How quickly and for how long does pre-workout work?

Before buying pre-workout supplements, you’re probably curious about their effectiveness. How does pre-workout work, and how long do you actually feel the effects? And how long before your workout should you take a scoop to experience the best results during your training? At XXL Nutrition, we’ll explain exactly how long a pre-workout works, when you should take it for optimal effects, and what to consider when using such a booster.

How Does Pre-Workout Work?

Pre-workouts often contain a mix of ingredients that offer various benefits, making you alert and ready for an intense workout session. Ingredients like caffeine have a direct impact on your central nervous system, which positively affects endurance and allows you to train longer. Want to learn more about the most common ingredients in a pre-workout?

How Quickly Does Pre-Workout Work?

To experience the best effects of a pre-workout, it's important to take your scoop at the right time. But how long does it take for a pre-workout to work? This varies from person to person and also depends on the composition of the pre-workout booster. Most pre-workouts start to take effect within 15 to 30 minutes after consumption.

That's why you often see the recommended use on the label as follows:

Mix 1 scoop (15 grams) with at least 250 ml of your preferred beverage and drink Unleash Reloaded 30 minutes before your workout.

About 15 to 30 minutes after drinking your pre-workout, you'll begin to notice the first effects. This is because substances like caffeine and beta-alanine are absorbed into your body. Caffeine helps you train longer and improves concentration, while beta-alanine often makes you feel its effects literally. This compound is responsible for the tingling sensation you feel shortly after drinking your pre-workout booster.

Since most pre-workouts are in powder form, the active ingredients are quickly absorbed. Therefore, you’ll notice the effects within a quarter to half an hour after taking it.

How often should you take pre-workout?

We get it: you’ve just bought a new pre-workout and want to use it for every workout. But is that actually good for you? Generally, it’s advised to use pre-workout no more than 3 to 4 times a week. If you take a scoop before every training session, your body is likely to get used to the ingredients, such as caffeine. As a result, you might need increasingly larger doses to achieve the same effect. Save that scoop for days when you need an extra boost of energy or when you want to push yourself to the limit, like when trying to set a personal record.

Tingling after taking pre-workout booster

Do you experience itching or a tingling sensation on your skin shortly after using a pre-workout? As mentioned above, this is caused by beta-alanine. Beta-alanine is a non-essential amino acid that the body can produce from the amino acid L-histidine. It is often used as a supplement to enhance athletic performance.

A side effect of taking beta-alanine is that it can cause tingling. This happens because beta-alanine stimulates the nerve endings in the skin, leading to a sensation of tingling or prickling. This is a harmless and temporary side effect that usually goes away within a short time. However, some people may experience more pronounced tingling than others.

How long does pre-workout remain effective?

Wondering how long your pre-workout remains effective after taking it? There's no one-size-fits-all answer as it varies based on how your body reacts to the active ingredients (such as caffeine) and the specific composition of the pre-workout. However, the effects of caffeine on your alertness, concentration, and endurance generally wear off after about an hour. While there will still be some caffeine in your system, its noticeable effects will diminish.

Thirty minutes after taking your pre-workout, the concentration of caffeine in your blood will be at its peak. After 60 minutes, this concentration starts to decrease, and you’ll move past the peak of the energy boost. However, this doesn’t mean all active ingredients have left your body. There will still be some caffeine present, as we'll explain further below.

Half-Life of Caffeine

But how long does caffeine stay in your body? On one hand, this depends on how quickly your body breaks down and eliminates caffeine. Additionally, the amount of caffeine in your pre-workout supplement is important. If your scoop contains 300 mg of caffeine, you'll feel its effects longer than if a pre-workout contains 150 mg of caffeine.

This is related to the half-life of caffeine, which is about 5 hours. This means that the amount of caffeine in your blood is halved after approximately 5 hours. If your pre-workout contains 200 mg of caffeine per serving, then after 5 hours, there will still be 100 mg of caffeine in your blood.

Keep this in mind when taking a pre-workout booster. Although the intense energy boost diminishes after an hour, the amount of caffeine can still affect your body. Some athletes notice this when trying to sleep. If you took a scoop late in the evening, there is a good chance you might have trouble falling asleep. The amount of caffeine can then impact the quality of your sleep.

Noticeable Effect Varies by Athlete

The effect of a pre-workout supplement varies from person to person. Some people are simply more sensitive to the stimulants in such a booster than others. For most athletes, a pre-workout will start to take effect after about 15 to 30 minutes. The energy boost tends to diminish after approximately 60 minutes, but this doesn't mean that all the caffeine is out of your system. How long pre-workouts last for you depends on the specific formulation, amount of caffeine, and your body's sensitivity to the active ingredients.

Tip from XXL Nutrition: Do you often train late in the evening and don’t want your sleep to be affected by a pre-workout? A caffeine-free pre-workout is an excellent solution!