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Training boosters

Anyone who is ambitious about sports and therefore spices up their diet with nutritional supplements is guaranteed to have come across the term "training booster" at some point. Training boosters are a specific category of sports supplements. They are beverage powders for the production of mixed drinks that significantly increase training motivation. And boosters can do even more: depending on their composition, they not only make you want to train more, but they also measurably improve athletic performance. So they have two effects: on the one hand, they make you more willing to do your best, and on the other, they improve your performance. So should you buy training boosters? That depends on your personal goals - and on how urgent you are to achieve them. 

Anyone who is ambitious about sports and therefore spices up their diet with nutritional supplements is guaranteed to have come across the term "training booster" at some point. Training boosters... read more »
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Training boosters

Anyone who is ambitious about sports and therefore spices up their diet with nutritional supplements is guaranteed to have come across the term "training booster" at some point. Training boosters are a specific category of sports supplements. They are beverage powders for the production of mixed drinks that significantly increase training motivation. And boosters can do even more: depending on their composition, they not only make you want to train more, but they also measurably improve athletic performance. So they have two effects: on the one hand, they make you more willing to do your best, and on the other, they improve your performance. So should you buy training boosters? That depends on your personal goals - and on how urgent you are to achieve them. 

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Training boosters: strength in powder format

What are training boosters?

As explained at the beginning, training boosters are mixed drinks with a stimulating effect. The name comes from the English word "boost" (pronunciation: /bu:st/). By the way, "training booster" is a collective term - it includes various subcategories (see below: What types of training boosters are there?). What they all have in common is that

  1. the effect is limited to a short period of time (1-3 hours),
  2. they should therefore always be taken close to the time of training, and
  3. with regular consumption a habituation effect occurs, which is why boosters should not be consumed before every workout.

The history of training boosters began in the early eighties with a product containing pure ephedrine. Due to the strong side effects, such as tremors and cardiac arrhythmias, it was soon taken off the market. The booster idea, however, remained. After the discovery in 1986 that nitric oxide relaxes blood vessels and provides increased blood flow, the first pump boosters appeared on the market in the 1990s. They were called "NO2 boosters", contained mainly the amino acid arginine (see below: What active ingredients are contained in boosters?) and enjoyed great popularity, especially in bodybuilder circles. Today, the booster market includes a wide range of products with different orientations.

What types of trainings boosters are there?

A rough classification is made between

  • Pre-Workout-Boosters,
  • Pump-Boosters and
  • Hardcore-Boosters.

However, the categories are not sharply separated - some hardcore boosters also have properties of a pump booster, and some pump boosters can be equated with a pre-workout booster. Basically, the individual booster categories are defined by their effects and by their ingredients.

Pre-Workout-Boosters primarily serve to dispel daytime fatigue and awaken the desire for physical activity. This is the closest they come to the actual workout booster idea. This effect is achieved through ingredients such as caffeine or taurine, both of which are also known as energy drink ingredients. Furthermore, pre-workout boosters usually contain various vitamins and minerals, and some also contain creatine. However, adding creatine to a booster is a two-edged sword (see below: What active ingredients are in boosters?).

Pump-Booster

Pump boosters, as the name suggests, essentially have the purpose of increasing the pump effect during training. This is desirable for bodybuilders not only from a purely visual point of view: due to the increased blood flow in the muscles, the muscles are better supplied with oxygen, which can improve performance during a typical bodybuilding workout. And of course, training with bulging muscles is also more fun. To achieve this effect, manufacturers of pump boosters mix their products with special amino acids that promote the production of NO2 (= nitric oxide). More nitrogen causes better muscle blood flow.

Hardcore-Booster

Boosters that have a psychotropic effect (= influencing the psyche) are referred to as hardcore boosters. Such boosters not only make you awake, but they also sharpen your mental focus and provide a certain euphoria. This effect is achieved by using stimulants that influence the autonomic nervous system. Since hardcore boosters also stimulate the cardiovascular system, they also measurably improve physical performance. Due to current EU legislation, which very strongly regulates the trade in stimulants, the ingredient declaration on many hardcore booster doses is intentionally vague; some hardcore boosters are also only available in Europe via the so-called "gray market".

Which avtive ingredients are contained in boosters?

One can divide the active ingredients of training boosters into 5 groups:

  1. Awakening ingredients
  2. Pump-promoting ingredients
  3. Performance-enhancing ingredients
  4. Stimulating ingredients
  5. Others

Here, too, the distinction is not clear: almost all stimulating active ingredients also have a performance-enhancing effect, for example, and some pump-enhancing active ingredients also increase muscle performance. Which active ingredients the manufacturers add to a booster and in what quantity depends on how the respective booster is positioned (as a pre-workout booster, as a pump booster or as a hardcore booster).

