What's In Your Pre-Workout

There are many new pre-workouts, energy boosters and fat burners on the market for females looking for that extra ‘oomph’ to help get through their training and torch those extra calories.
These products promise to support converting fat into energy, improving endurance and promoting healthy body composition.
How do you know which one is the right fit for you?
There are a few active ingredients that are being used in these popular products that help attribute to the promises of energy boost and fat loss.  They are; CarnoSyn® beta-alanine, Advantra Z™ (Citrus Aurantium)(Unripen Fruit Extract), Choline Bitartrate and Huperzine A 1% (Huperzia Serrata).

CarnoSyn® beta-alanine

This supplement is designed to assist with muscle endurance and muscle fatigue.  It is know that increased muscle carnosine levels provide athletes with improved performance.  Initially, athletes attempted to ingest carnosine but this was not effective as it broke down very quickly in the body and therefore provided limited benefits.  It was later discovered that ingested beta-alanine combined with naturally occurring histidine in the body to form muscle carnosine.  Both, histidine and beta-alanine are naturally occurring and can be supplemented through food sources.  However, the average diet does not provide enough beta-alanine to improve athletic performance.  This is the limiting factor.
Beta-alanine and the amino acid histidine join through a peptide bond to form carnosine in the muscle.  Carnosine acts as a buffering agent of hydronium ions that are the culprit in fatiguing your muscles and ultimately leading to muscle failure.  Therefore, increased carnosine means that our muscles can work for longer periods of time without tiring.

Patented CarnoSyn® beta-alanine has been studied and shown effective results in over 20 scientific papers.  It has been studied on sprinters, cyclists, rowers and weight lifters.  It has been clinically proven to increase muscle carnosine for prolonged periods, increase muscle buffering capacity, decrease acidosis, improve endurance, delay fatigue, increase strength and speed recovery from intense exercise.  In one study on athletic performance, supplementation of beta-alanine with CarnoSyn® increased muscle carnosine of 80% after 10 weeks of supplementation.

Advantra Z™ (Citrus Aurantium)(Unripen Fruit Extract)

Advantra Z™ (Citrus Aurantium)(Unripen Fruit Extract) is also known as bitter orange extract.  This ingredient is used in weight management products as a thermogenic agent.  It is also know to enhance stamina.  This ingredient is derived from immature (green) fruits of Deville orange.  The clinical studies conducted so far have shown no adverse or unfavorable effects.  They have also demonstrated that supplementing with bitter orange extract for up to 12 weeks may result in modest weight loss by increasing resting metabolic rate.

Choline Bitartrate

Another ingredient found in these products is Choline Bitartrate.  Choline is naturally found in egg yolks, organ meats, spinach, cauliflower, wheat germ and nuts.  It is used by our nerve cells to make acetylcholine.  Acetylcholine allows nerve cells to communicate with one another.  Without acetylcholine, your muscles would not move.  Naturally occurring choline in our bodies is sufficient for everyday activities.  When engaging in endurance activities though, is when concentrations can drop drastically.  However studies show that you will only benefit from choline if you plan to exercise continuously for 2 hours or more.  There are also some unfavorable side effects associated with such as diarrhea and flatulence. 

Huperzine A 1% (Huperzia Serrata)

Huperzine A 1% (Huperzia Serrata) is a substance purified from a plant called Chinese club moss.  It is used in treatment of Alzheimer’s disease and memory and learning enhancements.  It is also used to increase muscle alertness and energy and protect against agents that damage nerve cells.  It also works by increasing Acteylcholine in the body.  It can have some unfavorable side effects though if used for 3 or more months.  These include nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, and sweating to name a few.
All in all, these ingredients seem to live up to the potential of increased muscle endurance and increased resting metabolic rate.  There are clinical studies available on each although they have not all been studied extensively or for prolonged periods.  There are some unfavorable side effects to contemplate with a few of the ingredients as well. 

When considering a new supplement, make sure that you do your homework and listen to your body.

Happy Training!

For more informaton about the Good, Bad, and Ugly side of pre workout products, check out this article by the Supplement Godfather!