How to Make Pre Workout Taste Better?

As much as we all love pre-workouts and think highly of them, let’s face it – they’re usually not the tastiest thing in the world. Too bitter, too sour, chemically aftertaste… It almost becomes a chore to take it. But what if you could make them taste better?

Good news – you can! With  a few simple tweaks and some creative mixing, you can have your pre-workout go from yuck to yum in a couple of moments. 

Grab your shaker bottle and let’s make a pre-workout that tastes like a treat! 

What are the best flavors of pre-workouts?

Taste is a highly subjective matter. Someone may get depressed for not finding a flavor you hate. And this is where pre-workouts pose another complication. You won’t find typical OG ones like peanut butter, vanilla, or chocolate. So it’s a trial-and-error thing!

• Similar flavors may taste differently, depending on the brand
• Some powders taste synthetic, while others carry a more natural touch
• A lot of people savor subtle flavors; others – intense
• The aftertaste, temperature, and grittiness affect the overall experience

We can group the best- flavored pre-workouts into two categories: sweet (sugary and fruity) and sour (tangy and citric). 

Pick your favorite from the following matrix.

How to Make a Pre-Workout Taste Better?

If the simple tweaks we’ve talked about in the previous section don’t really work because your pre-workout is extra ew, we have some tips that will make even the yuckiest ones into treats. 

1. Blend with Fruits

Mixing a pre-workout with a fruit juice is okay, but you need to bring out the big guns if that doesn’t help, and that would be actual fruits. A pre-workout that has fruit mixed in will be more fulfilling and flavorful. We recommend bananas, berries, and mangoes because they can make your pre-workout taste like a shake. 

2. Add Natural Sweeteners

If bitterness is the problem, there’s a quick fix – just add a natural sweetener to it. Stevia, honey, or agave syrup are our favorites because they add sweetness but don’t have artificial flavors or compounds found in traditional sweeteners. 

3. Mix with Herbal Teas

Herbal teas can be a great base for your pre-workout mix. Use chilled green tea or hibiscus tea instead of water to add more flavor and health benefits. 

Tips From the Champ

A pre-workout supplement is supposed to amp you up before you hit your weightlifting or weight loss program. It achieves that by optimizing muscular endurance, stamina, alertness, and power. But the outcome depends upon the quality and quantity of ingredients used. Thus, wading through the label will never go in vain.

Oleksiy Torokhtiy

Olympic Weightlifting Champion

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4. Experiment with Temperature

Sometimes, all you need is a change in temperature. Try drinking your pre-workout cold or even with ice cubes to see if a cooler temperature helios with the flavor. 

5. A Tasty Energy Drink

If you’re willing to upgrade simple shots, replace water. For instance, you can go with coconut water or almond milk. Alternatively, you can squeeze fresh citruses into a blend or overly sweet pick-me-up.  

6. A Yabadaba Delicious Shake

Need more? How about blending a scoop of powder with water and half a cup of frozen fruit? You can also top off a tasty pre- workout with black pepper, cocoa powder, or vanilla extracts.

How to Find the Best Tasting Pre-workouts?

A pre-workout supplement is supposed to amp you up before you hit your weightlifting or weight loss program. It achieves that by optimizing muscular endurance, stamina, alertness, and power. But the outcome depends upon the quality and quantity of ingredients used. Thus, wading through the label will never go in vain.

1. What to Avoid?

Make sure there are no mysterious proprietary blends, and all ingredients are listed. Better yet, search for NSF, USP, Informed Choice, or Banned Substances approval seal. 

For example, the National Collegiate Athletic Association bans synephrine (an otherwise legal drug) for athletes. 

Know what you’re putting in your body. Sugar alcohols are generally safe and tasty. But the excessive amount can upset the stomach. Consult your doctor. For doing self-research, Examine.com is a good resource website.

2. What to Seek?

Following are the research-based components of a pre-workout, ranked according to their proven efficacy.

