Nothing rivals that feeling you get as you approach the bar whilst you’re jacked from your pre workout. In the battle between you and the iron there’s only going to be one winner.
You rub your hands, chalk goes everywhere. You grip it and rip it. And it’s another PR to add to your list.
You’re on fire.
But what if you want to use your pre workout to improve not only your gym sessions but your work productivity. Can you do that? Is it safe?
In this article we take a look…
- What is a pre workout?
- What are the benefits of these supplements?
- Can you use a pre workout for work?
What Is a Pre Workout?
As the name suggests, pre workouts (PWs) are supplements that you take before a gym or sports session.
They are designed to help you get the best from your training by enhancing key mechanisms responsible for regulating the release and uptake of energy in the body.
A good pre workout helps to push the boundaries of what you’re capable of, smash your limits and achieve your goals and targets both quicker and more efficiently.
Whilst you can get single-ingredient pre workout supplements, they are often found as a mix of different nutrients to hit your body from different angles.
What are the benefits of a pre workout?
PW supplements are designed to enhance exercise performance – life more weight, run faster, train harder. They do this by targeting a number of important physiological pathways.
Nervous system stimulation – ingredients such as caffeine stimulate the nervous system and inhibit adenosine receptors leading more adrenaline release, a faster heart rate and better athletic performance.
Increased blood flow – compounds such as citrulline malate boost muscle pumps by converting to L-arginine in your kidneys. This in turn triggers the release of nitric oxide from the walls of your blood vessels. More blood to the muscles means more cells swelling.
Increased strength and more energy – A good pre workout increases your production of adenosine triphosphate (ATP). This helps you to supply your cells with immediate energy at high intensities. It also increases the time you can train hard before fatigue kicks in too.
Alertness and focus – there’s no point in having tons of energy if you can’t channel it into your workout. Ingredients such as L-theanine help to increase levels of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in the brain, helping to keep you calm, alert and focused.
Can You Take Pre Workout Before Work?
Because pre workouts are made to enhance athletic performance, you might be wondering whether or not it’s safe to use it for other purposes too.
Here’s what you need to consider…
Have you got a labor-intensive job?
What’s a labor-intensive job?
If your job role involves heavy lifting, regular bursts of energy, you’re on your feet a lot or you do lots of walking then you’re involved in a labor-intensive industry.
So if you work in landscaping, construction, retail, food service or agriculture for example then you’ve got a pretty tough working role – it’s like working out, but your’e getting paid, right?
If you’re physically active for long periods of time, lifting heavy all day or just have a generally strenuous kind of occupation then a pre workout might help.
The extra energy will have you digging out those foundations, delivering that tracked package or trimming those trees in no time. Hell, you might even set a world record for the most fence panels painted in a day!
And who know, maybe better productivity will lead to a pay rise from the bosses?
You’ve got a long shift at work
If you’ve got a long one ahead of you and you know you’ll be on your feet for long periods at a time then a pre workout may help you stay on track.
Even if you’ve not got a physically demanding job but you need to be ‘switched on’ for long periods of time then a pre workout might help you to stay focused and alert.
You can either take it before your shift or during as you start to flag and feel low on energy.
You need to study
Some people might find that the stimulation and cognitive boost from a pre workout helps with tuning into exam revision, coursework or assignment writing.
L-theanine has been shown to boost memory recall – both from visual and visuospatial stimuli. It improves brain function and helps to keep your attention dialed in too.
Taking time off your pre workout isn’t a bad thing though
Like with many supplements, your body can become accustomed to pre workouts if you use them all of the time.
So whilst your PW can offer you a good ‘pick-me-up’ at work, it’s not something you want to do everyday, only because after a while you’ll feel less sensitive to its potent effects.
We recommend cycling 4 Gauge by taking a week off every 6-8 weeks to allow your body to become sensitive to its effect again.
It gives your body a break from it so when you begin taking it again you feel the effects more. So called hyposensitivity is when you’re taking your pre workout so frequently that you just don’t feel the effects any more.
Summary
Pre workout supplements give your body a physical and cognitive boost that ramps up your performance – they’re a must-have supplement for tough gym sessions.
If you’ve got a labor-intensive job, you’re on your feet for long periods of time or you need a mental boost to help you concentrate then pre workouts can definitely be used to help you at work.
The extra energy can help with productivity and the cognitive enhancers can help with focus, alertness and memory too.
4 Gauge is an exhaustively researched, all-natural pre workout designed to rip the lid off your gym sessions, sports games or workouts.
Packed with performance-enhancing nutrients such as caffeine, L-theanine and creatine, 4 Gauge will take your training to a completely new level.
- Smash your workouts – feel your nervous system firing on all cylinders
- Cell-splitting muscle pumps – harness the power of vasodilation and deliver more nutrients to your muscle cells
- Determination like never before – feel unparalleled focus and motivation
- Relentless energy – train for longer without fatigue
