I decided that I was spending WAY too much money on supplements. Because supplements are supposed to be SUPPLEMENTAL to what I am already consuming I thought it was a waste of money to pay for the Big Name Brands with their fancy Proprietary Blends and what not. I decided to try to create my own personal Pre and Post workout supplements. I buy ingredients in bulk. My last bill was around $140.00. This included ingredients for both the pre and post workout stuff. The amount of ingredients that I bought should supply enough material for around 3 months of training (1-2 times a day, 5-6t times a week). The equates to around $1.50 a day or $45 a month. I was spending $100-150 a month on the Big Name Brands. I tried to keep it simple and easy. I researched what a lot of the Big Name Brands used for ingredients in their supplements and tried to replicate it as closely as I could. What I found was that most pre and post workout supplements contained roughly the same ingredients as other pre and post workout supplements. Here are the main ingredients:
Pre-Workout
- Caffeine
- BCAAs
- Beta Alanine
- Creatine
- Flavoring
Post-Workout
- Whey Protein
- BCAAs
- Creatine
- Flavoring
These along with a few other ingredients (glutamine, vitamin c, etc) make up the bulk of most pre and post workout supplements. I decided to go to BulkSupplements.Com to see how cheap (but good) of ingredients I could get. After I placed my order (I actually ordered through Amazon so I could get 2 day free shipping so I could get it faster) I figured out how much of each ingredient to use to get me to the average amount that most other supplements used. Here is what I came up with:
Pre-Workout
- Green Coffee Bean – 1/8 tsp = ~212mg of Caffeine
- BCAAs (2:1:1) – 3 tsp = ~5.3g
- Beta Alanine – 1/2 tsp = ~2.3g
- Creatine Monohydrate (Micronized) – 1 tsp = ~5g
- Great Value (Wal-mart brand) Sugar free-Low calorie Pink Lemonade Drink Mix – 1/2 packet = 1/2 tsp = 5 cal, o carbs 15mg Potassium, and flavoring to cover up the other stuff.
Post-Workout
- Whey Protein Isolate – 2 Tbsp = ~30g
- BCAAs (2:1:1) – 3 tsp = ~5.3g (yes, I know I probably didn’t need to double up on the BCAAs)
- Creatine Monohydrate (Micronized) – 1/2 tsp = ~2.5g (yes, I know I probably don’t need much more than 5g of Creatine a day)
- Gatorade Powder – 1 scoop/12 oz = 80 cal, 21g carbs, and is good flavoring.
I poured the powders into (better)sealable containers and labeled them. I measure them out each time.
If any of my readers have other ideas or a better way/cheaper way, etc. let me know. I am open to trying anything. I have been using my DIY supplements for a few weeks and I think they do help with my pre-workout energy and post-workout muscle soreness.
Crusaders: Bash at the Barefoot 2007 Cut-off. The was a high school reunion type of party I went to almost 10 years ago. Flip-flops...
Back felt tight, but after a few sets of squats it started to loosen up. It was a bit sore the whole time, but manageable. Some of the movements each day are starting to get hard while others are still really easy. I am not sure how the program will auto regulate this, but I trust it and the great staff at Renaissance Periodization.
Here is a link to the video of my training on my YouTube channel:
Fear No Evil Cut-off (Matt 28:20/Deut 31:6, "Be Strong and of good courage; Do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go". Flip-Flops...
Training felt great today. Shoulders were a little sore from yesterday but I managed to complete all reps/sets required for the day. I am really starting to get into this new training style. I know it will get harder the next couple weeks as intensity and volume change, but hopefully my body will be ready for the adaptation.
Here is a link to the video of my training on my YouTube channel:
Heavy Hammer Gym 