Hello Cup of Joe

A housekeeping note from my last post about a month ago: I think I'm dunzo with pre-workout for now. There are a couple of different kinds sitting in my kitchen, but I'm just tired of it...tired of buying it, tired of feeling dependent on it (if I don't drink my pre-workout, my workout will be s@#$...not true, more on that in a sec), and tired of it blowing out my a@#$%& (sorry if that's TMI).

I never even knew what pre-workout was until a few years ago. Once I started taking it, I loved the rush I would get as I started my workout. You felt like you could run through a wall. But if I'm being honest with myself, over time I felt the positive effects less and less. Different brands boast of giving you that energy boost without "crashing" as the pre-workout leaves your system. Well, from my experience, the only ones that make you feel anything all have that crash effect, and the little boost you get doesn't last that long...maybe for the 1st 5-10 minutes of your workout (which would probably equate to 3-4 sets of something, depending on what you're doing). The ones that advertise as having figured out the no post-pre-workout crash thing don't make me feel anything at all. I'm sure other people have different experiences, but that's my 2 cents, kid.

Now, for most workouts you're probably doing the toughest, most strenuous exercise right off the bat anyway because that's when you are least fatigued, so maybe that works out...but it sucks to feel like the hulk for 10 minutes of your training session and then want to take a nap.

I had this thought of quitting pre-workout a few months back when I had read an article about this trend happening where professional basketball players were drinking coffee prior to games. The reasoning: the caffeine from coffee was more effective than expensive sports drinks, pre-workouts, or other supplements at giving them a sustained energy boost throughout a 2-3 hour game without the drawbacks of crashing afterwards or being so amped that they couldn't fall back asleep when they went back to their hotels post-game. Interesting, very interesting...if it was good enough for Dame Lillard, why was it not good enough to help me through leg day?

A few weeks later my brother-in-law was staying with us for a few days when he was in town on business. He was waking up before work at the a@#-crack of dawn, drinking black coffee on an empty stomach, and hitting the gym. (I should also mention that he's built like an action figure and is one of the people that 1st put me on to pre-workout.) What gives? I'd seen this man consume double or triple scoops of pre-workout prior the gym before, and now he was skipping it completely for regular ol' black coffee?!? Apparently, he had some of the same thoughts as I had (not aware of the basketball player thing though), and was pre-workout-free for several months.

[Sidenote: This continues a trend dating back years where if I think of doing something from a training or diet perspective, I undoubtedly find out that Mike started doing it already...thus of course making me look like a copycat poser once I start doing it, even though I independently thought of it...just a step too late. But that's why I look the before picture and he looks like the after picture for a HGH ad or something!]

And guess what? I've been doing the coffee thing for a few weeks now, and I love it. 1st of all, I just like coffee. I like the taste of it. I like a nice, hot beverage...makes me feel warm and tingly inside. I don't feel like I'm going to bounce off the walls with it, but I don't feel like I need a nap when it wears off. And it works just fine (set a squat PR last week after drinking coffee). The stigma in my head about not drinking pre-workout is over. Unless anyone wants it, my pre-workout might be headed for the trash.

And this has got me wondering about some of the other expensive powders sitting on my shelf like protein and creatine. I'm still using them, but I've noticed myself reaching for them less and less over time. You can see it right in my Vitamin Shoppe order history, as I've slowly went from re-stocking it ever 3 months to every 6 months to every 8 months to whatever. How much is the protein really helping me? Can't I just eat more eggs, more steak, more chicken? (Nodding head furiously as I type this, yes, yes, yes...)

I think that puts a wrap on this post. My original thought was to just add a quick line or 2 about pre-workout vs. coffee, and talk more about how I think I'm going to put strength training (specifically heavy squats) on the shelf for now, but I let the keyboard get away from me on this one, as this turned into a full-blown pre-workout rant. Until next time, kids...