If you’re struggling to work out in the gym? Is physical strength dropping off? If yes, you might need a cognitive boost. Nootropic pre-workouts are supplements for brain health. It enhances mental wellness and cognitive performance.
Nootropics are also great when it comes to improving athletic performance. They offer you benefits you never knew were possible and instantly transform a mediocre workout into a spectacular one.
This article will comprehensively explain everything you should know about nootropic pre-workout supplements. If you’re interested to learn more about nootropic pre-workouts, keep reading!
Table of Contents
What Is a Nootropic Pre-Workout Supplement?
Nootropics are chemicals that improve mental acuity and support brain health. You can use them in various ways, such as making work, exercise, and learning more productive and successful.
“Nootropics” refers to a class of “smart drugs.” However, most nootropic supplements don’t include caffeine. Their main selling point is that they have all the positive effects of coffee (alertness, motivation, and focus) without any negative ones (jitters).
Nootropics are a family of cognitive-enhancing medications. These are most frequently used to treat individuals with cognitive deficiencies with Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), Schizophrenia, Stroke, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), aging, and other brain problems.
In essence, nootropics are a class of (mostly) all-natural supplements to improve mental performance and brain function. Yet, they have two main tasks: to improve brain health and cognitive function.
So, How Do They Work?
According to a 2007 study, “Nootropics act as a vasodilator against the small arteries and veins in the brain.”
The best nootropic ingredients stimulate specific brain neurons and have neuroprotective properties. In other words, they boost blood flow and oxygen delivery in the short term and shield your brain from deterioration over time.
Furthermore, the best nootropic formulas are adjusted to provide only the desired effects to increase brainpower.
How Are Nootropics Different From Pre-workout Supplements?
Everyone is aware of the boost a pre-workout may provide. However, nootropics are different. They increase energy before exercise, but nootropics are far more intriguing and complex than that.
The Greek word “nóos,” which means “mind,” is where the term “nootropic” originates. And this is how nootropics differ from other energy and focus-boosting supplements. You experience the impacts in your thoughts because they first affect the brain.
They also give you better mental clarity, and you can work more quickly, concentrate better, and accomplish more.
Are Nootropics Good as Pre-workout?
Yes. Nootropics work as a great pre-workout powder.
Instead of making you “high,” nootropics provide a far smoother, “cleaner” energy boost that lasts longer and gives you focus and motivation.
Nonetheless, like traditional pre-workouts, we advise using them only when necessary. You’ll feel you can’t exercise without Nootropics (or pre-workouts) if you start to depend on them to get you through a session.
But don’t just take our word for it—science also supports the effectiveness of nootropics. A 2020 study involving 20 professional female rugby league players aimed to determine how well Arepa, a blackcurrant Nootropics beverage, affected the players’ performance.
The study found a “significant increase in cognitive function scores” and being less distracted and better able to control their nervousness.
5 Nootropics Ingredients to Look Out For
1. Rhodiola Rosea
Since ancient times, Scandinavian and Russian traditional medicine has employed Rhodiola rosea, an adaptogenic herb and nootropic.
This ingredient is well known for enhancing focus, energy, memory, and mood. It also decreases fatigue, improves cognition and concentration, and is an anti-anxiety and anti-depressant.
2. L-Theanine
This ingredient is a safe herbal nootropic that promotes concentration and stress tolerance. Some brainwaves that are related to wakeful relaxation and improved creativity are made more active by L-theanine.
It may also lessen the jittery effects of coffee, frequently consumed before exercise while sharpening concentration, alertness, and focus.
3. Creatine
Although creatine has long been used to boost physical performance, it is also a powerful brain booster. This ingredient is one of the rare nootropics that also strengthen reasoning. Most nootropics only enhance memory or focus and attention.
While memorizing facts is helpful, solving a complex professional or academic puzzle logically is more significant. Fortunately, creatine is not a harmful stimulant like caffeine.
4. Docosahexaenoic acid (DH3)
DHA is an omega-3 fatty acid that is crucial for brain growth. Moreover, it links to better vision, a lower inflammatory response, and heart health.
