Written by Garett Reid | NSCA, CSCS, CISSN, M.S.E.S.S
Fact checked by Andrew Lenau, ISSA CPT & Sports Nutritionist
FACT CHECKED
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If you workout – there’s a good chance you take, or have taken, a pre-workout supplement. Call me presumptuous, but many people consider pre-workout supplements a necessary part of their workout routine. In fact, nearly a quarter of gym-goers consistently use some form of pre-workout1-2.
Pre-workouts are popular for good reason – they work. Pre-workouts provide a boost of energy to kick up your workouts a notch or two (or four depending on how much you take). Pre-workout use seems to be largely relegated to the heavy lifters – those who are trying to get big or move heavy weight. However, you may be surprised to find pre-workout use is popular for cardio days. Actually, a good number of runners and aerobic enthusiasts prefer pre-workout supplements over coffee before carving up the streets or the treadmill3-5.
Clearly pre-workouts are popular for all sorts of exercises. But should you actually take a pre-workout supplement for cardio, and is it effective? In this article, we’ll discuss what makes a pre-workout, and if you should consider using one for cardio.
What Is A Pre-Workout?
A pre-workout supplement is exactly what it sounds like – a supplement designed to be take PRIOR to working out (bodybuilding, running, HIIT). They typically contain ingredients – caffeine or arginine – that increase energy and focus, improve power and strength, and help reduce fatigue. Almost all contain caffeine as the primary ingredient, and amounts vary anywhere from 100mg up to 500mg in some products!
There are several other ingredients you can find in pre-workout, most of them are analogues to caffeine, that is they give you a boost of energy and mental focus. Others include arginine, creatine and beta alanine, which are geared toward resistance training as they help to reduce fatigue and increase power.
Not all pre-workouts are made the same, and most have proprietary pre-workout blends, so you can’t always be sure of ingredients or doses. This is important because different ingredients will have different effects, especially depending on the workout you are doing.
Should I use pre-workout for cardio?
Yes.
Pre-workout supplements may be a great way to improve your cardiovascular endurance. which is less about power and strength, and more about sustained activity. There are components of strength inherent to cardio, which is just another reason you may want to consider taking a preworkout on cardio days. Pre-workouts support energy systems that sustain endurance as well as strength.
That said, let’s take a moment to reflect on the most common ingredients in pre-workouts and how they may impact cardio.
Now that we’re familiar with how pre-workout ingredients can impact cardio, let’s explore some of the more common kinds of cardio:
1. High Intensity Interval Training:
This type of exercise involves short intervals of high intensity work – think one minute of burpees or bench presses until failure – follow by a short rest, then another round of intense work, and so on…
The point of HIIT is to improve overall conditioning by combining resistance and power training with aerobics. You will increase your heart rate for sure, but only for a short period.
Pre-workout supplements can definitely support HIIT workouts. A pre-workout will give you the energy you need to prolong your workout, usually caffeine; the other ingredients will help to increase power, and muscle growth.
2. Sprinting:
Sprinting can be a form of cardio, or a supplement to it. In general, sprinting is typically anaerobic, as each sprint usually lasts less than a minute. However, performing repeated intervals of sprints, or running at threshold, will improve your cardiovascular endurance.
Again, caffeine will support energy and endurance during sprinting. Creatine and beta alanine will come in handy as they’ll be good for regenerating energy lost during anaerobic parts of sprinting.
3. Steady-State Cardio:
Or simply running, this seems to be the line between lifters and runners, the skinny and the strong. Truth be told, running requires as much, if not more, energy and focus than mere bodybuilding. But whatever your alliance, running is certainly a great activity to add to your routine.
Steady-state cardio derives energy primarily from glucose and fat, and the working muscles don’t generate the force required to move a heavy weight. That said, most of the ingredients in a given pre-workout will enhance endurance and reduce fatigue on long distance runs, whether slow or at threshold pace.
Related: What's Better For Fat Loss, HIIT or Steady-State Cardio?
Find The Right Pre-workout For Cardio
As mentioned, most pre-workouts are designed for resistance training, but that doesn’t mean you can’t use them to boost your cardio. The ingredients in pre-workouts help to generate and sustain energy and improve power and recovery. Below is a list of key pre-workout ingredients with a description of their effects and benefits to cardio.
- Caffeine: Enhances energy, focus, and mood. Has been shown to improve running time and distance.
- Arginine: Creates nitric oxide, which increases blood flow to working muscles, particularly when lifting heavy, or sprinting
- Citrulline: Increases oxygen saturation to the muscles, which is exactly what is needed for sustained cardio, particularly long distance running.
- Creatine: Better for resistance training, creatine can help increase endurance through ATP production during lifting or bodyweight HIIT exercises and sprints.
- Beta Alanine: Increases the ability to remove lactic acid, which builds up during resistance training and threshold level cardio, like sprinting.
- Essential Amino Acids: EAA’s support everything, from muscle growth to recovery and fatigue resistance, all of which are incredibly important for cardio.
- Carbohydrates: Not common, but a preworkout with carbs will provide your muscles with immediately useable energy, which is key for cardio. This will also slow absorption of the other ingredients, meaning a sustained effect overall.
