Ways To Reduce Side Effects
Caffeine dosing is very individualized, as some people tolerate it better than others.
The best way to reduce side effects is to start with a small dose of a caffeinated pre-workout supplement, slowly increasing your dosage to see what you can tolerate.
Remember that its best to avoid caffeine for at least 6 hours before bed to help prevent sleeplessness .
Of course, you can also choose pre-workout supplements without any caffeine.
Summary Youll find caffeine in most pre-workout supplements, but this stimulant can cause jitteriness, anxiety, and an increased heart rate. If you experience side effects, try a smaller dose to see how your body reacts.
Our Caffeine Sensitivity Levels
Were all different and have different sensitivity levels to caffeine .
But the Mayo Clinic notes that generally, side effects from too much caffeine can start to kick in once youre above 400mg .
Over 40 million Americans have some sort of anxiety-related mental health issue .
People with an underlying nervous condition, low-grade anxiety, elevated cortisol or stress levels, etc., are more at risk for worsening their conditions via caffeine .
This increased sensitivity to caffeine means that theyre more likely to experience increased nervousness & anxiety after taking a pre-workout formula.
Can You Be Addicted To Pre
Long story short, the addictive component of pre-workout comes from caffeine. … But if you depend on 300mg+ of caffeine in your pre-workout to get you through your training sessions, which is usually in addition to other stimulants throughout the day, chances are you’ll develop some sort of dependence.
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Why Does Pre Workout Make Me Feel Anxious
There are a lot of science-y reasons for this effect. Heres an excerpt from an article in Advances in Psychiatric Treatment:
Excessive caffeine ingestion leads to symptoms that overlap with those of many psychiatric disorders. Caffeine is implicated in the exacerbation of anxiety and sleep disorders, and people with eating disorders often misuse it. It antagonises adenosine receptors, which may potentiate dopaminergic activity and exacerbate psychosis. In psychiatric in-patients, caffeine has been found to increase anxiety, hostility and psychotic symptoms.
In short, caffeine can temporarily alter your brain chemistry and/or simulate symptoms of anxiety in your body, which can then trigger actual feelings of anxiousness!
But dont fear it is possible to maximize your gym performance without supplements making you feel anxious, jittery, and on edge! Pre-workouts that dont contain high levels of stimulants can still be quite effective.
Here are some great starting points when finding the right pre-workout for you.
Easy To Determine The Guilty Party
Thats why its pretty easy to pin a pre-workout side effect on a specific ingredient thats contained in that product.
That same handful of common side effects I listed above happen the most since theres the same handful of essential performance-enhancers in every popular pre-workout, along with similar added sweeteners, etc.
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Hardbody Supplements Ripped To Shredz Stimulant And Caffeine Free Preworkout
Image courtesy Hardbody Supplements
The Ripped to Shredz Preworkout Formula is designed to enhance your workout without any of the usual negatives that come with fitness supplements. This includes being stimulant-free, so you don’t have anxiety about caffeine jitters or energy crashes.
Instead of using harsh chemicals, it uses natural ingredients that safely help build lean muscle and maintain electrolyte balance for sustainable energy during physical activity.
Shredz Super Formula is a fuel that helps ensure you get in some exercise on even the most difficult days. Shredz Super Formula has an extensive collection of components to assist users in gaining high energy, strength, recovery, and lean muscle mass.
How To Prevent Workout
When you want to get back into the swing of things workout-wise, it’s helpful to get to know how much exercise your body can tolerate so you don’t trigger panic attacks, says Dr. Ritvo.
Workouts like Pilates or yoga can be really beneficial since they combine breath with movement and helps you focus on taking long, slow breaths. It also allows for moments of relaxation between active poses, which ultimately allows your heart and respiratory rates to slow down.
But since exercising your heart is important, you can’t skip cardio forever. Dr. Ritvo suggests working your way back up to more aerobic exercises. Brisk walking is a great place to start, as you can easily slow down or stop if you feel your heart is racing too fast, she says.
Long term, engaging in certain practices regularly can help keep panic at bay. “Panic attacks are overfilling of the sympathetic nervous system,” says Dr. Ritvo. “Anything you can do to strengthen the opposite side of your nervous system may be helpful in preventing future panic attacks.”
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Men’s Health Lab Approved
To help you find the best pre-workout supplement whether youre looking for a powerful energy kick or a gentle caffeine-free boost we recruited a panel of fitness enthusiasts to put a range of market-leading products to the test as part of the 2022 Men’s Health Sports Nutrition Awards.
This involved trialling them over a period of four weeks, before rating them based on a variety of factors including taste, texture, clarity of instructions, ease of use and, of course, their impact on energy and performance in the gym.
The products with the esteemed Sports Nutrition Awards logo are our winners, while those stamped with the MH Lab Approved logo are our runners-up and have also passed our rigorous assessments.
Additionally, our editors have handpicked some pre-workouts that have kept them energised on those days when motivation was lacking.
Check out the best pre-workout supplements below…
A Note On Taking Supplements
Workout supplements should never be taken in place of a healthy, balanced diet.
