What is the best pre-workout for early gym goers and what are actually the best things you can do to maximize your training output?
When we talk about optimizing athletic performance and especially that of beginners, there are a wide variety of things to factor in.
And though pre-workouts are amazing (and we’ll give you the best one shortly), the truth is that it is never just one thing that you can do, to boost your strength, focus, stamina, and pumps.
In this article, we’re going to cover all of the crucial points of optimal athletic performance, including the use of stimulant-based products, but also food and hydration.
So let’s get to it, shall we?
Pre-workout food for early gym goers
We’ve all heard that fitness is 70% nutrition and 30% training, but the fact of the matter is that it really isn’t that way.
If you want to perform optimally, you have to give 100% to both training and nutrition, otherwise, results would be suboptimal.
As you should know, humans are living beings that require a certain amount of energy daily, to sustain mental, non-exercise and exercise activities.
And so, this is the first aspect one should focus on and prioritize, in order to improve their athletic output.
Without further ado, let us briefly explain the 3 macronutrients which food contains, what functions they have and how we can use them for the goals of getting bigger, stronger and better.
Protein
Protein is the first and most important nutrient in your menu, as practically your entire body (and especially the muscles) contains different proteins.
When you train heavily, you break down muscle protein (MPB – Muscle protein breakdown), and then naturally, you go through a period of recovery (MPS – Muscle protein synthesis).
Optimal muscle growth and performance occurs when the rate of MPS is greater than the rate of MPB.
In order for this to happen, you must consume adequate amounts of protein every day.
And while the body does not directly use protein for energy (for the most part), it grants you recovery of the muscles, which inevitably improves performance. (Ever trained really sore?)
Generally, we recommend deriving your proteins primarily from animal foods, as they have a complete amino acid profile.
In simple words, animal products give you essential proteins, which the body cannot produce on its own. (Read THIS article to learn more about the biological value of proteins)
Optimal protein intake forms at 0.8-1g of protein per lb. of bodyweight, depending on your training experience. (I.E- Someone with more muscle mass would be on the upper range of the spectrum).
Fats
The second most important nutrient in your daily menu is fat, otherwise known as “Fatty acids”.
Fatty acids support the absorption of nutrients, thermal regulation and last but not least, they play a massive role in endocrine function.
Endocrine function is essentially your body’s ability to secrete hormones.
In males specifically, we are talking about the “strength hormone” testosterone.
Insufficient amounts of daily fatty acids have been shown to decrease testosterone levels.
Following the logic, you can conclude that this would lead to unpleasant side effects, such as low energy levels, low libido, poor recovery, etc, etc.
To put it simply – Consuming sufficient amounts of fat is a great pre-workout for early gym goers.
Optimal fat intake forms at 0.35-0.45g per lb. of bodyweight.
Carbohydrates
Last but not least, we have carbohydrates, which often tend to be demonized and looked bad upon.
However, you need to understand that the body simply uses carbohydrates to meet most of its energy needs.
During intense training, the body uses its main energy molecules – Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) & Creatine phosphate (CP).
Nevertheless, ATP & CP storages are relatively limited, so after about 15 seconds of intense muscular activity, the body needs to somehow regenerate ATP.
This is where carbs come into play. They’re one of the best pre-workout supplements for early gym goers.
The final product of carbohydrate metabolism is blood glucose, which gets used for a variety of functions in the body.
If any blood glucose is not used, it is stored in the muscles and the liver in the form of “Glycogen”.
That exact glycogen is what the body uses to regenerate ATP and grant energy for continued muscular activity.
Studies have shown that consuming fewer carbs is simply suboptimal when the goal is optimal athletic performance.
Optimal carbohydrate intake forms at 2-3.5g per lb. of bodyweight
Water intake
Alright, you now know that a good balance of protein, carbs and fats, is essential to your athletic nutritional setup.
However, not everything is calories…
As a matter of fact, water is one of, if not the most important part of your nutrition plan.
That is simply because more than 70% of your body is practically water!
The water balance in the body is of prime importance for thermal regulation, metabolic rate, transport of nutrients and even the excretion of toxins.
Water & Athletic performance
When you are training, your muscles are contracting and thus, producing heat.
Needless to say, the more intensively you are training, the more heat you produce.
