When your primary goal is increasing energy and body-fat loss, you need to rethink your typical supplement protocol. We’ve put together a list of supplements that will help you have great workouts when you have less macronutrient (carbs and protein) fuel in your tank. These supplements boost focus, energy, and hydration before workouts, so you’ll be able to train harder for longer, stimulating greater body-fat loss. Here are a few supplements you should consider adding to your pre-workout shake.
YOHIMBE FUELS WORKOUTS WITH STORED BODY FAT
One of the benefits of this extract from the bark of a West African tree is its ability to encourage the release of body fat. That’s particularly important around the time of your workouts because you can then use that body fat to support muscle building. Yohimbe does this by deactivating alpha-2 receptors that try to prevent the release of stored fat. Alpha-2 receptors prevent the release of the hormone and neurotransmitter norepinephrine (noradrenaline), which boosts cognition and the sense of alertness.
WHITE LEADWORT BOOSTS FOCUS AND ENERGY
For years this plant was used in ayurvedic medicine as an anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial treatment for multiple conditions and illnesses. But its greatest advantage may be its stimulatory effect on the central nervous system (CNS), as well as its neuroprotective ability. White leadwort supports your brain by slowing free radical activity and the waste products generated by metabolic processes. In addition, white leadwort boosts dopamine, the brain chemical that signals enhanced mental activation. This, in turn, leads to more productive training sessions.
GLYCEROL IMPROVES VASCULARITY AND HYDRATION
This by-product of soap manufacturing is a colorless, viscous fluid with many benefits of its own. One of these is as a preworkout supplement. Taking glycerol before workouts helps you get leaner and harder, and improves vascularity. Another crucial benefit of glycerol as a sports supplement is its ability to support hydration for better performance. Glycerol boosts hydration by increasing osmolarity, allowing liquids to move to where they’re needed in your body; staying hydrated boosts both energy and endurance.
CNS STIMULANTS PREP THE BODY FOR INTENSE TRAINING
Supplements such as caffeine help stimulate your body and mind for better workouts. Caffeine allows you to lift more weight for longer, and pulls body fat from storage as part of this process. In addition, it increases focus. Other CNS stimulants include lesser-known supplements such as two from plant sources: Indigofera pulchra, which helps potentiate the stimulatory/exploratory effect to boost mental acuity, and Securinega suffruticosa, which contains a GABA receptor antagonist that has a stimulating effect. – FLEX
