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If you are feeling confused because of the many sachets, drinks, and bars in your gym and favourite supplement store, you are not alone. It may be confusing which one to pick with an untrained eye. But fret not, because we’ve got you covered as we will dive in deep to know the difference between your Pre versus Post Workout Supplements.
Table of Contents
What are Supplements
To help you understand what supplements are, let’s define them first. Simply put, these are taken to fill nutrient gaps, enhance performance, or help in your post-workout recovery. However, do take note that these health supplements will not make you healthy instantly. You still need to eat clean and exercise if you want to see your body goals come to fruition. This is considered your health foundation. Once you’ve got that down pat, you can use supplements to enhance your health further.
Pre Workout Options
These supplements are designed to give you a much-needed energy boost so you can perform your workouts well. Taking them on days, you are feeling sluggish and lazy will help give you that motivational kick. You can drink or eat a pre-workout bar 30 minutes to an hour before hitting the gym so your body can properly digest them. When you take these drinks or bars before your session, you can maximize your time and effort in the gym. Though different brands have varying formulations, most of them come with a blend of the protein called creatine, caffeine, beta-alanine, and amino acids.
Caffeine will stimulate your central nervous system, giving you a perkier outlook, focused mind, and boosting physical performance. Creatine helps with protein synthesis, paving the way for lean muscle production. Amino acids will help maintain fat burning, while beta-alanine will improve the lactic acid buffering in your muscles, giving you more endurance and reducing muscle soreness. If you want energy to sustain your intense session and prevent glycogen depletion, taking this before exercise will really optimize your performance.
Post Workout Treats
While pre-workout supplements give you the much-needed energy to sustain long, hard workouts, Post Workout Supplements are designed to help your muscles recover. They can also help you build muscles so you can see that ab definition and toned cuts you are craving to see. Remember, in order to grow muscles, and you need to break them down and work them hard to stimulate production. If you take a post-workout treat, you will be able to do just that because of this supplement aid in the recovery process. With your supplements, you can continue your intense training session, even if your body is busy repairing and rebuilding muscles.
Most of these post-workout bars and shakes contain glutamine, amino acids, and casein protein which are the essential ingredients in muscle synthesis and recovery. There are different kinds of formulations, so pay attention to details and ingredients. Glutamine is best taken after your exercise routine or before going to bed. Amino acids can be taken during your workout, as your hydration or snack pick-me-up, or immediately after a workout. Casein-rich supplement is ideally taken at night because it takes 8 hours to digest. You can also try whey protein, which digests faster, but do note that it doesn’t keep you full as long.
How to Know Which Supplement to Take
How do you assess which type of supplement is right for you? This depends on your fitness goals and proscribed exercise regiment. Those who do intense cardio for weight loss will benefit more from pre-workout supplements. If your goal is to grow and build muscles, then a post-workout protein shake or snack bar is better. Don’t forget to research before taking anything. Speak to your trainer or nutritionist so you can take supplements without worries.
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