The body’s primary cooling mechanism is namely sweating, but also breathing, which evaporates a fair bit of water.
In other words, you lose quite some water during your intense training sessions in the gym.
If you have EVER felt dizzy, tired or had a headache in the hours after a training session, odds are that dehydration is one of the main factors.
Dehydration may decrease the body’s ability to cool down and carry oxygen to the cells, which inevitably leads to premature exhaustion and suboptimal athletic performance.
In simple words – If you want to perform to the best extent possible, do get hydrated.
Daily water intake varies from person to person as we all have different activity levels but generally, you should consume 2 litres a day as a bare minimum. Avoid reaching the state of thirst as this is the first sign of dehydration.
Best Pre-workout Supplements For Early Gym Goers
So far, you learned that nutrition & water balance are the two primary components of a successful plan.
Once you have your nutrition and training plan all setup, it is time to one-up on it and add supplements.
There are a wide variety of pre-workout products, which one can use to maximize training performance, across all variables.
Generally, pre-workout supplements are stimulant-based products that usually come in powdered form and are mixed with water.
Pre-workouts are used to enhance athletic performance across all physical properties:
- Energy
- Strength
- Endurance
- Focus
- Pumps
- Power
Pros & Cons of Pre-workouts
There are a wide variety of pre-workout supplements which different brands offer and this is exactly why there are certain advantages and disadvantages to each product.
The most important thing is to pick a product that has adequate doses of ingredients.
This balance across the ingredient profile, will give you a potent boost that won’t lead to a crash afterwards.
Advantages
As an athlete/gym-goer, you should know that increasing athletic output across the 6 variables we listed above, is the biggest advantage of pre-workout supplements.
Think about it – The main training principle that pretty much every athlete utilizes, is “Progressive overload”.
This principle implies that you have to progressively increase the demand upon the musculature.
A proper pre-workout supplement will help you bash through your plateaus and realize this exact training principle.
And while pre-workouts do not directly stimulate muscle protein synthesis, the increased output will inevitably create a stimulus for better gains.
Disadvantages
While there are amazing advantages to pre-workouts, there are also certain side effects that may occur if the product is of low quality.
Since most pre-workouts are stimulant based and activate the central nervous system to a higher extent, there is a chance that you may experience:
- Post-workout energy crash
- Headaches
- Irregular heartbeat
- Bellyache
- Insomnia
- Dehydration
If however, the matrix of the formula has balance between the amounts and types of ingredients, you won’t experience any side effects.
Top Pre-Workout For Early Gym Goers
After having done a lot of research and real-life testing with various brands and pre-workouts, we have come to the single, best pre-workout which offers amazing benefits, with NO side effects.
This product is namely “PreFierce” by the company “TruFierce”, which offers an abundance of effective supplements.
Again, TrueFierce uses ONLY scientifically proven active ingredients, in proper amounts which have been shown to generate results.
The ten-ingredient formula of PreFierce aims to maximize athletic output across all variables, which makes it the best pre-workout for early gym goers and beginners.
That includes:
- Increased nitric oxide production
- Energy & Strength
- Pumps & Focus
- Inhibiting lactic acid
Each ingredient of this pre-workout is included in powerful, yet max-dosed amounts. which are medically proven to be safe.
We’re talking about 7g of citrulline malate, 3.5g of beta alanine, 2.5g of betaine anhydrous, 500 mg of Acetyl L-carnitine, 250 mg of caffeine anhydrous, 250 mg of L-theanine, 60 mg of L-norvaline and 10 mg of black pepper extract.
To top all of this off, PreFierce contains some unique ingredients such as coconut water for electrolyte replenishment and VASO6 green tea, which grants more intense pumps.
There are other pre-workout supplements out there, but nothing comes close to PreFierce’s unique, max-dosed formula.
You can find this pre-workout product by going to THIS page.
Conclusion
Optimizing and maximizing athletic output is a matter of finding the balance between nutrition, hydration, recovery times and supplementation.
Give the body enough protein, fats, carbs, and water and top that off with the best pre-workout for early gym goers and you are on a highway to gains.
Ultimately, don’t rely on one single thing but rather, look for balance across all aspects of your training and nutrition plan.