Many college aged people have shown a recent increase in the use of supplements in recent years, in order to improve their results and or improve their workout. There are a variety of a supplements, but one particular one used by young adults, usually when working out in the gym, is pre-workout supplement. Pre-workout supplement is advertised as a product that will increase motivation and performance 2. The goal of this study is to take this advertising quote and test the effectiveness of the product it is describing. In order to do so we tested reaction time and muscle fatigue, as well as tested for changes in electrical muscle activity and heart rate variability.
Research
Methods
Study population
The population were going to be studying is specific and we used a questionnaire in order to select them. The only non-specific factor influencing the population was whether or not the subject was male or female. The subjects needed to be active in some way, sports or any physical activity, the majority of the week ranging from about 5-7 days of activity. The subjects were also those who were active but did not use pre-workout supplement, or have not used the supplement in over a month. The overall description of these individuals was either male or female who are active consistently and do not normally take pre-workout.
Procedure 1: Reaction to Visual Stimulus
For this test, the subject is to press the red button switch as soon as the sensor was pressed by the instructor. the difference in time between the pressing of the sensor by the instructor and the pressing of the red button by the subject was recorded as their reaction time. the visual cue for the experiment was the pressing of the motion sensor by the instructor. The subjects would first be put through a baseline test to determine their reaction times without any supplement being consumed. The test consisted of 6 stimuli in succession of 1 to 10 seconds. the reaction times for each of the 6 stimuli were calculated and then averaged for each subjects. The subjects were then given a serving of the pre-workout supplement and were allowed a 25 minute latency period for the digestion of the supplement. the same test was then conducted again using different 1-10 second intervals for each stimulus. the reaction times were calculated and then averaged. the average for both workout tests and non pre-workout tests were calculated and a standard deviation was calculated between them. the averages were graphed and then analyzed using a one-way ANOVA test.
Procedure 2: Reaction Time to Auditory Stimulus
Subjects in this test were told to press the red push button when the sound was heard out of the computer. the tone was a clear loud sound developed from the computer through a macro connected to LabChart software. a baseline was first conducted, the subject was presented with 6 auditory cues with a succession of 1 to 10 seconds. the reaction times were calculated and averaged the same as in the first procedure. the subjects were then presented with the pre-workout, given a 25 minute latency period. After this the same test was conducted. the reaction times were averaged. for each category the reaction times were averaged and then a standard deviation was also calculated. the data was then graphed and compared and to determine the statistical significance of the data a one-way ANOVA was conducted
Procedure 3: Muscle Fatigue
Subjects were tested on muscle fatigue using the dynamometer. first a baseline is conducted to determine the maximum grip strength in the subject without any supplement. The subject is thn instructed to squeeze the dynamometer as hard as they can for 10 seconds with a brief half second relaxation period 5 times. the apex of each peak was measured as well as the lowest point, the mean value was then calculated for each of the 5 periods. the subjects were then give the pre-workout supplement and allowed a 25 minute latency period, the baseline for each subject was then calculated again. The test was then conducted with the same steps and the same calculations. the standard deviation for each subject was then found by comparing the averages of the 5 tests with pre-workout and without pre-workout
Procedure 4 : Electromyography
Subjects in this test were to hold a weight which would be gradually increased with their elbow at 90 degrees. the subject was to sit in a relaxed position with their elbow at 90 degrees, a 5 pound weight was then placed on their arm for 5 seconds the weight was then increased by 5 pounds up to 20 pounds every 5 seconds. the same test is then conducted with the subject consuming pre-workout supplement with a 25 minute latency period. the averages were then found for the activation of the biceps and triceps in both of the tests. A standard deviation was also calculated.
Protocol
Statistical analysis
Results
Subheading for results 1 (e.g. Effects of exercise on heart rate)
Subheading for results 2
Subheading for results 3 etc.\cite{Spradley_2012}