{"id":584264,"date":"2026-08-14T07:18:12","date_gmt":"2026-08-14T07:18:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/584264\/"},"modified":"2026-08-14T07:18:12","modified_gmt":"2026-08-14T07:18:12","slug":"what-to-know-about-the-dangerous-dry-scooping-trend-among-gym-goers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/584264\/","title":{"rendered":"What to know about the dangerous ‘dry scooping’ trend among gym-goers"},"content":{"rendered":"

For some gym-goers, the pre-workout ritual is simple: scoop, toss the powder into your mouth and chase it with water.<\/p>\n

The viral practice, known as dry scooping, may look like a shortcut to a harder workout. But experts say there’s no evidence that swallowing pre-workout powder dry makes it work better, and it can introduce risks that aren’t worth the few seconds saved.<\/p>\n

“The biggest concern with dry scooping is that we can choke on the powder or accidentally inhale it into our lungs,” said Dr. Nate Wood, an assistant professor of medicine and founding director of culinary medicine at Yale School of Medicine.<\/p>\n

Inhaling powder into the lungs can cause aspiration, while choking can become an emergency.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Milan_jovic\/STOCK PHOTO\/Getty Images – PHOTO: Stock photo of a person lifting weights in a gym.<\/p>\n

The powder itself may pack a serious stimulant punch<\/p>\n

Many pre-workout supplements contain high amounts of caffeine. Too much caffeine can cause a racing heart, shakiness, anxiety, headaches, elevated blood pressure, and trouble sleeping. In more serious cases, it can trigger abnormal heart rhythms.<\/p>\n

“Taking highly concentrated doses of pre-workout which often contain high amounts of caffeine and\/or other stimulants, can come with risk of palpitations, changes in blood pressure and abnormal heart rhythms,” said Dr. Darien Sutton, an emergency medicine physician. Other possible symptoms include anxiety, dizziness, and headaches.\u00a0<\/p>\n

More of a rush doesn’t mean more of a workout\u00a0<\/p>\n

Dry scooping also doesn’t appear to offer a meaningful performance advantage.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“There’s no evidence that dry scooping will allow the product to be better absorbed in the GI tract,” Sutton said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Women reach heart health goals with less exercise than men, new study suggests<\/a><\/p>\n

Wood said mixing the powder with water does not make it less effective. Ingredients such as creatine and beta-alanine generally work through consistent use over time, not by getting into your system as quickly as possible.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In other words: If you’re chasing a bigger scoop for a bigger pump, you’re not necessarily getting a better workout.\u00a0<\/p>\n

And if the goal is to save time? A few seconds without a shaker bottle aren’t worth risking a trip to the ER.\u00a0<\/p>\n

So, what should gym-goers do?\u00a0<\/p>\n

If you use pre-workout, experts recommend reading the label carefully, paying attention to the caffeine content and sticking to a single serving. Avoid stacking it with other caffeine sources.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Because supplements don’t have to undergo FDA approval for safety or effectiveness before being sold, Wood also recommends looking for products independently tested by a reputable third party.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Why gentle exercise like yoga, tai chi and walking may help people sleep better<\/a><\/p>\n

And perhaps the simplest gym rule of all: If the directions say mix it with water, mix it with water.\u00a0<\/p>\n

If someone develops shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, confusion, an irregular heartbeat or other concerning symptoms after dry scooping, Sutton recommends seeking urgent or emergency medical care.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The goal is to leave the gym stronger, not leave it in an ambulance.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Onaola Adedeji, MD, is a resident physician in Family Medicine with Obstetrics and Lifestyle Medicine and a member of the ABC News Medical Unit.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"For some gym-goers, the pre-workout ritual is simple: scoop, toss the powder into your mouth and chase it…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":584265,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[589,163,85,46],"class_list":["post-584264","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fitness","tag-fitness","tag-health","tag-il","tag-israel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/584264","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=584264"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/584264\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/584265"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=584264"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=584264"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=584264"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}