Pre-workout supplements are associated with side effects like digestive issues, water retention, and headaches. Adjusting your dosage or avoiding supplements with certain ingredients may help.
To boost energy levels and performance during exercise, many people turn to pre-workout supplements.
These formulas generally consist of a flavored mixture of several ingredients, each with a specific role in improving performance.
Yet, some people experience side effects after taking them.
Here are 5 side effects of pre-workout supplements — plus some tips for how to avoid them.
Caffeine is one of the primary ingredients in many pre-workout supplements.
This stimulant has been shown to increase muscle strength and output during exercise while reducing fatigue. In theory, caffeine allows you to get more out of a given workout.
However, caffeine may have several potential side effects, especially if you consume too much. These may
What’s more, many pre-workout supplements pack high amounts of caffeine per serving — up to 500 milligrams (mg). Serving sizes typically range from 0.35 to 1 ounce (oz), or 10 to 30 grams (g).
In comparison, 1 cup (240 milliliters [mL]) of coffee contains only
Ways to reduce side effects
Caffeine dosing is very individualized, as some people tolerate it better than others.
The best way to reduce side effects is to start with a small dose of a caffeinated pre-workout supplement, slowly increasing your dosage to see what you can tolerate.
Some research suggests it’s best to limit drinking coffee 9 hours before bed or taking pre-workout supplements over 13 hours before bed to help prevent sleeplessness.
Consider choosing pre-workout supplements without any caffeine.
- increase high intensity exercise capacity
- increase lean body mass
- increase muscle strength, power, and size
- decrease recovery time
While it’s often part of a pre-workout supplement, creatine can also be taken on its own.
The most common side effect associated with creatine is weight gain, which may be due to water retention.
There are also anecdotal reports of other side effects, such as digestive issues, dehydration, and muscle cramps. However, according to the International Society of Sports Nutrition, these have not been observed in clinical studies.
Ways to reduce side effects
Despite these possible side effects, creatine has been shown to be exceptionally safe.
You can reduce any adverse symptoms by ensuring proper dosing.
Creatine is typically dosed with a loading phase of 5 g, four times per day for 5 to 7 days, followed by a 3- to 5-g daily maintenance dose. However, higher doses may be recommended in some cases.
This method provides rapid benefits, but has a higher potential to cause some anecdotal side effects, like digestive issues and bloating.
Alternatively, you can take a single daily dose of 3 g for 28 days. However, this option would increase muscle creatine content more gradually, meaning it will take longer to experience benefits for exercise performance.
Notably, it may be difficult to avoid moderate weight gain while taking creatine. This is mainly due to increased water retention in your muscles.
Two additional ingredients in many pre-workout supplements are beta-alanine and niacin (vitamin B3).
Beta-alanine
Beta-alanine is an amino acid that reduces acidity in your muscles during exercise, which may help you sustain your workout for slightly longer.
Doses ranging from 1.5 to 6.4 g per day may help increase exercise performance and reduce fatigue in high intensity exercises.
Yet, this ingredient may cause paresthesia, a tingling sensation in your hands and feet. While it’s a harmless nervous system reaction, some people may find it uncomfortable.
Niacin
Another ingredient with mild downsides is niacin, which is included in many pre-workout supplements for its skin-flushing effects. In high doses of
While niacin also plays an important role in
Furthermore, a
Ways to reduce side effects
The most effective method to reduce the tingling associated with beta-alanine is to divide the lower daily dose of 4 g into separate doses of around 1.6 g each. Alternatively, you can buy sustained-release formulas that prevent this side effect.
Meanwhile, keeping your dose of niacin to less than 500 mg, avoiding hot showers immediately after taking niacin, or taking aspirin or ibuprofen before supplementation might also
Alternatively, you can purchase niacin-free products by checking the ingredients on the label.
Several ingredients in pre-workout formulas may cause digestive upset, including sodium bicarbonate, magnesium, and caffeine.
Sodium bicarbonate may cause problems
Magnesium, on the other hand, may have laxative effects — especially in the form of magnesium citrate. Thus, taking
Ways to reduce side effects
Mixing your pre-workout supplement with 8 to 12 oz (240 to 350 mL) of water can help minimize side effects.
As it’s difficult to determine which ingredient is causing digestive issues, you may want to try different pre-workout formulas until you find one you can tolerate.
Citrulline, which is added to some pre-workout supplements, increases blood flow to your muscles during exercise, resulting in enhanced muscle building.
This amino acid works by boosting nitric oxide levels in your blood.
The recommended dose for citrulline malate, a common form of this ingredient, is 6 to 8 g. But many pre-workout supplements offer smaller amounts and may not provide the potential benefits.
Keep in mind that this increase in blood flow affects your brain as well as your muscles. Theoretically, this may lead to headaches and migraine due to blood pressure changes in your brain’s small blood vessels.
Ways to reduce side effects
The most effective way to reduce headaches from citrulline is to decrease your dosage.
If you still experience headaches, you may want to find a pre-workout supplement without this ingredient.
You don’t need to take a supplement to benefit from exercise.
However, if you’ve trained consistently for at least 6 months, pre-workout supplements may help increase your exercise capacity.
If you’re interested in trying a formula, look for a stamp from an independent lab that ensures quality. Testing companies include ConsumerLab.com, U.S. Pharmacopeia (USP), and NSF International.
In addition, it’s always recommended to check ingredient lists for anything you may react to. You may also want to avoid proprietary blends, as these conceal the specific amounts of each ingredient used.
This depends on the type of pre-workout you use and the ingredients. For instance, pre-workout supplements that contain synephrine have been linked with chest pain, heart palpitations, arrhythmias, and even heart disease.
It’s important to carefully read and follow the instructions on the labels of pre-workout supplements and to speak with a doctor before using them.
This may depend on the type of activity you’re doing, the specific pre-workout you’re taking, and how often you exercise. If you take pre-workout too often, you may build a tolerance, so its effects may wear off at the recommended doses.
Consider taking a pre-workout up to 3 times weekly before resistance training sessions or high intensity exercise.
This depends on the ingredients in the pre-workout and energy drinks. Generally, energy drinks are much higher in caffeine and sugar than pre-workout, so you may experience an energy crash if you drink energy drinks before exercising.
Pre-workout formulas are popular in the fitness community due to their effects on energy levels and exercise performance.
However, you may experience side effects, including headaches, skin reactions, tingling, and stomach upset.
You can minimize many of these side effects by decreasing your dosage or avoiding supplements with particular ingredients.