If youre interested in taking supplements, this is never an excuse to not fuel your body properly.
Even with the addition of pre-workout to your exercise routine, youre never going to get the most out of your workout without the right nutrition.
Pre-workout supplements, along with other supplements, are not an alternative to eating enough food, and youre not going to get the results that you want if you treat it like this.
Whether you use pre-workouts or not, make sure youre following a balanced diet, drinking enough water, and making sure that you are getting enough sleep.
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May Trigger Mild Reactions
Two additional ingredients in many pre-workout supplements are beta alanine and niacin .
Beta alanine is an amino acid that reduces acidity in your muscles during exercise, which may help you sustain your workout for slightly longer.
Dosed at 46 grams per day, it has been shown to increase exercise performance and reduce fatigue in high-intensity exercises lasting 14 minutes .
Yet, this ingredient may cause paresthesia, a tingling sensation in your hands and feet. While its a harmless nervous system reaction, some people may find it uncomfortable .
Another ingredient with mild downsides is niacin, which is included in many pre-workout supplements for its skin-flushing effects. In high doses of 500 mg or more, it can trigger a blood rush to the surface of your skin, resulting in red patches .
While niacin also plays an important role in energy metabolism, supplementing with it likely doesnt offer additional benefits if you consume a well-balanced diet .
Is There A Dark Side To Pre Workouts
The problem with the supplement industry is that its all about the trust.
And while some manufacturers are transparent about which ingredients they use and exactly how much, less honest manufacturers choose to add in banned or illegal substances to make their product more potent.
Some choose to go down the proprietary blend route as well.
This is when ingredients in the pre workout are listed under a made up brand name such as Thermo Nuclear Mutant or whatever. And by listing as a blend, these companies are then only obliged to tell the user which ingredients are in the supplement, not the specific doses.
And that is when youre looking at an increased risk of side effects.
How do you avoid these products?
Dont choose a supplement with the term proprietary blend on the label. You just dont know if its under or overdosed. For all you know, you could be getting well over the safe dose for some nutrients, and under on others.
And never choose to buy a pre workout that is unlicensed check the Food and Drug Administration or World Anti-Doping Agency websites and take your time going over each ingredient.
Do your research and choose carefully and confidently.
If one of the ingredients in your pre workout is on either list then dont go anywhere near it theyre on it for a reason.
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How Can You Reduce Side Effects
How you react to caffeine depends on the person, as some people are able to tolerate it better than others.
Everyone is different. One of the easiest ways to reduce side effects is to begin with a small dose of pre-workout, and slowly increase your serving to determine what you are able to tolerate.
For a good nights sleep, its best to avoid caffeine for at least 6 hours before bed to help prevent sleeplessness.
Heres The Pre Workout Ingredients You Should Avoid:
Bitter Orange Extract
Although this is seen quite commonly in pre workout supplements, you might be suprised to hear that its main benefit is promoting fat loss.
So why is it added into pre workouts? Well, it contains high amounts of Synephrine, which also works as a stimulant.
However, this isnt a good thing as most pre workouts also contain Caffeine Anhydrous too, consuming bitter orange extract increases your risk of becoming a jittery, anxious mess.
Not only that, a direct side effect of consuming Bitter Orange Extract or Synephrine, is actually anxiety. For this reason, this is at the top of our list of ingredients to avoid.
Yohimbe Bark Extract
Again, this is another ingredient that you should avoid if youre concerned about suffering from anxiety.
Yohimbe Bark Extract contains high amounts of Yohimbine, which is a chemical thats been banned from use in supplements.
Unfortunately, the FDA are yet to ban Yohimbe Bark Extract, so its not actually illegal for them to add this in.
However, the side effects of this this ingredient include anxiety.
Ultimately, if youve ever experienced anxiety problems while taking pre-workouts, it might have contained Yohimbe Bark Extract.
Overloads of Stimulants
We briefly mentioned that consuming too much stimulants will cause jitters and anxiety.
Think about it, when you have too much coffee, your heart races and you feel exhausted afterwards.
How much Caffeine Anhydrous is safe?
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Everyday Nerves Versus Performance Anxiety
Dr Josephine Perry, sports psychologist and author of Performing Under Pressure agrees with Gentry that a few nerves are good for competition. They switch us on ready for action, she says. Performance anxiety, however, is when we start to doubt that were actually able to do what were planning on doing.
Its then that our threat system kicks into action sending our hearts beating, our sweat pouring and our bellies churning. Dr Perry explains: When we feel under threat, the amygdala in our brain sends adrenaline and cortisol around our body. These chemicals get us ready for fight, flight or freeze so we can handle the scary thing we are facing.
Our amygdala doesnt know if that scary thing is a 7.15am circuit class, a voluntarily-entered marathon or a grizzly bear thats about to eat us. Because of that, we can experience seemingly disproportionate responses to everyday activities, like going to the gym. The key isnt to try to stop the nerves, but reducing the stress reaction when those symptoms start to hit.
