In recent years, multi-ingredient pre-workout supplements have become very popular within the fitness industry. They contain a range of ingredients, including amino acids, caffeine, and creatine, to provide benefits like performance enhancement and faster recovery times.
In fact, multiple studies have concurred that the use of commercially-available pre-workout supplements can serve as a promising ergogenic aid for athletes and physically active individuals.
Nowadays, however, pre-workout powders have become so popular that they are being consumed even by people who do not exercise regularly or at all.
In such a situation, an important question arises – is taking pre-workout without working out beneficial and harmless?
Let’s find out.
Can You Take Pre-Workouts Without Working Out?
Yes, drinking pre-workout without working out can be acceptable if you take it in moderation and not on a regular basis. The recommended method is to adjust your dosages based on the formula and composition of the supplement that you are taking.
In most cases, the most adverse side effects associated with regular consumption of pre-workouts are caused due to the presence of various stimulants in the supplement. Some of these complications include the risk of insomnia, increased heart rate, and nausea.
As such, regular consumption of pre-workout supplements with high amounts of stimulants should be avoided. The most common stimulant you’ll find in such powders is caffeine anhydrous.
Apart from that, you should stay away from others like Yohimbe, Synephrine, Theacrine, Methylliberine, Caffeine Citrate, Dicaffeine Malate, DMAA, and DMHA.
So, the best option for people who consume pre-workouts without exercising is to look for commercially-available alternatives that don’t contain stimulants, or at least don’t contain a lot of them.
You mostly won’t be able to avoid caffeine in your supplement. So, you should take it in moderation.
According to the United States Food and Drug Administration, daily consumption of caffeine up to 400 milligrams can be safe. Beyond that, you will risk triggering some problematic effects.
The half-life of caffeine is 5 hours. So, it’s also not advisable to consume pre-workout during your bedtime. A study reported that consuming high amounts of caffeine 6 hours before sleeping can reduce your daily sleep time by 60 minutes.
Like caffeine, another popular pre-workout ingredient called Huperzine A is used for increasing focus. But its half-life of 20-24 hours can be problematic as regular consumption can lead to headaches, brain fog, and other side effects.
Lastly, regular consumption of pre-workouts without exercising can make you dependent on the above-mentioned compounds for day-to-day activities. Your body will keep adapting to regular exposure to such supplements.
The more you use them, the more you will require the next time to feel their effects. At one juncture, your only choices would be to either increase the dosage and fall prey to the addiction or crash altogether and give your body some time to recover.
In any case, either of the choices is far from healthy. So, taking pre-workouts without exercising is acceptable, only if you take it in moderation and make sure that you have the right kind of tolerance levels for it.
What Happens if You Take Pre-Workouts and Don’t Work Out?
According to research, the presence of ingredients like creatine monohydrate in pre-workouts leads to improvements in an individual’s intelligence, memory, and reasoning abilities while also reducing mental fatigue.
Based on these benefits, many people started weighing the option of taking these supplements outside of training for other aspects of life.
But is taking pre-workout and not working out really safe? The more accurate answer mostly depends on the type of supplement that you are taking as well as its composition.
But generally, you can expect the following outcomes:
Energy Boost
Stimulant-based pre-workouts are shown to provide more energy to the drinker, making them more productive throughout the day.
But overconsumption without any physical activity can also lead to constant jitters and jumpiness.
To avoid these side effects, it’s best to go for low to moderate stimulant-based pre-workouts with the presence of some nootropic elements.
Increased Mental Focus and Alertness
Drinking stimulant-based pre-workouts can also be used for boosting focus, alertness, and productivity before a challenging task.
Again, overconsumption should not take place under any circumstances.
Excess Agitation
When it is complemented with a tough workout session, supplement consumption can benefit you a lot by giving you the extra energy that can be expended at the gym/
But if you are not working out, much of that energy will be unused.
As such, you can expect to feel restless and agitated while finding it difficult to stay still. This mostly happens when you take a larger dosage of the supplement than the recommended limit.
