How to safely and cheaply formulate your own pre workout supplement

How to make your own pre-workout to save money

Living a healthy lifestyle can sometimes get expensive. There's gym memberships, quality sources of protein, and of course, supplements. But one of our key missions here is to show you that your supplements don't HAVE to cost you so much! In the context of a pre-workout, we have two strong solutions for you. 

Moreover, the pre-workout world is one many are still wary of, due to harmful ingredients like DMAA (1,3 dimethylamylamine) that have since been banned in Australia after the deaths of two US army soldiers. The soldiers died from heart attacks in 2011 from an American pre-workout supplement.

So, here are some scientifically approved supplements to safely and cost-effectively create your OWN pre-workout:

Best pre-workout ingredients for optimal performance

Let's take a look at each ingredient starting with caffeine. You can try consuming caffeine via a cup of black coffee.

Caffeine helps you before a workout because it delays physical and mental exhaustion by using more fat for fuel, which can give us more energy during our workouts. It has also been found to increase upper body muscle strength and power.

You'll need to drink 2 to 9 mg of caffeine per kilogram of body weight 45 minutes before exercise.

Bulk Nutrients customer “Henry” weighs 80 kilograms, so Henry would need 240 mg (3 x 80 kilograms). Start at the lower end of the recommendations first.

So you've got your black coffee on the side ahead of your workout. Now it's time to get your other pre-workout drink together!

Beta-alanine for pre-workout performance and muscle growth?

Beta-alanine is a non-essential amino acid that effectively delays your time to muscle fatigue during a workout set.

Let's assume Bulk Nutrients customer Hayley is doing hip thrusts. After 15 reps, Hayley can't perform any more reps because her levels of muscle carnosine have run out, and the PH level in her muscles have also dropped.

But if Hayley took the required dose of beta-alanine before training she would then increase her muscle carnosine levels, which act as a buffer to reduce the acidity in her glutes. This would mean Hayley could potentially squeeze a few extra reps out by taking beta-alanine. 

With that being said, scientists have also found beta-alanine to increase muscle mass.

In terms of dosages, you'll need 3.2g - 6.4 g of beta-alanine daily to reap the benefits of its enhancing effects. Again, start at the lower end of the recommended dosages. 

Is creatine a good pre-workout supplement for muscle growth?

Creatine is one of the most popular pre-workout supplements simply because it's one of the most researched and proven.

creatine allows your muscles to produce more adenosine triphosphate (ATP) --

An organic compound, creatine allows your muscles to produce more adenosine triphosphate (ATP) - a high-powered energy-carrying molecule that fuels your workouts. So, take creatine, and you should have more energy to lift more, it's that simple.

Moreover, studies show that those who take creatine can double the amount of muscle they gain compared to those who don’t!

With conflicting evidence on how much creatine to take, here's the lowdown: Bulk Nutrients customer "Mason" wants results as fast as possible. So, "Mason" will need to load up on creatine for 7 days, taking 25 grams per day. Then, after 7 days, "Mason" will need to take just 5 grams of creatine per day.

Our Creatine Monohydrate provides 3 grams per serve, ensuring you’ve got enough for whatever stage you’re at with creatine.

Citrulline-malate for muscle growth: Is it a good pre-workout supplement?

Another supplement getting a lot of attention lately has been Citrulline Malate. Citrulline Malate is a combination of dietary amino acid L-Citrulline and malate; an organic salt of malic acid. But put them together and you've got something special: research shows Citrulline Malate can relieve post-workout muscle soreness and improve leg press performance in both men and women, who also reported a lesser than usual rate of perceived effort!

Citrulline Malate works by increasing the production of nitric oxide, which allows for more blood flow into our muscles which can increase their power and output.

You'll require 6-8 g of Citrulline Malate for optimal results.

And our Citrulline Malate contains 6 grams per serve and costs just $20 for 41 serves.

Let's imagine you've put all of these pre-workout ingredients into a cup; now it's time to flavour them! Simply buy any flavour of cordial you like from the supermarket and mix up a cup as you normally would with your Bulk Nutrients pre-workout ingredients inside.

This is far more cost-effective than purchasing many alternatives on the market, not to mention the amount of extra serves you get when investing in each ingredient this way.

Cheapest pre-workout supplements for muscle growth and performance

The alternative to formulating your pre-workout is to buy our Pre-Workout 101 blend, which contains all of these aforementioned ingredients and comes in many different flavours.

But for those of you who require slightly higher doses of particular ingredients, buying it individually may be more suitable.

The bottom line is that pre-workout supplements don't have to be super expensive if you know what you're doing! Mixing your own can save you a lot of money, and potentially be safer than some other varieties on the market.