Before we answer the question ‘Can you take pre-workout twice in one day?’, let’s first help you understand the main job of pre-workouts. These are supplements with ingredients like creatine, amino acids, beta-alanine, and caffeine.
All these ingredients use their medicinal properties to provide you with the focus and strength necessary to do high-intensity workouts with less fatigue and injuries.
How Many Times A Day Can You Take Pre-Workout?
You should not take pre-workout twice a day not just because the amount of caffeine it consists of or it can be harmful to your health but it can also make you addicted which can cost you in a long term. You can only take it twice only if you are not overdosing it.
Your body will get addicted to caffeine and it can make you weak, an overdose of caffeine in any form can harm the body, let’s compare a few situations to check if an overdose of pre-workout is safe or not.
Is Taking Pre-Workout Twice a Day Safe?
First, we need to understand what it is your possible scenario to take it twice a day?
- Are you talking about taking two doses of pre-workout together before one workout?
- Are you going to work out twice a day?
- Or you want to miss at least one of the workouts but still take two doses of pre-workout, one at a time, throughout the day.
Here’s your answer for each scenario:
- No, taking two doses of pre-workout is not safe.
- Are you sure? Assuming you do high-intensity workouts (that’s the primary reason behind taking pre-workouts), having two workouts in a day can be stressful for your body.
After each workout, our muscles need time to rest and recover their strength. Two workouts may cause injuries. But, if you still wish to work out twice, taking pre-workout before each session will be safe. - Can you take a pre-workout without working out? Sure you can! But if it’s your second dose of the day, it may prove harmful.
Why is that? How come consuming a pre-workout energy drink is safe in some cases but not in others? That’s because like everything else in life, pre-workouts too have their pros and cons, which may affect you differently based on how and the number of times you work out.
Let’s dive deep into these pros and cons and answer the ultimate question.
Check out: How Long Does Pre Workout Lasts in Your Body?
Why You Should Take Pre Workout Twice A Day?
Once you know if you can take pre-workout twice a day, we bet you want to know what’s there to gain!
Taking pre-workout twice a day has two significant benefits:
- It enhances your body’s fat-burning ability.
Pre-workouts have loads of caffeine in them. Some studies suggest that when you double your dose of caffeine the body’s fat oxidation increases by 28%.
Caffeine also gives you immense energy by acting as a stimulant. When you use this energy to work out, you automatically increase your chances of getting rid of your stubborn fat.
Additionally, the amino acids and creatine in pre-workouts help to increase strength and muscle growth. Thus, burning more calories in the process.
- It increases overall productivity.
You know this already, don’t you? Every time we feel our productivity declining, we tend to grab a cup of coffee.
Pre-workouts have almost four times more caffeine than a cup of coffee, so imagine the extent of its effects on your productivity.
Side Effects Of Taking Pre Workout Twice A Day?
1) You may build up a caffeine tolerance.
That’s right. The more you take caffeine, the more your body will get used to it. So, you will have to take more caffeine and keep increasing your dose with time in order to feel the buzz.
That is not a great idea in the long run. That’s why, if you are too dependent on it, you should learn how to stay awake without caffeine.
2) It can be unsafe.
You see, caffeine is one of the primary ingredients of a pre-workout.
According to the FDA, you can take no more than 400 mg of caffeine in a day. That’s what’s in about 4-5 cups of coffee or an average scoop of a pre-workout.
That’s right! You will be consuming more than the allowed amount of caffeine if you take it twice a day.
This amount can lead to side effects like jitters, anxiety, insomnia, headaches, and nausea.
Note: Some people are naturally sensitive to caffeine. So they may experience these side effects with a small dose of caffeine too.
3) It may make you go broke.
When you take a pre-workout twice a day, you will need to add the extra cost to your monthly budget. That may not seem to be much of a problem yet. But when you become tolerant to caffeine slowly, you will have to increase the dose of caffeine to notice its effects.
That means you will have to increase the dose of your pre-workouts too, which means more burns to your pocket.
With so many side effects, you may wonder if you can take energy drinks instead of pre-workouts. Unfortunately, energy drinks may have even more caffeine than pre-workouts.
How Much Pre-Workout A Day Will Be Perfect For You?
Pre-workout effects depend on many factors. You need to know the best time to take a pre-workout for better results. Once you know when you should take a pre-workout, you need to find how much gap you should have between two doses.
But more importantly, you need to know how much pre-workout is right for your body.
Considering how there are more drawbacks to taking pre-workouts twice a day than benefits, you should probably stick to one dose of pre-workout a day.
Some people even believe once a day is too high. That’s why they try to take gaps of a day or two before the next scoop of pre-workout.
So, can you drink pre-workout the next day? Scientifically, you can!
Remember, according to the FDA, you are allowed 400mg of caffeine daily. And one scoop of pre-workout has that amount of caffeine.
That means you can have one dose of pre-workout a day and don’t need a gap of a day or two between doses. Just make sure you use that caffeine in your workouts or else it may stay in your body for long and cause side effects.
Now you know how much pre-workout a day is perfect for you.
But what to do if you take too much pre-workout? There are two things you can do:
- Drink more water. The water will make your pre-workout travel slowly in your body. Thus, helping you avoid the side effects.
- Do more activities. You can use the extra energy to do house chores, maybe play a sport, or engage in your hobbies. Don’t sit around much, just keep moving if you can. Eventually, the pre-workout effects will wear off.
Can You Take Creatine Twice A Day?
Creatine is a non-essential amino acid already present in the body and is also available in the market as a supplement. Red meat and seafood are reliable food sources of Creatine.
It is stored in muscles and increasing the creatine content would aid in improving the performance during vigorous workouts.
Forming the creatine store in the muscles can be a good option for athletes or weight lifters. One can maximize the store by going through a creatine loading phase. In this phase, you are supposed to have 20 g of creatine every day for a week and the dose is divided into 5 g servings throughout the day.
This is followed by inculcating 2-10 g of Creatine in routine every day. It will maintain high levels of creatine and will further improve stamina and endurance along with building muscle.
Well, you might not need to go for the high dose if you are not an athlete. It is best to stick to a normal dosage which is 3-10g/day for regular gym-goers and depends on the body type. That’s the amount of creatine muscles do need essentially, anything over and above would be a waste.
Therefore, It is advised to stick to consuming creatine only once a day.
How many times a week can you take a Pre-workout?
Pre-workout plays an essential role in providing an extra boost of energy for the workout. It is acceptable to take the pre-workout before hitting the gym, but you can avoid it on your day off.
The ingredients present in the pre-workout will determine the frequency of consumption. Most of the pre-workouts have high doses of caffeine that helps in giving that kick and alertness needed to hit the goals in the gym. However, regular consumption of caffeine can lead to tolerance and you might not feel the effects of caffeine the same way when you started out.
Read the ingredient list on your supplement box. Make yourself aware of the ingredients and the effects to understand what you are putting in the body and how to maintain a balance. It is advised to switch the caffeinated pre-workout with a natural ingredient once in a while to combat developing tolerance and other side effects.
Therefore, it is advised to skip the pre-workout once a week when you are taking the day off and also skip a week every 2-3 months to avoid developing tolerance to caffeine.
Wrapping Up
So, can you take pre-workout twice a day? Not really! But it will be good if your workout is caffeine-free.
If your pre-workout has caffeine, how many times a day can you take a pre-workout? Only once. Otherwise, you can try BCAAs Pre-workout caffeine-free supplements for this.
Have more questions about pre-workouts? Comment below!
