Pre-workouts can be a useful tool to boost your training sessions and give you a pick-me-up. They are often consumed in the fitness community, and usually later in the day to « kickstart things ».
However, pre-workout formulas can be of poor quality, and sometimes more risky than beneficial.
Here you will find three recipes that I use in my training and with my patients, and that will allow you to have a natural, minimally processed and clean product.
A quick reminder though: these recipes that contain stimulants, although natural, are not recommended for children, adolescents, pregnant or breastfeeding women.
As with any dietary supplement, pre-workouts should be consumed as part of a varied, balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle.
Don’t hesitate to consult your doctor before taking a dietary supplement. Do not exceed the recommended dosage and do not take more than one pre-workout per day.
Read also | A dietitian and fitness coach’s tips for choosing the right pre-workout
How to make your own homemade pre-workout?
Here are the 3 basic elements of your homemade pre-workout:
- Carbohydrates: to provide energy, the first thing that comes to mind is carbohydrates. In a healthy pre-workout or for mass gain, we should include simple and complex carbohydrates.
- One or more natural boosters: to give you a boost. You can use the caffeine found in tea, coffee, or the matcha. Ginseng is also very interesting and is easily available in powder form.
- Vitamins: they are simply found in fresh fruit juices.
The pre-workout can be prepared in advance and brought with you to your training session in an airtight bottle. Ideally take it within 30 minutes before your session.
I also recommend consuming your homemade pre-workout on the day it’s prepared.
My 3 homemade pre-workout recipes based on your goals
1. Pre-workout recipe « healthy & balanced »
For athletes who simply want to give their workouts a boost and who have wellness or performance goals without gaining or losing weight.
Ingredients:
- 250 ml of tea (or matcha) cold-brewed for about 3 hours in your favorite fruit juice: orange, grape, apple. Store everything in the refrigerator
- 1.5 g of ginseng powder
- 2 tablespoons of stevia powder
Preparation :
Mix all the ingredients and place them in the refrigerator for 3 hours. You can bring the booster in an airtight bottle to your training session.
Benefits of this pre-workout « healthy & balanced » :
- 125 mg of vitamin C
- 120 mg of caffeine
- 1.5 g of ginseng
2. Pre-workout recipe « bulking »
For those who want to gain muscle mass, develop and have enough energy to sustain a very high training load.
Ingredients :
- 250 ml of cold-brewed filter coffee
- 150 ml of lactose-free skim milk
- 30 g of native whey isolate, unflavored or chocolate.
- 2 teaspoons of cocoa powder
- 4 teaspoons of granulated sugar
- 1.5 g of ginseng powder
- 1 teaspoon of acerola powder (small South American cherry very rich in natural vitamin C)
- Optional for extra caffeine: 1 teaspoon of guarana powder
Preparation :
Mix all the ingredients cold by stirring vigorously, in a shaker with a built-in whisk, for example. You can also warm the booster before consuming it, but the vitamin C will be partly destroyed by the heat.
You can bring the booster in an airtight bottle to your training session.
Benefits of this pre-workout « mass gain » :
- Over 250 calories
- 250 mg of vitamin C
- 25 g of fast-absorbing, low-lactose protein
- 30 g of sugar providing glucose and fructose
- 125 mg to 250 mg of caffeine (with or without guarana)
- 1.5 g of ginseng
3. Pre-workout recipe « cutting and toning »
If you want to cut, reduce your body fat percentage while maintaining your muscle mass. This pre-workout is particularly interesting because it is very low in calories.
I also like its fat-burning effect thanks to caffeine, and its proteins to help maintain muscle mass during a cut.
Ingredients:
- 250 ml of iced tea
- 150 ml of lactose-free skim milk
- 30 g of unflavored native whey isolate
- 1.5 g of ginseng powder
- 2 tablespoons of powdered stevia
- Optional: 1 teaspoon of guarana powder
Preparation:
Steep the tea for 6 minutes in boiling water, then remove the leaves or bags. Refrigerate. Mix all the ingredients cold, stirring vigorously, for example in a shaker with an integrated whisk.
For information, lactose-free skim milk can be part of your diet during a cut.
Benefits of this ‘cutting and toning’ pre-workout
- Under 100 calories
- 250 mg of vitamin C
- 25 g of fast-absorbing, low-lactose protein
- 30 g of sugar providing glucose and fructose
- 125 mg to 250 mg of caffeine (with or without guarana)
- 1.5 g of ginseng
Why use a homemade pre-workout?
An energy boost before training
The main benefit of the pre-workout is an energy boost before lifting heavy weights during your strength-training sessions. An overly dosed pre-workout will quickly restore your energy but will cause an equally rapid ‘crash’.
On the other hand, a lightly dosed pre-workout won’t wake you up enough. That’s why I recommend that you stick to the dosages I provided and choose a recipe suited to your goals.
Fewer risks
The risks associated with consuming this dietary supplement are very high: overdose, side effects…
The ingredients used in the industry are often not justified in terms of effectiveness. The recipes I suggest carry fewer risks.
A healthier supplement
Indeed, pre-workouts generally contain many ingredients that are excluded from a healthy diet: sweeteners, preservatives, colorings, artificial flavors, etc…
To reach your goals, you already know you need to follow a healthy diet and rigorous training.
Look at the ingredient lists of most pre-workouts. They are generally not clean. By making them yourself, you can also favor organic and fair-trade ingredients.
