“Dry scooping” is a trend made popular by social media influencers in which you consume a dry scoop of pre-workout — straight-up. You can also dry scoop a protein powder, but it’s less common. Instead of mixing the powder with water, you put it directly in your mouth and then drink a little water to wash it down. This is a dangerous trend. So even if you’re tempted to give it a try — please don’t. Learn what can happen when you “dry scoop”, instead of mixing the pre-workout with water as recommended.
Why do people dry scoop?
One study from the American Academy of Pediatrics found that video demonstrations of dry scooping on TikTok have gained more than eight million views. When researchers looked at 100 videos posted under #preworkout on TikTok, they found that only eight percent showed people taking pre-workout as directed by the instructions.
People who follow the fitness community of Instagram know that dry scooping is not a new thing. Popular “fitstagrammers” posted videos of themselves dry scooping before working out.
How dangerous is dry scooping?
Dry scooping pre-workout powder is dangerous. When you take these dietary supplements as a powder instead of mixing them with water, “they can, and likely will, be inhaled directly into the lungs,” warns John R. Windle, MD, a professor of cardiovascular medicine at University of Nebraska.
Windle explains, “Unlike certain medications that are formulated to be absorbed by the lungs through the lungs,” “powders have a lot more additional substances which are not absorbed.” These additional substances can cause dangerous bronchospasms (asthma), and possibly permanent lung damage.
The “cinnamon-challenge,” where people tried to ingest cinnamon in dry spoonfuls on social media, had similar dangers. Windle, however, wants to put the risk in context. “Quantity is important, just like with anything else,” he says. He says that if you accidentally inhale powder in the air, you don’t have to go to a doctor “unless you start coughing.”
You should call poison control if you inhale the pre-workout while you are taking it. Coughing before a workout is a sure-fire way to ruin your workout and kill the mojo you had for the day, even if there’s no danger. It’s a surefire way to go viral at the gym, for all the wrong things.
Too much caffeine is dangerous
Windle calls this mentality “more must be more” the biggest risk of dry scooping. In many of these videos, people consumed more pre-workout than the recommended level scoop. Windle explains, “There is a graded reaction” to caffeine. At lower amounts, it can make you feel more focused and energized, but the other side of that spectrum where you’re taking in large doses “ends in toxicity or overdose.”
The more caffeine you consume, the greater the risk of side effects. The side effects of caffeine become more severe with higher doses. Mild side-effects include jitteriness or facial flushing as well as muscle twitches and irritability. But “excessive caffeine can lead to heart attacks and dangerous heart rhythms,” Windle adds.
Even mild side-effects can mean that you’ve taken too much. Pre-workout should make you feel focused and ready to tackle the workout ahead of you (and sometimes a little tingly from the beta-alanine). Caffeine can distract you from your workout if you consume too much.
It’s also not guaranteed that the caffeine listed on the label of most supplements is actually what’s inside the supplement. (More on these exceptions below) One study on the caffeine content of different pre-workout powders found that the actual amount in each supplement ranged from 59% to 176% of the amount listed on the label. This discrepancy can be dangerous for those who take more than one scoop, as they don’t know if the pre-workout they bought has more caffeine than what it claims.
“Dangerous” is not enough. Windle says that dry scooping is “absolutely useless.” The contents of preworkout are absorbed by solution, whether it’s stomach acid or water. You’re increasing the risk of your pre-workout regimen without any benefit.
What’s The Best Way To Take A Pre-Workout Supplement?
Buy pre-workouts from a trusted brand. If you’re sensitive to caffeine, that means you may want to start with half a scoop of pre-workout no matter which brand you try. You can take a little more pre-workout if you find that it has more caffeine than what the label says. You can test the effects of a half-scoop and see if it’s enough for you.
You might also want to use a different pre-workout if you are working out in the morning and not at night. No matter what time of day you take it, you should take pre-workout 30 to 45 minutes before starting your workout.
But once you’ve found a brand you can trust — which, ideally, contains the most effective ingredients for pre-workout supplements — and given it a trial period, follow the instructions on how and when to take it. Do as the label suggests. If the liquid is too strong to drink before exercising, you can reduce the amount of water. However, it must still be diluted with water.
If you want to make your pre-workout more portable, Beachbody Performance Energize — which is Informed Sport certified and contains no synthetic colors or artificial sweeteners or flavors — comes in single-serving packets that you can take on the go. You can also use it to make homemade pre-workout gummi bears. The only thing you need to do is prepare them in 15 minutes. They are pre-portioned and ready for use.
