If you are to believe the hype, which supplements want you to do of course, then you'll expect to be able to see life changing results within a week. Naturally, things don't work out that way.
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.
There is a big risk of getting lost when it comes to supplements. Every product claims to yield life changing results, or to be the best in it's class. This often leads most people down a path of trying every product and hoping for the best.
When you take a look at the actual job of a pre-workout supplement, some of that hype clears instantly.
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.
With every product claiming to be the best, what do you need to look for to find out the truth?
The basic rule of marketing is that every company believes in their own product. As a result, every company is going to hype up their latest product by labeling it as the best in it's niche. As a consumer this can lead to confusion. The ingredients will tell you just how effective it actually is.
Pre-workout supplements usually contain a big serving of N.O. boosters or caffeine, designed to ramp up your energy levels immediately before you hit the gym. The products often claim that they will increase your ability to experience muscular hypertrophy but in reality they do this indirectly. By increasing your energy, they are hoping you will be able to lift heavier weights or train with more intensity than usual, therefore increasing hypertrophy as a result. You're still doing the work, it is not a miracle pill.
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.
While it is nice to boost your energy before any strenuous physical activity, there is a massive over-importance placed on the shoulders of pre-workout stimulants in today's society. If you desire to learn how to build muscle you can definitely succeed without spending your hard earned cash on a caffeine supplement, despite the big claims it might make to you.
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