The supplement market is filled with energy and pre-workout drinks. Some drinks provide nothing but energy, while others have nutrients designed to enhance endurance, strength and the pump achieved during a workout. The best ones provide both. Some come pre-bottled (RTD’s; Ready-To-Drinks), others come in a powder you mix in a shaker cup with H20 or a bottle of water.

It is probably best to avoid the energy ONLY drinks because they provide little support for the muscles and can often lead to upset stomach and other issues during intense training. Their diuretic (water-loss) effect can also cause dehydration. These drinks may give a decent rush of energy right away but usually result in a major crash when the effect wears off.

Most of the pre workout drinks today fall under the N.O. (nitric oxide) category. These supplements provide the energy needed to get through a workout and provide the nutrients needed to boost overall performance and enhance the pump during and after the workout.

Most of the pre-workout drinks contain the following:

Creatine (water weight/endurance)

Caffeine (CNS stimulator/strength)

Beta-Alanine (vaso-dilator), which is means blood vessel/vein expansion-the pump you get

D-Aspartic Acid (DAA) which is a mild testosterone booster.

Pre-workout drinks CAN be taken by women. Although, if you are a woman trying lose weight or keep your current weight, avoid pre-workouts with Creatine and D-Aspartic Acid in them. There are a few products out there without these ingredients such as: White Flood, Gakic, N.O. Bomb, NanoStim, naNO X9, and Animal RAGE.