Pre-Workouts and What They are All About

With fitness always evolving nutrition trends are surely to follow close behind. The most recent changes have included the use of performance enhancing supplements. In the past decade supplements have grown into a $25 billion dollar industry making it one of the fastest growing industries in the world. I started doing some more research on pre-workout powders, pills, and all those dietary supplements. I wondered what makes them so attractive and why people are so willing to pay so much attention and money for these dietary supplements that we really do not know all that much about? The supplements make outlandish claims and promises like “insane vascularity and a STUPID PUMP that will blow your mind!”, “get steroid-like gains”, and “explosive energy”.  

Whether these claims are valid or not, I am not sure because I have not used any of these dietary supplements. However, they do sound a bit far-fetched and since the FDA does not regulate the $25 billion dollar industry it allows companies to put whatever they want in the supplements. Okay, that may sound a little scary, so let me just say that not everything in pre-workout is terrible, but some things can be. So as pre-workout supplements become increasingly popular with athletes in high schools, college, and event with the typical working man or woman, it could be causing some serious issues with their bodies.

Most pre-workout supplements that I have looked into have the same four ingredients in them; Creatine, Caffeine, Beta Alanine (BA), and LCLT.

Creatine: So this seems to be the most common ingredient with most, if not all, pre-workout substances. Creatine is naturally produced in our body and can also be found in a lot of meat. Creatine functions as a driving force in burst muscle contractions by constantly refueling the ATP which is the source of energy. Long chemical story short: Creatine will give you more energy and make you feel less tired.

Caffeine: Good ol’ caffeine. It’s the most commonly used stimulant among people and the popularity stems from its seemingly magical ability to wake us up from the dead. Caffeine in pre-workout powders can vary depending on the brand and the number of grams in each scoop. There is a fine line between just the right amount and having the most amazing workout ever and having too much causing you to shake uncontrollably and make the difference of having the best workout of your life or shaking uncontrollably and dropping a dumbbell on your foot.

Beta Alanine: Yea, i did not really know what it was till I started doing my research. From what I understand it is a nonessential amino acid usually found in poultry and other types of meat. Its main purpose is to reduce fatigue which as you can imagine sounds amazing to anyone, especially trainers and extreme athletes since most of them are working out and doing intense exercise for several hours a day.

L-Carnitine/L-Tartrate: Out of all the ingredients, I think I like this the best. Not only does it help your body use your excess fat as an energy source, but it also prevents the breakdown of muscles, and lessens the amount of tissue damage and soreness after a workout. So yes, this does improve performance, but again it is not essential in the grand scheme of things.

It is not necessary to use preworkout to get in an effective workout. With that said I can understand the appeal of an elixir that provides extra energy, focus, and work capacity. Each supplement can be beneficial as long as you stick to the proper dosage, but the more you use and depend on preworkout for each intensive workout session, the more your body will build up a tolerance to it and eventually just a scoop will not be enough.

Morning vs. Evening Workouts

If you could burn more calories, gain an edge on your workout, and get several more health benefits simply from working out at the perfect time, would you do it? Of course you would! But everyone seems to be unsure as to what time is best. Long story short, it all comes down to each individual- their level of energy and motivations, and their schedules.

Morning Workout Pros:

1. Consistency: What makes morning workouts great is that it keeps you consistent. Most of the excuses you hear from people is that they don’t have the time to workout because of their busy schedules. However, when get your workout done first thing in the morning it helps avoid the hurdles that may come up later on in the day which may make working out difficult. Also since the workout is done and over with earlier in the day there is no need to worry about squeezing in a workout later on in the day.
2. Well Rested: It may not seem like it, but your body is doing so much while you sleep. It is repairing muscles and helping your body recover and rest so that when you wake up you are good to go. Of course this is not always true, some people have difficulty sleeping. Try to make sure you go to bed early enough so your body has plenty of time to recuperate. Also when you wake up for your early morning workout, make sure you take some time to warm up and stretch to help your muscles wake up.
3. Domino Effect of Healthy Choices: Generally those who start the day with a killer workout will have more energy, eat more healthy snacks and meals, and will consistently keep themselves hydrated throughout the day. You basically cause a domino effect of healthy choices. Also working out in the morning kick starts your metabolism; in short, you are burning more calories simply by working out in the morning.

Morning Workout Cons:

1. Less Fuel/crash: Let’s be real, the early bird may get the worm but some of us no matter how hard we try will just never be morning people. Life does get in the way sometimes and you may plan to sleep early, but things come up, you cannot sleep, or you have a million things you have to get done by the morning so yea the last thing you would want to worry about is waking up early to workout. If you are generally  person who is consistently tired, morning workouts may not be your thing because well let’s face it, crashing before you even start makes it ten times harder to put your all into a workout.

