Nutrition and performance go hand in hand.
To succeed in your chosen sport, whether you are a professional athlete or a casual gym-goer, a healthy diet is vital to fuel the muscles and the brain.
If you’re looking to train harder and push yourself further and faster, you must start by giving the body what it needs, namely protein, carbs and enough fluids so you have the zeal to see you through. Foods like bread, pasta and rice are common sources of carbohydrates and are essential to increase glycogen stores - A.K.A the body’s energy source.
But it’s not just a case of smashing PB. A pre and post-workout ritual plays a part in injury prevention and recovery too. Protein powders, shakes and bars proclaim their hero ingredients in building muscle and repairing tissue, while electrolyte-rich hydration combats fatigue and enhances muscular performance.
This is all to say that what you consume before and after you exercise makes a huge difference. You need to make sure that you are fuelling correctly. But this is not always easy if you’re doing an early morning session or running straight after an office day - you can’t exactly whip up a spag bol al desk-o.
You can, however, shake up an ultra-convenient pre-workout drink packed with all the essential nutrients and minerals.
What are the best pre-workout drinks?
Ali McKenzie, former professional rugby player and strength & conditioning coach at Studio FIX explains “The best pre-workout drinks typically contain a combination of effective ingredients designed to enhance energy, focus and endurance”.
What’s more, when you’re looking for a pre-workout drink, you want a concoction that you actually like. If you dread downing it, you won’t drink it. So, look out for appealing flavours.
What is in a pre-workout drink?
McKenzie says that while dosages differ, the general components in pre-workout drinks remain the same. He breaks it down:
- Caffeine: Provides energy and improves focus.
- Beta-Alanine: Reduces fatigue and increases exercise performance.
- Creatine Monohydrate: Enhances strength and power.
- Branched-Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs): Help reduce muscle breakdown and support muscle growth.
- Citrulline Malate: Increases blood flow to muscles, improving endurance.
- Nitric Oxide Boosters: Ingredients like arginine or beetroot extract that improve blood flow and muscle pumps.
- Tyrosine: Enhances mental focus.
- Taurine: Supports cardiovascular function and reduces oxidative stress.
- Electrolytes: Help maintain hydration and prevent cramping.
Is coffee a good pre-workout drink?
The trainer confirms it is. He explains, “It contains caffeine which is one of the primary active ingredients in many commercial pre-workout supplements. Caffeine can enhance focus, energy, and performance. That being said, coffee lacks some other beneficial ingredients found in pre-workout supplements, such as beta-alanine, creatine and BCAAs. Adding a small amount of honey or milk can provide additional energy but be mindful of overall caloric intake if you're managing weight. I prefer a double espresso shot before training”.
When to drink pre-workout?
Timing is everything; you want enough digestion to prevent feeling sick, but still make the most of the energising boost. For this reason, McKenzie recommends that “Pre-workout drinks are best consumed about 20-30 minutes before starting your workout. This timing allows the active ingredients, particularly caffeine, to reach peak levels in your bloodstream, maximising their effectiveness during your workout”.
For those sensitive to caffeine, however, he recommends “to start with a smaller dose to assess tolerance and avoid potential side effects like crashing/ jitters, an upset stomach, and also take earlier in the day to avoid not being able to sleep”.
Shop the best pre-workout drinks below
Vivo Life Pre-Workout
Using natural ingredients, Vivo Life is here to boost your workout. To enhance performance, it has packed its pre-workout blend with natural ingredients that have been scientifically proven to power you up and take your HIIT workout to the next level.
The Vivo Life Pre-workout contains 50mg of caffeine that is derived from guarana extract and set alongside nootropic Rhodiola rosea and B vitamins for an energy boost that shouldn’t be followed by a crash. As the icing on the cake, the brand has included beetroot powder, a high-powered nitrate that will encourage blood circulation and improve muscle function.
