Pre-Workout Supplements – An Evidence - Based Guide
by Adam Gonzalez, PhD, CSCS,*D, and Guillermo Escalante, DSC, MBA, ATC, CSCS
Personal Training Quarterly
November 2024
Vol 11, Issue 2
The aim of this article is to provide an overview of the research on multi-ingredient pre-workout supplements (MIPS) and educate personal trainers on the various formulas and products on the market for making recommendations to clients.
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References
- Beyer, KS, Gadsden, M, Patterson-Zuber, P, and Gonzalez, AM. A single dose multi-ingredient pre-workout supplement enhances upper body resistance exercise performance. Frontiers in Nutrition 11, 2024.
- Cholewa, JM, Guimaraes-Ferreira, L, and Zanchi, NE. Effects of betaine on performance and body composition: A review of recent findings and potential mechanisms. Amino Acids 46: 785-1793, 2014.
- Corbett, LJ, Bunch, MR, Smith, MB, and Bunch, TJ. An overview of the risks and impact of pre-exercise supplements for exercise performance, recovery, and cardiovascular health. Current Cardiovascular Risk Reports 1-10, 2024.
- Curtis, J, Evans, C, Mekhail, V, Czartoryski, P, Carlos Santana, J, and Antonio, J. The effects of a pre-workout supplement on measures of alertness, mood, and lower-extremity power. Cureus 14(5): 2022.
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- Gonzalez, AM, and Trexler, ET. Effects of citrulline supplementation on exercise performance in humans: A review of the current literature. The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research 34(5): 1480-1495, 2020.
- Gonzalez, AM, Townsend, JR, Pinzone, AG, and Hoffman, JR. Supplementation with nitric oxide precursors for strength performance: A review of the current literature. Nutrients 15(3): 660, 2023.
- Guest, NS, VanDusseldorp, TA, Nelson, MT, Grgic, J, Schoenfeld, BJ, Jenkins, NDM, et al. International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: Caffeine and exercise performance. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition 18(1): 1, 2021.
- Harty, PS, Zabriskie, HA, Erickson, JL, Molling, PE, Kerksick, CM, and Jagim, AR. Multi-ingredient pre-workout supplements, safety implications, and performance outcomes: A brief review. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition 15: 1-28, 2018.
- Jagim, AR, Camic, CL, and Harty, PS. Common habits, adverse events, and opinions regarding pre-workout supplement use among regular consumers. Nutrients 11(4): 855, 2019.
- Jagim, AR, Harty, PS, and Camic, CL. Common ingredient profiles of multi-ingredient pre-workout supplements. Nutrients 11(2): 254, 2019.
- Jagim, AR, Harty, PS, Erickson, JL, Tinsley, GM, Garner, D, and Galpin, AJ. Prevalence of adulteration in dietary supplements and recommendations for safe supplement practices in sport. Frontiers in Sports and Active Living 5, 2023.
- Jongkees, BJ, Hommel, B, Kuhn, S, and Colzato, LS. Effect of tyrosine supplementation on clinical and healthy populations under stress or cognitive demands—A review. Journal of Psychiatric Research 70: 50-57, 2015.
- Kreider, RB, Kalman, DS, Antonio, J, Ziegenfuss, TN, Wildman, R, Collins, R, et al. International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: Safety and efficacy of creatine supplementation in exercise, sport, and medicine. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition 14(1): 18, 2017.
- Plotkin, DL, Delcastillo, K, Van Every, DW, Tipton, KD, Aragon, AA, and Schoenfeld, BJ. Isolated leucine and branched-chain amino acid supplementation for enhancing muscular strength and hypertrophy: A narrative review. International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism 31(3): 292-301, 2021.
- Saunders, B, Elliott-Sale, K, Artioli, G, Swinton, PA, Dolan, E, Roschel, H, et al. Beta-alanine supplementation to improve exercise capacity and performance: A systematic review and metaanalysis. British Journal of Sports Medicine 51(8): 658-669, 2017.
- Spradley, BD, Crowley, KR, Tai, CY, Kendall, KL, Fukuda, DH, Esposito, EN, et al. Ingesting a pre-workout supplement containing caffeine, B-vitamins, amino acids, creatine, and beta-alanine before exercise delays fatigue while improving reaction time and muscular endurance. Nutrition and Metabolism 9: 1-9, 2012.
- Stratton, MT, Siedler, MR, Harty, PS, Rodriguez, C, Boykin, JR, Green, JJ, et al. The influence of caffeinated and non-caffeinated multi-ingredient pre-workout supplements on resistance exercise performance and subjective outcomes. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition 19(1): 126-149, 2022.
- Waldron, M, Patterson, SD, Tallent, J, and Jeffries, O. The effects of an oral taurine dose and supplementation period on endurance exercise performance in humans: A meta-analysis. Sports Medicine 48: 1247-1253, 2018.
- Walsh, AL, Gonzalez, AM, Ratamess, NA, Kang, J, and Hoffman, JR. Improved time to exhaustion following ingestion of the energy drink Amino Impact™. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition 7: 1-6, 2010.
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