3 Homemade Pre-Workout Recipes to Try Now
Sluggish in the morning? Maybe you need a homemade pre-workout drink.
Pre-workout drinks and powders are a staple of the fitness and bodybuilding world as a way to get more pump, more energy, and a couple more bicep curls. In addition, chubby runners can use pre-workouts to get a boost of energy whenever they need it.
What is a Pre-Workout?
Energy and focus in a bottle.
Pre-workout supplements, like drinks or powders, give a sudden boost of energy, clarity, and increased focus to maximize workouts.
What’s in a Pre-Workout Drink?
Typically pre-workout comes in a powder form that you mix with water in a shaker cup or blender. There are a lot of different supplement brands out there. And each has its own pre-workout. Which means there is a lot to choose from.
Some of the common ingredients in a pre-workout powder or drink include:
Branched-Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs)
Branched-chain amino acids have three essential amino acids; isoleucine, leucine, and valine. BCAAs bypass the liver and gut and enter the bloodstream for use by the body.
Beta-Alanine
Beta-alanine, according to numerous studies helps improve endurance. It causes a tingly feeling on your skin
Caffeine
Caffeine stimulates the body’s central nervous system and boosts focus and alertness.
For more information about caffeine, read the full article Overweight Runner’s Guide to Caffeine.
Citrulline Malate
This amino acid relieves muscle soreness and boosts performance when taken as a pre-workout.
Creatine
Creatine is an amino acid that can be produced naturally in the body. It helps to boost short-term, higher-intensity performance.
Electrolytes
You lose electrolytes, like magnesium, potassium, and sodium, through sweat on long runs. Drinking electrolytes helps replace the lost electrolytes.
<<Read our article What is an electrolyte?
Taurine
Taurine is an amino acid that helps with neurological and muscular development in the body.
Vitamin B12
This vitamin is used by the body to help with metabolism, the formation of red blood cells, and the maintenance of the nervous system.
Why a Homemade Pre-Workout?
From what you know about pre-workouts, it probably doesn’t sound like something you can do it yourself (DIY). Making a homemade pre-workout can be done and here are some great reasons why you should do it.
Benefits of a Homemade Pre-Workout
There are upsides and downsides to any DIY option. Listed below are some of the top reasons why you would make a pre-workout at home and reasons why you may just bite the bullet and pay for some powder at the local supplement shop.
Homemade Pre-Workouts Save Money
“It’s all about the Benjamins.”
Just like anything else you DIY, it boils down to cost. Supplements are a billion-dollar industry, and pre-workouts are a big part of that. They can be expensive. They can range from $19 to $50 for 30 servings.
Homemade Pre-Workouts are More Natural
The thing about making your own pre-workout drink, you know exactly what’s in it.
With many store-bought pre-workout powders or drinks you may not know or understand what you’re consuming. But if you read the label and know what’s in it, you still may not know what some of the ingredients are and how they affect you.
If you like to keep things au natural, this may be a huge benefit for you.
Homemade is Customized
Making your own pre-workout allows you total control of how much of any one ingredient you include. Do you want the effects of a store-bought pre-workout? Are you more sensitive to caffeine? If you are, you can customize those doses at home.
Downsides of Homemade Pre-Workout
While there are upsides to doing it yourself, there are also negative factors to consider.
Upfront Costs of homemade Pre-Workout
Homemade pre-workout may cost less per serving to create. The initial costs of buying all the ingredients can seem more expensive. The already mixed pre-workout powder for $20, you may spend $20 just for one ingredient of your DIY mix. You may save money going the DIY route, but that initial spend on all the ingredients can be jarring.
Homemade Can be a Hassle
Some people just don’t want the hassle of mixing their own homemade concoction. While there may be cost savings, in the long run, that may not matter to non-DIY people.
Homemade Pre-Workout Recipes
Here are a few DIY pre-workout recipes for you to try.
From Men’s Health UK
Beetroot Energy Boost Homemade Pre-Workout Recipe
- 2 squares of dark chocolate
- 1 small beetroot, peeled
- 10 oz. milk (almond, soy, oat, or whatever milk strikes your fancy)
- 1.7 oz. (50 grams) Fresh or frozen strawberries
- 1.7 oz. (50 grams) Fresh or frozen raspberries
Beetroot juice is fast becoming a favorite of runners and other athletes. Many studies have shown it’s at the root of enhanced tolerance to high-intensity exercise, increased peak power, and faster finishing times in long-distance events. The added chocolate is jam-packed with flavonoids that can help transfer oxygen to working muscles by keeping your blood vessels healthy. Milk is a good source of casein, a slow-release protein that’ll drip-feed your muscles with re-building blocks long after you’ve hit the showers.
Endurance and Stamina Homemade Pre-Workout Recipe
(a recipe from totalshape.com)
- 200 milligrams of caffeine
- 2-5 grams of beta-alanine
- 2-5 grams of creatine
- 5-20 grams of maltodextrin (carbs)
Creatine for improved strength, beta-alanine for endurance, caffeine to reduce fatigue, and carbs for fuel.
Keto Homemade Pre-Workout Recipe
- 100 milligrams Caffeine
- 5 grams of MCT powder or MCT oil
- 3 grams Beta-alanine
- 5 grams Creatine
- 5 grams of Keto
- 4 grams of Coconut Water
Wrap up
Pre-workout drinks and powders have proven themselves as the go-to for the fitness community. Chubby runners can use the same ingredients to take their running to the next level.
Try a premixed powder or make your own. The extra energy and endurance can really help your running. Furthermore, the important thing is to get started however you like, but get started.
See you at the finish line.
