Pre Workout- non stimulant

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ohlendorf81
ohlendorf81 Posts: 4 Member
edited May 2021 in Food and Nutrition
Hey everyone I tried searching but had no luck.

I’m looking for a pre workout snack or preferably a drink that isn’t the common stimulant type. I workout early mornings and find myself not having energy and fatigue fast while working out. What foods or drinks do you recommend? Again I’m NOT looking for coffee/energy drink or the HyenaMassacre pre workout that tazes your insides and makes you rage. Lol my sleep is great, I’m not groggy nor looking for an extra pump.

For more clarification-> My muscles do not have enough nutrients before a workout to sustain me throughout said workout. I am looking for a food or drink concoction that will provide nutrients to my body, but at the same time not bloat me or make me want to yak. Example: apple and peanut butter or smoothie.

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  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    Do you mean something that is caffeine-free or will a cup of coffee work? When I'm getting enough sleep and eating enough, I usually find that a glass of water is enough to clear my head and wake me up for a workout. If I'm feeling hungry, I'll have a light snack. If my sleep wasn't great the night before, I'll have a cup of coffee or some caffeinated Mio.

    If I needed a daily boost, I'd probably work on the sleep issue before looking for something to eat or drink to fix it.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,876 Member
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    What are you doing for your workout? Unless you are low carb or very low carb like keto, you should have plenty of glycogen on board to get you through a workout. It takes a lot to deplete glycogen stores and bonk.

    You're definitely not going to find a pre-workout that is stimulant free...the stimulants are what make them a good pre-workout if one is so inclined. My only other thought would be breakfast...or like you mentioned a smoothie or something. I think ultimately what will work for one person won't necessarily for for someone else. My only morning workout is on Saturdays in the weight room and I usually have a full on cooked breakfast of eggs, Canadian bacon, and toast about an hour before heading to the gym...doesn't make me want to yak, but YMMV.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,058 Member
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    May not be identical cases, but I feel similarly. If I work out fasted, it's a struggle. I can handle up to about 20 minutes with some intensity, but it feels *awful*. After 20 minutes of intensity, it's pretty much crash city. (Yes, I know my body has enough glycogen. I don't know what the problem is - really don't care. Could be partly psychological, still don't care, because it feels icky and unproductive.)

    I'm lucky: I have a pretty rock-solid digestive system, so I can eat and work out virtually right away, no digestive distress. If that's not true for you, I'm thin on suggestions. Myself, I just eat something. Exactly what will depend on what I'm doing.

    Usually, my workouts are around an hour, so a few minutes before, I eat a light breakfast. (Think of it as eating before doing other parts of getting ready to work out, not a long time period.) As an example, when rowing (on water) in the AM, I drink 6oz of kefir, 6oz of hot skim milk with vanilla extract (stupid body trick to make my body have a coffee delusion 😉), Ezekial pita with peanut butter.

    Later in the day, if I haven't eaten recently and feel a little depleted before a workout, I'll eat something with quick carbs (higher glycemic index, basically - though moderate GI works OK for me, not necessarily truly high). For a while, it was Tootsie Roll brand caramel apple suckers, hard candy with some caramel in the middle. For me, dried fruit also works (prunes, mangos lately), or applesauce.

    I'm not clear from your OP whether you're eating and struggling with digestive distress. If yes, maybe experiment with *what* you eat (or drink), or gradually increase from tiny amount to tolerance, to find the sweet spot?
  • steveko89
    steveko89 Posts: 2,216 Member
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    I do a banana and 3/4 of a one-scoop protein shake (remainder intraworkout) based on the RP templates and that's been working out for me.

    I'd be down to try HyenaMassacre, I dig the 300mg caffiene pre-workout I use.
  • ohlendorf81
    ohlendorf81 Posts: 4 Member
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    Thanks! I’m not on any specific diet, I’m a skinny guy and eat 3 meals a day. The story behind this was—— I woke up yesterday at 630 am and headed to my in home gym for leg day. Warmed up and began leg day. First exercise was squats and by the final set I was toast. Muscle fatigue and no energy like I would be at the end of the entire workout. This happens frequently so just looking for a food before workout to give me quick energy but won’t fill me up and give me the “itis” during my workout.
  • dreamer182
    dreamer182 Posts: 43 Member
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    I'm super caffeine sensitive and use PEScience high volume for a non caffeinated pre worked. Its a nitric oxide booster to give you a preworkout pump and cannot workout with it now! I use the code SCRIPTS to get 15% off and will sometimes buy sample packs to take for traveling :)

    https://pescience.com/collections/pre-workouts/products/high-volume?variant=185073664026
  • VegjoyP
    VegjoyP Posts: 2,710 Member
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    Beet root juice or powder is natural way to boost NO2. Citrulline is an amino acid that is converted to arginine in body for NO2. To answer about " preworkout" Kaged Muscle has a drink called Hydra Charge with electrolytes and other ingrediants that are more food based, anti inflammatory. I also did well having a sweet potato or Japanese sweet potato as a pre-workout. I was very fit and did marathons then Figure competitions. Having a sweet potato before workouts got me some wins, great results, energy and satiated without the bloat.
  • MlleKelly
    MlleKelly Posts: 356 Member
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    I like the Bowmar Nutrition non-stim Pre. Lots of different flavors.

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