Pre Workout on empty stomach: Tips for safety and efficiency

In a nutshell

Pre-workout are supplements designed to provide you with better focus, energy, and stamina for your training. They offer these effects thanks to stimulating active ingredients, such as caffeine, creatine, beta-alanine, and BCAA.

If you decide to use these supplements for your morning workouts, it’s natural to wonder whether it’s okay to take pre workout on empty stomach. The benefits of doing so can include:

• Faster absorption
• Faster workout readiness
• Fat oxidation
• Ease and convenience

On the other hand, taking supplements on an empty stomach can also cause side effects like increased jitteriness, risk of hypoglycemia, and gastrointestinal discomfort. Thus, it’s important to consider your individual factors before doing so.

Whether for overall fitness or for health reasons, for example, for managing PCOS symptoms, regular workouts can be very beneficial to you. If you work out, it can enhance your energy levels, support mental health, and protect you from a range of diseases. Yet, when you work out a lot, sometimes, you just need an extra boost for greater stamina and performance. That’s what pre workout is made for and here, we’ll explore whether it’s okay to take pre workout on empty stomach to help you make the best use of it.

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What Is Pre Workout?

Before we explore the pros and possible cons of taking pre workout on an empty stomach, let’s start with a definition.

In a nutshell, pre workout is a type of supplement meant specifically for people who regularly exercise. As you can easily guess from the name, these supplements are supposed to be taken prior to your workout routine. The goal is to provide you with added energy and help you have better focus and endurance so that you perform better.

The key ingredients typically found in such supplements include:

• Caffeine: stimulates your nervous system and lets you feel an energy boost and get more focused during your exercise.
• Creatine: stimulates adenosine triphosphate (ATP) regeneration and provides your muscles with energy for contraction.
• Beta-alanine: increases endurance and lets you perform high-intensity workouts with lower fatigue and a better recovery rate.

• BCAA: branched-chain amino acids stimulate muscle growth and minimize muscle damage after intense exercise.

As you can see, apart from giving you energy and improving focus and stamina, pre workout supplements can also support muscle health, stimulate faster recovery, and even help you gain lean muscle mass faster. However, you need to take these supplements right in order to gain the most benefits.

Can You Take Pre Workout on an Empty Stomach?

Traditionally, pre-workout supplements are taken 20 minutes before you exercise. That is, if you are a fan of morning workouts, you will likely have to take them on a completely empty stomach. But can you actually do that?

The short answer is “yes,” you can take pre workout in the morning on an empty stomach. This approach is usually chosen when you want to train in a fasted state, which can potentially stimulate more active fat-burning. Moreover, taking your supplements this way can actually give you some added benefits.

Pre Workout Empty Stomach Pros

So should you take pre workout on an empty stomach? There are a few tangible benefits to it:

Faster Supplement Absorption

Though not many know this, food plays a significant role in the bioavailability of nutrients. Simply put, it affects how quickly certain elements get absorbed by your body.

When you haven’t eaten yet, your absorption rate is higher, meaning that the active ingredients from your pre-workout supplements will get absorbed faster.

Faster Workout Readiness

Since your body absorbs the ingredients from your pre workout empty stomach morning supplement faster, these elements also kick in faster. This means a quicker energy boost and faster workout readiness compared to when you take your supplements after eating something beforehand.

Fat Oxidation

Studies show that workouts can enhance 24-hour fat oxidation when done before breakfast (aka on an empty stomach). In a nutshell, fat oxidation is the process when your body starts breaking fatty acids to use them as the primary source of energy. As a result, you can burn more fat and lose weight, which might be another benefit of drinking pre workout in the morning.

Ease and Convenience

Sticking to a regular exercise schedule can be incredibly hard in our fast-paced world. Sometimes, having your workout in the morning means giving up on something else, and cooking and having breakfast an hour before your exercise can be too much of a time waste.

From this perspective, taking pre workout on an empty stomach can be a simple and convenient solution when you don’t have time for breakfast. Besides, it could be a solution for when you just don’t feel like eating in the morning.

Preworkout on Empty Stomach Cons and Possible Side Effects

While there are quite a few benefits, there might also be some drawbacks of taking pre workout on empty stomach, such as:

Increased Jitteriness

Caffeine, in any amount, is linked to increased jitteriness and anxiety. Since pre-workout supplements are often high in caffeine, this is one of the most common side effects you can experience from taking them. However, this side effect is possible regardless of whether you take your supplements on an empty stomach or not. It’s just that the absorption rate is higher on an empty stomach, which means that you can feel jitteriness faster and more intensely.

