Does C4 Pre-Workout Break a Fast?

Even though C4 is a low calorie pre-workout, it still isn’t a great to use while Intermittent Fasting. Here’s why.

Does C4 Pre-Workout Break a Fast?

C4 is a pre-workout by Cellucor and is taken to help boost energy levels for a workout. It contains a whopping 150mg of caffeine as well as creatine to help improve the effectiveness of a workout.

When determining if something breaks a fast, it’s important to first determine what your goal with Intermittent Fasting is, as this will also help determine if something breaks a fast.

Related Reading: Does Creatine Break A Fast?

If your goal is primarily gut health, then anything other than water and electrolytes will likely break a fast. However, if your goal is weight loss then you have a bit more flexibility with what you can have during the fast.

With weight loss in mind, anything that raises the storing hormone insulin will break a fast. This includes carbohydrate and protein containing foods. Sources of pure fat will not break a fast.

So what about C4?

C4 technically contains 5 calories and a little less than 1 gram of carbohydrate. Even though it contains a small amount of carbohydrates, this is likely not enough to stimulate insulin and break a fast. Therefore technically C4 taken during the fast should be okay.

However, C4 also contains artificial sweeteners. It’s important to note that these artificial ingredients can lead to a disturbance in your gut microbiome and possibly lead to increased sugar cravings.(1)

With this in mind, I generally recommend opting for coffee or tea as an antioxidant rich alternative to traditional pre-workout if you find that you need a little boost before you hit the gym.

You can checkout everything you can add to coffee without it break your fast with my video below.

Studies

Artificial Sweeteners