Myth: Pre-Workout Supplements Help Build Health

The information on this topic can easily fill many very large sized books. There a numerous sources out there that contain more info, some of which I will list. This post is only the surface of how deep this topic can get. I hope it is enough to encourage you to look further beyond what is marketed and what the current fad is. I hope this brings enough awareness to take the action you may need right away!

The Unquestioned & Blindly Followed “Truth”

I need to take a pre-workout. They are healthy for me. They give me the energy I need to power through my workout. They have to be a good way to build health because all of the fit looking people on the internet take them, and they look perfect, (fast food also looks perfect in commercials)! They are sold at vitamin stores so I know I can trust that they are quality! They only contain stimulants to give me a boost, nothing can be unhealthy about that. As long as I take my pre-workout I will be stronger, healthier, age slower, and be consuming top quality ingredients. Once I see all of these incredible gains I will then spread the news and tell everyone else to take it as well. Everyone takes one so I may as well too right?..

Not Quite!

Personally, other than a single time my junior year of high school I have never used a pre-workout. The one time I did my body felt so weird and I had the worst workout to date at that time. I didn’t enjoy the hot feeling and tingling in my arms. Just like snorting cocaine or any almost any other drug (except eating sugar), I’ve never done any, I instinctively knew at a young age that this wasn’t right. People were taking this stuff to workout, really? I have had far better workouts than many who take a pre-workout before entering a gym, it was strange to me. This began my wondering as to what these products are doing to people and the bigger question, why did/do people feel that they needed/need them in the first place. Here is some of what I have discovered in the years since…

Can You Handle The Truth?

Based off of my perception, and anyone else’s that doesn’t consume these products, does not have any financial ties in them, and has an education of value in nutrition/health is the following.. almost every pre-workout is nothing but a finely tuned marketing goldmine for a society that lacks the natural energy (life force/vitality) that it once had. It would be awesome if the insult to the health culture stopped there. Unfortunately it does not. Most studies done on these supplements are nothing more than marketing campaigns that are disguised as studies, boughten and paid for to show a certain result. With that said, “proven by science” or any other claims can be pretty shallow and are there to make the masses bite at the bait. It is easy to trick ignorant people, even educated people are tricked often. There are a number of negative health side effects to consuming these type of products. To list a select few..

• Addiction
• Mal Absorption
• Poor Quality of Sleep
• Suppression of Appetite
• Hormone Manipulation
• Adrenal Fatigue
• High Blood Pressure/Strain on Heart
• Over Stimulated Muscles (Injury Prone)
• Stroke
• Death (Yes, Has Happened)

A lot of these side effects are actually commonly known. They are brushed aside with blind faith that it will not happen. As long as the product leads to a better pump in the gym and makes someone look more muscular for a picture than that is all that matters to most. It is quite sad. There is also a number of people that do not know these effects or the possibilities and are completely blind. I will not say that using a pre-workout products will guarantee any or all of these effects, I will however say that it will lead to at least one of them, more than one is extremely common. One of the most common on this list is adrenal fatigue which leads to hypoadrenia (low functioning adrenals). The adrenal glands sit on top of our kidneys and produce our steroid hormones such as adrenaline, aldosterone and cortisol (ones that are helpful for working out). In his masterpiece of a book and really the only book one needs to read on this topic, Adrenal Fatigue: The 21st Century Stress Syndrome, James L. Wilson states on hypoadrenia (low adrenal function), “Normally functioning adrenal glands secrete minute, yet precise and balanced, amounts of steroid hormones.” In other words, a healthy body will have all the energy it needs if it is treated well. No need for enhancers.

Why Does Anyone Use These Things ?

A few reasons are marketing, peer influence, the high (pump) feeling, because it is going to help them workout when they are actually to tired to workout. The main reason they are used which is never really mentioned is that they are relied upon. Relied upon to make up for something that is missing on the inside, which is life force, vitality. If you need to take a pre-workout or any other stimulant to get through an exercise session, than that is a sign of a low life force body (at that moment). It can be turned around with some changes and work though, so that is good news! The truth is that most of us are depleted of vital nutrients, get not nearly enough quality sleep to recover, stare into a light box for to long during the day or night, rely on stimulants during the day, do not let ourselves recover form exercise, are putting to much energy into everything but ourselves. When we live like this it leaves us with less energy to workout. Why would our body want to workout with no energy left in the tank? It wouldn’t, we force it like a slave to take a stimulant and further exhaust it’s reserves.

No need to feel tired when you can use a band aid for low vitality and feel like this….

Am I Behaving Like An Addict?

Here is the definition of an addict according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, “to devote or surrender (oneself) to something habitually or obsessively”.