The wakefulness-enhancing ingredients include first and foremost caffeine with all its subtypes (such as guarana). Taurine is also one of the wake-up ingredients, although the invigorating effect of taurine has not been scientifically proven. However, in combination with caffeine and sugar, taurine accelerates the metabolism - this has been proven in animal studies - which is why taurine can be considered a caffeine booster.

The best known pump-promoting ingredients are L-arginine and L-citrulline. Both are amino acids that, in high concentrations, dilate blood vessels. L-arginine is also available as a single agent in capsule form. Even more potent than L-arginine is agmatine (more precisely: agmatine sulfate), a derivative of the amino acid L-arginine. It is also known as "super-arginine". Agmatine stimulates nitric oxide synthesis to a high degree and in this respect is a very potent pumping agent, but it also has a number of other useful properties. For example, agmatine optimizes insulin sensitivity and nutrient supply in the muscles. The psyche also benefits from an extra portion of super-arginine: feelings of anxiety are suppressed and concentration improves.

The performance-enhancing ingredients include beta alanine and creatine in particular. Beta alanine delays muscle acidification and thus increases strength endurance, creatine improves energy metabolism at the cellular level and has been shown to increase maximum strength. In addition, creatine draws water into the muscle cells, causing an increase in volume. This also slightly improves leverage ratios. However, creatine only has this effect when taken regularly - and as already explained at the beginning, training boosters should not be consumed regularly. In this respect, the addition of creatine to a training booster makes only limited sense. However, athletes who supplement creatine anyway can benefit from the extra portion provided by a creatine-containing booster. Athletes who do not want to gain weight, however, should rather reach for a training booster without creatine. Both creatine-free training boosters and creatine-containing boosters are available on the market.

The category of stimulant ingredients mainly includes the substances DMAA, DMHA and their derivatives and further developments. DMAA stands for 1,3-dimethylamylamine and thus for a substance not unlike amphetamine. The same applies to DMHA. The substances mentioned release larger amounts of the neurotransmitters dopamine and norepinephrine. The result is a strong boost of energy as well as exhilaration, readiness for action and a reduced sense of pain. L-tyrosine should also be mentioned in connection with stimulant booster ingredients; however, the effect of L-tyrosine is far less potent than the effect of the aforementioned substances. L-tyrosine is an amino acid that acts as a neurotransmitter itself and is known for its mood-boosting effects. Taken in high concentrations, L-tyrosine also increases stress tolerance and alertness.

Other ingredients commonly found in training boosters include vitaminsBCAAs, various sugars, flavoring substances, and compounds that increase the effects or bioavailability of other substances.

 

When and how to take a workout booster?

Boosters are usually sold as a powder, packaged in cans. The powder must be mixed with water to make a mixed drink. Depending on the product and recommended dosage, a booster can contains between 25 and 35 mixed drink portions. It should always be taken shortly before a workout. In the case of boosters with a stimulating effect, it should be noted that it may not be possible to fall asleep for several hours after ingestion - a "boosted" workout should therefore not take place too late in the day.

Booster Dosage

Normally, a booster can always comes with a dosage spoon (scoop). The can label provides information on how many scoops to which amount of water make a finished drink. For boosters with a very strong effect, it may be advisable to reduce the recommended amount of powder per drink in half - this makes the booster not only more tolerable, but also cheaper on the bottom line.

Overdosage

Do not exceed the amount of powder per drink listed on a booster can, nor should any athlete consume more than one booster drink per day. Otherwise, if the dosage is too high or consumed too frequently, a blunting effect will occur very soon. With hardcore boosters, overdosing can also lead to severe side effects (see below).

What kind of side effects can training boosters have?

With pre-workout boosters and pump boosters, the possible side effects are limited to the same spectrum of side effects as with coffee. With hardcore boosters, however, the side effects can be more serious: For example, the influence on the sympathetic nervous system can lead to strong tremors, racing pulses, the breakout of cold sweat and coordination disorders, among other things. Very sensitive consumers reported states of confusion and even mild anxiety attacks. After the effects wear off, severe exhaustion may set in, and a "mood crash" (i.e., extreme dejection with a depressive tinge, sluggishness, and listlessness) may occur. However, a broad spectrum of side effects does not necessarily mean that the respective booster is not good. Even superb training boosters can cause severe side effects to individual athletes.

When does the usage of a training booster make sense?

Booster use makes sense when there is a need for a mental and/or physiological "kick" before training - either because the training conditions are otherwise poor (sleep deficit, "full head", general unwillingness to train, etc.), or because breaking through performance limits is planned for the upcoming training. Booster use is NOT advisable if you are already amped up anyway, or if you are already using various performance-enhancing supplements, such as caffeine capsules, L-tyrosine, L-citrulline, and BCAAs. And, of course, using a booster is also not a good idea if you don't train at all after consuming it.