When we notice we are starting to get over-activated, some breathing exercises can be really good to slow down our breaths, Dr Perry says. She explains that when were calm, we normally breathe up to 15 breaths a minute in panic-mode, that can go up 22.
Alternatives And Ways To Reduce Side Effects
People can reduce the potential side effects of pre-workouts by following the recommended dosage on the product label or packaging.
Research into consumer habits around pre-workout supplements found that 14% of people reported consuming two or more doses, while 18% of individuals consumed them more than once a day. To reduce some side effects, people can either lower the dose or split the dose into several smaller amounts.
If a person is experiencing digestive issues when starting a pre-workout, they may wish to find a product that does not include potential triggers, such as caffeine and sodium bicarbonate. They could also try lowering the dosage.
To avoid potential sleep problems, a person can take pre-workouts, including caffeine earlier in the day, to ensure the stimulant has worn off before going to bed.
If an individual wants to avoid pre-workouts altogether, they can find common ingredients, including creatine and beta-alanine, in foods such as red meat, fish, and poultry. A person may also improve their workout without pre-workout supplements by focusing on their diet before and after exercising. Health experts suggest:
- eating a meal within 2 hours of a workout
- eating snacks beforehand that include complex carbohydrates and protein
- staying hydrated before and throughout a workout
- eating a balanced meal after a workout, preferably including protein
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What Are Pre Workout Supplements
You can probably guess that these supplements are designed to be taken before your workout.
However, the timing depends on each product from experience, most pre workouts come with the recommendation to consume them 20-30 minutes before you hit the gym.
As with all supplements, each pre workout contains different ingredients in different dosages, which is why some cause side effects and others dont.
Ultimately, its great that youre doing your research, as well reveal how you can stay safe from anxiety below
What To Do If Anxious Thoughts Occur During Workouts
No advice can ever take the place of a mental health expert who knows your exact experience, so if you’re feeling anxious, make sure to consult with a licensed professional first and foremost to get to the root of your stress and anxiety. There’s no simple fix to relax the mind however, in a given workout there are things you can do to ease anxiety so that you can reap the benefits in the long run.
Elion suggests listening to music or a podcast as a way to relax your mind. Saremi co-signs this, but only coupled with doing the deeper work of finding the core reasons for your anxiety, which she emphasizes is most important. “Distraction is a really great short-term strategy, but if it’s a recurring problem, it’s not necessarily going to help you actually face the problem and learn to cope with it,” she says.
Saremi says part of the solution to overcoming anxiety during exercise is getting to the root cause of why you’re feeling anxious. “There are ways to cope in the moment, but if you don’t get to the root of why you feel stressed or anxious, it will become a recurring issue,” she says.
You also might be able to curb your feelings of anxiety by switching up your workout. “If the feeling of your heart starting to beat faster makes you feel anxious, try lower-impact workouts instead,” Elion says. “Movement is really key for managing anxiety but it doesn’t have to be high-impact. Exercises like yoga or Pilates can be incredibly beneficial for both physical and mental health.”
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How To Get Rid Of Pre Workout Side Effects
Well, drinking some water can help the caffeine side effects a teeny bit, but you cant flush it out out of your digestive system since its already in your bloodstream.
The other side effects mentioned in this article just need time to work through and are usually short-lived.
For something like insomnia though, that requires a lifestyle awareness change.
Meaning, make sure to respect how long a stimulant like caffeine can affect you. Keep the pre-workout supplement at least 8 hours away from your planned bedtime so it doesnt affect your quality of sleep.
Grenade 50 Calibre Pre
Explosive! Energy! During! Workouts! Grenade’s 50 Calibre Pre-workout, with its battle-hardened style, is another favourite among lifters. With a goal to include every possible natural component that aids performance including theobroma and beet extract it comes in berry, cola and lemon flavour.
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Consume Water To Stay Hydrated
Flushing your system with plenty of water is a quick and simple technique to get rid of your jitters. Drinking enough water will quickly lessen the effects of coffee.
Drinking plenty of water can help because caffeine is a natural diuretic and can cause you to get quickly dehydrated, which can sometimes make your jitters worse. Consider drinking a glass of water in place of each energy drink or coffee you eat. Later on, youll thank us.
Consult With Your Health Care Practitioner
Anxiety can be a complex mental illness to manage.
Any component or ingredient in the pre-workout can exacerbate anxiety symptoms, which might negatively impact your health.
Thus, in my opinion, it is always prudent to consult with your health care practitioner before taking any pre-workout supplement in order to avoid any undesirable consequences.
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Can Your Panic Attacks Be Related To Your Supplement Intake
Pre-workouts are used to boost energy levels and improve performance during exercise. Theyhelp reduce fatigue and recover after an intense workout session. The flavorful stimulants used in these supplements are meant to get you pumped up ahead of your routine. However, these prove counterproductive when they start causing panic attacks pre or mid-workout.
These supplements consist of a variety of ingredients in them aimed at triggering different responses from your body. Imagine eating a bunch of different junk food altogether- You will most likely end up sick because your body cannot digest all the junk at once. Likewise, consuming these stimulants in excess can result in a negative response from your body.