Does Pre-Workout Go Bad?

Yes, pre-workout can go bad. The reasons could be varied, and they could range from moldy powder, clumped powder, or powder that is past its expiration date. Despite this, pre-workout doesn’t necessarily have to go beyond its expiration date to be harmful. If a supplement is not stored properly, it may become useless and even unsafe to consume, making it almost impossible to use.

Further, it isn’t always easy to tell if something is safe to consume or not, which further complicates the issue. This is why I will tell you how to tell if your pre-workout supplement is doing you any good or not. In this article, we will look at a topic called, does pre-workout go bad very quickly?

How Do You Know If Pre-Workout Has Gone Bad?

When determining if your pre-workout has passed, there are several things you can do. Listed below are some of the easiest ones.

Date On the Label

Most supplements will have an expiration date on the label, which can be found on the packaging. The recommended use date for this product is the same as the recommended use date for the food you buy at the grocery store.

You will find the expiration date of your pre-workout supplement marked on its container. In some cases, you will find the date of manufacture and the expiration date on the bottom of the tub.

Visible Mold

Mold is another big red flag that needs to be addressed immediately. Whenever you are in doubt, make sure that you inspect the powder granules carefully for any signs of fuzzy fungus before using it. You should not eat anything that shows signs of mold if it shows signs of mold. It is necessary to throw it away if it shows any signs of mold.

Consistency

The consistency of your pre-workout powder can also be one of the ways by which you will be able to tell whether it is fresh or not. For example, clumpy powder or powder that is difficult to mix might indicate that the mixture is harmful.

Having some small clumps in your pre-workout is normal. However, large chunks or one large mass of pre-workout may cause a problem.

Color

If you are performing your visual inspection, you should pay close attention to the color and the consistency of the pre-workout powder. It could indicate that it is past its prime if it looks faded or darker than usual.

Smell

The next thing to do is put your pre-workout through a smell test. You can take a whiff of the air and see if you notice any strange odors. Odors indicative of spoilage can be detected by taking a whiff of the air.

Upset Stomach

We’ll assume now that you took a whole serving of that questionable pre-workout supplement. You should pay attention to how you feel after taking it.

It is not recommended to use it again if you experience an upset stomach or excess gas. This side effect might be a sign that your pre-workout isn’t up to the mark.

Taste

Once your pre-workout passes the first five steps, you can move on to an actual taste test. Make a small amount of the mixture, taste it, and if you don’t like it, do not continue to use it.

Performance Decrease

Lastly, you may not feel the same effects like an old pre-workout compared to a new one. If this is the case, it is not worth taking anymore.

As long as you can navigate through all eight steps without any issues, you should be good to go. Nevertheless, you should pay attention when you are finished with this tub, especially if you let it sit again for a while.

How Long till Pre-Workout Goes Bad?

After a package has been opened, it is greater likely to expire sooner. Anything that has been used before is likely to expire faster than something that has never been opened. Therefore, it is important not to open your supplements to maintain their freshness.

A pre-workout supplement can be easily identified when it has gone bad by its smell. Several clues can also indicate this, such as the date on the tub, but it is common to rely on the date on the tub most often when trying to determine this.

A container’s expiration date indicates that the container may have been opened, and the product may have been used before that date. The license’s expiration date can range from 6 months to 5 years in the future.

Also, when it comes to keeping your pre-workout in places where it will come into direct contact with sunlight or moisture, you should avoid doing so. For example, you shouldn’t keep these supplements in your bathroom cabinet next to a hot shower.

Is Clumpy Pre-Workout Bad?

The product is still safe to use and will have the same effect. Naturally, clumping occurs due to certain ingredients in pre-workout supplements absorbing moisture from the air, which then causes clumping to happen. Taking pre-workout supplements will not affect the safety, quality, or effectiveness of your workout.

If Your Pre-Workout Clumps Together Here’s What to Do

Sometimes, plans change, and supplements are left on the shelf. If this happens, you may find that you have a tub full of chunks instead of powder when you open the lid. In the worst-case scenario, the whole container may be one solid block.

Thankfully, it is usually possible to save your pre-workout and use it again (if it hasn’t expired yet).

Shake It

In the early stages of clumping of pre-workout shakes, a vigorous shake should suffice to break up the chunks to be consumed more easily. Be sure the lid is on tightly and shake the can very well until you feel the hard chunks softening.

As long as you still have clumps after shaking, it would be best if you continued to the next step.

Break It

In the case of large or stubborn clumps, you may need to break them up with a dull tool such as a spoon or butter knife if the clumps are large or stubborn. Make sure you don’t become overly excited to the point where you hurt yourself or puncture the container.

To proceed to the third step, you will first have to get the clumps large enough for the third step to work.

Blend It

Sometimes, the clumps are too hard to break up by hand to the point where they cannot even be broken apart. This would indicate that you may have to bring in heavy equipment.

To remove those concrete clumps, you can throw the tub’s contents into a (dry) blender. Then you can put the lid on the blender and blend until you can see fine particles again.

Can You Still Use Pre-Workout If It’s Clumpy?