What to consider when buying:

What makes good training boosters? If you want to buy a booster, you must first be clear about what you want to achieve with the booster consumption. Do you want the booster to help you get up for a workout after a hard day at work? Then a pre-workout booster is the best choice. Or do you want the booster to improve your look while working out? Then of course the purchase of a pump booster is appropriate. Or are you all about going all out on days when you want to set new personal records? Then go for a hardcore booster. Maybe you want to kill several birds with one stone? Then you have to make sure that the booster of your choice contains the appropriate ingredients (e.g. stimulating ingredients AND pump-promoting ingredients) in sufficient quantities. In general, it also does not hurt to inform yourself about the properties and benefits of the booster products available on the market on relevant test portals such as Boosterjunkies.com before buying a booster. Recommendations and rankings of the top training boosters are also published regularly on there.

Summary

Training boosters certainly have their justification of existence in the colorful world of sports nutrition supplements. However, unlike almost all other supplements, they should not be consumed regularly. In addition, it applies to boosters similar to drugs that a particularly strong effect is usually also accompanied by a wide range of side effects. On the other hand, there are hardly any other supplements that work as quickly and as clearly as training boosters!

Trainingboosters FAQs

  • Can every athlete use training boosters?
  • Are there training boosters for women?
  • Can you make your own booster?
  • Are training boosters doping?

Can every athlete use training boosters?

Basically yes. However, training beginners who have not been on the iron for long should think twice before using this "sharp sword" at a time when training motivation is still very high anyway. Athletes who are already sensitive to black coffee and who cannot sleep all night after an espresso in the evening should avoid training boosters with caffeine and even more so training boosters with stimulants. The same applies to athletes who have high blood pressure or arteriosclerosis, or who are prone to cardiovascular problems.

Are there training boosters for women?

No. Virtually all sports supplements that are suitable for men are also suitable for women, and that includes workout boosters as well. However, caution is advised when it comes to dosage: In terms of dosage measurement, most booster products are geared toward the average consumer - who is 1.75 tall and weighs 75 kg. Female athletes who are lighter should therefore use less powder per mixed drink. In practice, this means that women should not fill the dosage spoon completely when mixing the drink. Furthermore, women who are still in their childbearing years should avoid hardcore boosters as a precaution. Reason: The stimulating active ingredients DMAA and DMAE have been linked to fertility-damaging effects in some studies during their development. Pregnant women should generally not use workout boosters, especially since strenuous physical training is also not advisable during pregnancy.

Can you make your own booster?

Yes, you can make your own workout booster. All booster ingredients are available individually in powder form in well-stocked supplement stores (also here at stay-focused.com). From a purely economic point of view, making your own booster is not necessarily an advantage, because industrially produced boosters are usually cheaper than the sum of the individual substances in the corresponding quantity. But: If you don't want to have all the substances in your booster, you may get off cheaper by making your own. Almost all industrial boosters contain, for example, flavors and sweeteners or certain forms of sugar - some athletes can do without these. Do-it-yourself mixing can also be useful if you want to take larger amounts of individual ingredients without consuming higher doses of the other ingredients at the same time. Example: If you prefer to take 10 grams of L-citrulline before a workout instead of 3 grams (no booster offers that much per serving), you can't avoid mixing it yourself. Although pump boosters contain up to 8 grams of L-citrulline per serving, they also contain 3 to 4 grams of taurine - and not everyone who wants a lot of citrulline also wants a lot of taurine. Apart from self-mixing, there is also the option of adding individual substances to ready-made boosters: Athletes who are primarily interested in the kicking effect of pre-workout boosters can spice up such a booster with pump-promoting substances, for example. And athletes who want to use a booster frequently - preferably during every workout - but want to prevent a habituation effect with regard to stimulants, can order a stimulant-free booster. "Mood enhancers" like agmatine, L-tyrosine, etc. will then simply be added by the user on certain days only. Or they order a can of caffeine capsules with their booster purchase and then only swallow a capsule before selected training sessions.

Are training boosters doping?

This question cannot be answered in a general way, because the answer depends on the current status of the WADA list of banned substances on the one hand and on the respective booster product on the other. Until 2004, for example, caffeine was on the WADA list (from a limit value of 12 g/ml in urine), and creatine was also in the doping discussion at the beginning of the 2000s (but was then not put on the list after all). As things stand today, at least pre-workout boosters and pure pump boosters are not doping. The situation is different for hardcore boosters: 1,3-dimethylamylamine (DMAA) has been on the WADA list as a banned substance since 2010, and the same applies to other amphetamine-like substances. Professional athletes, team athletes, and all athletes who participate in doping-tested competitions should therefore refrain from using hardcore boosters as far as possible. Incidentally, people who have attracted attention in road traffic and have to undergo an MPU are also better off not consuming hardcore boosters: The tests used in the MPU react positively to amphetamines and could lead to the withdrawal of the driver's license.

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