Should I use pre-workout supplements like Jack3d? I’ve heard they really give you pump and stuff.
Probably not.
Full disclosure: PWOs (mostly pre-workout supplements) generally work. Pre-workout supplements are usually chock full of caffeine and other energy-giving stuff, essentially meaning that they will give you more energy to lift in the long run. This is why you see a lot of new weight lifters using stuff like N.O.-Xplode and running around like hyper rabbits — they’re basically the weight lifting equivalent of hyperactive children on a mix of caffeine and sugar.
The problem with PWOs is twofold: one, they are ridiculously expensive, and two, you will get hooked for no reason. PWOs tend to be ridiculously expensive — we’re talking up to $40 for a small tub that you can easily burn through in a month. This is way too much money for what you’re getting, especially when a couple month’s worth of caffeine pills cost much less than that. PWOs are also addictive — because they jack up your energy in huge bursts, you tend to crash hard, and your body tends to take the yo-yo-ing effect poorly. Of course, this means you become somewhat hooked on the PWO to keep your energy high as much as possible, and you end up paying out the ass for more of it.
Long story short? If you need more energy before a workout, you need to sleep more and possibly drink some coffee or take caffeine pills. Leave PWOs to those who have money to burn.
Tags: Exercise, post-workout supplement, pre-workout supplement, PWO, weight lifting
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I have been taking PWO’s for about 6 years now, and most of them always work. The problem is that build an immunity to most of them. The only two I haven’t built an immunity to are BSN’s NO Explode and Gamma Labs PTF. Both of those PWO’s work amazing. The NO explode gives me more energy than the Gamma, but the Gamma Labs’ PWO I never ever crashed with, I think mainly because of the anti-oxidants it has in it which is essentially a huge benefit as well.
As for the price, I completely disagree with this post. How much does a redbull cost? Like $2.50 on average? Both BSN and Gamma Labs both cost about $35.00 …BSN’s has 50 servings, and Gamma Labs has 40 servings…ultimately BSN cost about 70 cents per serving and Gamma Labs cost about 87 cents per serving. Sound a like a good deal to me. Coffee cost about a dollar something a cup. So PWO’s are definitely a great source of energy. I have amazing workouts and they last so much longer than a coffee would.
Also, coffee is just caffeine. Caffeine is only ONE ingredient in a PWO, the energy component. You obviously do not know the primary purpose of a PWO, which is to increase your body’s natural nitric oxide production AND to increase the blood flow to your muscles. The more blood flow and increased oxygen your muscle gets, the better pump you will have and the stronger you will be. You people need to do your homework before you post such a biased article lol.