5. Bacopa Monnieri
Active bacosides found in bacopa monnieri are classed as antioxidants and support the activity of other brain antioxidants like glutathione.
Moreover, this ingredient enhances essential brain chemicals linked to focused thinking, a clear memory, a healthy mood, and a brain-protective effect. Therefore, taking this adaptogenic herb is a “no-brainer” to keep you centered and energized during a demanding training session!
When Should I Take Nootropics?
You should take Nootropics 30 to 60 minutes before the workout. Doing this allows them time to enter the bloodstream and begin doing their job.
Most nootropics’ ingredients need time to enter the bloodstream and begin acting. However, you’ll get the finest effects if you take them 30 to 60 minutes before working or exercising.
In addition, nootropics help us stay on track when exercising. They also help the brain and body work together for the best workout performance.
5 Benefits of Nootropics
1. Better Focus
You might gain a lot from a nootropic pre-workout supplement if you continuously check your phone and scroll through social media rather than working out. Nootropics help you focus more clearly, which improves your performance because the body moves following the mind.
Although it isn’t always considered a nootropic, coffee has significant cognitive advantages. It activates the body’s central nervous system. As a result, it increases the synthesis of the neurochemical dopamine, which controls your attention and focus capacity.
2. Physical Strength
Movement, strength, speed, and general performance depend on our body’s capacity to generate force. Fortunately, caffeine and other nootropic stimulants have improved the body’s ability to produce and maintain power over time.
Adenosine, a substance that tells the brain it’s time to relax, is mostly counteracted by caffeine, a potent stimulant. The suppression of adenosine may affect dopamine, serotonin, acetylcholine, and adrenaline systems.
As a result, caffeine encourages alertness and wakefulness.
3. Increased Work Capacity & Training Volume
Work capacity is the number of sets, reps, power output, and exhaustion duration attained during an exercise.
Making progress over time depends on your capacity to finish a training session and activate a training reaction in your body. Luckily, some substances can help with this process.
Citrulline is an amino acid that helps arginine, which controls blood flow and growth. The metabolism of nitric oxide, which influences how much energy gets to your muscles, also depends on it.
Additionally, it has been demonstrated that it boosts work capacity, power production, and training volume when administered before training.
Research suggests that benefits occur right before an exercise ends when its capacity to lessen weariness is most apparent. Meanwhile, other studies show that its effects are more noticeable when used regularly.
4. Stress Resistance
While many nootropic pre-workouts assist our brains with cognitively challenging tasks, their advantages for mental health don’t stop there. Many phytonutrients and nootropic botanicals support mood and reduce stress.
Ginseng, particularly the Panax ginseng kind, functions as a natural actoprotector. Simply put, it improves mental and physical performance without consuming more oxygen. Meanwhile, serotonin is known as the “happy hormone,” so you can imagine how useful it is to extend its positive effects on our minds.
According to clinical research evidence, Kanna offers mood-balancing effects and fosters stress resilience, exhibiting a favorable (resilience-boosting) impact on emotional brain response.
5. Better Sleep Quality
A lack of sleep affects memory and attention. As a result, it causes weight gain and raises the risk of heart disease. However, taking nootropics pre-workout may encourage restorative, high-quality sleep.
Final Words
If you believe a pre-workout supplement is the only way to improve your workout performance, think again.
Nootropics are some of the most potent supplements, complementing pre-workout supplements for maximum brain function.
So, to improve your brainpower, creativity, memory, focus and energy, try natural nootropics pre-workouts, as it provides the ideal balance of advantages and tailored brain health assistance.
For more guidance on fitness, bodybuilding, and nutrition, visit ExpertFitness.org.
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- Pre-Workout Vs. Protein Powder
- How Long Does Pre Workout Last After Mixed
Nathan Lloyd, MSc
LICENSED PERSONAL TRAINER
I’m a personal trainer, based in Boulder, Colorado.
I service clients physically in the Boulder area, mainly in the ONE Boulder Fitness Gym, but am also available for online consulting and coaching.
If you’re interested in my personal coaching programs, please contact me via the contact page.