Written by Kiel DiGiovanni | Co-founder
Fact checked by Andrew Lenau, ISSA CPT & Sports Nutritionist
FACT CHECKED
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You don’t need a degree in chemistry to create a homemade pre-workout recipe that can help you bust through training plateaus. This post serves as a starting point to creating a pre-workout that you can make at home by following a simple recipe. Of course, not everyone needs a pre-workout to help them get through their workouts, but for those of you that tend to spend $30-60 a month on pre-workout supplements, you should continue to read on. We give you 3 homemade pre-workout recipes you can start making today plus average cost per serving of the most popular ingredients.
Not only will you save money making your own preworkout, but you can control what you are putting in your own body too!
WHAT IS PRE-WORKOUT?
A pre-workout supplement usually comes in powder form. It is taken 30 minutes or so before beginning your workout to give you an energy boost, bigger pump, added endurance, and more focus. Pre-workouts have become one of the best-selling supplements in the fitness world in the past decade. Most pre-workout supplements will contain similar ingredients to give you the boost you’re looking for. However, if you want to get the best bang for your buck while getting the right dosage of the substances proven to be effective, you should try making your pre-workout at home.
BENEFITS OF PRE-WORKOUT:
- Enhanced Alertness
- Improved Energy Levels
- Better Pump
- Increased Endurance
REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD MAKE HOMEMADE PRE-WORKOUT
While making a homemade pre-workout might sound like a daunting task, it isn’t that bad these days with online shopping and the internet. After reading this post, you’ll have an idea of how to formulate an effective pre-workout that you can make in the comfort of your home while saving money in the long term.
Many of the ingredients that you’ll buy online to make a homemade pre-workout will come in sizes of 250-500 grams. This means even if the homemade pre-workout recipe calls for 5 grams of creatine, you will have up to 100 servings of it, whereas most brands sell pre-workouts that have 30-45 servings total. So instead of buying a new tub monthly, you might have to replace an ingredient here and there, after 3-6 months of using your homemade pre-workout.
Depending on how pre-workout is made, it can range from $1-2 per serving, whereas you could make a better version of it for less.
Cost Per Serving Cheaper: Overall, you can save money if you follow a homemade pre-workout recipe rather than constantly buying branded pre-packaged options. In addition, the cost per serving will be cheaper if you consider buying all the separate ingredients in bulk while using the respective amounts found in your brand of choice.
Quality Ingredients: By following a homemade pre-workout recipe, you can ensure you’re only using quality ingredients that work. Many supplement companies hide behind terms such as proprietary blend where you don’t know how much was used. This allows manufacturers to add cheaper filler substances.
Proper Dosages: The downfall of many pre-workouts is that even if they are using quality ingredients, they might not be using effective dosages to save costs. You can follow one of the homemade pre-workout recipes below to ensure you’re getting enough of each ingredient with science-backed evidence of the effective dosage used.
Ability to Adjust: One of the best aspects of a homemade pre-workout recipe is that it gives you the ability to adjust the serving size of each ingredient. You can specifically tailor your pre-workout to what works best for you. This ability to tweak the inputs results in better control of the output. For example, let’s say you started with 200mg of caffeine in your pre-workout, but it’s not enough, then the next time you make your drink, you can add another 50-100mg of caffeine to turn it up a level.
Related: What You Need To Know About Pre-workout Ingredients
DISADVANTAGES OF HOMEMADE PRE-WORKOUT RECIPES
Inconvenience: We can’t argue that it is easier to buy pre-workout online that’s ready to be consumed as soon as it arrives. This might still be the way to go for the lazy or those who are intimidated by following a homemade pre-workout recipe.
Lack of Funds Upfront: It’s cheaper to use a homemade pre-workout in the long term, but it will cost you more money upfront when buying all the separate ingredients. For a decent pre-workout supplement, you’re likely to pay anywhere from $25-40 per tub of 25-40 servings. You might spend upwards of more than $100 if you were to buy the main ingredients in bulk.
Flavors: It’s not easy to compete with all the mouth-watering flavors offered by some supplement manufacturers these days. However, don’t despair; there are plenty of sugar-free water enhancers that you can use to flavor your homemade pre-workout recipe.