Risk of Hypoglycemia

It’s not uncommon for people to train in the morning. To many, this is a convenient way to fit regular exercises into their daily life and start their days productively. However, this approach may not suit everyone.

Hypoglycemia is a state in which your blood sugar is lower than it’s supposed to be, which can lead to sweating, fatigue, nausea, and dizziness. Studies link early workouts on an empty stomach to an increased risk of hypoglycemia, especially if training is long and intense, which is typically true after you take pre-workout.

Gastrointestinal Discomfort

Pre-workout supplements contain a few stimulant ingredients, such as caffeine, which can create discomfort in your gastrointestinal tract, especially when taken on an empty stomach. This can lead to side effects like diarrhea or intensified irritable bowel syndrome symptoms.

This can make taking pre workout first thing in the morning a pretty bad idea for people who already have gastrointestinal tract issues.

Can You Take Pre Workout Without Eating: Who Should Be Careful?

So can you take pre workout in the morning? As you now know, there are both pros and cons of doing so. On top of the factors mentioned earlier, it’s also important to consider some individual specs.

Here’s a brief overview of who might not want to take pre workout on an empty stomach:

• People prone to jitters of anxiety. If that’s you, high-caffeine supplements taken on an empty stomach can kick in very hard and worsen your anxiety or even lead to panic attacks.
• Beginners who are new to such supplements. Getting started with any kind of supplement should be gradual and thoughtful so that it does not cause any harm. If that sounds like you, it’s not recommended to take your pre-workout on an empty stomach before you get used to these supplements and confirm your tolerance for them.
• People striving for long-duration, high-intensity training. When you do such workouts on an empty stomach, your body may simply not have enough fuel to pull through it. This can result in dizziness, fatigue, and even fainting.

• People who have digestive issues or sensitive gastrointestinal tracts. As you now know, pre-workout supplements can cause certain discomfort in your GT, which can lead to a range of unpleasant side effects like acid reflux, nausea, diarrhea, and cramps. 
• Individuals with conditions that involve blood sugar. If your body has problems with regulating blood sugar, taking supplements on an empty stomach can cause blood sugar crashes and unpleasant symptoms like a lack of focus, shakiness, lightheadedness, etc.
• Individuals who are taking medications that might interact with stimulants. Though many medications are pretty safe to use with pre-workout supplements, some meds like those for anxiety or heart conditions may be affected by stimulants and cause complications.

FAQ

Can I take pre workout on an empty stomach?

Yes, you can. There are no strict rules that would require you to take these supplements solely after having some food. In fact, it can be rather beneficial for your morning workouts.

Why should I take pre workout on an empty stomach?

Doing so can have a number of benefits. First of all, it can be rather convenient when you don’t feel like eating or don’t have enough time for cooking and having breakfast before your workout. Some other benefits include faster absorption of the active elements from your supplements, faster workout readiness, enhanced energy, and fat oxidation.

How do you take pre workout on an empty stomach?

Typically, it’s recommended to take your supplements 20-35 minutes before training. Carefully read the instructions of the manufacturer and follow them for maximum safety and efficiency.

Why is it bad to take pre workout in the morning?

It’s not necessarily bad. However, it’s important to consider the possible drawbacks and side effects, such as increased jitteriness and anxiety, risk of hypoglycemia, and gastrointestinal discomfort. Due to these downsides, it might not be suitable for everyone.

Can I take pre workout in the morning – how do I know for sure?

Taking pre workout in the morning might not be suitable for everyone. Be sure to consider the possible side effects before you try it. And don’t hesitate to consult with a healthcare provider if you have any specific medical conditions or take certain medications.

Conclusion

So can you take pre workout on empty stomach? This type of supplement is generally considered safe to take on an empty stomach. Moreover, taking this approach can help you get the most out of your supplements thanks to enhanced element absorption and faster workout readiness.

On the other hand, taking your supplements without eating first can lead to a number of side effects. It can even worsen certain conditions, including anxiety, blood sugar regulation, and gastrointestinal tract work. That is, there is no one-size-fits-all answer. If you are wondering can you drink pre workout on an empty stomach, you should consider all general and individual factors and find an approach that suits you best.

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