The quick answer is yes, taking a pre-workout on an empty stomach is fine.
Most people have two windows to exercise, with one being in the early morning between 5-7 am before work or 4-7 pm after work.
Training in the early morning makes it challenging to eat a meal before the gym.
This makes it more tempting to just take a pre-workout and head straight to the gym.
So if you’re wondering if you can take a pre-workout on an empty stomach in the early morning, or afternoon, the answer is yes you can.
We’ll dive deeper into the answer with this article.
Yes, this is completely safe although you should consider a few things first.
When you’re taking a pre-workout on a stomach that has some food in it, the pre-workout may take longer to take full effect.
On a completely empty stomach, a pre-workout will generally hit much harder and faster.
With an empty stomach, you’ll be absorbing most of the ingredients much more efficiently.
Some people prefer to have some food in their stomach when taking a pre-workout so it’s completely fine either way.
We recommend that you do this as some ingredients are better absorbed on an empty stomach.
Pre-workouts are designed to be consumed on an empty stomach, but some people may prefer to have some food which is fine.
Without food in your stomach, you’re ensuring you’re absorbing the pre-workout ingredients as much as possible at a fast rate.
It is safe to take a pre-workout on an empty stomach but some people may experience some downsides.
Since pre-workouts hit much harder on an empty stomach, you may experience a little bit of a crash but this mostly depends on the ingredients used.
Pre-workouts contain stimulants and these can vary in how fast they can deliver energy.
There are also digestive issues but this is normal when consuming caffeine, along with other stimulants, which can all cause forced bowel movements.
Some people report having diarrhea after consuming pre-workout but this is rare.
This can also happen when consuming high dosages of creatine.
If the high energy or jitters bother you, then try a pre-workout with theanine or with a lower dosage of caffeine.
Pre-workouts should be mixed in at least 8 ounces of water, even more, if it contains creatine or glycerol.
The reason is that ingredients like those require increased water intake, so you would be getting less of an effect if you’re dehydrated.
It doesn’t matter if you have a completely empty stomach or not, hydration is a must.
Give yourself at least 20 minutes before starting training to ensure you’re getting the most out of the ingredients and so they can be absorbed fully.
Pre-workouts are some of the best supplements to use since they offer a wide range of benefits from increased energy to better focus, pumps and performance.
They are a no-brainer choice but this also means there are more people who may be facing issues with pre-workouts.
If you’re wondering if you can use your pre-workout on an empty stomach, you now know that you can do so safely.
Training fasted is completely fine as long as you get your calories in during the rest of the day.
You can even eat your pre-workout meal at night if you plan to train early in the morning if you’re tight on time.
I personally train on a completely empty stomach, fasted state, sometimes first thing in the morning and I still struggle to lower my weight.
Try and test out the timing with your pre-workout and see how it affects you.
