The cost of supplements can quickly add up when you combine protein, pre-workout, mixes, and more. When your priority is your health and fitness, these supplements made a big difference. That doesn’t mean you can’t find ways to save a little here and there. So, let’s talk about homemade pre-workout recipes.
The goal of many pre-workouts is to give a boost of energy and to prolong your endurance to make your workout as effective as possible. Many stimulants are available to promote energy and endurance throughout your workout including caffeine, l-arginine, creatine, beta-alanine, and citrulline malate.
Caffeine is known to increase focus and mental alertness as well as boosting fat burning. Start with 100mg and avoid going over 200mg. You can get a container of 100mg pills for just around $6, which splits nicely into your pre-workout mix.
L-arginine is known to increase nitric oxide, which increases blood flow to your muscles. This vasodilation results in increased endurance and a bigger pump. A container of 500g of l-arginine runs around $20-25. Split that into 5g doses per day.
Creatine monohydrate is a well-known supplement that improves muscular strength, endurance, and recovery. It’s often used in bulking phases but creatine in of itself will not bulk you out anymore than you want. A container of 500g of creatine is $15. Split that into 5g daily servings.
Beta Alanine is known to increase muscle mass, endurance, and recovery. Beta-alanine often gives a tingling feeling below the skin, sometimes called the “spider crawling” feeling. A 250g container of beta-alanine is $15 that can be split into 2g servings.
Citrulline malate is a proven ingredient to release nitric oxide, a vasodilator that promotes muscle growth and builds muscle mass. It can also help decrease recovery times and improve endurance for a longer or more effective workout. Citrulline malate can be taken at 5g per day.
As an additional enhancement to your pre-workout, whey protein is a great way to build muscles and help with workout recovery. You just need about 20-25g of whey for a quick boost. Whey protein comes in a ton of different bulk sizes so single servings can end up between 18 and 24 cents a serving.
Here’s an example recipe:
- 5g creatine
- 6g citrulline malate
- 2g beta alanine
- 100mg caffeine
- 14oz water
Simply mix together. If you’d like to flavor your pre-workout, look into sugar free water mix-ins like the Stur Liquid Water Enhancer that has less chemicals and artificial sweeteners than many other mix-ins.
Heather Rider