Weigh up the pros and cons of making your own pre-workout. For many people, not only is it better, but it's fun! For others, it's just not worth the trouble.
This pre-workout features natural and evidence-based ingredients, fully transparent labeling, and absolutely no artificial color, sweetener, or flavoring. Formulated to enhance strength...
STIMULANT VS STIMULANT-FREE PREWORKOUT
Most pre-workout supplements will include some type of stimulant, most likely in the form of the tried-and-true caffeine anhydrous. Stimulants boost energy that many people are after when using pre-workouts. However, if you work out at night or have adverse reactions to stimulants, make sure to look for a stim-free pre-workout. To save you some time and effort we put together a list of the Best Caffeine Free Pre-Workouts available today.
Related: Stimulant vs Stimulant-Free Preworkout
COMMON PRE-WORKOUT INGREDIENTS
If you want to make your own preworkout, it's important to know what the most common ingredients are and what they do (and if they are necessary).
Agmatine Sulfate: Derived from the amino acid arginine after decarboxylation (a chemical reaction that removes a carbon atom). It helps to produce bigger pumps and improve blood flow, resulting in more vascularity by slowing the breakdown of nitric oxide buildup.
Arginine: This amino acid mentioned above helps heal wounds and supports healthy immune and kidney function while relaxing and dilating the arteries. Pre-workouts use this ingredient to improve blood flow circulation.
BCAA: Branched-chain amino acids typically include isoleucine, leucine, and valine. BCAA help to lessen muscle soreness after exercise, reduce fatigue and enhance liver function. Leucine, in particular, is essential in stimulating muscle growth.
Beetroot Extract: This substance might not be in many pre-workout supplements, but you can buy standalone capsules to use as part of a homemade pre-workout stack. Beetroot extract aids in improving blood flow to boost stamina and endurance.
Betaine: Another amino acid, betaine, is found in spinach and beets. This pre-workout ingredient can help enhance power and endurance output.
Beta-Alanine: This is a naturally occurring beta-amino acid that is unusual in the fact that it’s an amino acid that’s attached to the B-carbon instead of the normal a-carbon. This ingredient in pre-workout might give you that tingling or itchy sensation. Beta-alanine slows the buildup of lactic acid in the muscles, enabling you to work out harder for a longer time.
It's important to note that this ingredient is a saturation substance where you'll need up to 179 grams accumulated over time to see the benefits. So, unless you are supplementing it every day, you can make your pre-workout without beta-alanine.
Black Pepper Extract (Bioperine): Yes, the same black pepper that you grind onto your food for seasoning creates Bioperine, the commercial name it’s labeled as. This substance increases absorption rates and enhances thermogenesis qualities to boost energy and internal temperature.
Caffeine: The most common ingredient most pre-workouts is caffeine unless you take a stim-free supplement. Found in coffee, tea, yerba mate, chocolate, and guarana, this is one of the most widely consumed substances worldwide. The more powerful dehydrated form of caffeine called caffeine anhydrous is in the higher quality pre-workouts.
Caffeine works by blocking the brain’s adenosine receptors, resulting in an energy boost. Caffeine helps to create more alertness while also enhancing respiration by reducing airway resistance. Another benefit is that caffeine aids in releasing neurotransmitters such as dopamine and norepinephrine.
Note: It’s difficult to source caffeine anhydrous in powder form for individuals; you can look for capsules derived from guarana or green tea.
Learn more about how much caffeine should be in a pre-workout.
Creatine: One of the safest and most effective sports supplements on the market, creatine is often found in pre-workout supplements. This non-essential amino acid increases strength, helps to build muscle, and supports faster recovery. So, if you want to lift heavier loads, creatine will be a supplement you should be taking daily.
Carnitine: This amino acid helps with energy production and is believed to help with improving athletic performance and fat loss, but the mechanisms aren’t fully understood. You might not find this inside a pre-workout, but many people are using this before workouts these days.
L-Citrulline: This amino acid aids in the production of nitric oxide, which leads to enhancing blood flow. The increased blood flow equates to more oxygen being sent to your muscles to support better performance. Citrulline Malate is another form of citrulline that includes malic acid, which is thought to increase absorption rates.
