How To Make Your Own Pre Workout

If you’re a fitness fanatic, you’re probably well aware of the exponential growth of the pre-workout industry in recent years.

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However, despite the vast range of products available on the market, finding the perfect formula that will meet your body’s needs and help you to meet your goals can be a challenge.

The good news is, instead of spending hours scrolling through pages and pages of results, reading ingredient labels, and weighing up the benefits, you can take matters into your own hands and create your own pre-workout!

It might sound like a daunting task, but actually, mixing your own pre-workout formula based on your personal needs is easy, fun, and very rewarding.

Read on to find out why you should make your own pre-workout today, how to do it, and which ingredients you should consider incorporating.

Why Make Your Own Pre-Workout?

Before we get into the finer details of building a pre-workout formula from the ground up, it’s worth discussing why you might want to embark on this process in the first place.

Firstly, regularly buying pre-workout supplements can become very expensive. If you work out regularly and rely on pre-workout products for an energy and nutrient boost, it’s easy to spend more than you realize on these formulas.

While making your own pre-workout obviously involves purchasing the individual ingredients, you may find that if you prioritize affordable products and take advantage of multi-buy deals, this can actually work out cheaper.

Additionally, when you make your own pre-workout, you can ensure that there are no unnecessary or unhealthy filler ingredients. If you have allergies of any kind, having full control over what goes into your pre-workout is really important.

Creating your own pre-workout will also teach you valuable lessons in nutrition. If you’re interested in building your knowledge base in the area of health and fitness, setting yourself the challenge of making a pre-workout from scratch is a great idea!

More than anything else, however, making your own pre-workout will ensure that you can provide your body with exactly what it needs. You know yourself better than anyone, and you’re in the best position to know which supplements and energy sources work best for your body and workout routine.

Ingredients To Incorporate

In just a moment, we’ll be breaking down the process of creating your own pre-workout formula into steps.

However, you can’t start that process until you know which ingredients you’ll be incorporating into your personal blend. Bearing that in mind, let’s take a look at some of the key ingredients you’ll be working with.

Here are some of the ingredients commonly found in high-quality pre-workout formulas that you should consider adding to your formula:

Protein

Protein is, of course, one of the key ingredients in most pre-workout formulas. If you’re going to the gym to build muscle, then adding protein to your pre-workout is a no-brainer. Protein is a reliable source of amino acids, which help the body to maximize protein synthesis. This will boost your muscle growth.

Even if your focus is on cardio, additional protein will help your leg muscles to recover after a long session on the treadmill.

The average pre-workout shake or drink contains approximately 20 to 30 grams of protein.

L-Glutamine

L-Glutamine is another crucial pre-workout ingredient if you’re hoping to build muscle mass, but it also has various other benefits for your body and your fitness journey.

As an amino acid that is naturally produced by the human body, L-Glutamine serves many important functions. Primarily, it controls the movement of nitrogen through tissues in the body.

Nitrogen is essential for muscle development and repair, so if you want your body’s nitrogen supplies to be used as efficiently as possible, it helps to introduce more L-Glutamine into your diet. A pre-workout is the perfect way to do this.

By incorporating between 5 and 15 grams of L-Glutamine into your pre-workout, you’ll be speeding up your body’s recovery period, minimizing discomfort post-workout, and maximizing the potential for muscle growth.

Beta-Alanine

You’ll frequently see Beta-Alanine listed on ingredient lists for pre-workout formulas, and for good reason.

Just like L-Glutamine, Beta-Alanine is an essential amino acid. When ingested, Beta-Alanine is converted by the body into carnosine, which helps to minimize the uncomfortable effects of lactic acid buildup.

This means that if you consume Beta-Alanine before your workout, you’ll experience less muscle pain and fatigue, leading to increased stamina and, ultimately, better results.

The recommended pre-workout dose of Beta-Alanine is 2 to 5 grams.

Creatine

Creatine (specifically Kre-Alkalyn) has been scientifically proven to help increase muscle mass, build strength, and improve overall training performance.

We would recommend prioritizing Kre-Alkalyn over regular Creatine supplements because the former has an altered pH balance that minimizes potential side effects from Creatine consumption such as stomach upsets.

You should add about 3 grams of Kre-Alkalyn to your pre-workout. If you’re using regular Creatine, you’ll need roughly 5 grams per serving.

Citrulline Malate

Citrulline Malate is a plant-based ingredient made from L-Citrulline (an amino acid) and Malate (derived from Malic acid).

This ingredient improves circulation by increasing L-Arginine levels in the body, leading to better muscle function and recovery.

Add 8 grams of Citrulline Malate to your pre-workout for the best results.

BCAAs

BCAA stands for Branched Chain Amino Acid.

BCAAs increase protein and amino acid synthesis, helping you to build muscle while lowering your body fat percentage. It also promotes faster muscle recovery.

The amount of BCAAs you should add to your pre-workout depends on your weight.

Caffeine

Caffeine is not an essential component of a pre-workout, and many people choose to avoid it for health reasons. However, if you feel you need an extra energy boost before your workout, adding some caffeine may be beneficial.

We recommend adding no more than 200 to 400 mg of caffeine to your pre-workout.

Making Your Own Pre-Workout: A Step-By-Step Guide

Step 1: Purchase Your Ingredients

Now you know what to look for in terms of ingredients, it’s time to make your purchases!

Research supplements carefully, taking brand reputation and customer testimonials into consideration. Make sure that all products you buy are clinically tested and proven. Also, consider pricing if budgeting is part of your reason for making your own pre-workout.

Remember to purchase your supplements in powder form as opposed to capsules since you’ll need to dissolve and combine them in the next stage.

Step 2: Blend Your Ingredients

Once you have all the ingredients you need, you can begin the blending process. This should be easy enough as long as all supplements are powdered.

The simplest way to combine your ingredients is to add water. How much water you add will depend on your personal preference regarding consistency, so play this part by ear.

If you want to ensure a totally smooth consistency, you can combine the water and supplements in a blender. Alternatively, you can just add them to a glass or bottle of water and stir thoroughly.

Step 3: Flavor (Optional)

Finally, if your finished pre-workout isn’t as palatable as you would like, you have the option of adding some flavoring.

Try to make sure that any flavoring you add to the formula is low in sugar and doesn’t contain any harmful chemicals or filler ingredients that might counteract the health benefits of your pre-workout drink. There are plenty of natural flavoring agents on the market to choose from.