How Long Does The Pre-Workout Last? Everything you need to know!

Nowadays, you can find supplements for everything. Any nutrients missing from the body? Here is the supplement. Do you need extra energy? Here is the supplement. That’s how time has evolved. In this era, pre-workout supplements are highly regarded and consumed by almost every fitness enthusiast. Pre-workouts are known to provide immense energy bursts when consumed right before the workout. It gets easy with supplements to perform your favorite yet challenging exercises. But how long do they keep providing this energy pump? How long does the consumed pre-workout last in your body? This article will answer your thoughts.

What is a pre-workout?

The dietary supplements are produced to enhance the workout regime by providing immense energy, focus and performance booster. They include multiple ingredients and are usually consumed by mixing in water. As the name suggests, they are consumed right before starting your workout.

Variety of pre-workout supplements are out there in the market with beneficial ingredients like creatine, citrulline, isoleucine, beta-alanine, L-taurine, L-leucine, caffeine and valine; which are known to boost athletic and workout performance.

So, How long does pre-workout last?

The pre-workout has to last in our body to provide a continuous energy boost for our workout routine. It depends on a number of varying factors, some of which are as follows.

• Your weight, muscle mass, age and gender
• The quality of pre-workout supplement
• Your daily diet routine
• Your level of tolerance toward caffeine
• Your level of fatigue during workout

In an ideal situation, pre-workouts start kicking in right after 20-30 minutes of consumption. The other ingredients of pre-workout stay up to 3-4 hours, which is enough time to complete your high intensity workout routine. If we breakdown the ingredients of pre-workout on the basis of time they stay in our system, we will see that:

• Creatine: The highly regarded ingredient, which lasts for an hour or two.
• Caffeine: A most common ingredient, and it can stay put in our system for as long as 3 hours. It might not provide continuous stimulation for more than an hour, but it does stay in the system.
• Beta-Alanine: It lasts around 45-60 minutes in your system, and boosts up your energy meanwhile.
• Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA): It is expected to last around 1 to 1.5 hours in your system.
• L-Carnitine: Our body is a natural producer of this component as well. So, it gets hard to estimate exactly the time it lasts. But studies suggest that it might last for half an hour.
• Arginine: It is one of the most important ingredients in the pre workout and usually lasts between an hour or two.

Benefits of pre-workout

The benefits these pre-workouts offer makes everyone consume this right before their workout. These benefits suggest that pre-workout:

• Boost the energy
• Improve the focus
• Increased muscle growth
• Improved athletic performance

Possible side effects

Anything other than natural foods always has some possible side effects, which can cause you health problems. Here are a few side effects that you should keep in mind before consuming pre-workout.

• Might cause caffeine and niacin toxicity
• Beta-alanine causes tingling and itchiness on skin
• Might feel anxious or restless
• Might experience stomach discomfort
• Might get trouble sleeping

Safety tips

Following these safety tips will make your pre-workout intake routine much better and safer.

• Take it 30-40 minutes before the workout
• Read the label and make yourself familiar with the ingredients. If you’re allergic to any ingredient, try choosing another pre-workout
• Do not use pre-workout in excess
• Always buy from known and reputable brand
• Do not purchase already blended pre-workouts
• Try avoiding combining pre-workout with coffee

Conclusion

Pre-workouts are a great source of energy for your intense workout routines. They usually last between 3 to 4 hours, which gives you an enough window to get your fitness business done. However, munching on pre-workout every time before your exercise is not the way. Try building your energy from the whole foods which will keep you safe from the possible side effects of pre-workout.