Does Pre-Workout Break A Fast?

Remember how, years ago, doctors would warn us against the dangers of fasting, and talk about how unnatural it was, and how it could ultimately result in weight gain and do more harm than good?

If so, you’ll likely also now be aware that many of those claims have been debunked, and are simply not true.

Fasting has become popular amongst doctors, celebs, athletes, and fitness gurus alike, and for good reason.

Fasting has been found to offer a wide range of health benefits, and it’s surprisingly easy to do.

While there are many different types of fasting protocols to follow, intermittent fasting, also known as IF, is arguably the most popular.

With this method, you go several hours without eating, before allowing yourself to eat for a specific period.

Most follow the 16:8 approach which is 16 hours of fasting, combined with an 8-hour feeding window.

During a fast, you can’t eat, but you must ensure you drink plenty of fluids.

Some people choose to train when fasting and may need a little boost when training.

This is where a pre-workout supplement could prove effective.

But, does pre-workout break a fast?

Well, that’s what we’re going to find out below.

How Do You Break a Fast?

To start today, we’re going to begin by looking at what it means to break a fast, from a health and weight loss perspective, rather than a religious or everyday perspective.

In reality, every single time we eat our first meal of the day, I.E breakfast, we are breaking a fast.

The meal itself is called break-fast because you are breaking a fast when you eat, as you will have gone several hours without food, as you slept.

Fasting was once demonized, whereas it is now encouraged by health experts, personal trainers, doctors, nutritionists, bodybuilders, athletes, and various other people in the know, as it were.

Fasting has been found to provide a wide range of health benefits to the body, particularly if it is controlled.

Both short and long-term fasting have been shown to provide a whole host of benefits to the human body.

Short-term fasting for less than 24 hours has been linked with improved insulin sensitivity and reduced inflammation.

Long-term, however, has shown great promise when it comes to cellular repair, the production of energy, sustainable weight loss, a stronger immune system, and more besides.

That’s all well and good, but what does it mean to break a fast?

Will having a drink break a fast for example?

Well, as long as it contains no sugar, or ingredients that will spike insulin or initiate various metabolic processes in the body, then no, absolutely not.

It is essential that you drink plenty of water during a fast, and that you stay hydrated.

There’s way too much science involved to cover it in depth, so to summarize, if you are following a fasting protocol of any kind, whether it be 5:2, 16:8, or anything else, you don’t want to consume anything that will change your body’s current hormonal state.

You want your hormones and internal body chemistry to stay as stable as possible, throughout your fast.

While this is not widely accepted, the consensus is that any foods or drinks that trigger changes to the amount of hormones such as ghrelin, insulin, and cortisol, should be avoided as this could break a fast.

Others, however, like to keep things more simple and state that the best way to avoid breaking a fast is simply to not consume any calories.

Just be aware that some foods low in calories, may not alter the body’s physical chemistry enough to break a fast and knock you out of a fasted state. Foods containing up to 50 calories per serving, for example, are prime examples of this.

Does Pre-Workout Break A Fast?

If you’re looking to hit the gym hard, but just can’t seem to muster up the energy needed to train properly, or effectively, a pre-workout powder could be very useful.

Pre-workout supplements are enriched with energy-boosting ingredients such as caffeine, taurine, creatine, and amino acids, and are designed to provide a temporary spike in energy levels to help get you through a grueling workout.

Because of the vast array of ingredients found in pre-workout supplements, people often worry that a pre-workout supplement could break their fast.

Very quickly, it is unlikely that a pre-workout supplement will break a fast, though it is possible. It all depends on the ingredients, and indeed, how much of each one there is.

We’ll be looking at the ingredients below.

What Do Pre-Workout Supplements Contain?

Okay, so we’ve established that pre-workout supplements generally will not break a fast. At the same time, however, we’ve also established that it is possible, depending on the ingredients.

While each manufacturer has their recipe and unique blend of ingredients, here’s a look at some of the most common ingredients that you are likely to find in your pre-workout powder.