Pre-workout supplements, mainly pump pre-workout supplements such as MVPre, NovaPump, and VascuMax, are susceptible to this problem. Nonetheless, this is not necessarily a bad thing. Most pre-workout supplements are powders made of hygroscopic ingredients, attracting and retaining water molecules at average/room temperature. Pre-workout ingredients that amplify your performance by nature are susceptible to water since they increase the amount of water in your body by increasing your overall water volume.

Most hygroscopic items are found in pre-workout supplements. Citrulline malate Citrulline Glycerol Creatine nitrate The problem with all pre-workouts is that they become hard and clumpy if not used for extended periods. CSN will provide you with a few tips below to prevent this from happening in the future.

How to Prevent Your Pre-Workout from Going Bad?

Let’s say you just spent $40 on a new pre-workout supplement. How do you keep it fresh to ensure that you do not waste your money?

Below are seven tips to ensure that your pre-workout stays fresh for as long as possible.

Unseal It Only When Ready to Use

These pre-workout containers have an air-tight seal that enables them to stay fresh for long. Therefore, it is wise to keep the container sealed for as long as possible so that any dirt or bacteria will not get inside. At that point, you might have to struggle a little. A couple of little tabs fool you into thinking that it can be easily peeled off with ease. Although the area is covered with a thin layer of debris, you prefer to stab at it repeatedly with a spoon handle instead of ripping through the thin layer.

In any case, do not cut open your container unless you are sure that you will be able to use it.

Close The Lid Tight

Once you have removed the seal, make sure the lid has been replaced with a nice, tight fit after removing the seal. Even though it may not stop all of the air from getting in, it should prevent excess moisture.

Store in a Cool Place

If you want to maintain the quality of your pre-workout supplement, you should also store it in a cool, dry environment. The problem is not so much the heat as the change in temperature causes problems such as condensation. To illustrate this concept, let’s imagine how the inside of your windshield gets dewy when you change the temperature from hot to cold. In the same way, this process can be made to happen inside the pre-workout container. Therefore, it is very important to store pre-workout where the temperature does not fluctuate.

Keep Away from Moisture

I have just explained that moisture is one of the main elements that could cause your pre-workout supplement to be bad. Therefore, you should store it in a cool, dry place free of moisture or excessive humidity. Keeping your pre-workout on the counter above the dishwasher is not good.

Leave the Desiccant Packet in The Tub

One more thing that I do not like about supplement packaging is the large desiccant that comes with it. However, this minor inconvenience serves a good purpose. This means that it contains a compound that absorbs moisture and maintains the freshness of your pre-workout drink for a longer period. Even though it may be difficult to get a good scoop, try to avoid the temptation to toss it out as soon as you get it.

Mix Up the Contents

When you have not used your pre-workout product for a while, you can also keep it in usable condition by shaking it once in a while. The constant movement of the particles prevents them from merging and forming solid chunks of particles.

Work Out and Use It

The best way to avoid the pain caused by expired pre-workout supplements is to get out there and use them rather than wait for them to expire. There is no way it can expire before you have fully used it as long as you exercise at least three days a week.

Is It OK to Drink Old Pre-Workout?

Drinking expired pre-workout is not a good idea. This is because there could be some unpleasant side effects associated with it. To illustrate this point more clearly, I would like to point out that experiencing a gurgling stomach and feeling extremely gassy midway through a set of deadlifts is not precisely something you would want to experience at that moment.

Honestly, I don’t think you need that kind of embarrassment at this point in your life. There are generally clear instructions on labels of supplements that warn consumers against exceeding the use-by date for this very reason. It would be best to consider how long the tub is left open to prevent ingredients from becoming ineffective.

Safety Tips

• The pre-workout will expire much faster once the package is opened.
• The pre-workout supplements that have expired can cause harmful side effects, so you should not take them.
• Several signs indicate an expired pre-workout supplement.
• As soon as you mix your pre-workout, it should be consumed within 12 hours of mixing it.

Is It Possible to Take a Pre-Workout After the Expiration Date?

There is no problem with taking Pre-Workout after the expiration date, so the short answer is yes. It’s a bit more complicated than that, so I will explain it a bit in that regard. The expiration date on the container specifies how long the manufacturer anticipates that the supplement will be of use before it ceases to function properly as intended. If you use the supplement after the expiration date, it may not be as effective as it used to be.

Additionally, the supplement does not immediately begin to go rancid once it reaches its expiration date, which is the case with many other supplements. Further, it’s important to note that the expiration date refers to the shelf life of the pre-workout supplement if it is kept in ideal conditions and is not opened.

In other words, the expiration date does not represent a definitive endpoint. For example, the pre-workout may go bad before the expiration date if opened before the expiration date. If the pre-workout is stored properly, however, it may still be able to be used.

Is Pre-Workout Safe to Keep in The Fridge?

It is safe to store your pre-workout powder in the fridge. Because the refrigerator is one of the most carefully controlled environments in your house, this is not surprising. It’s cool, and it’s supposed to be dry as well. Because of this, the fridge is a great place to store your pre-workout to avoid spoiling, especially if you live in an area that tends to get hot and humid during the summer months.

Does Pre-Workout Lose Its Potency Over Time?

Certain ingredients in pre-workout supplements gradually lose their potency over time. As an example, beta-alanine breaks down about two years after its manufacture. The expiration date does not necessarily mean that you cannot use the pre-workout after that date. However, it is at this time that the supplement’s potency begins to diminish.