So you get a new (sometimes expensive) pre-workout supplement only to find that it doesn’t last as long as you think it should. Whether that be how long it stays in your system for you to feel the effects or the number of doses that you get in each container.
For many fitness supplements, this can be a big factor in deciding whether or not to buy them… The same can be said for Cellucor C4 along with the many other factors covered in our C4 pre-workout review.
So how long does pre-workout last for you?
That depends on a number of variables! So I went to work, got the answers, and here are the results…
How Long Does It Take For Cellucor C4 Kick In?
Pre-workout supplements usually kick in pretty quickly. But they take slightly different amounts of time due to their varying formulations.
Some common ingredients like caffeine and taurine reach their peak in 30-60 minutes. Some other ingredients like beta-alanine and creatine phosphate might take an hour or longer. So if you want fast results, you’ll need to find supplements with quick synergistic effects…
This supplement has a good taste and from my experience, the general effects of it are:
- Alertness
- Better mental focus
- A tingling sensation (particularly in my face)
- Feeling energized
There is a smooth increased feeling of energy, so you don’t need to be concerned about a crazy explosion of energy or heart issues with C4. For me, these effects start after around 20 minutes of ingestion and take a little while to settle in fully.
I think that the greatest area of concern for people about using this supplement is when they think that they might not get the desired effect. We can have a wide range of different digestive processes and so some people will start to feel the effects much quicker while others can take a little longer.
How Long Do The Effects Of It Last?
If you find that your pre-workout doesn’t give you the same energy boost and/or pump when working out as it did when you first started using it, chances are that its effects are wearing off…
Unfortunately, the solution to this is not always to just take another serving. But taking too much of a pre-workout can result in all sorts of unwanted side effects.
I personally found the full effects of C4 to last around 1 hour before they started to slowly wear off. After 2 hours, the effects were much less but I could still feel the stimulant effects. I felt back to normal after 3 hours. But these effects can differ for everyone depending on their tolerance.
Pre-workout supplements are not approved by the Food & Drug Administration.
If you find the effects wearing off during your exercise routine, then you can start by taking a half serving. This may be enough to provide you with most of the desired effects of your pre-workout. Then you can take another half serving later in your workout. This is what you can expect unless you pay attention to those myths of people inhaling their pre-workout.
Another thing to take into consideration is sleep. By taking a pre-workout supplement containing stimulants in the evening, your sleep may be affected. I would avoid taking it late or simply take a lower dose. Generally, you should avoid taking a large amount within 6 hours before going to bed.
If this all seems too complicated, then try simply doing your gym session earlier in the day.
Ingredient Tolerance
If you regularly take pre-workout containing stimulants such as C4, your body will develop a tolerance to some of the ingredients. The effect of this is that eventually, the effects will then not be as strong as the first time you took it.
A scoop of C4 contains 150mg of caffeine. A normal cup of coffee contains around 90mg of caffeine.
Personally, I found that if I take a serving of C4 for each workout, the effects are pretty much identical for every workout. But I usually have at least 1-day break between workouts. But everyone is different and will react differently to the ingredients. For example, if you drink coffee regularly, you will likely not feel as much of an effect as someone who doesn’t drink coffee at all.
When you stop feeling anything at all from any pre-workout supplement it’s probably a good idea to take a break from them for a while. If you have concerns about high caffeine content, consider the C4 Sport pre-workout which has a lower amount of caffeine.
How Long Does A Container Of Cellucor C4 Pre-Workout Last?
One of the great things about pre-workout supplements is that they generally last a long time due to the serving sizes being small. The Cellucor C4 Original Pre-Workout is available in both a 30 serving container (180g) and a 60 serving container (390g).
A serving is a 6.5g scoop. So for the 30 serving container and you workout 3 days per week you can expect:
- 2 days per week – 15 weeks
- 3 days per week – 10 weeks
- 4 days per week – 7.5 weeks
For the 60 serving container:
- 2 days per week – 30 weeks
- 3 days per week – 20 weeks
- 4 days per week – 15 weeks
So you can expect to get a long duration from it even if you are a heavier user of the gym. When it comes to bang for your buck, C4 Ultimate offers the least value for money in the C4 range.
Final Thoughts
Personally, I’ve bought two different pre-workouts from Cellucor before (C4 and Super HD). Both were good but I much prefer C4. I loved the ‘rush’ that I would get from it, and it helped me do my workouts with better intensity and focus.
It’s a bit more expensive than other pre-workouts, but it’s money well spent since I feel that the ingredients are better quality than other pre-workouts. The formula seems also a bit more complex and backed by research.
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