I don’t like most pre-workout supplements since they tend to be over hyped, overpriced, and at times it bears less tangible benefits that they say. Therefore, making your own pre-workout is a great idea, but do you know how to make your own pre workout? Making your pre-workout drinks is a pretty simple process, and above all, you will get quality drinks with more tangible benefits.

So, in this article, we will address how to make your pre-workout drinks, why you should make them, and how to make the most of it. This will help you avoid those products full of fluff and marketing hype and get what actually works for you.

Note: We recommend that your consult your medical expert any concerns about supplements or you have any pre-conditions.

That said, let’s now start.

Quick Navigation
  1. Making your own pre-workout supplements
  2. How to make the most of your pre-workout supplements?
  3. Final thought

Making your own pre-workout supplements

Skip the overhyped products, buy your ingredients, and make your own quality pre-workout product. This is the best and the only way of making the most out of your pre-workout products.

The ingredients that we recommend that you get are:

  • Caffeine
  • Creatine
  • Beta-Alanine
  • Citrulline Malate
  • Gatorade Powder
  • Carbs (maltodextrin or cyclic dextrin)

All these products are available on amazon.

Therefore, based on these ingredients, you can divide your recipes into three pre-workout recipes based on the workout goal. These different DIY pre-workouts allow you to make your favorite drinks that will suit your workout goal. The three recipes are for strength and size, endurance and stamina, and a mixture of those two. This means you can choose to take any of these ingredients as long as it fits the type of recipe or workout goal you’re targeting.

» Beta-Alanine

This pre-workout ingredient is mostly known for boosting endurance and stamina while on your workout. You should take 2-5g per serving for effective workout. Besides increasing endurance and time-to-exhaustion, this ingredient also improves lactic acid clearance in your body. It is known as a fatigue-resistance boost and improves your muscle damage resilience.

» Creatine

This is another ingredient that is effective pre-workout for cross fit. It boosts your performance, well being, and overall health. An amount of 2-5g per serving is an advisable amount to use in your pre-workout. Creatine benefits are improved power, health, strength, and boost muscle gain potential. This ingredient helps you maximize workout gains by boosting your workout performances.

» Citrulline

For those of you who are after a pre-workout that speeds up their recovery process during rest, then try adding Citrulline. It helps you to boost your bout performances and keep your muscles fueled up. Thus, you can complete more than one set without feeling dizzy of worn out.

» Caffeine

The most common or used ingredient in every pre-workout is caffeine, and do you know why? –Every workout relies on three things energy, pain response, and focus. And to ensure that all these are in your pre-workout, you should include caffeine. Caffeine helps you push further before getting fatigue by making you feel more energetic. Intake amounts usually vary from 100-400 mg per serving, not more, not less of that.

» Carbs (maltodextrin or cyclic dextrin)

This is another most used ingredient in pre-workout supplements. Carbs are essential ingredients due to their power to boost endurance, fueling muscles, and fatigue-busting. These means with carbs on your pre-workout, you can fuel all of your workout goals.

» Gatorade Powder (Optional)

This ingredient is mostly designed for taste as well as to be used instead of water. This is because it comes with crisp like flavor and hydrates your body better than water. It is a highly trusted product and it is used by most the world best athletes. So, when you sweat, you can replace water lost by taking Gatorade. Remember, it powdery water.

Note: For every recipe mixture, mix the following amount to avoid taking less or excess of any ingredients.

Strength and Size (g or mg per serving)

Make a mixture of:

  1. Creatine 3g
  2. Citrulline -3-5g
  3. Carbs 5-10g
  4. Caffeine 400mg

Endurance and Stamina (g or mg per serving)

Make a mixture of:

  1. Beta-Alanine 2-5g
  2. Citrulline 3-5g
  3. Carbs 5-20g
  4. Caffeine 200-300mg

Mixed: Size, Strength, and Endurance (g or mg Per serving)

Make a mixture of:

  1. Creatine 2-5g
  2. Beta-Alanine 2-5g
  3. Caffeine 200mg
  4. Carbs 5-20g

How to make the most of your pre-workout supplements?

Making the most of your pre-workouts is the best way of achieving your workout goals faster. But how do you do this? To identify ‘how,’ then you should answer this specific question “When should I take my pre-workouts?” And before doing this, you will need to define your workout goal. So:

» What’s your workout goal?

As you know, you can’t just take supplements without a workout goal/target; otherwise, you will be doing nothing. So, knowing what your workout goal is will help you determine what your pre-workout supplements will be. This will also help you determine the amount of ingredient you will be using to boost specific abilities in your body.

Remember, the main aim of making your own pre-workout will be to get yourself the best ingredients. Therefore, it imperative that you clearly define your goals to be able to determine what ingredients to get and how much to use. After you are done with this part, then you can now find the answer to the bigger question, “When Should I Take my Pre-Workout?”

» When Should I Take my Pre-Workout?

Having the best homemade pre-workout without knowing when to take them is like having none. Knowing your workout goal will help you define when to take pre-workouts. Let’s say you are doing an exercise with more the three sets. This means you will be having short breaks in within two sets, and in those breaks, you will need maybe a drink that will help you’re with quick recovery. You can choose to take Gatorade Powder instead of water between the sets while you’re taking a short rest.

Also, knowing when a particular ingredient will start working in your body is essential too. An ingredient like caffeine for instance takes 60 minutes to peak after drinking it, while citrulline peaks after about 45 minutes. Endurance is a crucial factor too in every workout. Therefore, timing when to take these ingredients is essential. Take them in a way that its peaks when you are in your toughest workout set, thus boosting your strength and endurance.

Mental focus isn’t something to worry about since caffeine wears out after 6 hours; thus, you won’t struggle to time your caffeine pre-workout. So, in general, we advise that you take your pre-workout 30-60 minutes before the toughest set. But this doesn’t mean 30-60 minutes before you start your workout or arrive at the gym. What it means is you can get to the gym have some warm-ups for 15 min, then take your pre-workout and start working.

Final thought

Making your own pre-workout is one of the best things to do. Homemade pre-workout helps you avoid drawbacks that are seen in less quality products sold in your local stores. Also, it means that you have control over your pre-workout amount and quality.

So, if you are willing to put time on knowing how to make your own pre-workout, then you will get the most out of supplement your workout. Always keep in mind that determining your goal is the first step of getting the best out of your homemade pre-workout. And knowing when to take your workout is the primary step. And more importantly, you should always double-check your measurements and monitor your proceeding.