Caffeine

By far, caffeine is the most common ingredient found in pre-workout powders.

Caffeine is the star of the show in most recipes, as it is this ingredient that ensures that the supplement does its job.

Generally, caffeine will not break a fast, though it can affect some people’s digestion in coffee.

In a pre-workout supplement, though, the caffeine is in a natural, pure form, and will not break a fast.

Artificial Sweeteners

For these supplements to get their sweet and fruity flavor, artificial sweeteners are often used. These replace sugar and do not contain carbohydrates, or any significant amounts of calories.

Now, the type of sweetener used may have somewhat of an impact, as there is some evidence to suggest that sweeteners such as saccharin, could help stimulate the production of insulin, though this is not proven.

In short, however, these sweeteners are generally free of carbs and calories, and will not break a fast.

Creatine

Creatine is a compound similar to an amino acid that is produced naturally in the body. It assists with the production of ATP, which the muscles then use for energy.

Creatine does not disrupt hormone levels and does not cause you to break a fast if you consume it, with or without working out.

You can read more about whether can you mix creatine with pre-workout or not.

Amino acids

This is a bit of a broad one as there are so many different amino acids used in the supplement world.

Primarily however, you’ll find BCAAs (branch chain amino acids) such as valine, leucine, and isoleucine, used in pre-workouts, as well as L-Glutamine, L-Theanine, and Beta-Alanine.

The amounts found in these supplements are not enough to trigger insulin production, meaning that amino acids are nearly always perfectly acceptable for fasting, and will not break a fast.

Sugar

Sugar is rarely used in pre-workout supplements, one because it contains calories, and using it to exercise to lose weight would be a bit of an oxymoron, and two because it’s expensive.

Some pre-workouts will use sugar in the form of dextrose or glucose, however, and if a pre does contain these or any other kind of sugar, they could break a fast.

Even though you may not be consuming more than 50g of sugar per serving, if you are fasting it is probably worth avoiding pre-workout supplements which contain sugar, just to be on the safe side.

Do Pre-workouts Have Calories?

Wouldn’t it be great if we could simply say that pre-workout supplements contained X amount of calories, across the board, and that would be that?

Sadly, life isn’t that simple, and because there are so many different supplements out there, we can’t give you just one figure.

The amount of calories per serving that you get from a pre-workout supplement will be determined by several factors.

For example, one company’s recommended serving size could be one scoop of powder, whereas another’s could be two scoops.

More importantly, however, are the ingredients found in the pre-workout supplement itself, and the ratio in which they are included.

A pre-workout supplement that is heavy on sugar, perhaps in the form of glucose, dextrose, maltodextrin, or even a combination, is going to contain more calories than a supplement that contains no sugars and/or carbohydrates.

In truth, we can’t answer this question because it depends on so many different factors like we’ve just looked at.

One pre-workout supplement, for example, could provide as few as 15 calories per serving, whereas another could provide more than 200.

When it comes to fasting, every calorie matters, so be sure to read the nutritional info on the label before you commit to using it.

Benefits Of Pre-Workouts For Fasting

We know that pre-workout supplements are designed to give you energy when working out, but if you’re fasting, depending upon the type of fast you’re following, they too could provide several benefits.

Here are a few examples of how a pre-workout supplement could help you when fasting.

Better Mental Focus

If you’ve ever fasted before, or simply gone an incredibly long duration of time without eating, you’ll likely have noticed how you began suffering from brain fog and struggled to focus.

This is where a pre-workout supplement can be so useful.

Pre-workout supplements contain caffeine, taurine, and other ingredients designed to help boost cognitive health and function and improve mental focus and clarity.

This means you’ll be able to focus and concentrate when fasting and think clearer in the process.

Increased Energy Levels

Without a doubt, one of the main drawbacks associated with fasting of any kind is the lack of energy.

Your body needs energy food, and calories are units of energy.

Without them, your body simply won’t have much energy.

