How Long Does Pre-workout Take to Kick In?

Pre-workout has been a game-changer for many in their fitness journey. Whether it’s giving you the extra motivation to get into the gym, a kick of energy at the end of a long day, or the feeling of a better and longer workout. It’s a tool in your toolbox in your fitness journey.

With that said, there are a lot of important questions that you should ask before taking it. In this article, we hope to clear this all up for you.

What is pre-workout?

Pre-workout varies based on the one you get. In general, pre-workouts include stimulants like caffeine to give you energy. Good pre-workouts will also include ingredients that actually increase your athletic performance, these might include:

• L-Citrulline increases nitric oxide production and reduces muscular fatigue through the reduction of lactic acid and ammonia in the blood and body tissue. Citrulline has repeatedly been proven to increase performance in upper and lower body resistance training. Additionally, citrulline has also been proven to enhance post-exercise recovery.
• L-Theanine Combining L-theanine with caffeine is often referred to as ‘smart energy’. While caffeine does a great job of boosting energy, it can have a jittery effect, which detracts from an optimal workout. L-Theanine promotes relaxation, without having a sedative effect. The result is clean energy that increases focus and concentration, leading to an optimal workout.
• Rhodolia Rosea a medicinal plant that has been proven to improve work capacity, increase mental focus, support longer workouts, and reduce mental fatigue. Studies demonstrate that individuals who consume Rhodiola Rosea prior to exercise have higher levels of oxygen uptake and carbon dioxide output, and have a significantly greater time to exhaustion compared to individuals who consumed a placebo.
• L-Dopa is the precursor to dopamine. L-Dopa acts as a nootropic that’s proven to lower stress, improve mood, reduce anxiety, improve focus, and boost libido. It’s the perfect nootropic to prime your brain for a killer workout.

As a whole, pre-workouts promise to increase your athletic performance, while at the same time, giving you a jolt of energy once it kicks in.

Why does it matter when I take pre-workout?

Like any stimulant or supplement, the time that you take pre-workout matters. You want to time it correctly with the exercise you’re doing to ensure you feel the effects when it matters most and lasts as long as you need it to. The last thing you want to do is take a whole bunch of pre-workout, get a ton of energy, and then have it fade away before you even make it to the gym.

How long before a workout should you take pre-workout?

One of the main ingredients in most pre-workout products is caffeine. It’s widely considered that you’ll start to feel the effects of caffeine in about 15 minutes. This is typically the first jolt of energy you’ll feel from a pre-workout, which is why top pre-workouts like Strike advise you to consume it 15 minutes before your workout.

In many pre-workouts such as Strike, L-Theanine is included to balance the jittery effects of caffeine. This gives you smooth energy without a crash. L-theanine also takes somewhere around 15 minutes to kick in.

L-Citrulline is also commonly included in pre-workouts and takes a little longer to kick in. Generally, you can expect it to take about 30 minutes or so. We still recommend taking pre-workout 15 minutes prior to exercise as the increased blood flow will start to kick in 15 minutes into your workout. This will help keep you going as the instant jolt from the caffeine slowly starts to subside.

Long story short, pre-workout generally takes about 15 minutes to kick in.

Make sure your pre-workout has the right ingredients.

Remember, not all pre-workouts are created equal. The pre-workout you choose can have a massive impact on what effects you feel. The right pre-workout should contain L-theanine to balance the caffeine, L-citrulline to increase nitric oxide production in the body, and nootropics to get you in the right mental state.

If you’re not sure, check the ingredient list on your pre-workout! If you want a pre-workout that’s guaranteed to boost your performance, check out Strike. The only Workout Performance Accelerator that gets delivered to you in a ready-to-drink bottle. No more mixing scoops and funnelling, just grab a Strike on your way to the gym.

Learn more about Strike here: https://drinkstrike.com/