Can Pre-Workout Be Used for Weight Loss?
If you think pre-workout formulas are only good for putting on muscle, think again. We break down the science behind these popular supplements to help you see how they could help you achieve your weight loss goals.
Key Takeaways
- Pre-workout supplements are designed to support and enhance exercise performance.
- They usually contain a mix of ingredients, like amino acids and caffeine.
- These ingredients are intended to boost energy, focus, strength, endurance, and other markers of performance.
- By doing that, pre-workout supplements may help you burn more calories and fat.
- Some high-quality pre-workout formulas also contain thermogenic ingredients like caffeine, which may also contribute to fat burning.
See More: Why Does My Face Get So Red When I Exercise?
Pre-Workout and Fat Loss
Carriejune, founder of Minibeast, says:
"Pre-workout supplements aren't usually designed for weight loss. Still, research suggests they can support fat loss in multiple ways, when paired with a balanced diet and regular exercise."
Pre-workout supplements are extremely popular, and for good reason. They provide all kinds of potential benefits that can support and even enhance performance during intense workouts.
You might already be able to see how pre-workout could be helpful for weight loss. By supporting exercise performance, pre-workout could help you increase calorie burn and lose fat.
But that's not even the whole story. Certain high-quality pre-workout formulas contain other ingredients that may be able to increase your calorie burn in other ways, too.
If you want to use pre-workout to support your weight loss goals, it's important to understand how pre-workout actually works. That way, you'll know what ingredients to look for.
The Basics of Fat Loss: Caloric Deficit
Before we break down some of these key ingredients, we need to recap the basics of fat loss.
First, people often use "weight loss" and "fat loss" interchangeably. When people say weight loss, they usually mean fat loss.
After all, fat is usually what people are actually trying to lose, rather than, say, muscle. When you're in a calorie deficit, especially an intense one, your body can lose muscle mass, too. Resistance training can help prevent that.¹
A calorie deficit means consuming fewer calories than you burn. It's the key to fat loss. When your calorie intake is less than your calories burned, your body should break down stored fat to make up the difference.
It's important to note that this is a long-term process. Your total energy balance over time is crucial for losing body fat, rather than your balance on any particular day.
Most pre-workout formulas aren't specifically designed for fat loss. But their ingredients and effects may support the process behind fat loss.
Understanding Pre-Workout
Pre-workout is usually a mixture of different ingredients. They often have similar aims, like supporting blood flow, enhanced focus, and increased energy levels.
Together, these ingredients are chosen to support and enhance your workout performance. That, in turn, may help you reach your fitness goals, including fat loss.
Beta-Alanine
Beta-alanine is an amino acid that helps increase the concentration of carnosine in muscle tissue.²
That's important because carnosine can support muscle performance and endurance.³ It buffers the lactic acid produced during intense exercise to help combat muscle fatigue.
One 2024 study found that participants who took beta-alanine supplements improved their jumping height after a month.⁴
Amino Acids
Amino acids, like beta-alanine, are used by your body for all kinds of things. For example, amino acids are crucial for muscle repair and growth.
"Our body breaks down protein, and all that’s left are these amino acids, which are used to grow muscle, repair, and do a ton of other functions," explains Minibeast founder Carriejune. "Your body can’t produce some of these aminos on its own. That’s why you need to get it from another source."
Some people take dedicated amino acid supplements. High-quality pre-workout formulas often include some key amino acids.
Citrulline Malate
Citrulline malate, or L-Citrulline, is another amino acid. It's not really involved in constructing proteins, but is believed to enhance blood flow and reduce muscle soreness.⁵
Bonus: Yes, Working Out Can Count as a Hobby!
L-Carnitine
L-Carnitine is yet another amino acid. It plays an important role in transporting fatty acids into cells, where they're used for energy.⁶
Some research suggests L-Carnitine can therefore support exercise performance and recovery.⁷
Creatine
Creatine is often taken as a standalone supplement, creatine monohydrate. It helps boost the production of a molecule called ATP, which muscles use for energy. Research shows that creatine can support muscle growth.⁸
That's not all. Muscle tissue is considered metabolically active. In other words, it requires more calories to maintain a pound of muscle than it does a pound of fat. By supporting muscle growth, creatine and pre-workout supplements in general may also be able to support higher calorie burn and, therefore, fat loss.⁹
Caffeine
One of the most popular and important ingredients in many pre-workout supplements is caffeine.
