So, should you make your own pre workout?
Let’s be real. Unless you are looking to make a mega pre workout like the world has never seen before…
This is probably just going to complicate your life.
If you are interested in making your own pre workout so that you can save money… You really need to think about what you are going to want in a pre-workout supplement to begin with.
So, can anyone really benefit from making their own pre workout?
The ideal “make your own pre workout” situation:
- If you desire an ultra-simple pre workout that’s just 200 mg caffeine, 6,000 mg l-citrulline malate, and 2 grams creatine HCL… Then by all means, go make your own pre workout! This is simple, easy to do, and as long as you don’t care about taste – all will be good.
- Alternatively – if you have extra cash and want to put on your mad scientist hat and seek out creating the ultimate pre workout ever made… Then totally go at it and try to make your own pre workout.
The problem comes into play, when you are trying to make an 8 ingredient pre workout, just like company AYZ makes, in order to save money.
Yes, you can buy raw ingredients for far less on their own. This is obvious… But, as we will go over, there may be more cons than pros in this situation.
Top 5 Reasons not to ‘Make Your Own Pre Workout’
#5 Time Needed
Making time for the gym isn’t always convenient, so are you prepared to spend a few extra moments taking not just 1 scoop of product – but mixing 4 + ingredients before heading to the gym? I know that while this may start out as ‘fun’, a few weeks down the road the extra mess and time can become unwelcome.
#4 Taste
With self-made pre workouts comes the lack of flavoring. This means, instead of a great pina koala, your pre workout is more likely to taste like chemicals and chalk. Don’t get me wrong though, taste is pretty meaningless. But, I know that a lot of readers do give many F’s about this.
Note: A lot of guys will use Gatorade powder as a flavoring option for self-made or unflavored pre workouts.
#3 Figuring It Out
It may take you a good 30 minutes to find the perfect ready-made pre workout using a well-respected ranking like our own Official Top 10 Rated Pre Workouts… But how long is it going to take you to figure out how to mix 5+ powders into the right ratio for your lifting enjoyment? Maybe you will get lucky, maybe not.
#2 Upfront Cost
Yes, a single serving of creatine, beta-alanine, citrulline malate, betaine, etc. is cheap on their own when you break it down to price per serving. But, what about when you buy the whole container at bulk price times each ingredient? We’re talking $100+ investment if you are doing serious work here. Easily.
#1 Ingredients Spoiling
The real trick that makes ‘making your own pre workout’ save money, is the fact that you are buying in bulk quantities. But, whereas you would be opening a pre workout bottle 30 times until completion… You will be opening your citrulline malate 100+ times until completion… That’s massive opportunity for humidity to seep in and start wrecking your product.
Note: this isn’t an issue if you are in a dry climate.
Ultimately it’s your decision to make
We’re not here to keep you from being you. Seriously, if you want to make your own pre workout, then do it – and we’d love to hear about it in the comments below.
Just, if you feel like making your own pre workout is the only way to get a good product… That’s not the case, and we’ve demonstrated that all over this site with our reviews and rankings.
Yes, there are a lot of junk supplements that are mass marketed and take advantage of newbie caffeine highs… We know this.
But, we have also found some true, quality, well-made and ethically priced pre workout supplements. Just look at our top 10 lists for those recommendations (or combine both worlds and use them as a template as you construct your own pre workout supplement).
If you do decide to make your own pre workout supplement here are some pointers
Caffeine – As we discussed in our caffeine supplements guide, standard caffeine anhydrous is typically the best bet. It hits clean and hard, without the easy onset of headaches like ‘natural caffeine’ can cause.
Citrulline Malate – 6 to 8 grams of citrulline malate is an awesome pump-inducing option. Besides pump, this will also increase your endurance.
BCAAs – Shoot for 4 to 8 grams for maximum effect, in the 2:1:1 ratio. Also, make sure they are vegan friendly fermented BCAAs, otherwise they will taste like garbage (pretty much what they are made from anyways).
L-theanine – pairing 1:1 ratio of caffeine to L-theanine changes caffeine’s effect from jitters to rock’n‘roll flow. Do it, you’ll like it.
And the rest is up to you. We could go on and on about this, but the comment section is a better arena for us all to work out the next mega-pre workout if that’s what you are after.