Eria Jarensis: AKA N-Phenethyl Dimethylamine, a powerful stimulant is derived from an Orchid species native to South East Asia, has made its way into many pre-workout on the market these days. This substance increases the levels of dopamine and noradrenaline in the body, which leads to better focus and mood enhancement.
Sodium Bicarbonate: AKA baking soda, can help to enhance performance by regulating and balancing the lactic acid buildup that accompanies exercise. Use caution as some people might have adverse reactions and get upset stomachs.
Taurine: Found in the brain, skeletal muscles, and the heart, this amino sulfonic acid can help with boosting endurance capacity while reducing muscle soreness. You’re probably seen this in many energy drinks on the market these days.
Theanine: This amino acid is found in green tea and some mushrooms and comes from the amino acid L-glutamine. Theanine helps with mood enhancement and relaxation. When taken with caffeine, it can create a relaxed, clear, and alert feeling, sometimes called “smart caffeine” where you don’t experience the anxiety or jitters that can come with caffeine ingestion.
Tyrosine: This amino acid comes from another amino acid called phenylalanine. Tyrosine supports the production of dopamine, epinephrine, and norepinephrine. It’s believed that Tyrosine can help with improving performance in stressful situations.
COST & DOSAGE CHART OF THE COMMON PRE-WORKOUT INGREDIENTS FOR HOMEMADE RECIPES
The following is a chart of the above ingredients we just went over. This is just for reference so you can see what the cost is and recommended dosage.
NOT all of these will be included in our pre workout recipes below. So, after going through the 3 homemade pre workouts, you can use this chart to see the costs.
Note: We've provided links to buy each (in bulk) within the chart below - they are Amazon affiliate links so we will earn a very small commission, but it's at no additional cost to you.
|
Ingredient |
Bulk Size |
Total Cost |
Cost Per Serving |
Rec. Dosage |
|
250 grams (.55lbs) |
$25.96 |
$.10/gram |
1-3 grams |
|
|
500 grams (1.1lbs) |
$19.96 |
$.04/gram |
3-6 grams |
|
|
540 grams (1.2lbs) |
$21.95 |
$.24/ 6 grams |
20 grams |
|
|
250 Capsules (1.5gram) |
$14.99 |
$.06/capsule |
1-2 grams |
|
|
|
500 grams (1.1 pounds) |
$20.96 |
$.04/gram |
1.25 gram 2x/day |
|
|
250 grams (.55 lbs) |
$15.96 |
$.06/gram |
2-5 grams/day |
|
100 grams (.22lbs) |
$59.96 |
$.01/20mg |
5-30mg |
|
|
500 pills |
$17.95 |
$.035/capsule (200mg) |
100-300mg |
|
|
250 grams (.55 lbs) |
$23.95 |
$.10/gram |
1-4 grams |
|
|
|
500 grams (1.1 lbs) |
$28.95 |
$.06/gram |
5-10 grams |
|
|
500 grams (1.1 pounds) |
$34.96 |
$.07/gram |
6-8 grams |
|
Citrulline Malate (Citrulline & Malic Acid 2:1)
|
500 grams (1.1 pounds) |
$34.96 |
$.07/gram |
10-14 grams |
|
10 grams |
$29.99 |
$.23/75mg |
75-125mg* |
|
|
454 grams (1 lb) |
$.92 |
$.0002 |
136mg/lb of bodyweight |
|
|
500 grams (1.1 lbs) |
$20.96 |
$.04/gram |
.5-2 grams(+) |
|
|
120 capsules (200mg) |
$10.99 |
$.09/capsule |
100-200mg |
|
|
|
250 grams (.55 lbs) |
$18.95 |
$.08/gram |
.5-2 grams |
Note: For more information on benefits and dosages you can look at Examine.com. Just time in the ingredient you want to learn more about into their search tab.
For flavoring, you'll just need some water flavor drops. Mio has some of the tastiest options.
