Pre-Workout Supplements: Good, Bad and Ugly

Summary: Pre-Workout Supplements Pre-Workout supplements have been a popular topic among young athletes looking to gain a competitive edge in order to improve strength and power. The combination of multiple ingredients, especially those containing a combination of stimulants poses a concern on the safety of there use in athletes under the age of 18. Since there is no regulation on the safety of these products, high school and college athletes have easy access to several products that are on the banned substance list for the NFL, MLB, and the World Anti-Doping Association (WADA). Podcast Notes The lack of knowledge of the supplement store staff How a 15 year old with 4 surgeries to get his heart beating correctly was recommended a stimulant Overview of the supplement industry Red Flags with looking at Dietary Supplements How do companies make the products look very attractive? What is a Proprietary Blend Extensive Product Review of the most popular Pre-Workout Supplements on the market Rating of each product as Good, Bad, and Ugly Product Review Criteria Good Product is certified through a 3rd party testing agency and is free of banned substances Product has a good ingredient profile that is based on the scientific literature Product uses quality raw materials Product lacks significant use of stimulants  Bad Product lacks sufficient ingredient profile based on the scientific literature Product is over-priced based on ingredient profile Product is not 3rd party tested Ugly Product contains an ingredient on the banned substance list Product has a poor ingredient profile that lacks scientific data Product may pose as a health risk to the consumer In order to determine if the products you are taking are certified by a 3rd party agency, you can visit any of the following sites: NSF Certified for Sport – www.nsfsport.com Informed Choice – www.informed-choice.org Banned Substance Control Group – www.bscg.org For further information on Banned Substances you can visit: World Anti-Doping Association - www.wada-ama.org Professionals Against Doping in Sports – www.pads.usada.org