If you’ve reached a plateau in your exercise performance and recovery efforts, supplementation can be a useful tool to help spark new results. According to nutrition experts, two supplements that can make a difference in these areas are pre-workout and amino acids. Although they have different benefits — pre-workout supports performance while amino acids support recovery — the two can work together to boost both the input and output of your workouts.
LTH Pump Pre-Workout and LTH Rally Amino Recovery are the go-to choices for Life Time nutrition and fitness experts. The exceptional quality of the ingredients and the effectiveness of the formulations, along with the rigorous testing standards, set them apart from other options on the market. (Both supplements are NSF Certified for Sport®. Learn more: “What Is NSF Testing for Supplements?”)
We asked Paul Kriegler, RD, CPT, CISSN, senior director of product development for LTH nutritionals at Life Time, and Samantha McKinney, RD, CPT, director of LTH at Life Time, to outline the benefits of these two supplements and offer guidance around adding them to your fitness routine.
LTH Pump Pre-Workout
What It Is: LTH Pump Pre-Workout is designed to help ignite intensity and give you a bit of a boost before your workout. “The LTH Pump Pre-Workout supplement is formulated with ingredients that help stimulate blood flow, the dilation of blood vessels, and cellular energy production to promote acute exercise performance,” Kriegler explains. “Vitamin B6, B12, and other targeted ingredients support endurance, stamina, and focus when you’re exercising. Over time, when used several times per week for multiple weeks, these ingredients also help to increase exercise capacity, strength, and power.”
Why You Might Use It: If you are looking to amplify your workout intensity, build your stamina, or dial in your focus — especially on days when you want to exercise but aren’t feeling motivated — supplementing with a well-formulated pre-workout could be a good option for you, says McKinney.
“I often recommend pre-workout supplementation to clients who are looking to enhance their strength-training workouts, improve endurance, or maximize results,” McKinney explains. “Pre-workout doesn’t provide many calories, measuring at only five to 10 calories per serving, but it does deliver targeted ingredients that help the body use energy, support blood flow, and support your nervous system, as well as aid in motivation and focus.”
How to Use It: McKinney suggests using pre-workout roughly 30 minutes before a strength-training workout or higher-endurance activity. “If you’re newer to using pre-workout, I suggest starting with one scoop (a half serving) of the LTH Pump Pre-Workout powder mixed with 8 to 10 ounces of water. You can always add more water or powder if needed once you see how your body responds to it,” McKinney says. “If you have a lower tolerance to caffeine, this is also the amount I’d suggest, or opting instead for the caffeine-free version of LTH Pump Pre-Workout.”
“For best results, aim to use pre-workout at least four days per week for one month or longer,” Kriegler advises. “Beta-alanine — an ingredient in pre-workout — requires consistent use to build up carnosine levels in the muscle cells. So, using it any less than that won’t allow it to accumulate correctly to give you the best results.” (Note: Beta-alanine may cause some tingling on the skin, but this is normal and often fades over time with consistent use.)
LTH Pump Pre-Workout comes in tropical breeze and dark cherry flavors, with grape and blueberry watermelon coming soon. There are caffeinated and non-caffeinated versions, so you can incorporate based on your preferences and workout timing (if you don’t want caffeine for workouts later in the day, for example).
LTH Rally Amino Recovery
What It Is: Amino acids are important protein-building blocks that can help the body build lean muscle and recover effectively from exercise, according to McKinney. LTH Rally Amino Recovery is a blend of all nine essential amino acids, including the branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) leucine, isoleucine, and valine.
“You can’t build muscles out of nothing,” McKinney says. “I like to encourage my clients to think of essential amino acids as the raw material building blocks for lean tissue and repair after a workout. They support muscle protein synthesis, which helps build shape and tone as well as reduce soreness. They also help the body hold onto muscle when in a caloric deficit.” (Learn more: “Why Aminos for Recovery?”)
“Delivering amino acids to your body through a dedicated supplement allows them to be utilized with a higher efficiency than whole-food protein or protein powders,” Kriegler adds.
Why You Might Use It: This supplement is beneficial for those who exercise regularly, seek body-composition changes, or experience soreness after workouts. It’s also helpful for those who struggle to meet their daily protein goals, lose muscle mass, suffer from gut issues, or have trouble digesting whole protein or protein powders, according to McKinney.
“Those who consistently supplement with amino acids often report less muscle soreness, quicker recovery, and notable improvements to physique and lean body mass,” says McKinney.
“Essential amino acids may also help stimulate leptin levels, which is a hormone that increases feelings of satiety,” she adds. “The LTH Rally Amino Recovery blend can also help support optimal blood-sugar levels and contains both L-threonine and L-cysteine, which can play a helpful role in joint health.”
How to Use It: McKinney recommends using LTH Rally Amino Recovery immediately before, during, or after exercise, mixing a serving of it into about 8 to 10 ounces of water. You can also customize your dose by using one serving per 100 pounds of body weight, she says.
“I personally like to mix up a serving in my water bottle and drink it throughout my workout,” McKinney shares. (Learn more: “How Do I Use LTH Rally Amino Recovery?”) LTH Rally Amino Recovery comes in cherry limeade or lemon lime flavors and contains 10 calories per serving.
Should I Use Both Supplements?
These two LTH supplements are formulated to complement each other, and McKinney recommends using both pre-workout and amino acids to enhance your workout performance and recovery. “They are not duplicative,” she says. “They provide complementary benefits to your overall workout nutrition strategy.
“While a well-formulated pre-workout might not be necessary the way that having adequate essential amino acids is, using both can absolutely be helpful and can make a meaningful difference,” she adds.
With consistent use, LTH Pump Pre-Workout can offer a comprehensive boost for the brain and body to get the most out of your workout time and effort. “Its ingredients have been shown to help increase performance, muscle stamina, and endurance, help people work out harder for longer, and improve intensity and focus during exercise,” McKinney says.
LTH Rally Amino Recovery, on the other hand, provides a comprehensive blend of essential amino acids in a research-backed dose and ratio to support healthy muscle strength, repair, rebuilding, and more following exercise. “Using it consistently during your workouts is a great and easy way to provide your body with the necessary nutrition to make the most out of your workout recovery,” says McKinney.
And when used together? “Users of both products often report an enhanced wave of smooth energy (without jitters) to help increase workout volume and intensity, while also being able to come back stronger and more recovered for their next session — often with less soreness,” says McKinney.
