Many pre-workouts and fat burner supplements contain caffeine, so the key is to check the total amount of caffeine and not go over your limit. This limit is usually between 200 and 400mg every 4-5 hours.
One way to circumvent this problem is to choose a fat burner or pre-workout that is either caffeine free or extremely low caffeine.
Pre-Workout and Caffeine
Most pre-workouts contain caffeine as the primary ingredient for energy and focus. By reducing perceptions of fatigue, caffeine allows an athlete to feel motivated towards initial action (reduces the desire to rest), and to push through difficulty.
Additionally, caffeine has been shown to increase power and strength output, increase athletic performance, increase endurance, improve concentration etc.
While some pre-workouts are stimulant free, the vast majority contain 200-400mg of caffeine.
Fat Burners and Caffeine
Caffeine both reduces appetite and increases metablism, making it an effective fat loss tool. Because of this, a large number of fat burners contain caffeine ranging from 100-300mg per dose.
There are plenty of effective fat burners without caffeine, so one way to take fat burners and pre-workout at the same time is to use a fat burning supplement sans the caffeine.
The Benefits of Taking Pre-Workout and Fat Burner at the Same Time
Taking pre-workout and fat burner together can have a synergistic effect, so long as the total caffeine dosage is within your range of tolerance (typically 200-400mg).
Taken together, a fat burner and pre-workout can increase total energy expenditure and favorably influence fat metabolism. A fat burner can be a great compliment to a pre-workout by helping to boost calorie burn and fat utilization during exercise. In fact, a fat burner can even elevate exercise performance beyond the effects of the pre-workout alone.
As an example, capsaicin is an ingredient found in many fat burners. It works by stimulating the intramuscular release of calcium and this has been shown to result in more forceful muscle contractions.
Capsaicin can also increase pain threshold and decrease perceived exertion during exercise, making it easier to grind through those tough exercise sessions.
Another fat burn ingredient, L-carnitine L-tartrate plays an important role in fatty acid oxidation and energy metabolism but has also shown to be protective against muscle damage after strenuous exercise and reduce muscle soreness.
So as you see, ingredients found in a fat burner can compliment your pre-workout when it comes to exercise performance. And vice versa: the caffeine in a pre-workout can compliment your fat burner by increasing metabolism.
The Key Point: Caffeine Tolerance
To conclude, the answer to the question is really straight forward: yes, you can take pre-workout and fat burner together but only if the total dose of caffeine between the two falls within your tolerance range which is usually 200-400mg. The best way to make sure of this is to use a stimulant free pre-workout or a low-stimulant fat burner.
