How Often Should you Take Pre Workout?
Pre workouts are one of the most effective ways to maximize the effectiveness of your training. If you find your depending on them you may well be asking yourself just how often should you take a pre workout and is it bad to take one everyday?
Training for crossfit requires that you show up and put in the work with maximum commitment.
Life however, has a way of getting in your way in terms of fatigue and recovery.
Balancing your training with work, sleep, family and a busy social life is not easy.
Using a pre-workout for crossfit is one sure fire way to get the most out of yourself when you show up at the gym.
They give you a physical boost, mental clarity, and focus.
But often they can become a crutch even for the average crossfitter and you may well end up taking your pre workout more often than not.
If you’ve been taking pre-workout supplements for a while or attempting for the first time, you may wonder when is the best time to take a break from you regular pre-workout consumption ?
How Often Should you Take Pre Workout
How often you take a preworkout will depend on your training needs and more importantly how you react to the ingredients, generally no more than 5 days a week.
A better approach is to only take it when you feel that you really need it or when you have a particularly taxing workout planned.
If you are taking it for the first time then you should only take half the recommended dosage to test how sensitive you are to it and how your body reacts.
Should I Cycle Off Pre Workout?
Yes you should cycle off pre workout as over time your body will become accustomed to the ingredients and they will begin to have less and less of an affect.
Generally the best time to cycle off of pre workout is every 6 to 8 weeks for at least a week. It may also be a good idea to reduce your general coffee consumption during this period.
I find it best to reduce all caffeine during a de-load phase and Getting Pre Workout Out of Your System will make it more effective once you return to using it.
De-loading in crucial for your progress and it should be programmed in every six weeks or so. Some crossfitters will de-load every fourth week.
A reduction in volume rather than a reduction in training intensity is what works best. It will also allow any small injuries that you have picked up to heal quicker.
Is it Bad to Take Pre Workout Everyday?
Yes it is bad to take pre workout everyday because eventually your body will start to rely on it to the point that you will ‘need’ to take it just to have a normal workout.
There are a lot of strong ingredients and they are not exactly something that your body should be processing 365 days a year.
This is why cycling off of is strongly advised and how often you take pre workout will dictate how likely you are to become dependent on it.