User:IcecreamPenguin/Pre-workout

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In 1982, Dan Duchaine formulated the first pre-workout, called Ultimate Orange, in Venice, California. Ultimate Orange was commonly used among bodybuilders.

Between the late 1990s and early 2000s, consumers alleged that an active ingredient in Ultimate Orange, called Ephedra, caused high blood pressure, strokes, seizures, cardiac arrhythmia, and heart attacks.

The risk of using Ephedra gave rise to creatine. Creatine is a supplement that was used by a lot of athletes in the 1992 Olympics where it gained most of its popularity from.

Creatine was considered a form of pre-workout in the late 1990's until the early 2000's where it was then later used with a mixture of other supplements. Creatine was negatively received when it was first introduced to the public until the last decade where it is now one of the most used supplements.

In the early 2000s, supplement companies created more potent forms of pre-workout that caused the blood flow in muscles to increase temporarily, giving lifters a better “pump." These more potent supplements are called Arginine AKG, Arginine Malate, and Citrulline.

In 2005, chemist Patrick Arnold formulated a pre-workout which contained a new ingredient called DMAA (dimethylamylamine). The product Jack3d gained notoriety for its potency, but its high concentrations of DMAA were suspected of causing shortness of breath, chest pain, and an elevated risk of heart attacks. Jack3d was banned in 2012 by the FDA.


 * Caffeine is now one of the most common ingredients, found in one study to be in 86% of the bestselling pre-workout supplements. Caffeine works with the central nervous system to increase the blood flow. Caffeine is a popular ingredient in pre-workout because it increases alertness, mental concentration, and energy. Related compounds such as theophylline or theobromine (sometimes as "cocoa extract") may also be used.
 * Methylhexanamine, also known as DMAA, is another stimulant which was widely used for some time as an alternative or supplement to caffeine. DMAA can increase alertness in the body and help burn body fat. The FDA has warned that DMAA "is known to narrow the blood vessels and arteries, which can elevate blood pressure and may lead to cardiovascular events ranging from shortness of breath and tightening in the chest to heart attack". DMAA is also considered a prohibited stimulant by the United States Anti-Doping Agency. Following the widespread banning of DMAA, it has in some cases been replaced by similar compounds such as DMBA, octodrine, tuaminoheptane or DEPEA, which are associated with similar side effects.


 * Carbohydrates are usually present, often in a mix of simple sugars like glucose and more complex oligosaccharides such as maltodextrin which are supposed to provide more sustained energy. Carbohydrates are found to have an increase in serotonin levels. These are used both to provide a sweet taste and fuel for exercise, though evidence for whether they actually enhance exercise performance is mixed.
 * Protein supplements, usually in a palatable powdered form such as whey protein or rice protein, are also commonly used both for flavor and as a fuel for muscle growth and recovery.
 * Electrolytes providing sodium, potassium and magnesium (and often others such as zinc, calcium, iron etc in smaller amounts) are often included to replace those lost due to sweating during heavy exercise, generally as a mixture of different salts, sometimes including exotic forms such as zinc monomethionine aspartate or calcium fructoborate which are supposed to be better absorbed or have other special properties. Electrolytes help the body perform homeostasis and prevent dehydration.


 * Creatine, a natural chemical created in the kidneys and liver, is used supposedly to improve physical performance. It also promotes an increase in muscle growth.
 * β-alanine is a common ingredient found in 87% of leading pre-workout formulas. Beta-alanine supposedly decreases fatigue during high-intensity exercise by increasing the muscle carnosine concentration.

Impact on muscles
An increase in muscle endurance is primarily attributed to the large amounts of caffeine in pre-workout supplements. The ingested caffeine acts as an adenosine receptor antagonist, which serves to reduce overall pain experienced by the consumer and allowing them to work for longer periods of time. Pre-workout also increases the amount of carbohydrates in the body which are used to increase energy in the body.

Pre-workout has shown to decrease the time it takes for muscles to recover from intense exercise, allowing athletes to reduce time between training sessions. The improvement in muscle recovery is associated with the branched chain amino acids (BCAAs) found in pre-workout, particularly, glutamine.

Other Benefits
Pre-workout has shown to make athletes feel more energetic during exercise, but the higher energy levels are based on subjective judgement and there is little quantitative proof of an increase in energy. Caffeine's role in enhancing the improvement in perceived energy is observed through the large amounts of caffeine typically found in pre-workout supplements. Caffeine also increases calcium release which allows for stronger muscle contractions during high intensity workouts.

Studies also show that the caffeine in pre-workout improves focus and alertness in athletes as observed through a decrease in reaction-time in different settings.

Adverse effects
Various adverse effects may occur according to the pre-workout product and dose of supplement consumed. Some potential side effects of taking pre-workout could include nausea and skin irritation. '''Other adverse effects have been shown to arise when the product contains ingredients such as synephrine and caffeine. synephrine is often used as a weight loss supplement and commonly found in pre-workout. Synephrine has been found to cause heart problems and other cardiovascular issues. Caffeine is also a common ingredient found in pre-workout which may cause an increase in blood pressure. Another issue that may arise is a higher risk in cardiac and liver related diseases due to the high concentration of caffeine in these types of products.'''