Dry-scooping pre-workout and protein powder is the latest social media fitness trend that many people are trying out. But, what is it and why is it so bad for you?
Dry-scooping is essentially putting a scoop of dry powder into your mouth, rather than mixing it with water or milk as it is meant to be taken.
Although that doesn’t necessarily sound so bad, the majority of these powders are made of up a large dose of caffeine, which aims to increase your energy levels ahead of a workout.
While the caffeine itself is not the issue, scooping that large a dose straight into your mouth can be dangerous as it increases the rate at which it is absorbed into the body – and can often equate to 3 cups of coffee!!
This sudden dose of caffeine can trigger fast and irregular heartbeats, which can lead to a number of complications such as sudden cardiac arrest.
Due to these health risks, pre-workout is designed to be diluted as it slows down the absorption of caffeine into your body, giving you a slow release of energy. Which is better for your workout and your heart.
Not only is pre-workout high in caffeine, but also many contain high levels of citric acid.
Although citric acid is often a key component of teeth whitening toothpastes and kits, this is in extremely low dosages.
So, taking pre-workout in powder form and with such high quantities of citric acid can do more harm than good. The citric acid erodes tooth enamel and in advanced cases it can lead to chronic tooth sensitivity and pain.
If that wasn’t enough, another issue with ingesting powder is that you can accidentally inhale it into your lungs which can lead to a serious infection.
If you see the benefits of using pre-workout powders then there are no inherent ‘risks’ associated (when taken correctly).
However, the best way to ensure that you have energy for a workout is to simply fuel your body with vitamins and nutrients through your diet.
AI based fitness and lifestyle app Freeletics, has an almost infinite number of workouts but also has some amazing recipes for high-quality snacks and meals to help you nourish your body so that you can train supreme.