Read This If You Take Pre-Workout Energy Drinks Before Exercising

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“Optimizing your training” is a phrase often used to sum up how to get the most out of exercise, whether that means running faster or running more efficiently to target a specific muscle group.

One way some people try to optimize their fitness regimen is by using pre-workout energy drinks from brands like Celsius and C4 Energy, which claim to be healthier than regular energy drinks and help you have your best workout afterwards to drink them. Specifically, Celsius says it “speeds up metabolism” and “burns body fat.” Many people also use them to feel more alert and focused during exercise.

But can a drink really do this? Or is it just the training itself that contributes to these changes in your body and mind? Are there any downsides to these drinks?

Here, the experts share what you should know and some of the dangers associated with them.

These exercise drinks are “popular with fitness enthusiasts and elite athletes looking to improve their strength, power, agility or speed,” he said. emma laingthe director of dietetics at the University of Georgia.

While this is the traditional use of these beverages, they are also consumed to quench thirst by people who like the taste and energy boost they get after a few sips, he added.

The exact composition of these exercise energy drinks varies by brand, but doctor scott JeromeWhatports cardiologist at the University of Maryland Medical Center, noted that they often contain a mix of caffeine, green tea extract, guarana (which is like a natural form of caffeine), and taurine (which supports the heart and brain, and can help nerve growth).

The amount of each additive is not usually specified on the label, but most of these drinks advertise that they have around 200 milligrams of caffeine. For reference, an eight-ounce cup of coffee has 80 to 100 milligrams of caffeine. So you get a lot more energy boost after drinking one of these.

Exercise energy drinks claim to offer a competitive advantage that leads to improved energy levels, metabolism, body composition and athletic performance, Laing said. In general, they promote making you a better athlete during your training.

People who use them to get that workout boost usually drink them 30-60 minutes before they work out so the ingredients have time to fully take effect.

Yes and no. The high caffeine content may mean you’ll have a little more energy during a run or weightlifting session, Jerome said, but any claims of increased weight loss are probably not accurate. Weight loss comes from the actual workout, not from drinking.

In addition, Laing said that while many of the ingredients found in these drinks — such as antioxidants, amino acids, creatine, vitamins and minerals — are linked to improvements in athletic performance in adults, “the amounts of these ingredients vary widely among products and probably don’t offer much benefit beyond what a general nutritious eating pattern provides.”

He noted that you can get your daily allowance of these ingredients by eating protein-packed foods, vegetables, fruits and whole grains. And eating a balanced diet will fully fuel your workout.

“Pre-workout beverages can be expensive and not necessarily more advantageous than whole foods when it comes to supporting athletic performance,” Laing added.

Plus, those whole foods don’t have any of the risk factors that exercise drinks unfortunately do.

According to Jerome, these exercise energy drinks increase your heart rate and blood pressure, making them a risky drink for many people, especially someone who has high blood pressure or a history of heart problems.

Increased heart rate and blood pressure could cause arrhythmia (an abnormal heartbeat) or atrial fibrillation, which can cause blood clots in the heartaccording to the Mayo Clinic.

These problems do not only occur in older people with heart problems. Young people have also reported problems after drinking these drinks. A few years ago, a A 26-year-old man suffered a heart attack. after drinking several energy drinks in one day and people have reported on TikTok who have experienced heart problems after drinking them for a long period of time.

“From a heart standpoint, these aren’t great,” Jerome said.

Beyond heart problems, these drinks are also linked to other concerning issues.

“Adverse effects of pre-exercise drinks could occur among those who consume more than the suggested amount, if they take other performance-enhancing supplements, or if ingredients in the pre-exercise drink negatively interact with their medications,” Laing said. Therefore, it is important to keep this in mind before taking a drink for exercise.

If you’re going to drink one, stick to the serving size and take a minute to consider if any medications you’re taking could be negatively affected by this drink.

Laing added that you should also take the caffeine content into account when deciding to have one of these drinks. “A A limit of 400 milligrams of caffeine per day is recommended for most adults,” Laing said. So just one of these drinks makes up half of your daily caffeine allowance.

When you ingest too much caffeine, you may be dealing with disrupted sleep and increased stress, Laing said.

Even as you weigh these risk factors, keep in mind that you can get the nutrients these drinks claim to provide elsewhere, through vegetables, whole grains, fruits, and more.

Diet and exercise remain the best ways to accomplish what exercise energy drinks promise, Jerome noted. And while some of his patients use these drinks, Jerome said he doesn’t recommend them.