Note: Both creatine and beta alanine require a loading phase and daily dosing to be effective. As such, if you are not doing that, they will not prove to be of any real use during running. Best practice is to supplement creatine and beta alanine separately to ensure you are loading correctly and then getting the proper dosage daily moving forward. Besides these two "saturation" ingredients, other acute pre-workout ingredients will help benefit your runs.
This pre-workout features natural and evidence-based ingredients, fully transparent labeling, and absolutely no artificial color, sweetener, or flavoring. Formulated to enhance strength...
When To Take a Pre-Workout?
Timing of any nutrient is important; fortunately with pre-workouts, the name says it all – take before a workout. That said, all pre-workouts will have their own timing suggestions, which vary from 30 minutes to 60 minutes before working out. When doing cardio, we’d aim for 45-60 minutes prior, just to avoid any stomach issues or to allow feelings of fullness to subside. If you prefer fasted training, taking pre-workout on an empty stomach enables you to take it closer to your workout session. In this case, you can probably take it 15 minutes before a workout and still feel its effects.
Side Effects of Pre-Workout Supplements
Pre-workouts are thought to be safe in most doses, however they are not studied regularly, nor are they regulated by the FDA as supplements. That said, most ingredients within pre-workouts are well-studied, so their side effect are known. Here are some of the common side effects reported with pre-workout use:
- Jitteriness: Caffeine is a heck of a drug! It increases heart rate and blood pressure. This can lead to jitteriness and even feelings of anxiety in some. The dose at which this happens is almost entirely subjective, but caffeine intake at high levels (i.e. greater than 300mg/serving) can cause acute heart arrhythmias. For example - an 8 oz of coffee contains 95mg of caffeine on average. Pre-workouts can contain anywhere from 95 – 500mg of caffeine per serving; the average amount is 200mg though.
- Tingling: if you’re familiar with pre-workouts, you’ve likely experienced a tingling sensation in your lips. This is called paresthesia, and is due to the beta alanine. It’s nothing to worry about, but it can be frustrating or uncomfortable at first.
- Unknown ingredients: Unfortunately, not all dietary supplements are honest. The FDA requires manufacturers to list their ingredients, and forbids marketing of adulterated or misbranded ingredients. However, manufacturers can get around this by developing proprietary blends, so they don’t have to disclose the dosages. If you’re unfamiliar with a product’s ingredients, do thorough research or contact the manufacturer. Or, avoid the product.
- Stomach Issues: Caffeine, the primary ingredient in most pre-workouts, is notorious for causing stomach distress, including diarrhea and gas, especially at higher doses. Be aware of this and make sure you have plenty of time before your workout just in case you need to make a stop!
Summary: Is Pre-Workout Good for Cardio?
In this article, we discussed using pre-workouts for cardio. As we’ve seen, pre-workouts are used to boost energy, focus, and power, typically for resistance training. But these same ingredients can be used to effectively enhance endurance and improve recovery during and after cardio.
No matter your flavor of cardio – HIIT, sprinting, or good old long distance running – you may want to consider using a preworkout to give your routine a bump.
Remember, when considering dietary supplements, take the time to read the labels and understand the ingredients. Stimulants can increase heart rate, and this may be uncomfortable and, at very high doses, dangerous.
Overall, experimentation with supplements and exercises is always a great way to improve performance, break a plateau, or just familiarize with a new product.
Good luck, and don’t forget to tack on a few reps, or in this case, miles.
Looking for a great pre-workout to boost your cardio performance? Check out the Best Pre-Workout Supplements on the market (we share the best pre-workout for cardio in there too)!
References:
- Shoshan, T.; Post, E. Prevalence of Protein and Pre-Workout Supplement Use among High School Football Players and Potential Product Contamination. Glob. Pediatr. Health 2021, 8, 2333794X211031202. https://doi.org/10.1177/2333794X211031202.
- Prevalence and predictors of high-risk supplement use among collegiate athletes - ProQuest https://www.proquest.com/openview/17b3005b06df2604cd0ece3941ffa357/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=18750 (accessed 2022 -02 -26).
- LUTSCH, D. J.; CAMIC, C. L.; JAGIM, A. R.; JOHNSTON, N. J.; MUSGJERD, T. L. Acute Effects of a Multi-Ingredient Pre-Workout Supplement On 5-KM Running Performance in Recreationally-Trained Athletes. Int. J. Exerc. Sci. 2019, 12 (2), 1045–1056.
- Erickson, J. R.; Camic, C. L.; Jagim, A. R.; Pellersels, P. M.; Wright, G. A.; Henert, S. E.; Foster, C. Effects of One Versus Two Doses of a Multi-Ingredient Pre-Workout Supplement on Metabolic Factors and Perceived Exertion during Moderate-Intensity Running in Females. Sports 2020, 8 (4), 52. https://doi.org/10.3390/sports8040052.
- Smith, A. E.; Fukuda, D. H.; Kendall, K. L.; Stout, J. R. The Effects of a Pre-Workout Supplement Containing Caffeine, Creatine, and Amino Acids during Three Weeks of High-Intensity Exercise on Aerobic and Anaerobic Performance. J. Int. Soc. Sports Nutr. 2010, 7 (1), 10. https://doi.org/10.1186/1550-2783-7-10.
Garett Reid
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