Pre workout not working

Nutrition Q&A [Moderated]
1

Getting pretty frustrating when my pre workout may as well be Benadryl. This happens with everything from C4, Jym, Kaged etc. Sleep from 1030 to 4. Desk job. Train from 730 to 10. I take a generous scoop of pre after a coffee and I could fall asleep after without issue. I know I have more strength but it’s like I could (and have) fallen asleep between sets. HELP

2

Dherko,

Thanks for the message- hope you’re awake for this :slight_smile:

A few things jump out at me here:

  1. Sleeping 5.5 hrs per night isn’t enough. If you can schedule more sleep, that’d be good. This may not be immediately available, but it’s not surprising you’re tired given the sleep debt. I’m empathetic to this, but if you can sleep more…I’d do that.

  2. I don’t think c4, jym, or kaged (or any pre workout) are that great from a peri workout supplementation standpoint.

  3. The caffeine content of each pre workout is variable and the dose that we recommend is 3-9mg of caffeine per kilo bodyweight, which should be titrated up to effect. This may not be enough to overcome the sleep debt.

  4. You may also want to take this online assessment for your sleep apnea risk just to rule that out: The Official STOP-Bang Questionnaire Website

1 Like
3

Dherko,

You posted some info on another thread yesterday that indicates you may be under-eating for your strength goals. Have you thought about making some changes to your diet as well? I don’t think any pre-workout will overcome sleep and nutrition habits that aren’t helping you toward your goals.

https://forum.barbellmedicine.com/forums/unmoderated-forums/training-discussion/22861-burnout

4

Thanks! I took the online assessment but only got a 2/8.With a 4 year old running around and a baby on the way in December, 5.5 hours will seem like a luxury in a few short weeks.

By your caffeine numbers I should be getting roughly 240mg in the high side and based on my current level of caffeine consumption I can get that in while I’m waiting for my coffee to brew. Any truth to caffeine resistance from years of excessive consumption? I’ll take a second look at your supplementation articles but are there any in particular I should take a harder look at? I currently take one of the above preworkouts (apparently more for a placebo affect) and some sort of isolate or blend just to get my numbers up.

5

3-9mg/kg body weight is the recommended range and it is UNLIKELY you’re taking that in right now.

Yes, you develop a tolerance over the years, though performance secondary to caffeine may not exhibit this.

I would recommend taking our supplement, peri -rx, if you’re looking to take supplements. If not, I wouldn’t take anything unless you needed a whey protein.

6

Thanks I’ll give it a try!