Whether you frequent the gym or exercise at home, a pre-workout supplement should be on your radar. It can improve your performance and provide you with the energy you need to make the most of your workout routines. A pre-workout supplement may also aid in your recovery.

Known as a flavanol, epicatechin is found in foods like dark chocolate and blackberries as well as drinks such as green tea and wine. It works by increasing follistatin, a protein found in the muscles which bind to and control the myostatin, a growth factor that inhibits muscle growth. The additional follistatin lowers myostatin and therefore increases muscle mass.

Peptides are the building blocks of proteins. Made of amino acids, they regulate a number of biological functions and processes. Believe it or not, there are over 7,000 known peptides in the human body. Peptides may promote weight loss and muscle gain, aid in soft tissue repair, provide pain relief, improve cognitive function, and so much more.