A lot of pre workouts recommend taking a full serving or partial serving on your off days.
What does this mean, and why do they recommend this to you?
Let’s take a look at the facts and see just how advantageous or pointless this practice can be.
Why Would You Want to Take your Pre Workout on Off Days?
People that take their pre workouts on off days do it for two main reasons:
- First, because they like the boost and find pre workout supplements more effective and more enjoyable than coffee.
- Or second because they read it on the label or assume it is to a benefit.
If you enjoy taking pre workout on your off days, no one is going to stop you.
Depending on what you need out of it, I have personally found certain pre workout supplements to be an excellent nootropic aid; in moderation of course.
But, that’s not really the point of this. Most of you probably got here with concerns over taking it without purpose. AKA you are looking for a purpose.
There are two simple reasons why a supplement company would want you to be taking your pre workout on off days:
- First, to make more money off you as now you must restock every 30 or so days
- Or two with the assumption that the quantity of creatine and BCAAs (if present) is substantial enough to benefit you.
Reason #2 is more interesting, but in our experience better medicated as a whole with a BCAA supplement, straight creatine, or a generally on-point diet.
Why You Probably Should Not Be Taking Your Pre Workout on Off Days
Unless you are self-deciding to take your pre workout because you like the extra cognitive effects, we recommend against taking it on off days.
Money aside, there is really no good reason for you to be taking your ‘while training’ product while you are not training.
First and foremost, tolerance to stimulants is the best reason not to take your pre workout on days you don’t workout. That adrenaline rush of energy you feel when you take a pre workout is not an infinite entity. If you keep using your pre workout again and again, the effects will fade. This is general tolerance, but it’s also something called adrenal fatigue.
As you take your pre workout, the majority of heavy hitting stimulants trigger the release of adrenaline and norepinephrine. They make you stronger, sharper, and in the zone like you want to be. However, these precious chemicals are made only by two tiny, tiny adrenal glands located against your kidneys on your lower back.
When you keep taking pre workouts, and fat burners alike that rely on stimulants – these delicate adrenal glands get overwhelmed trying to meet outrageous needs.
After time, they start to burn out. This is when you notice you need to start taking larger servings, or, your pre workout doesn’t work at all.
Can you restore your adrenal glands from this?
Yeah, in most cases you can. Heck, you can even bypass potential problems by doing what we are about to tell you.
Stimulant free pre workouts do exist, and they work quite well – just not in a way that you are used to. You can see our top choices for these on our best stimulant free pre workouts list here.
More and more guys are making the choice to cycle stimulants. It simply is a necessity with the brute quantities of stimulants going into pre workout supplements these days. It might be something that can serve you well too.
Conclusion on taking pre workouts on Off days
In conclusion, if you are unsure if you should be taking your pre workout on off days – you probably shouldn’t be taking it.
Pre workouts as a whole are products to only be taken when needed. If you’re not training, you don’t need it.
However, we would be interested to know how many of you do in fact take pre workouts on off days, and your reasons behind it. Cheers.
