Do You Need Pre-Workout Supplements To Build Muscle?

By Russ Howe

If you are reading any magazine which claims to teach you how to build muscle, you could be forgiven for groaning every time you turn the page to be met with an advert for a pre-workout supplement claiming to be the difference between success and failure in the gym. In today's article we are going to show you how effective, or ineffective, these products can actually be.

If muscle building magazines are to be believed, then it's hard to get any results in the gym unless you are packing the latest in pre-workout stimulants. Of course, this is more marketing hype than actual fact.

The fitness industry has come a long way since the days of classic bodybuilding, of course. However, the basic principles of getting bigger have remained exactly the same.

If you don't know how to build muscle today's interview will assist you a lot.

With pre-workout supplements costing an average of 30 for a month's supply, getting hooked on finding the next big thing can turn into a very expensive bad habit. It's a craze which has really taken off in the last two years in gyms around the world yet, despite the huge financial outlay involved, most people complain at a lack of physical results.

The first step to understanding a particular supplement is to look at the main job it has.

Despite all of the scientific claims and references you might see on the flashy packaging, the actual job of a pre-workout supplement is really simple. It's there to get your body pumped up before you hit the weights.

The hardest part, of course, is being able to tell which one is the best for you.

If you just go off the marketing claims and slogans you'll literally waste a ton of money trying every product on the market. The first thing you should check if you want any factual information is the nutritional information for the product in question.

Pre-workout supplements usually contain a big serving of N.O. boosters or caffeine, designed to ramp up your energy levels immediately before you hit the gym. The products often claim that they will increase your ability to experience muscular hypertrophy but in reality they do this indirectly. By increasing your energy, they are hoping you will be able to lift heavier weights or train with more intensity than usual, therefore increasing hypertrophy as a result. You're still doing the work, it is not a miracle pill.

One reason there is so much hype surrounding this type of supplement is that the market can become a little bit 'hit and miss' for most gym users. What works for one individual won't necessarily work for another, because you probably have your own tolerance level to most of the ingredients in them, like caffeine, through your daily diet. This is often why people switch between different products every month in a bid to find one which continuously works for them.

Ever since the discovery of creatine supplements back in the very early nineties, the bodybuilding world has seen thousands of new supplements hit the market with bigger and bolder claims. If you are trying to figure out how to build muscle in the gym and were considering using a pre-workout stimulant you will now be able to see past the hype.

About the Author:

Writer: Russ Howe PTI is a popular fitness coach. Learn how to build muscle with our free video guide giving the 5 steps to a more muscular physique and creatine.