Buy now £29.99, Vivo Life
Innermost The Energy Booster
Add Innermost’s sweet pineapple-flavoured powder to your shake pre-workout to amp up your fitness routine.
Formulated by nutritionists, the supplement is created using 16 ingredients to increase energy levels and stamina and encourage muscle development. This may be the add-on that you are looking for to give you that added push to perform better during high-intensity workouts. Blended with the most important amino acids – BCAAs – the powder will aid muscle growth and repair too.
Buy now £29.95, Innermost
Thorne Pre-Workout Elite
Many products that call themselves energising provide that desired boost but are swiftly followed by a sugar crash - well, not with Thorne. The brand was created to give sustainable energy, supporting the body's own production process and using natural ingredients to do so.
The mushroom, mango and guayusa-powered formula is a favourite among athletes and has gained the NSF Certified for Sport designation with benefits including fighting fatigue and encouraging lean muscle mass development. Mix with water and consume around 15 to 30 minutes in advance of your workout.
Buy now £42.99, Healf
Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Pre Workout Watermelon 330g
There’s a reason why Optimum Nutrition is a go-to brand for those starting to take their fitness more seriously. It is packed with premium ingredients that work in tandem to encourage optimal performance when you need it.
Unlike some of the pre-emptive and long-lasting formulations in this lift, the Gold Standard Pre-Workout is when you need a short-term burst of energy for HIIT sessions. It contains 175mg of caffeine as well as vitamin B in many forms to light a fire under your pre-workout. There are different flavours to choose from; apple, fruit punch, kiwi, raspberry and our favourite, watermelon.
Buy now £22.00, Holland & Barrett
Science In Sport Go Energy + Electrolyte Gels
Best for: long-distance runners
Running gels are an incredibly popular means of staying replenished during long-distance runs, and for good reason. You’ll often see these brightly coloured sachets from SIS tucked neatly into the running vests of marathon and ultra-marathon runners.
This is because Isotonic energy gels rapidly supply easily digestible carbohydrates for energy alongside sodium, magnesium, and potassium to help replenish the mineral salts you lose through sweating. If you’re a runner who has ever experienced an upset stomach caused by the wrong amount of nourishment mid-run, or severe cramps due to dehydration – pick up a pack of these vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free, wheat-free and nut-free gels.
Buy now £47.99, Amazon
HIGH5 Hydration Energy Drink Powder
There are two flavours of HIGH5’s Hydration Energy Drink Powder to make it easier to slip into your pre-workout ritual. You can choose between blackcurrant or tropical and add it to water, a smoothie or a shake to benefit from its blend of a fast-release multi-carbohydrate and five replenishing electrolytes - all without artificial sweeteners, colouring or caffeine.
Postbiotics are included in the mix too and coupled with calcium aid digestion to speed up the energising properties of the exercise essential.
Buy now £7.19, Amazon
C4 Original Beta Alanine Sports Nutrition Bulk Pre Workout Powder
Best for: quick muscle growth
Where to start with Cellucor's C4 Original Beta Alanine Sports Nutrition Bulk Pre Workout Powder? As well as its all-important 1500mg serving of micronised creatine monohydrate, it also includes 150mg of caffeine, 1600mg of clinically studied CarnoSyn Beta-Alanine and 1000mg arginine Alpha-Ketoglutarate.
Perfect ahead of a workout, it brings together everything you need to help muscles grow quickly and safely with an added energy boost at the same time. It also comes in a huge range of flavours.
Buy now £21.00, Amazon
Bulk Pre-Workout
As the name suggests, Bulk is about supporting you in your muscle-building endeavours. The brand has many variations of supplements for pre and post workout but the Pre-Workout is our preferred for its all-encompassing comprehensive formulation.
The ingredient line-up may not be recognisable to the non-chemists among us but it is packed with nutrients and amino acids (but no caffeine!) to help you power through even the most intense sessions with increased alertness and concentration. The powder comes in orange & mango and sour apple.
Buy now £7.69, Bulk
