Pre-Workouts & Anxiety - Are They Collared in Any Way?

It’s not just theory; in my own experience, I've found that certain pre-workouts don't cause anxiety directly, but specific ingredients in them, like high caffeine levels, have led to jitteriness and nervousness in my workouts.

I’ve already said, but it bears repeating: anxiety is normal, and everyone feels it at least sometimes.

If you’re a professional athlete, you’ll feel some anxiety from time to time, but even if you’re not, it’s bound to happen occasionally.

But, if you take a pre-workout supplement that makes you feel anxious, this can build up over time and become a problem.

Through my experience, I've realized that dodging anxiety and side effects in pre-workouts means picking safe ingredients. But, if you're not a nutritionist, figuring out which ingredients are a no-go versus the good stuff for your fitness goals can be tricky.

When choosing pre-workouts, watch out for anxiety-triggering stuff like high caffeine or synephrine, which can ramp up your heart rate and jitters.

Read labels closely and steer clear of anything that might mess with your mental well-being. Opt for pre-workouts with natural ingredients that balance energy, focus, and endurance for a smoother, worry-free workout.

Now, let's break down those anxiety-inducing ingredients.

Apart from Yohimbe bark extract, this ingredient is also called Yohimbe and Yohimbine.

Yohimbe bark extract contains a very high amount of Yohimbine, which is a chemical, and it’s banned from anything being used as a supplement. It’s considered a prescription drug in the US.

However, the FDA hasn't yet banned the Yohimbe Bark Extract, so it’s not illegal for supplement companies to add this ingredient to pre-workouts.

Yohimbe causes various side effects, such as:

I’m not saying caffeine is always bad. I’m the first one who wouldn’t function without my 10 am morning coffee hit. The problem is in the dosage. An average cup of coffee has between 80 to 120mg of caffeine, while an average 12oz energy drink has about 120mg of caffeine.

I’ve checked the available legal pre-workout supplements, and the strongest of them have between 350 to 500mg per serving.

Bitter orange is very common on the ingredient list of pre-workout supplements. Its main benefit is promoting fat loss. The reason it’s added to a pre-workout is that it contains Synephrine, which is a stimulant.

However, Synephrine is a banned substance under the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) regulations, and it can cause heart problems, such as heart arrhythmia.

Moreover, because many pre-workout supplements also contain caffeine, there’s a high chance that taking bitter orange extract will increase your anxiety.

Taking too many stimulants can cause anxiety. Think about how you feel when you drink too much coffee. Chances are your heart rate increases, and after, you feel tired.

The same thing goes for consuming a pre-workout with more than one stimulant. This is why I recommend choosing an organic pre-workout that only has a few proven stimulants because it won’t cause anxiety.

Branched-chain amino acid, or BCAA contains:

• Leucine
• Isoleucine
• Valine

All of these are good for muscle growth [3]. Leucine helps stimulate muscle protein synthesis, which is the muscle-making process. Good quality BCAAs will have a high dose of leucine for potency.

L-citrulline, an amino acid, boosts exercise performance by upping blood flow. It transforms into L-arginine and nitric oxide in your kidneys. L-arginine is great for easing anxiety symptoms, making L-citrulline a safe bet for pre-workout if you're prone to anxiety attacks.

Creatine gives you fuel for a gym workout session. It’s good for:

• Improving strength
• Increasing lean muscle mass
• Helping the muscles recover more quickly when you exercise

Creatine also helps the possibility of achieving bursts of speed and energy and have better performance, especially during some of the high-intensity activities, such as weight lifting and sprinting.

This is another amino acid, but non-essential. The body uses it to produce carnosine, which is stored in the skeletal muscles and helps achieve better athletic performance.

Its benefits include:

• Increases time to exhaustion — Different studies found that it helps exercise for extended periods of time.
• Benefits shorter-duration exercises — Because muscle acidosis limits high-intensity exercises, it helps achieve better work results during high-intensity and short-duration exercises.
• Increases muscle endurance — Boosts training volume for a bit and improves strength.

Niacin is another name for Vitamin B3, and you can take it through food such as beets, fish, peanuts, eggs, and milk.

You should make sure to take enough niacin, as its deficiency can lead to depression and anxiety in a person’s life [5]. You can try over-the-counter niacin supplements or take more of the food that’s rich in vitamin B.