3 HOMEMADE PRE-WORKOUT RECIPES TO TRY OUT
A variety of pre-workout ingredients can be combined to help you achieve your end goals. Below are our favorites that use science-backed ingredients that are easy to source and straightforward to make. All you need to do is add 8 ounces of water, then mix with a shaker or a spoon. If you don’t mind having a flavorless pre-workout, you can omit the water flavor enhancer, which will save you even more money!
Note: Always consult your doctor before starting ANY new supplementation programs!
1. HOMEMADE PRE-WORKOUT RECIPE FOR STRENGTH & POWER
This recipe is based on four main ingredients with effective doses that are sure to boost your workout performance to help you achieve the progressive overload threshold leading you to pack on muscle and strength.
Note: Creatine should be taken daily to get the most benefits
|
Ingredient |
Dosage |
Est. Cost Per Serving |
|
Caffeine |
200mg (1 capsule) |
$.03 |
|
Creatine Monohydrate |
5 grams |
$.30 |
|
Tyrosine |
2 grams |
$.16 |
|
Citrulline Malate |
8 grams |
$.56 |
|
Water Flavoring (Mio) |
1 Squeeze |
$.14 |
2. HOMEMADE PRE-WORKOUT RECIPE FOR ENDURANCE
This recipe for a pre-workout you can make at home will enable you to push your limits.
|
Ingredient |
Dosage |
Est. Cost Per Serving |
|
Caffeine |
200-300mg (1-3 capsules) |
$.03 |
|
Sodium Bicarbonate |
136 mg per pound of bodyweight |
$.002/gram |
|
Beta-Alanine |
4 grams |
$.24 |
|
L-Citrulline |
6 grams |
$.42 |
|
Water Flavoring (Mio) |
1 Squeeze |
$.14 |
3. ULTIMATE HOMEMADE PRE-WORKOUT RECIPE (STRENGTH, FOCUS, ENDURANCE)
This is an all-around homemade pre-workout recipe that will have you chock-full of smart energy to focus while your endurance is kicked up a few levels.
|
Ingredient |
Dosage |
Est. Cost Per Serving |
|
Caffeine |
200-300mg (1-3 capsules) |
$.03 |
|
Sodium Bicarbonate |
136 mg per pound of bodyweight |
$.002/gram |
|
Citrulline Malate |
8 grams |
$.56 |
|
Beet Root Extract |
1 capsule |
$.06 |
|
Theanine |
1 capsule |
$.09 |
|
Creatine Monohydrate |
5 grams |
$.30 |
|
Water Flavoring (Mio) |
1 Squeeze |
$.14 |
WHEN SHOULD YOU TAKE A PRE-WORKOUT SUPPLEMENT?
If you’re still buying your pre-workout after reading this article, you should follow the directions on the product. If you try to use one of the homemade pre-workout recipes we provided above, the best time to take it would be 45-30 minutes before your activity.
Related:
- Why Pre-Workout Timing Really Matters
- How Long Does Pre-Workout Last?
- Is Pre-Workout Good For Cardio?
ARE PRE-WORKOUT SUPPLEMENTS UNHEALTHY?
Wondering whether pre-workout is bad for you? First, always check with your physician before taking any new supplements to make sure you can tolerate the ingredients. Overall, reviews like this suggest that pre-workout supplements are safe for most people but can present mild side effects such as anxiousness, skin flush, nausea, headaches, a problem with sleeping, and increased heart rate, to name a few.
It’s important to note that the supplement industry is known for some shady practices around substances and claims in their products. This is another reason why buying the pure ingredients then making homemade pre-workout is the safest bet as you can better understand what you’re ingesting. Also, always look for products that have been third-party tested.
FINAL NOTE:
Using a well-thought-out homemade pre-workout recipe can work wonders for your workouts and overall performance. Unfortunately, a good percentage of the pre-workout supplements on the market hide behind proprietary blends, including substances that aren’t effective or are at too low dosages. You can make a kick-ass pre-workout recipe at home by looking at the scientific evidence then buying the substances that fit your needs.
This pre-workout features natural and evidence-based ingredients, fully transparent labeling, and absolutely no artificial color, sweetener, or flavoring. Formulated to enhance strength...
Related:
Kiel DiGiovanni
Author