• Caffeine is an established stimulant to sharpen mental focus. Several studies attest to its performance-enhancing results. Some people may experience jitteriness, headaches, and difficulty sleeping. 400 mg is the safe limit for adults, including all sources throughout the day.
• Creatine (monohydrate) is an intensively-researched component of supplements geared toward power athletes. It doesn’t only improve exercise performance but also helps in recovery. Target for about 3000 mg of dose for effective results in the gym.
• Beta-Alanine is a fatigue-fighting amino acid. It delays lactic acid buildup and lengthens muscular endurance. However, its consumption is associated with a tingling sensation you may not like. A minimum of 2000 mg should be sufficient for pre-workout pumps. 
• Vitamins are often overshadowed by the myriad of novel compounds. But Vitamin D and especially B-complex can help in energy management, DNA repair, and overall cardiovascular fitness. Ensure you’re getting the required dose from your diet and supp combined. 
• Citrulline is an NO2 booster. It expands your veins and arteries, regulating blood flow and nutrient transport. Beetroot extracts and l-arginine carry out the same task. Research indicates that Arginine nonetheless fails to make much of a difference in exercise performance.

Alternative Pre-workout

Transparent Labs Bulk Pre-Workout

• Serving Size: 1 scoop (21.2 g)
• Servings per Container: 30
• Calories Per Serving: 5
• Betaine Anhydrous Per Serving: 2,500 mg
• Taurine per serving: 1,300 mg
• Recommended by Athletes: Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson, Pat Li, PAULINA

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Transparent Labs (TL) explicitly lists the blend’s composition and achieves third-party certificates of analysis. There are two pre-workout formulas: Lean and BULK. The latter is your best bet for increasing overall athletic performance and workout capacity, and also promoting gaining lean muscle mass.

It includes a slew of evidence-based ingredients, sure to amp up your muscular endurance. Key and additional ingredients are contained in doses that have been shown to be effective in trials. Compared to some of the more expensive pre-workouts on this list, this product is a great choice for the price per serving / ingredients ratio.

This pre-workout is available in various flavors. Our personal favorite is Pina Colada – a treat for taste buds. Not all athletes choose BULK as their first, but it always becomes the last and forever.

FAQ

Is Pre-Workout Supposed To Taste Good?

Pre-workouts are multi-ingredient supplements, where each one of them carries a separate profile. For example, BCCAs, creatine, and caffeine are tasteless at best and gross at worst. Thus, manufacturers rely on various flavors and sweeteners to make tasty pre-workouts. 

Why Do People Eat Pre-Workout Dry?

Dry scooping pre-workouts emerged as a TikTok trend. It suggests you’ll get speedy stimulation. But the claim isn’t rooted in science. Besides, there are plenty of possible drawbacks of taking undiluted powders, such as choking, aspiration pneumonia, or even a heart attack. Stick to the package guidelines.

Conclusion

The best tasting pre-workout will help you turn up to the gym with 100% motivation and crush the routine. Hopefully, you have selected one for yourself by now. We recommend Transparent Labs BULK.

Remember, supplements are to assist, not to hijack, your nutrition plan. Have you ever taken a pre-workout? Or do you just rely on a banana and a cup of coffee? Let us know in the comments below!

Also read:

• How To Get Rid Of Pre Workout Sickness
• Best Total War Pre Workout Flavor
• Strongest Pre Workouts Reviewed
• How Much Caffeine in Pre Workout
• Best Pre Workout Powder With Creatine
• When to Take Pre Workout
• What Is High Stim Pre Workout
• Creatine For Women
• Nitric Oxide vs Pre Workout
• Energy Drink Before Workout

References:

1. The combined effects of L-theanine and caffeine on cognitive performance and mood // National Library of Medicine: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18681988/
2. Cognitive Performance and Mood Following Ingestion of a Theacrine-Containing Dietary Supplement, Caffeine, or Placebo by Young Men and Women // National Library of Medicine: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4663612/
3. Caffeine and Exercise: What Next? // National Library of Medicine: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30977054/
4. International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: safety and efficacy of creatine supplementation in exercise, sport, and medicine // National Library of Medicine: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28615996/
5. International society of sports nutrition position stand: Beta-Alanine // Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition: https://jissn.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12970-015-0090-y
6. Vitamins and Minerals for Energy, Fatigue and Cognition: A Narrative Review of the Biochemical and Clinical Evidence // National Library of Medicine: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7019700/
7. Acute l-arginine supplementation increases muscle blood volume but not strength performance // National Library of Medicine: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22251130/
8. Photos by Torokhtiy Media Team.