When you hear the word “pre-workout” what image comes to mind? Is it gym bros hyping each other up, shaking from a major caffeine surge? Or intense and descriptive pre-workout supplement names – a lot of promise on the front, but a mysterious ingredient list on the back? And no thought given to women, athletes of all ages, the casual gym goer, the newbie, or anyone else?

Yes, pre-workout regimens can be intimidating, polarizing even, for many individuals, and they often get a bad rap. But if you look at Thorne’s new Pre-Workout Elite and its ingredients, then you’ll see it’s different. There are several reasons why a pre-workout like this one can be beneficial, especially for women.

But first, let’s tackle some common questions women have about taking a pre-workout supplement.

Is pre-workout supplementation safe?

Several studies show that pre-workout supplementation is safe for both men and women. A 2015 study published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition assessed safety for an all-female cohort. The researchers found it was safe for the female subjects to consume up to two daily servings of a pre-workout supplement over the course of 28 days.1

Similarly, a 2015 study in Food & Nutrition Research found that recreationally active men and women could safely consume up to two daily servings of a pre-workout supplement that contained beta-alanine, caffeine, and creatine.2

Your safety means everything to Thorne. That’s why we invest the necessary resources to provide our customers with peace of mind. Thorne’s Pre-Workout Elite is NSF Certified for Sport®, meaning that, in addition to the four rounds of testing performed on all Thorne products, this product is also tested by NSF International to confirm the absence of more than 200 banned substances.

However, if you are pregnant or nursing, then don’t take Pre-Workout Elite.

Why is there limited research on women?

If you do a little Googling, you’ll notice there are many studies that demonstrate the effectiveness of pre-workout supplementation for men, but not for women. Why? Unfortunately, it comes down to two key factors – physiological complexity and financial cost.

One research review on women noted, “Women are often cast aside as being ‘more difficult to study than men’ because their hormones are more complex.”3 And menstrual cycles aren’t easy to compare; they differ cycle to cycle and woman to woman.3 Research needs to thoroughly examine large populations of women based on menstrual status, contraceptive use, types of contraception used, and pregnancy status,3 and these specifics add to a study’s cost.

Even in research that does include women, some studies conducted on females supplementing pre-workout do not:4

  • Assess the effect of gender on any outcome
  • Control for the menstrual cycle
  • Mention the ratio of male-to-female participants
  • Have a meaningful sample size of women compared to men
  • Use the same study design for male and female participants

Besides the limited research on women, experts point out the need for further study on untrained individuals, older adults, and consumption of a pre-workout supplement for longer than 8-12 weeks.4

However, the good news is that Thorne’s Pre-Workout Elite contains ingredients that have been shown to benefit women.

Mango leaf extract and quercetin phytosome: Enhanced athletic performance*

A key ingredient in Pre-Workout Elite is the flavonoid, quercetin phytosome. You might be familiar with quercetin phytosome because Thorne uses it in some of our healthy aging, allergy, and immune support supplements because of its antioxidant properties.* Thorne also sells it as a single-ingredient product, Quercetin Phytosome.

So, what’s so special about quercetin’s inclusion in our pre-workout formula? Clinical studies show that the combination of quercetin phytosome and mango leaf extract can have a significant benefit for women.

A 2018 study published in Frontiers in Physiology looked at the effect of mango leaf extract paired with quercetin phytosome on sprint performance and recovery.5 Thirty subjects (17 men and 13 women) were randomly assigned to one of three groups: mango leaf extract paired with quercetin phytosome, mango leaf extract paired with luteolin (another type of flavonoid), or placebo.

Each group was dosed 48 hours before exercise. Subjects completed two 30-second Wingate tests (stationary cycling), followed by repeated bike sprints that lasted for varying amounts of time with recovery periods in-between. 

The researchers saw two effects in women. One was an increase in peak VO2, which refers to the maximum volume of oxygen the body uses during exercise. A higher peak VO2 indicates a better level of fitness – the body is efficient at distributing oxygen to the muscles, so you can work harder and exercise longer.

The women who took the mango leaf extract paired with quercetin phytosome reached a 5.8-percent greater peak VO2 during the sprints compared to the placebo group.5 Interestingly, the researchers did not see a similar effect in men.

The second effect researchers saw in this group of women was an improvement in brain oxygenation, both at rest and during exercise, suggesting that supplementation can counteract fatigue.*5

Overall, the authors concluded that consumption of mango leaf extract and quercetin phytosome caused “a remarkable ergogenic effect” in women’s VO2 and brain oxygenation during sprinting, as well as an increased muscle power in fatigued men and women.*

In other words, mango leaf extract paired with quercetin phytosome resulted in enhanced athletic performance, especially in women.* 

Alpha-GPC: Improved peak power and fatigue index* 

A body of research suggests that obese individuals can be at greater risk of a cardiac event during supramaximal exercise (“going all out” or “giving 100 percent”) and during initial recovery.6

A 2022 study in Nutrients looked at whether alpha-glycerylphosphorylcholine (alpha-GPC) could reduce this risk.6 Overweight and obese women ages 20-40 who did not exercise regularly and were in the early follicular stage of menstruation took alpha-GPC before completing two 30-second Wingate tests. Researchers measured the time between heartbeats and hemodynamic responses (factors that impact blood flow).

The research confirmed that alpha-GPC supports heart health by returning heart rate variability and blood pressure (which increase during heavy exercise) to normal faster than does placebo.* There was also an improvement in subjects’ peak power, mean power, and fatigue index during the Wingate test, similar findings to other alpha-GPC studies on men.*6

The takeaway

No matter what goals you have, perform at your best with Thorne’s new Pre-Workout Elite, the formula that supports being at the top of your mental and physical game.*

References

  1. Vogel RM, Joy JM, Falcone PH, et al. Safety of a dose-escalated pre-workout supplement in recreationally active females. J Int Soc Sports Nutr 2015;12(1). doi:10.1186/s12970-015-0074-y
  2. Joy JM, Lowery RP, Falcone PH, et al. A multi-ingredient, pre-workout supplement is apparently safe in healthy males and females. Food Nutr Res 2015;59(1):27470. doi:10.3402/fnr.v59.27470
  3. Holtzman B, Ackerman K. Recommendations and nutritional considerations for female athletes: Health and performance. Sports Med 2021;51(S1):43-57. doi:10.1007/s40279-021-01508-8
  4. Harty PS, Zabriskie HA, Erickson JL, et al. Multi-ingredient pre-workout supplements, safety implications, and performance outcomes: A brief review. J Int Soc Sports Nutr 2018;15(1). doi:10.1186/s12970-018-0247-6
  5. Gelabert-Rebato M, Wiebe JC, Martin-Rincon M, et al. Mangifera indica L. leaf extract in combination with luteolin or quercetin enhances VO2peak and peak power output, and preserves skeletal muscle function during ischemia-reperfusion in humans. Front Physiol 2018;9. doi:10.3389/fphys.2018.00740
  6. Barzanjeh SP, Pescatello LS, Figueroa A, Ahmadizad S. The effects of alpha-glycerylphosphorylcholine on heart rate variability and hemodynamic variables following sprint interval exercise in overweight and obese women. Nutrients 2022;14(19):3970. doi:10.3390/nu14193970