Caffeine has many potential benefits. As you probably know, it's used around the world to enhance focus and alertness. That's important when working out. Focus is how you maintain proper form.
Research suggests that caffeinated pre-workout formulas can also enhance endurance, strength, and energy.¹⁰ One study found that people who took pre-workout were able to bench press higher weights. Another found that people who took pre-workout were able to complete more reps.¹¹
Caffeine has also been found to suppress appetite, at least in the short-term.¹² Pre-workouts containing caffeine may also suppress appetite temporarily.
One of the most interesting things about caffeine is that it's believed to increase metabolic rate. That refers to the amount of calories your body burns at rest, separate from exercise.
Research has found that caffeine is thermogenic and can increase energy expenditure, or metabolic rate.¹³ One estimate put that increase at about 100 calories per day.¹⁴
All of this naturally points toward caffeine as a potent fat burner. One review of more than a dozen studies concluded that higher caffeine intake was associated with higher reductions in fat mass.¹⁵
Where to Get High-Quality Pre-Workout
It's always important to pay attention to the ingredients in your supplements, including pre-workout. That's especially true if you're taking pre-workout to support fat loss.
You don't want a pre-workout formula packed with added sugars, carbohydrates, or fat, which could add unwanted calories. Ideally, you want a pre-workout that combines both performance-enhancing and thermogenic ingredients.
Minibeast's Game Over is a great example. It's a high-stim formula with plenty of caffeine to push you through intense workouts. That caffeine is paired with other potent ingredients, including beta-alanine, L-Citrulline, and other amino acids.
If all that caffeine gives you the jitters, stress, or a racing heartbeat, no worries. You can get something with similar benefits but a lower caffeine content. Grab a low-stim pre-workout like MB Mode. It includes enough caffeine to deliver a steady lift, plus other great ingredients like beta-alanine and L-theanine.
What if you like to work out in the evening? Experts usually recommend not taking pre-workout late in the day, because the stimulants can undermine sleep quality. Quality sleep is crucial for recovery, progress, and overall wellness.
There's an exception, though: A zero-stim pre-workout like MB Pump. It's designed to deliver laser focus and support intense workouts without any stimulants.
Conclusion
Pre-workout isn't usually designed for fat loss. However, research suggests it can support and enhance fat loss when taken as part of a balanced diet and with regular exercise.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can You Lose Weight With Pre-Workout?
Most pre-workout supplements aren't designed to be fat burners, and won't necessarily burn fat alone. Instead, they're designed to support and enhance performance. That, in turn, could help you burn more calories and burn more fat.
Is Pre-Workout a Fat Burner?
Most pre-workouts aren't fat burners. However, some do contain thermogenic ingredients, like caffeine.
What's the Downside of Pre-Workout?
Some people do experience side effects like nausea or stomach issues from pre-workout, especially formulas with loads of stimulants like caffeine. If you're sensitive to stimulants, consider taking a zero-stimulant pre-workout formula.
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Sources
- Resistance Training Prevents Muscle Loss Induced by Caloric Restriction in Obese Elderly Individuals: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis - PMC
- Beta-Alanine — A Beginner's Guide
- Carnosine, Small but Mighty—Prospect of Use as Functional Ingredient for Functional Food Formulation - PMC
- Effects of β-Alanine Supplementation on Subjects Performing High-Intensity Functional Training
- Mechanisms of L-citrulline on phosphodiesterase 5 in erectile dysfunction intervention - ScienceDirect, Effects of Citrulline Supplementation on Exercise Performance in Humans: A Review of the Current Literature - PubMed
- CARNITINE TRANSPORT AND FATTY ACID OXIDATION - PMC
- L-Carnitine: Benefits, Side Effects, FAQ, Sources, and Dosage
- Creatine supplementation elicits greater muscle hypertrophy in upper than lower limbs and trunk in resistance-trained men - PubMed
- Does Creatine Help You Lose Weight?
- A single dose multi-ingredient pre-workout supplement enhances upper body resistance exercise performance
- Full article: The acute effects of multi-ingredient pre-workout ingestion on strength performance, lower body power, and anaerobic capacity
- 10 Natural Appetite Suppressants For Weight Loss
- A Randomized Study to Examine the Ability of a Caffeine-Based Energy Drink to Impact Energy Expenditure, Fat Oxidation, and Cognitive Performance
- More caffeine intake can reduce body fat and risk of type 2 diabetes
- The effects of caffeine intake on weight loss: a systematic review and dos-response meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials - PubMed
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