Should You Switch to a Liquid Glycerol Pre-Workout?
An ingredient you may have seen in some pre-workout powders, as well as pre-workout RTDs, is glycerol. Glycerol is naturally in a liquid form (at room temperature). You may have glanced over it on a supplement label thinking it wasn’t one of the main ingredients, but you probably weren’t aware that a liquid glycerol pre-workout has MANY benefits.
It should also be noted that glycerol has quite a few names and is commonly referred to as glycerin, glycerine, vegetable glycerin, glycerol monostearate, or if you want to get super technical, 1,2,3-propanetriol.
Related Article: 3 Reasons Training with Glycerol in the Heat is Beneficial
There’s much to be said about this plant extract or even for being known as a sugar alcohol added to certain products to enhance the overall flavor profile rather than loading it up with sugars or artificial sweeteners. Yes, liquid glycerol can be a sweetening agent (it contains 4 calories per gram), but the benefits of a liquid glycerol pre-workout go much deeper than enhancing the flavor of a product and is great as a standalone supplement.
Some manufacturers like the use of powdered glycerol or liquid glycerol in their pre-workouts because it is odorless and colorless, which makes it extremely easy to work into a formula on top of the sweetness benefits — unlike something along the lines of caffeine, which is naturally bitter and takes some work to mask the flavor.
And before we get started, I want to mention that liquid glycerol has been deemed safe for use as a performance-enhancing supplement without the need to cycle on and off like you would a stimulant where the body would get accustomed to its effects, which over time you would need a higher and higher dosage. Also, liquid glycerol serves as BOTH a very beneficial pre- and intra-workout product when dosed appropriately according to your body weight.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and is not meant to treat or diagnose any condition. It is recommended that you speak with your doctor before starting any exercise program, changing your daily nutrition, or adding any supplements to your regimen.
Get a Liquid Glycerol Pre-Workout and Get Pumped!
The claim to fame and the reason why many of you may have heard and seen this ingredient before is due to its pump properties and helping to increase the volume of water being shuttled into the muscles. Now, I don’t want to get things mixed up or construed. The pump achieved through the supplementation of liquid glycerol has NOTHING to do with vasodilation.
Related Article: Advanced Rehydrating 101 — The Power of Glycerol
Using a liquid glycerol pre-workout helps you achieve those sleeve-tearing pumps and increase the volume of plasma, allowing you to attain those pronounced roadmap veins when training. The overall effects can be even more powerful when combined with nitric oxide-producing ingredients or vasodilators. So, to better explain the use of liquid glycerol, it floods the muscles with fluid (you can also think of it in a similar fashion to creatine) and provides a pumped and full look. Yes, this effect is only temporary (similar to the effects of a nitric oxide product), but the main thing users are looking for when using a liquid glycerol pre-workout is the enhanced pump and fullness during their training session.
It should go without saying, but since glycerol is a liquid, you can’t simply toss it in a mixture of other powders (you’d have a huge clumpy mess). The use of a liquid glycerol ingredient would need to be dried if used in a powdered variety, but the beauty and benefits of a straight liquid glycerol pre-workout are that it stays in its natural liquid and pure form.
Other Benefits of Liquid Glycerol Use
On top of the pump benefits, users can additionally see some endurance enhancements — especially when a liquid glycerol pre-workout is combined with some carbohydrates before a training session. Because liquid glycerol has the ability to, in a sense, “hyper-hydrate” the muscles, users can find they have some performance improvements as well as enhancements with body temperature regulation.
Thanks to the hydration benefits, you can better ward off dehydration as well — something extremely important to athletes who train hard and push their bodies to their limits. Upon consumption of a liquid glycerol pre-workout, it is rapidly absorbed into the blood, making this ingredient extremely quick to transport out to the working muscles when training.
Back in the day, some bodybuilders, before stepping on stage, would take a dose of liquid glycerol to help fill out their muscles and give off a fuller and more muscular appearance. While it’s not commonly practiced these days, some competitors still supplement with liquid glycerol when pumping up backstage.
Here’s another fun fact for you… Fitness photographers have found an interesting way to use liquid glycerol during fitness photoshoots. What they do is spray the models with a pure liquid glycerol using a spray bottle to make them appear to be “sweaty” — as if they were working out and not simply posing in front of a camera. The liquid glycerol sticks to their skin as if it were beads of sweat.
Additionally, you can also find glycerol used in food products (to help keep them moist) as well as skincare and beauty products (to hydrate the skin and help smooth out fine lines and imperfections).
With all the many uses of liquid glycerol, it should come as no surprise that supplementing with such a powerful ingredient is recommended. Everyone can benefit from a liquid glycerol pre-workout, whether you are a bodybuilder, athlete, or someone who hits the gym looking to become the best version of themselves.
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