Increased Caffeine Tolerance
According to research, regular consumption of caffeine-centric pre-workouts may lead to your body building up tolerance against it. As such, you will require larger doses of caffeine to feel its effect.
As pre-workouts usually have caffeine equivalent to 2-3 cups of coffee, your body will be quick to build up a tolerance to it if consumed regularly without exercising.
Frequent Trips to the Toilet
Many studies have reported that caffeine can actually stimulate contractions in an individual’s intestinal muscles and the colon.
This will undoubtedly allow your body to push the contents within the colon towards the direction of the rectum. Because of this, the overall gut motility will increase, resulting in a strong urge to defecate.
Moreover, magnesium, one of the primary ingredients in commercial pre-workouts, may have laxative effects, according to a study. Thus, there’s always a risk of diarrhoea, especially if you consume too much pre-workout regularly.
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Is it Bad to Take Pre-Workout without Working Out?
No, drinking pre-workout and not working out is generally considered safe, as long as you are not consuming it regularly and paying close attention to its ingredients.
But for safe usage, there are some ground rules that you need to establish:
- Limit your daily caffeine consumption to 400 milligrams per day (including caffeine from supplements as well as coffee.
- Consider taking supplements with low amounts of stimulants and some nootropic elements.
- Avoid overconsumption of stimulants and other compounds with high half-lives, like caffeine and huperzine A.
- Make sure that you don’t take pre-workouts regularly to prevent overreliance or toxic dependency on them.
- Do not take pre-workouts before sleeping, especially if you don’t plan on working out afterwards.
Lastly, make sure that you find out if your body is susceptible to reactions from specific ingredients in your pre-workouts.
For example, beta-alanine can result in itching and tingling sensations all over your body. If you do not have a high tolerance for such elements, you will risk your comfort and mental health.
Alternative Use Cases for Taking Pre-Workouts
There are some alternative scenarios where moderate consumption of pre-workouts (in planned doses) can help.
Let’s talk about them.
Taking Pre-Workouts Before Work
Consuming pre-workout supplements before a potentially tiring work day can be beneficial for you. Doing so may lead to an improvement in motivation, productivity, mood, energy, and focus.
But to be able to concentrate in an office environment, it’s better to plan your doses out effectively. Make sure that you limit the amount of stimulants you consume. The presence of some nootropic elements can also help.
Ideally, 150-200 milligrams of caffeine should be enough. Complement that with other ingredients like alpha-GPC, tyrosine, bitartrate, citicoline, and so on for the most effective results. Avoid beta-alanine as it can lead to paraesthesia or abnormal sensations on your skin and body.
Consumption of these supplements half an hour before going to work is likely to produce optimal results.
Taking Pre-Workouts for Energy
Sometimes, you might need an extra burst of energy even if you are not working out. Maybe you are planning a hike up the mountains. Or maybe you want to go cycling with your friends and not lag behind.
Whatever the case, taking pre-workouts in moderation might help.
According to research, ingestion of pre-workout supplements leads to significant improvements in energy levels and anaerobic peak and mean power values.
Moreover, some specific supplements called pump-enhancing pre-workouts work by improving nutrient delivery and blood flow, which can also make you feel more energetic before a difficult task.
Taking Pre-Workouts for Studying
Lastly, taking pre-workouts can also aid you while studying or preparing for university or college exams. Doing so will improve your focus, energy, alertness, and productivity, allowing you to retain and memorize information faster.
It’s better to avoid pre-workouts with high caffeine content as that might lead to jitters, anxiety, and restlessness, reversing the benefits and making studying even harder.
However, for late-night studying, stimulant-based supplements should be avoided altogether if you wish to avoid sleepless nights.
In such a case, nootropic-based supplements will work the best. They are specifically designed to support and promote cognitive function.
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Wrapping Up
Pre-workouts have become a staple for athletes and fitness enthusiasts. But because of their growing potential, they are being used by more and more people for non-training purposes.
While doing so is not harmful, that is only the case if you consume them in moderate quantities while evaluating the good and bad effects of their ingredients on your body and mind.