If you regularly use pre-workout boosters, you’ve probably experienced it. The powder of your pre-workout has started to clump and don’t sit together. Instead of easy-to-scoop powder, you have a solid chunk in your jar. This is a common problem with pre-workouts. But what exactly is causing this? And do you wonder if the supplement is still safe to use? In this blog, I want to give you some more clarity on hard gotten pre-workout powder. That’s why I’m explaining exactly what you can do to prevent these lumps. Your pre-workout has gotten hard? Check immediately what you can do to solve this!
Why did my pre-workout start to clumping?
Okay, your pre-workout has gotten hard, and you’re wondering why. In short, this is because the power of a pre-workout booster attracts water molecules. With a nice word, we call this ‘hygroscopic’. At room temperature, the powder attracts water/moisture and holds on. As a result, the power of your pre-workout supplement will clump.
This is often the case with pre-workouts without added sweeteners, flavorings or other chemical ingredients. These added substances usually do NOT have these hygroscopic characteristics. This allows such a pre-workout to stay dry and does not attract water molecules. Anyway, for (almost) all pre-workout boosters they get harder when you don’t use them for a longer time.
Tip: Do you want to decide which substances your pre-workout contains? In this article, I’ll explain how you can make your own pre-workout home.
Prevent hard pre-workout powder
Okay, now you know why your pre-workout has become hard. But how can you prevent this in the future? Below I give a few useful tips.
- Leave the silica bag in the jar.
I’m sure you know those bags in the jar of your supplements. These silica sachets are not in them for no reason, so do not throw them away immediately. Because the powder from your pre-workout attracts moisture, it is a natural process that hardens the powder.
That’s why such a silica pouch is important. These prevent the powder from attracting water molecules, thus preventing your pre-workout from becoming hard and forming chunks in your pot.
- Stir or shake your pre-workout regularly
Normally, you don’t use a pre-workout booster as often as other supplements, such as your creatine or protein shakes. When you leave the jar for a longer period of time… the powder becomes harder. The powder is more likely to attract moisture, and your jar is longer without opening and ‘scooping’ in the cupboard.
To prevent lumps and chunks’ formation, you can shake the jar or stir through the powder with your measuring scoop. Do this regularly, and you will see that your powder will clump together a lot less quickly.
- Keep your potty in a cool, dry place.
It may seem unnecessary to say, but I’m going to have to give you this tip anyway. To prevent the powder from becoming hard from your pre-workout, it is important to keep it in a cool and dry place. So preferably put the jar in a closed kitchen cabinet, where it will not get hotter than room temperature.
Often people leave their pre-workout booster on the table, or even in the car. When it is warm and sunny, the temperature rises considerably, and this accelerates the clotting.
Pre-workout is hard? You can do this!
Are the above tips just a little too late for you and has your powder already become hard? No stress, I have a solution for that too.
Put the powder in a blender.
What? You read it right. You can put the hard powder in a blender to grind it back into powder form. First, break the clumps into the jar and scoop them out. Throw everything together in your blender and just a few seconds you will have a fine powder again. Then pour the pre-workout back into its original packaging. And if you’re smart, add a silica gel bag to prevent it from getting hard.
Break the lumps with a knife
Don’t have a blender at home, but do you still want to be able to take the normal dosage of your pre-workouts? Then use a knife to make the powder finer. This is especially effective when the powder starts to clump but has not yet formed into one large and hard mass. Scrape or scrape with your knife, and you can take a scoop for your strength training.
Is hard pre-workout still safe?
Another point I want to think about for a moment is safety. Is a hard pre-workout booster still safe to use? Or could this be bad for your health? The quick answer: Yes, this is just safe!
Because the powder is hygroscopic, it absorbs moisture from the air. This causes the formation of clumps and hardening. But this has absolutely no impact on the effect or safety of your supplements. The only problem is that it becomes more difficult to follow the recommended dosage. You break the powder and throw some of it in your shake cup, without really measuring it with your size scoop.
So keep in mind that you don’t suddenly take much more. Otherwise, you might get too much caffeine. But other than that, there’s nothing to worry about. The composition of the product does not change, and no dangerous reactions occur in the powder.