Is there really a comparison between substances in pre-workout products to drugs such as cocaine? The answer is yes. Rudolf Steiner in his Lecture to the Workmen in 1922 gives us this in regards to caffeine on the brain, “I cannot think properly, I cannot collect my thoughts. His instincts take him to the coffee house, he does not think about this as it is subconscious, but once they have drunk their black coffee – good heavens, suddenly it works!” Sound like a drug? People have become fully addicted to taking these products in preparation to exercise, just as a coffee drinker or drug user takes their substances to get work done. Only caffeine (there are others) gets a mention here for the comparison, the most known ingredient in pre-workout products by far. Lets explore some of the effects someone may get from a drug such as cocaine…

• Rewarding to Brain
• Enhances Cognition and Performance
• Full Body Stimulation
• Increase in Body Temp
• Increase in Heart Rate
• Dependence on Substance

You can list all of those same effects for caffeine as well. Am I saying caffeine use is just as bad as cocaine or other drugs? No! I am simply bringing awareness to the fact that addiction is real when it comes to the use of products with caffeine and other stimulants in them. Especially at the doses that they are at in these products, and thats assuming that people are only taking a single serving. Women get pummeled hard by pre-workouts and caffeine in general, most do not realize it – yet. One example is sleep quality, As Julie Holland states in her book Moody Bitches: The Truth About the Drugs You’re Taking, The Sleep You’re Missing, The Sex You’re Not Having “The caffeine they ingested in the afternoon can last a good eight hours or so, Because caffeine’s half-life is up to eight hours, if you drink a second cup in the afternoon or evening, you’ll have some caffeine in your bloodstream all the time.” Replace “second cup” with a scoop or two of most pre workouts, which have well above the 8oz one cup serving size of 95mg of caffeine per serving. With this amount of caffeine in your system it is almost impossible for the body to truly rest during sleep. As you can see it’s no wonder women are so moody! Haha, it’s not only the ladies that have these problems. I would never single them out.

The Best Natural Pre-Workout, Ready???

The healthier our body is, the less of any kind of stimulant we will ever need. If we are keeping our health in balance then we will have the energy to complete a workout. The best natural pre-workout is really the fundamentals of life being in balance. It is giving our bodies a well balanced mixed of work and rest.

The symbol of balance….the Yin Yang

The yin and yang in Chinese philosophy is the balance of two opposing forces. Example would be the white half being light and the black half being dark, with a little light in the dark and a little dark in the light. Another way to view this is in regards to us resting our bodies in contrast to exercising or any type of stimulation. Now it’s time to reveal the best natural pre-workout, balancing the following….

• Be Well Hydrated – Drinking plenty of quality water throughout the day that is spaced out. Most people need at least half of their body weight in ounces of water a day. Example: 160 pound man will need at least 80 ounces of water a day. Stay tuned for future posts on water.
• Be Well Fed – Having enough protein and fats in the diet is crucial to having energy levels that last throughout out the day. Meals should never be skipped, unless the person has a great understanding of their body and if pre-workout products are needed they most likely do not. Eating top quality food is very important, as organically grown and naturally raised products. Stay tuned for future posts on food.
• Be Well Rested – Our bodies need plenty of sleep, restful sleep. Most people get no where near the 6-9 hours of sleep needed for optimal health. It is not the same for everyone when it comes to sleep. Stay tuned for future posts on sleep.
• Balance The Mind – Some form of meditation is needed by everyone. It can range from sitting like a monk in silence, some form of light movement that does not raise your heart rate or cause a sweat, or any form of art. The goal is to process information that comes to you and release it. Scatter mind is a serious epidemic these days and it takes a huge toll on our bodies energy levels. Stay tuned for future posts on meditation.
• Breathing – Until we are told about our breathing patterns we do not notice. Think about it. Most people have restricted breathing patterns and are getting very low levels of air into their lungs. This causes all kinds of problems and will lead to addictions of all kinds. A simple thing to do is to take deep belly breaths numerous times throughout the day to make yourself more conscious about breath (you should see yourself get fat). Some people will need professional help to be able to breathe correctly again. Any well trained trainer or health practicer can help with that. Stay tuned for future posts on breathing.
• Thinking – Stinking thinking will lead us into many scary conditions, like being trapped on pre-workout products. It’s estimated by neuroscience that we have around 70,000 thoughts a day. Of these about 2 percent are positive thoughts. Imagine how much we are polluting our energy by the way we think alone. The subconscious mind is where the real work is done with deleting negative thoughts. Stay tuned for future posts on thinking.
• Time of Exercise – May people have no clue that we all have an optimal time of the day to exercise and it is different for pretty much everyone. To be realistic we all have a life and have other duties through out the day so the exercise gets put to whatever time slot is open. It is possible to be tested by a lab to see what time of the day your cortisol levels are the highest. In doing this you will have a good idea of when is optimal for you, without the use of drugs, to complete a workout. Stay tuned for future posts on optimal exercise times.

In closing, it is vital that we get to know ourselves better. Become more conscious about what works for us and stop listening to others, unless what they say is producing the results that we truly want. Lao Tzu in the Tao Te Ching reminds us of this “Knowing others is intelligence, knowing yourself is true wisdom”.

Awareness and vitality,

Barbero

Resources

• Adrenal Fatigue: The 21st Century Stress Syndrome, James L. Wilson (https://adrenalfatigue.org/product/adrenal-fatigue-the-21st-century-stress-syndrome-by-dr-james-l-wilson/)
• Moody Bitches: The Truth About the Drugs You’re Taking, The Sleep You’re Missing, The Sex You’re Not Having, Julie Holland (http://naturalmood.com/moody-bitches.html)
• Rudolf Steiner on Nutrition and Stimulants: Lectures and Extracts, Rudolf Steiner (https://www.amazon.com/dp/0938250299/ref=rdr_ext_tmb)