Should You Take Pre-Workout For Cardio? Top 6 Ingredients

April 15, 2020 2 min read

In this post, we will discuss if it is a good idea to use a pre-workout supplement before cardio.

You will also learn:

Which ingredients in a pre-workout help with cardio and running
What the best pre-workout for cardio is
When not to take pre-workout

Should You Take Pre-Workout For Cardio?

pre-workout for running

Pre-Workout supplements can be used before cardio with good results as some of them contain ingredients that help boost stamina, hydration, focus, delay fatigue, increase energy, and performance.

It really boils down to what ingredients the pre-workout contains.

As there are some ingredients that may be beneficial to cardio training these include:

Caffeine for energy. In fact, caffeine has been shown to promote thermogenesis(which helps weight loss) and have a significant impact on energy balance[1].
L-Theanine for smooth long-lasting energy, it has been shown in studies that the combination of L-Theanine and caffeine works very well for alertness, focus, and combat tiredness. [2]
Beta-alanine for performance and endurance. Beta-alanine has been shown to increase muscle carnosine levels in the body. [3]
Coconut water powder for hydration. The study reveals that coconut water can help with hydration and performance.[4]
Betaine for performance. Betaine has been shown to have the ability to increase performance and delay fatigue.[5]
L-Citrulline malate or L-Citrulline for better blood flow, reducing fatigue, and muscle soreness. In fact, a study made on cyclers suggests that it can improve sports performance [6]

Some pre-workout supplements contain these ingredients in good dosages and they can help with cardio training like running or cycling.

Even though pre-workout supplements are usually made for lifters it can also be used for cardio training as some contain ingredients that has shown benefit in that area.

We conclude that pre-workout supplements containing the ingredients discussed can have a positive effect on performance while doing cardio such as running, HIIT or cycling.

Taking pre-workout after cardio may not be a good idea unless you are lifting afterward. It would be best to use it just once for the best effectiveness.

If you are both running and lifting weights in the same workout it would be best to use it before your first exercise. Simply use it before your workout no matter what you are doing first.

I would never suggest using pre-workout after a workout, it is designed to use before working out.

Best pre-workout for cardio

prefierce ingredients good for running

PreFierce contains Caffeine, L-Theanine, Beta-alanine, coconut water powder, betaine, and L-Citrulline malate, which have all shown good results to increase performance.

What's more, is that PreFierce contains these ingredients and others in clinical doses without any fillers.

If you are looking for a pre-workout that you can use for both cardio and lifting weights we recommend using PreFierce pre-workout formula