Evening Workout:

Pros:

1. Awake and Ready to go: Yea, yea I know I said you are fueled in the morning, and while that is true for some of us it can not be said for everyone. Some people may be better equipped for workouts later on in the day. Later on in the day, you are more awake because you have completed daily tasks and activities, and you have also eaten a few meals so you will have a lot more energy to put into your workout. This may also be true because strength and endurance levels are supposedly highest around 4-6pm.
2. Unwind and De-stress: When you wake up, you have a fresh start, not much has happened and you are overall pretty relaxed. However, by evening time stress may start to creep in and overwhelm you whether it is because of a tough day at work, school work piling up, or something that just upset you. Research has shown that increased stress levels can cause weight gain because of a steroid hormone called cortisol which makes people more likely to eat and desire those guilty pleasure foods. So what are your options? You can channel that excess stress and release it through exercise. I am sure you have heard time and time again how wonderful exercise is and how effectively it relieves stress and allows people to blow off steam. The reason for this is because when exercising your body produces happy hormones (also known as endorphins).

Cons:

1. Lack of Consistency: Remember that workout you planned for after classes or your workday? And then you realized you have another obligation and will not be able to make your 6pm workout session, well it happens to everyone and it may not seem like a big deal but it can be. To get the best results you need to be consistent with your workouts. With a lack of consistency and a schedule, it becomes very easy to get off track and derail your progress. This is much more of a problem for those who workout in the evening because many people schedule events, meetings, dinners, and parties in the evening. So by the time you may be ready to workout you may be too exhausted or it is too late and the gym is closed.

Everyone is different and everyone performs differently at and so naturally everyone will have their own opinion regarding the best time to workout. The key to getting the most you can from your workout regimen is to stay consistent. Make a plan and stick to it the best you can and all of us at Urban Boxing will try to help you all the best we can!

5 Reasons Why You Should Fall in Love With Boxing

I have a confession, I love to punch. No, no I am not abusive or anything. But I am in love. In between jabbing and crossing and feeling the impact of my fists hitting the punching bag I came to the realization that well, I am in love with boxing.

Max Kellerman, an HBO boxing analyst, proposed that “Boxing is, in fact, everybody’s favorite sport,”  and he backs up the claim with a little social experiment, “If you come to an intersection and on four corners you see the following. On one corner, there’s a couple kids playing stickball. On the other corner, there are some guys that are shooting hoops. On a third corner, there’s a guy just standing there putting a golf ball. And on the fourth corner, there’s a fistfight. There are a hundred people at the intersection. How many people are watching anything but the fist fight?” Please do not try this experiment at home to prove Max Kellerman wrong. But the man has a point, people are drawn to excitement and sometimes that means two people hitting each other.

Lately I felt less motivated to work out, feeling like running and going to the gym were such monotonous activities. I needed a workout with a bit of a kick (literally) so one google fueled evening I was inspired to find something different, and the search led me to Urban Boxing. After my hour long session of high intensity cardio and throwing jabs, crosses, hooks, and roundhouse kicks at a punching bag, I was exhausted, sweaty, and hooked. It got me thinking, there are a million of sports out there, so why boxing?

1. Great Cardio: Firstly, boxing is a full-body exercise! Muscles all over your body from your abs, back, glutes, shoulders, biceps, deltoids, triceps, quads, hamstrings, you name it, are engaged in every movement. You dodge and throw punches, throw in kicks and knee strikes, and dance around the ring to evade your opponent. In a typical session you start off slow to cover the basics and as you go on you build up the combinations and drills making them more complex which keeps your heart rate high. Every move is  high in intensity and whether you are boxing for fitness sake or to fight you are bound to sweat. In a hour session of boxing it is estimated that people burn over 500 calories!

2. All That Confidence: In individual sports like boxing, you build a strong relationship between yourself and your body and you know your strengths and weaknesses extremely well. In the ring and in life you may be placed in difficult positions and you have two options, you can either have faith in your abilities or fear failure. Being able to carry on in the face of adversity requires a certain degree of confidence. Obviously everyone wants to win, at least that is the main objective, but also the point is also to focus on doing your best, a poor attitude in the ring or in life can set you up to lose before the first punch is even thrown.
   
   

3. 

   Stress Relief: We have heard it a thousand time, exercise reduces stress and blah blah blah. But with boxing it does more than just that. The thing I love about boxing is that it requires 100% of my focus, I never feel my mind wandering to what I am doing later that day or to the pile of work I have waiting for me at home. With boxing you need to be present or you will get punched, playfully of course.

4. Mental Strength: What I think is super cool about boxing is the link with the basic primal instincts “fight or flight”. It is the most basic and human interaction between people and it has been around forever. I have never been a violent person and I would still not describe myself as violent, but I know that before I started boxing the idea of being punched or kicked scared me. However, when you box you are forced to go against your basic instincts and face the punch straight on.

5. IT’S FUN! Everyone I have ever met and talked to after a session has told me how much fun they had! The sport never becomes boring or monotonous because there are so many skills, combinations, and techniques to master. Once the session ends people want to know more about the sport and want to grow as athletes, they are inspired to watch videos, shadowbox in their living rooms, and fantasize about the next time they get to put on the gloves and punch...or maybe that is just me.