Pre-workout can be a tool to boost your workout sessions and give you a quick boost. They are often consumed in the fitness world and generally in the late afternoon to “kick-start the machine.”
However, pre-workout formulas can be of poor quality and sometimes more risky than beneficial.
Here you will find three recipes that I use for my own training and that of my patients, which will allow you to have a natural, minimally processed, and clean product.
A little reminder, though: these recipes that contain stimulants, though natural, are not recommended for children, teenagers, pregnant women, and nursing mothers.
As with all dietary supplements, pre-workouts should be consumed as part of a varied, balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle.
Feel free to seek your doctor’s advice before taking a dietary supplement. Do not exceed the recommended dosage and do not take more than one pre-workout per day.
Also read | Advice from a nutritionist and sports coach on how to choose your pre-workout
How to make your homemade pre-workout?
Here are the 3 basic elements of your homemade pre-workout:
- Carbohydrates: to supply energy, the first thing that comes to mind is carbohydrates. In a healthy or mass-gaining pre-workout, we must include both simple and complex carbohydrates.
- One or more natural boosters: to give yourself a boost. You can use caffeine found in tea, coffee, or matcha. Ginseng is also very interesting and easily available in powder form.
- Vitamins: they are simply found in fresh fruit juices.
The pre-workout can be prepared in advance and taken with you to your training location in a hermetic bottle. Ideally, take it 30 minutes before your session.
I also recommend consuming your homemade pre-workout on the day it is prepared.
My 3 homemade pre-workout recipes according to your goals
1. “Healthy & Balanced” Pre-workout Recipe
For athletes who simply wish to give their workouts a boost, aiming for well-being or performance goals without weight gain or loss.
Ingredients:
- 250ml of tea (or matcha) cold brewed for about 3 hours in your favorite fruit juice: orange, grape, apple. Keep it all refrigerated.
- 1.5g of powdered ginseng
- 2 tablespoons of powdered stevia
Preparation:
Mix all ingredients and place in the cold for 3 hours. You can transport the booster in a hermetic bottle to your training location.
Benefits of this “healthy & balanced” pre-workout:
- 125mg of vitamin C
- 120mg of caffeine
- 1.5g of Ginseng
2. “Mass Gain” Pre-workout Recipe
For those who want to gain muscle mass, develop, and have enough energy to handle a very heavy training load.
Ingredients:
- 250ml of cold brewed coffee
- 150ml of lactose-free skimmed milk
- 30g of neutral or chocolate-flavored native whey isolate
- 2 teaspoons of powdered chocolate
- 4 teaspoons of powdered sugar
- 1.5g of powdered ginseng
- 1 teaspoon of powdered acerola (a small South American cherry very rich in natural vitamin C)
- Optional for more caffeine: 1 teaspoon of powdered guarana
Preparation:
Mix all ingredients cold by stirring vigorously, in a shaker with an integrated whisk, for example. You can also heat the booster before consuming it, but the vitamin C will partly be destroyed by the heat.
You can transport the booster in a hermetic bottle to your training location.
Benefits of this “mass gain” pre-workout:
- Over 250 calories
- 250mg of vitamin C
- 25g of fast-assimilating, low-lactose proteins
- 30g of sugar providing glucose and fructose
- 125mg to 250mg of caffeine (with or without guarana)
- 1.5g of ginseng
3. Pre-workout recipe ‘cut and sharpen’
If you want to cut down, reduce your body fat percentage while maintaining muscle mass. This pre-workout is particularly interesting due to its very low-calorie content.
I also like its fat-burning effect thanks to caffeine, and its proteins to maintain muscle mass during cutting.
Ingredients:
- 250ml of iced tea
- 150ml of lactose-free skimmed milk
- 30g of neutral-tasting native whey isolate
- 1.5g of powdered ginseng
- 2 tablespoons of powdered stevia
- Optional: 1 teaspoon of powdered guarana
Preparation:
Steep tea for 6 minutes in boiling water, then remove the leaves or bags. Chill in the refrigerator. Mix all ingredients cold, stirring vigorously, in a shaker with an integrated whisk for example.
For information, lactose-free skim milk can be part of your diet in a cutting phase.
Benefits of this ‘cut and sharpen’ pre-workout
- Less than 100 calories
- 250mg of vitamin C
- 25g of fast-assimilating, low-lactose proteins
- 30g of sugar providing glucose and fructose
- 125mg to 250mg of caffeine (with or without guarana)
- 1.5g of ginseng
Why use a homemade pre-workout?
A boost of energy before training
The primary benefit of pre-workout is a boost of energy before lifting heavy during your workout sessions. A too highly dosed pre-workout will quickly boost your energy but will result in an equally rapid “crash.”
Conversely, a low-dosed pre-workout won’t sufficiently wake you up. That’s why I recommend that you stick to the doses I’ve indicated and select a recipe that fits your goals.
Less risk
The risks associated with consuming this supplement are very high: overdose, side effects…
The ingredients used in the industry are often unjustified in terms of effectiveness. The recipes I offer pose less risk.
A healthier supplement
Indeed, pre-workouts generally contain many ingredients that are excluded from a good dietary balance: sweeteners, preservatives, colorants, artificial flavors etc…
To achieve your goals, you already know that you need to opt for a healthy diet and rigorous training.
Look at the lists of ultra-processed ingredients in most pre-workouts. They are usually not clean. By making them yourself, you can also favor organic and fair-trade ingredients.
