Everyone has their own unique pre-workout ritual. Some people prefer to blast music to get revved up for their workout. Others watch motivational videos, and some skip the external stimuli altogether—relying instead on a strong coffee to make them feel bulletproof!

One thing’s for sure: nearly everyone has experimented with pre-workout supplements, and many have become reliant on them—especially if those supplements are stimulants.

In episode 26 of The World of Muscle, co-host Tamas Acs put it perfectly:

You can beat a horse to run, and it will for a while, but then it will collapse.

He was referring to the overuse of pre-workout stimulants and how they trick the body into short-term performance boosts—at a long-term cost.

The body quickly adapts to these compounds, diminishing their effectiveness over time. That often leads to higher and higher doses just to achieve the same effect. Stimulants should be reserved for times when you truly need a boost—like peak lifting days or pre-competition (assuming they’re allowed).

Don’t make the mistake of relying on stimulants before every single workout. Overuse can lead to dependency, adrenal fatigue, hormonal disruption, and eventually, poor performance without them. I’ve seen it firsthand. Some people get to the point where they feel they can’t train without a stimulant—they feel useless without it. That’s a dangerous place to be.

Smart athletes know the value of periodization—not just in training, but in supplementation as well. Periodization involves cycling through different phases of training (like endurance, hypertrophy, strength, and power) to keep progress moving. The same concept applies to supplements. In The Warm-Up, I explain exactly how to periodize your pre-workout supplementation to maximize results.

Bottom line: If you tolerate stimulants well, go ahead and use them occasionally to get through a tough session—but don’t depend on them for every workout.

The Warm-Up: Modern Methods for Strength Training

Traditional warm-ups zap valuable strength and energy, and ultimately performance suffers. Even worse, the typical warm-up will increase the risk of injury! If you are tired of spinning your wheels and getting nowhere with your training, then discover the real secrets to effective workouts.

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