice the manufacturer’s recommended dose of 1 scoop). He reported feeling well before the workout, and that he had not consumed any other supplements or caffeinated beverages that day. However, after the use he dealt with a major headache and severe nausea. He then went on to experience a hemorrhagic stroke. It is still a major concern that only two scoops caused this major health issue, but there hasn’t been any similar experiences when using the recommended dosage. Since these supplements can cause such drastic consequences to the human body, companies have made it so consumers have a suggested amount to follow in order to ensure good health.

=**Safety: Picking A Safe Brand **=

By examining various studies provided to us by journals and credible scientists, we should feel comfortable taking these supplements. Many of these cases support the fact that it can help push your body harder in order to get more physically aesthetic gains while not harming your body. Therefore, there is enough evidence given to us to discount the fact that we are putting ourselves at risk, given the fact that a reliable brand that has been around a long time which fits your personal physical needs is what you decide to use. Taking time to know what you’re buying and putting in your body is a very useful tool to use in order to kick start your physically enhancing journey.

A couple of brands that have been around a long time are [|C4] and [|EVLUTION Nutrition]. These two brands have been tested various times over the past years and many people will stand by them without question. There's also a vast selection of organic supplements that are offered that can be substituted as well.

=**Effectiveness **=

There are many cases that show that pre-workout is proven to work. The first case that shows absolute improvement of physical performance was one conducted by Jeffrey S. Martin and a team of scientists in 2017. This study concluded that the subjects were able to perform significantly more reps of thirty percent of their maximum one-rep amount when they ingested pre-workout and not the placebo they were given on random days. In another study conducted in 2012, an observation was made which entailed an increase in strength in leg press exercises from the participants. Not only does this affect leg press workouts, but it also showed an increase in agility of the participants, which offers great health benefits alone. There is a plethora of positive impacts from pre-workout, all having similar results.

However, there are some studies that imply less positive results. One study proving that it didn’t do anything for the test subjects was conducted by Y.P. Jung concluded “The PWS formulae used in this study do not appear to increase various indices of physical performance over a seven-day period; it is suggested that a longer period of study is necessary to determine the potential ergogenic benefits of such a supplement regimen.” When measuring body fat percentages and other physical levels, it's obvious that pre-workout supplements won't help these factors immediately. A study conducted by Jordan Outlaw of the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition concluded that pre-workout supplements didn't significantly improve body composition over an eight day period. Therefore, these supplements don't perform miracles in regards to altering the body. In conclusion, when the study period is around only a week, results aren't outstanding by any means.

Another study conducted by the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition (M Cho, Y.P. Jung) shows that pre-workout supplements induced a more positive attitude as subjects were more likely to think things such as "I am optimistic about my future performance", "I feel vigorous and energetic", and "I have little muscle soreness". By examining this study, it is revealed that pre-workout can positively affect cognitive functions as well as physical functions.

=**Widespread Use **=

The year 2017 alone has brought in 36.1 billion dollars of sports nutrition and supplement sales. Although pre-workout is just a portion of all this money, that is a giant amount of cash. If you walk into your local gym, most people there will be familiar with or be using pre-workout to aide their physical journey. No matter what all of these studies suggest, it is a fact that the majority of the fitness-intrigued population knows of or uses these supplements. Believe it or not, these statistics aren't as readily available as they should be. However, it is a well known fact that workout supplements have been on an exponential rise, especially within the past decade. Unfortunately, a wide range of statistics hasn't been taken with regards to precisely how many users there are per region in the world. However, sales are at an all time high representing the exponential growth and high popularity of these supplements.

=Conclusion=

Thanks to reliable journal entries and extensive studies, pre-workout is proven to not only be safe to ingest, but is encouraged to be used if the user isn't bothered by the intake of caffeine or any other active ingredients.

In comparison to other subjects that may be read about in wiki pages, pre-workout supplementation is a topic that has been heavily researched. Knowledge of how these supplements affect the body and whether or not they're effective has consistently yielded rather similar results. Pre-workout supplements are safe to be taken in amounts suggested by the companies selling them. Taking these supplements in an unsafe manner can easily give bad health problems to the consumer which is why extreme caution should be taken into consideration while using them. These companies have made it very easy for the consumers to successfully use these supplements by various methods of testing and making suggested use labels based off of this testing. Information for these products is easily accessible and should be considered before unsure potential consumers should use any form of pre-workout supplement.

However, one thing that could improve our knowledge of these supplements is gathering actual statistics of how many users are in the United States, per state, and even the amount of users worldwide, per country. These statistics aren't necessary, but are important if we are to pin point the accurate amount of users and popularity of these supplements in different areas and regions in the world. One thing we are sure of is that these supplements are most popular in the United States as our consumerism is perhaps the largest among other nations in the world.

=**References **=

Health & Beauty Close – Up. 2017. Cambridge Health Alliance (no name listed). Banned Stimulants Found In 6 Weight-Loss and Pre-Workout Supplements. NSF International; NAICS: 541380 Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. 2014. M Cho, YP Jung, C Goodenough, A O’Connor, R Dalton. Effects of ingesting a pre-workout supplement with and without synephrine on cognitive function, perceptions of readiness to perform, and exercise performance 11(Suppl 1):P36. [|Website] Clin J Sport Med. 2014. Lioudmila V. Karnatovskaia, PHD. Cardiac Arrest in a 21-Year-Old Man After Ingestion of 1,3-DMAA–Containing Workout Supplement. Volume 25. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. 2014. Jordan J Outlaw, Colin D Wilborn. Acute effects of a commercially-available pre-workout supplement on markers of training: a double-blind study. 11:40 Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. 2015. Roxanne M. Vogel. Safety of a dose escalated preworkout supplement in recreationally active females. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. (2015) 12:12. Food & Nutrition Research. 2015. Jordan M. Joy, Ryan P. Lowery. A multi-ingredient, pre-workout supplement is apparently safe in healthy males and females. Food & Nutrition Research 2015, 59: 27470. Military Medicine. 2017. CPT Brandon F. Harris. Hemorrhagic Stroke in a Young Healthy Male Following Use of Pre-Workout Supplement Animal Rage XL. MILITARY MEDICINE, 182, 9/10:e2030, 2017. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. 2013. Stacie Urbina, Sara Hayward. Performance and body composition effects of a pre-workout supplement and post-workout protein intake in trained crossfit individuals Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition 2013 10(Suppl 1):P28. Drug Test Analysis. 2014. Pieter A. Cohen. A methamphetamine analog (N,α-diethylphenylethylamine) identiﬁed in a mainstream dietary supplement. Drug Test. Analysis 2014, 6, 805–807. Nutrition & Metabolism. 2012. John C. Travis. Ingesting a pre-workout supplement containing caffeine, B-vitamins, amino acids, creatine, and beta-alanine before exercise delays fatigue while improving reaction time and muscular endurance. Nutrition & Metabolism 2012, 9:28. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. 2017. Jeffrey S. Martin, Petey W. Mumford. Effects of a pre-workout supplement on hyperemia following leg extension resistance exercise to failure with different resistance loads. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition (2017) 14:38. American College of Sports Medicine. 2016. Y. P. Jung, M. Koozechian. Effects Of Short-term Pre-workout Supplement Ingestion At Different Dosages On Exercise Performance. American College of Sports Medicine 2016 board #217.