One of the best things about using a pre-workout supplement during a fast is the fact that it will give you such a pronounced increase in energy levels.

Not only will you get more mental energy, but your physical energy will also increase.

This means you will be able to get more out of your workouts and be more active in the process.

More Effective Workouts

Yes, we know we just touched upon this already, but having more energy isn’t just a benefit that is exclusive when it comes to working out, which is why we’ve included this section.

Primarily, pre-workout supplements are designed to be used before a workout, the clue is in the name.

If you are fasting and are still looking to get an effective workout in, a pre-workout supplement before you train is perfect.

Pre-workouts will help you get into the “zone” mentally, they’ll help make you stronger, they’ll help boost endurance, and they’ll assist with explosive speed and power.

From an athletic standpoint, you couldn’t ask for very much more.

Fewer Hunger Pains

Believe it or not, pre-workout supplements can also help people avoid hunger pains and stay full for longer.

Caffeine, for example, has been found to help reduce hunger and boost satiety, while also curbing food cravings.

As you know, feeling hungry when working out can lead to a poor-quality workout, it can affect your mental focus, and it can affect your work rate.

With a pre-workout supplement, however, things are different.

Taking one of these before you train will help you to fight off the hunger pains, and curb your cravings as well.

This means you’ll feel better, you’ll be able to focus more when working out, and you won’t constantly be thinking about how hungry you are.

Lose More Weight

Fasting offers many benefits, and fat loss is certainly one of those benefits.

People also go to the gym and exercise for many reasons, and to lose weight is just one of them. When used in this context, a pre-workout supplement is ideal.

Pre-workout supplements when fasting are perfect for speeding up fat loss and assisting with weight management in the process.

Pre-workouts not only give you more energy, but they also contain fat-burning ingredients as well.

The energy increase will help you to work harder when working out, which in turn means that you will burn more calories and lose more weight.

As for the fat-burning ingredients found in pre-workout supplements, you’ll find ingredients such as caffeine, green tea extract, and green coffee bean extract, which can help boost the metabolism so that you burn more calories, produce more energy, and lose more weight as a result.

Fewer DOMS

Delayed onset muscle soreness, or DOMS, for short, is a perfectly natural part of exercising.

After we work the muscles, we damage the muscle fibers and cause tiny rips and tears in them.

The body then rebuilds them, building them back even bigger and stronger than they were prior.

The downside to this is the fact that, after training, you often suffer from sore and stiff muscles because of the controlled damage you have caused to them in the gym.

One of the best things about using a pre-workout supplement is the fact that it contains ingredients that can speed up muscle repair and recovery and can help to prevent, or at the very least, reduce DOMS.

Pre-Workout Alternatives For Fasting

Okay, so assuming that you’ve decided that a pre-workout supplement is not going to be suitable for you during a fast, are there any alternatives for you to try? You know, things that will still give you a physical and mental boost of energy, without breaking a fast? Well, yes there are.

Matcha Or Green Tea

Green tea or match tea, are great alternatives for people who are looking for an energy boost when intermittent fasting, without using a pre-workout supplement.

Green tea and matcha are loaded full of antioxidants which promote healthy cellular function and immunity.

They also contain caffeine, which will help give you a slight increase in energy.

On top of that, they both also have L-theanine, which is an amino acid that can boost mental focus and natural energy levels.

Black Coffee

As you know, coffee is renowned for its high caffeine content and it is caffeine that is primarily found in pre-workout supplements.

Coffee before training will help provide a large dose of caffeine that should get you through your workout. Just make sure to have it black, I.E. without any milk or sugars, otherwise you could break your fast.

Final Thoughts

So, does pre-workout break a fast?

Well, as you can see, the answer to that question is not quite as black and white as you may have hoped.

In short, pre-workout supplements can break a fast, although to do so they would need to contain a lot of sugars, or calories from elsewhere.

For the most part, however, if you aren’t being too strict when intermittent fasting, you’ll find that a pre-workout powder before training will not break your fast.