I have to admit, one of the last things in the CrossFit world that I gave a try was preworkout. I was into Red Bull as a high school athlete, like any 15 year old still is now. Then, upon getting to college and starting in as a NCAA Division I athlete, random drug testing ensued, and we were all heavily advised against consuming energy drinks, something about the Taurine. Seeing that it didn’t taste all that wonderful, I dropped the habit and didn’t bother with any non-coffee energy boosting beverage for the next 10+ years.

My usual theory is if you’re feeling sluggish… drink more water, get more sleep and stay on your food game.

Once upon a time, my boss came home with a swag bag from the Sports Emmy’s, and gave me the random goodies, which included an Awake Chocolate bar. Thinking nothing aside from OMG CHOCOLATE, I downed the sucker around 4:30 in the afternoon. I proceeded to go to the 5:30p WOD and rip through DT in just seconds over 10min, which was one of the top times of the box at the time. I felt like a million bucks and didn’t know why.

Only took me a few days to figure out that maybe that late afternoon dose of caffeine gave me the assist on the PR that day. Fast forward to January, when I was entered in my first non-Open CrossFit comp in 2 years. One of the workouts was a 3-attempt max C&J, and I’d been having trouble with that lift for a while. My partner just had a retail field day at GNC a week prior to the comp and mentioned she’d given some new preworkout a try and was happy with it.

Long story short, Neon Volt came into my life, and I daringly tried it for the first time on the day of the comp. As a coffee drinker, I do have a caffeine tolerance built up. A venti from Starbucks doesn’t give me the lightheaded jitters, but my normal morning coffee is bulletproof, which is only a single k-cup’s worth.

So. Think you can handle it? Looking for an extra confidence boost, whether it’s caffeinated or just a mental placebo? If you’re used to drinking soda and coffee on the daily, then your body can probably handle preworkout.

I like to save it for special occasions, like competitions and Open WODs. Trying not to build up a tolerance for it, or else like any other substance, it will take a larger quantity to produce the same effect over time.

Nobody wants to end up like this guy. All a girl wants is a good workout.

Looking for a place to start? I can only recommend the one product I’ve ever tried, the creatine-free Neon Sport Volt in Pink Lemonade. It goes for about $35-$40 range for 36 servings. If you’re not into a sweet yet tart flavor… you may want to pass.

Happy lifting!