The tough thing about posting on Thursday’s, is we have an ace team of TRI bloggers that think of awesome topics! Music and solid headphones to listen to are most definitely a requirement for a solid workout. Unless you want to be the goon in the gym playing his/her iPhone on loud through the speakers for everyone to hear…
Like Josh, I long for the 2 hour workout/hangout sessions back in college at the TAMU Rec center. Now almost 90% of my workouts occur after 8:30pm. This means I need to have enough gas in the tank at the end of the day to accomplish my workout and stay on track. When half the nights the bed looks more attractive than putting on my tennis shoes, I reach for my pre-workout supplement.
I have been using pre-workout supplements as needed since my senior year of high school, and have not looked back. Here are a few reasons why pre-workout supplementation is my relevant fitness accessory.
Quick & Sustained Energy: I experience a notable increase in mental focus and intensity during my workouts. The active ingredients in a pre-workout supplement increase energy to reach new PR’s.
This is caused by active ingredients such as: Caffeine, green tea extract, L-tyrosine, taurine, panax ginseng, and even a little DMAA if you want to get crazy..
Strength: With use over time, due to the sustained intensity, strength increases in parallel. Active ingredients have been clinically proven to increase strength in test subjects (been testing this for years).
Active ingredients: Beta alanine, creatine, L-citrulline
Pump: Whether you are Arnold or Abhishek, every guy is looking to get his pump on at the gym. In addition to enjoying a temporary gain in muscle size, the continuous pushing of blood and nutrients into the muscle cells will facilitate growth over time.
Active ingredients: L-citrulline, Arginine, Glycerol Polymers, L-Carnosine.
While most do not share as passionate view of “ze pump” as the great Austrian Oak, Arnold Schwarzenegger. If you have not seen this, you will get your laugh of the day.
My top 5 ranked pre-workout products:
- Animal Rage- Universal Nutrition
- NO-Shotgun- VPX Nutrition
- NO-XPLODE – BSN
- JACK3D- UPS Labs
- Muscle Marinade- Purus Labs
It is important to note, that these products are effective for all the above reasons but a tolerance will be built up. To prevent your body from becoming dependent, taking periods off from these products is critical to letting your body regain sensitivity.
Stay healthy, stay relevant!
Matt Keenan
