Natural Pre-Workout Alternatives  

When you think of pre-workout, artificial caffeine-packed powders are typically what come to mind. Pre-workout is meant to help with energy, focus, endurance, and recovery so you can get the most out of your gym session. So, what’s usually in pre-workout?^{1, 2} 

• Caffeine, tyrosine, and simple carbohydrates to give you short-term energy 
• Creatine and beta-alanine to help with muscular endurance 
• L-citrulline to boost blood flow to muscles  
• Branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) to reduce soreness and improve muscle growth 
• B vitamins for energy production and muscle repair  

Pre-workout powders are not the only source of these ingredients; whole foods can be a great natural source of performance-boosting nutrients too. Let’s explore Paleo, natural pre-workout alternatives.  

Energy  

Caffeine is the #1 ingredient in most pre-workout supplements because it not only helps with energy and focus,² but it also increases the speed of your metabolism.³ For your caffeine fix, you can try black coffee, green or black tea, Japanese matcha, or even cacao nibs to give you that boost of energy.  

Simple carbohydrates provide energy in the form of glucose directly or converted from fructose, so that your muscles can perform at their best, even when muscle glycogen stores get low.  Some of the best sources of simple, fast-acting carbohydrates are fruits like citrus, bananas, or grapes.  

Not being properly hydrated is an often-overlooked cause of low energy, so ensure you’re drinking enough water and getting important electrolytes before your workout. Natural electrolyte sources include unsweetened coconut water, bone broth, and many fruits (like bananas, avocados, cantaloupe), vegetables (spinach, kale, sweet potatoes), and nuts (almonds, cashews, Brazil nuts). 

Endurance and Power 

Creatine is somewhat of a “holy grail” supplement because it has so many benefits, ranging from improving muscular endurance and power to assisting in fat loss and muscle growth. Creatine is most often found in meats and wild-caught fish. It doesn’t matter when you consume your creatine, as long as you’re getting at least 5 grams per day, you can reap the benefits.⁴  

Beta-alanine acts as an intracellular buffer in your muscles, meaning that it delays muscular fatigue and increases your endurance.² Beta-alanine is found in animal meats and the egg yolks, but it can be challenging to obtain enough to make a difference, so supplementation is often beneficial.  

L-citrulline increases blood flow to muscles so that they can get more oxygen, which improves muscular endurance.² It is found in high quantities in watermelon, cantaloupe, pumpkin, cucumber, and some nuts like almonds and walnuts.  

Complex carbohydrates take longer to break down than simple carbohydrates, so if you’re going out for a long run or hike, complex carbs are a great, steady source of energy. Your muscles quickly use up the glucose in your blood, so those slow-digesting carbs will come in handy near the end of your workout, giving you the energy to keep pushing yourself. Some good sources of complex carbs are vegetables like sweet potatoes or broccoli, as well as fruits like apples, berries, bananas, and melons.  

RELATED—The Endurance Training Dilemma: High Carb vs. Low Carb 

Muscle Growth and Recovery  

BCAAs are important for rebuilding muscle after exercise. There are many types of amino acids—all adapted for different bodily processes—but only nine essential amino acids: lysine, tryptophan, histidine, methionine, phenylalanine, leucine, valine, threonine, and isoleucine. Amino acids are also present in protein and collagen or as individual compounds. 

Research regarding the effect of BCAAs on short-term performance is conflicting, the only confirmed benefit is that it helps with post-workout recovery.⁵ After exercise, your body needs amino acids to rebuild and grow muscle, so if you’re eating a protein-rich diet (meat, fish, seeds), you are likely already getting all the amino acids you need. Eggs are an especially great source of protein, because they have the highest digestible indispensable amino acid score, which factors in both the amino acid profile of a protein and its bioavailability. 

B vitamins are critical for recovery, and if you have enough B vitamins in your diet, you’ll notice superior muscular endurance as well. There isn’t much evidence that they improve exercise performance when taken right before exercise, so as long as you have a diverse and healthy diet, you will experience these benefits.⁶ Some Paleo sources of B vitamins include meats, organ meats, fish, eggs, leafy greens, and nutritional yeast. 

Sample Pre-Workout Fuel  

Here are several simple and natural pre-workout snacks to fuel your body and boost your energy before exercise: 

• Banana, coffee, and two fried eggs  
• Grain-free trail mix with cacao nibs and dried fruit  
• Chicken, sweet potatoes, and cucumbers 
• Watermelon and cucumber salad with boiled eggs 
• Fish with lemon and broccoli 
• Apple with nut butter 
• Homemade beef jerky with cantaloupe 
• Green tea with lemon and scrambled eggs  
• Fruit smoothie  
• Grilled shrimp with mango salsa 
• Frozen grapes and cacao nibs  

References 

1. Jagim, A. R., Harty, P. S., & Camic, C. L. (2019). Common ingredient profiles of multi-ingredient pre-workout supplements. Nutrients, 11(2), 254. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11020254 
2. Harty, P. S., Zabriskie, H. A., Erickson, J. L., Molling, P. E. (2018). Multi-ingredient pre-workout supplements, safety implications, and performance outcomes: A brief review. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 15(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12970-018-0247-6  
3. Acheson, K. J., Zahorska-Markiewicz, B., Pittet, P., Anantharaman, K., & Jéquier, E. (1980). Caffeine and coffee: Their influence on metabolic rate and substrate utilization in normal weight and obese individuals. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 33(5), 989–997. https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/33.5.989  
4. Kreider, R. B., Kalman, D. S., Antonio, J., Ziegenfuss, T. N. (2017). International Society of Sports Nutrition Position Stand: Safety and efficacy of creatine supplementation in exercise, sport, and medicine. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 14(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12970-017-0173-z  
5. Martinez, N., Campbell, B., Franek, M., Buchanan, L., & Colquhoun, R. (2016). The effect of acute pre-workout supplementation on power and Strength Performance. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 13(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12970-016-0138-7 
6. Lee, M.-C., Hsu, Y.-J., Shen, S.-Y., Ho, C.-S., & Huang, C.-C. (2023). A functional evaluation of anti-fatigue and exercise performance improvement following vitamin B complex supplementation in healthy humans, a randomized double-blind trial. International Journal of Medical Sciences, 20(10), 1272–1281. https://doi.org/10.7150/ijms.86738