By Russ Howe
If you are reading any magazine which claims to teach you how to build muscle, you could be forgiven for groaning every time you turn the page to be met with an advert for a pre-workout supplement claiming to be the difference between success and failure in the gym. In today's article we are going to show you how effective, or ineffective, these products can actually be.
If muscle building magazines are to be believed, then it's hard to get any results in the gym unless you are packing the latest in pre-workout stimulants. Of course, this is more marketing hype than actual fact.
While the last three decades has seen countless improvements in our knowledge of fitness and nutrition, the basic rules of building a leaner, more powerful physique have remained largely untouched.
It is very, very easy to get lost in the world of bodybuilding supplements and so many fitness enthusiasts get caught up in the craze of buying the latest powders and shakes to enhance their results, but so few see returns to warrant the massive expenditure they are making.
The first step to understanding a particular supplement is to look at the main job it has.
Despite all of the scientific claims and references you might see on the flashy packaging, the actual job of a pre-workout supplement is really simple. It's there to get your body pumped up before you hit the weights.
The hardest part, of course, is being able to tell which one is the best for you.
If you just go off the marketing claims and slogans you'll literally waste a ton of money trying every product on the market. The first thing you should check if you want any factual information is the nutritional information for the product in question.
Ingredients usually contain substances like caffeine and nitric oxide boosters, otherwise known as N.O. boosters, which basically give your body a rush of energy. Will it make you lift heavier than you could before? No, you'll simply have a considerable amount of energy for about an hour, it's up to you to use that energy correctly.
One reason there is so much hype surrounding this type of supplement is that the market can become a little bit 'hit and miss' for most gym users. What works for one individual won't necessarily work for another, because you probably have your own tolerance level to most of the ingredients in them, like caffeine, through your daily diet. This is often why people switch between different products every month in a bid to find one which continuously works for them.
Ever since the discovery of creatine supplements back in the very early nineties, the bodybuilding world has seen thousands of new supplements hit the market with bigger and bolder claims. If you are trying to figure out how to build muscle in the gym and were considering using a pre-workout stimulant you will now be able to see past the hype.
About the Author:
Writer: Russ Howe PTI is a trusted personal trainer. See how to build muscle with our free video guide showing the five principles to a more muscular body and creatine.