Benefits of Caffeine-Free Pre-Workout Supplements
Isn’t our generation relying on coffee as the prime source of caffeine to kickstart the day? Almost all of our minds are now wired with the tendency to drink the first cup of coffee first thing first in the morning.
Funnily enough this generation blames the morning without coffee for a bad day. Likewise, most people opt for caffeine just before their workouts for more energised time of physical activities.
However, what exactly is a caffeine and how far is it really good for our health? Caffeine is a natural stimulant which means it naturally increases the nervous and psychological activities of the body. However, study has been reported that too much of caffeine can do more harm than good.
Therefore, we are here to give you a smart alternative and that is of course, caffeine-free supplements for the body which can boost your workout. Let us learn all about caffeine-free pre-workout supplements.
With that being said, the intake of anything without moderation can do more harm than good whether it is caffeine or caffeine-free.
What is Caffeine-Free Pre-Workout Supplement?
Whether you are a gym rat or someone who does light exercises at home or gym, you must have heard of pre-workout supplements and if you have not then, pre-workout supplements are scientifically tested multi-designed ingredients with dietary formulas to enhance your physical performance.
Usually, caffeine is one common ingredient added in the formula, however caffeine-free supplements are ones without added caffeine in hopes of better long-term effect. These supplements are usually in powdered form taken by mixing with water.
The ingredients you should be looking in your pre-workout supplements are creatine, beta alanine, BCAA (branched chained amino acid), and nitric acid. These are some of the key ingredients you should mindfully seek for while buying a pre-workout that are caffeine-free.
Does Caffeine-Free pre-workout still give you energy?
For some people getting through the workout doesn’t come naturally like others. Along with adapting to better lifestyle like hydrate, sleep and balanced diet for energy, a good choice of pre-workout supplements is also a good addition to the lifestyle.
And this is when we say that preferably, caffeine-free ones are the best pick for pre-workout supplements.
Physical exercise is not just our physical effort, our mind plays a major part in it too. So, when we take pre-workout supplements before our workout, in our mind we already anticipate that we will be energised and that enhances our energy to the fullest thus, resulting a good workout. So yes, pre-workout supplements give us energy.
How long does caffeine-free pre-workout supplements take to kick in?
Talking about the working of the pre-workout supplements or the “kick-in” time of these supplements, the non-stimulant ones or the ones without caffeine take much lesser time to kick-in before the physical exercise as they take lesser time to break down.
Caffeine ones take about a good 15-30 minutes to breakdown and kick in, therefore the caffeine-free ones take around 5 minutes lesser.
Caffeine-free pre-workout supplements are easier to kick in but it is best advised to take it 30 minutes before your workout session.
How late is too late for pre-workout?
As discussed earlier, 30 minutes before any workout is the set time to take any pre-workout supplements because the 30 minutes time frame is more than enough for the ingredients to break down and kick into our system.
Everybody’s reaction to pre-workout supplements varies meaning for some people the kick in of the supplement is quite immediate and the energy boost is fast and on the other hand for some the kick in of energy is slower.
So, knowing when is the desirable time is also very important while taking the pre-workout supplements.
Also, remember that the pre-workout supplements last in our body for at least 2-3 hours after consumption. Therefore, mark the time well before your workout and consuming the pre-workout supplement always.
So, if you take your pre-workout supplement too early then you will lose your energy in between your workout and exercises. And also, if you take it late then you might have some trouble during your rest time or bedtime.
By keeping track of the breakdown time of the supplement and your work out time, make it a point not to take the pre-workout supplement after 7 p.m. as it is really too late for pre-workout consumption.
Are pre-workouts worth it?
Yes, as discussed earlier, work out or any type of physical exercise isn’t just physical. Taking pre-workout supplement boosts our mind before it does our physical body. Therefore, for factors such as this, pre-workout supplements are worth it.
However, make sure to know the downsides of any supplement before you consume it. Look for the ingredients used and see if your body reacts well to all the ingredients used as they will be fuels used for boosting your energy.
Take in moderation and if it works well for you without any complication while working out and during your down time then there is no reason to stop taking pre-workout supplements either.
However, know the kinds of ingredients to avoid and the kinds of ingredients to look for. Some of the things to avoid in pre-workout supplements are artificial sweeteners, excess caffeine, sugar alcohols. These ingredients can lead to adverse effects to your whole-body functioning.
Caffeine-free pre-workout supplements contain healthier and better ingredients therefore, it is a safe and wise choice as a pre-workout supplement. One thing to also remember is that, for runners and trekkers, caffeine-free supplements work best for long duration physical exercises.
But, at the end of the day, testing and seeing what works best for your body is completely on you. Make sure to keep in mind to look for healthier ingredients, and also keep track of when to take your caffeine-free pre-workout supplement and in balanced amount is the right way to go.
The best result will be when you cultivate eating balanced diet, sleep for sufficient amount of time, drink and hydrate your body and incorporate a good and healthy caffeine-free supplement as your pre-workout energy boost.