If you’re ever taken a pre workout supplement before, you know to take it 20-30 minutes before your gym session. However, what many people don’t know, is how long it stays in your system for.
We won’t waste your time with information you don’t need – we’ll get straight to the point. In this article, you’ll find out:
- What Are Pre Workout Supplements?
- How Long Does It Stay In Your System?
- Side Effects
- Conclusion
What Are Pre Workout Supplements
If you’ve found this page, you probably know what a pre workout supplement is. Skip this section if you do, but for those that don’t know, it’s pretty self-explanatory.
A pre workout is a supplement that you take (usually) 20-30 minutes before your workout – different products advise you to take them at different times, but this is the most common guidelines.
Here are the benefits of taking a pre workout:
- Energy Boosts – Feel the ‘kick’ that you need, to smash your workout!
- Muscle Pumps – Feel great with pumped up arms and legs.
- Enhanced Energy – Train at peak levels throughout your gym session.
- Increased Focus – Stay concentrated on your fitness goals to reach them faster.
How Long Does It Stay In Your System?
When it comes to pre workouts, the most important features are the ingredients – and their dosages.
Basically, the main ingredient in most pre workouts that’ll give you a ‘buzz’ is Caffeine. This stimulant is responsible for the energy boosts, so the real question is:
How Long Does Caffeine Affect You For?
This is a tricky question to answer, because Caffeine affects everyone differently.
Simply put, those who are more tolerant to this stimulant won’t feel it’s effects for more than an hour or two. However, those that are sensitive by Caffeine might experience it’s effects for up to 4 hours (depending on how large the dosage is).
Check The Caffeine Dosages of Pre Workouts
This is an important factor. If you consume a large dosage of Caffeine, them you’re more likely to suffer from side effects like jitters and energy crashes.
What’s a large dosage? Answer: over 200mg-300mg.
For this reason, we strongly recommend avoiding pre workouts that contain over 200mg per regular serving – so you won’t experience any side effects, but feel its benefits, regardless of whether your tolerant or sensitive to it.
Side Effects
As we’ve mentioned above, large dosages of Caffeine can cause jitters or energy crashes. However, this isn’t the only ingredient that can cause side effects.
To see which ingredients to stay away from, read our Pre Workout Ingredients To Avoid article.
See The Best Products On The Market
– In Our Top Three Pre Workout Supplements Page –
Conclusion
Ultimately, Caffeine is the ingredient that will affect you the most in a pre workout supplement – especially if it’s in a large dosage (over 200-300mg per serving).
Why?
This is because other ingredients in a pre workout are designed to promote endurance, strength and muscle pumps – but the most effective ingredient for boosting energy is Caffeine (think about how you feel after drinking a strong black coffee).
For this reason, what you should be asking is this: how long does Caffeine affect you for?
Answer: It depends on how tolerant you are to the stimulant.
If you’re very tolerant and can drink numerous black coffee’s without feeling side effects like jitters or side effects – then you’ll only be affected for 1-2 hours.
However, if you’re sensitive to caffeine and consume a pre workout containing a large dosage, you could be affected for hours after your workout.
Bottom Line: It’s important to look for a pre workout that contains the perfect amount of Caffeine (between 150-200mg) – so you’ll experience its benefits, without suffering from jitters or energy crashes (regardless of how tolerant you are to this stimulant).
What about long term effects on blood pressure?