The pre-workout formula
Your pre-workout, built at home.
five things. one hour. no $50 tub.
- Parts
- 5
- Minutes
- 60
- Carbs
- 58g
- Reps
- +53%
The formula
Five parts. One hour.
- 01CarbsFuel−26%Of the leg muscle's glycogen, burned in one session
- 02CreatineEnergy + size+20–40%More creatine stored in your muscles
- 03Salt + electrolytesBlood flow+4.5%Blood plasma volume, before training even started
- 04L-citrullinePump + reps+53%More reps on bench by the last set
- 05CaffeineDrive3–6mg per kg of bodyweight: the dose that works
Formula / 01 · Fuel
Carbs
Fuel first. Hard sets run on glycogen.
01 / 03
02 / 03
03 / 03The data
−26%
Muscle glycogen, mmol/kg
How to take it
- Eat
- 3 rice cakes, a banana, honey, cinnamon
- Gives
- 58 g fast carbs, 260 kcal
- When
- 30–60 minutes before
The plate
- rice cakes322g
- banana1, sliced27g
- honey10g, drizzled8g
- cinnamona pinch1g
Total58 g carbs · 260 kcal
Want protein in it too? See the recipeFormula / 02 · Energy + size
Creatine
Water in the muscle. Power in the set.
01 / 04
02 / 04
03 / 04
04 / 04The data
Muscle creatine, change from baseline
Stored in the muscle with water: fuller, not puffier.2
How to take it
- Dose
- 5 g. Every day, training or not.
- When
- Any time. In the pre-workout is easiest.
- Form
- Monohydrate
Formula / 03 · Blood flow
Salt + electrolytes
More water in the blood. More blood to the muscle.
01 / 03
02 / 03
03 / 03+4.5%
Blood plasma volume, before training even started4
Trained men, salty drink before running in the heat
The data
+28%
Time to exhaustion, minutes
Salt is how your body keeps water in the bloodstream.4
How to take it
- Mix
- 500 ml water, ¼ tsp salt, ½ lemon, 1 tsp honey
- When
- Sip it through the hour before
- Skip if
- You have high blood pressure or kidney issues. Ask your doctor.
The home mix
- Water
- 500 ml
- Salt
- ¼ tsp, about 590 mg sodium
- Lemon
- ½, squeezed
- Honey
- 1 tsp
shake it. sip it. cents a serving.
Formula / 04 · Pump + reps
L-citrulline
Pumps that get you steroid allegations.
01 / 04
02 / 04
03 / 04
04 / 04Raises arginine better than taking arginine itself.6
How to take it
- Dose
- 6 g L-citrulline, or 8 g citrulline malate
- When
- 60 minutes before you train
- Note
- 8 g malate is what the study used
Also in
Formula / 05 · Drive
Caffeine
The switch. Pick your delivery.
01 / 05
02 / 05
03 / 05
04 / 05
05 / 05How to take it
- Dose
- 3–6 mg per kg. Work out yours below.
- When
- 30–60 minutes before
- Ceiling
- 400 mg a day, all sources
- Cut-off
- 6 hours before bed
Pick your delivery
White MonsterAkram’s pick
~150 mg
1 can. Zero sugar. Akram's pick.
Caffeine pill
~200 mg
1 tablet. Cheapest, most exact.
Coffee
~95 mg
1 mug, 240 ml. Varies with the brew.
Coffee: USDA average. Can and tablet: typical labels, which vary by country. Check yours.
Your hour
Timed to your session.
Your weight, your gym time, your bedtime. The plan does the maths.
17:00Citrulline + caffeine
Start sipping the salt mix
17:15The carb plate
58 g carbs, 260 kcal
18:00Train
Salt mix finished on the way in
Caffeine is 6.0 h before bed. Latest safe time tonight: 17:00.
Your caffeine range
240–400 mg
3–6 mg per kg, capped at the 400 mg daily ceiling. Start low.
- 1 × can150 mg · 1.9 mg/kgBelow range
- 2 × can300 mg · 3.8 mg/kgIn range
- 3 × can450 mg · 5.6 mg/kgOver 400 mg
Zero sugar. Akram's pick. Counts all caffeine that day, coffee included.
The studies
Every number, sourced.
- 1
Tesch 1986 Muscle metabolism during intense, heavy-resistance exercise. Eur J Appl Physiol.
- 2
Kreider 2017 ISSN position stand: safety and efficacy of creatine supplementation. J Int Soc Sports Nutr.
- 3
Hultman 1996 Muscle creatine loading in men. J Appl Physiol.
- 4
Sims 2007 Sodium loading aids fluid balance and reduces physiological strain of trained men exercising in the heat. Med Sci Sports Exerc.
- 5
Pérez-Guisado 2010 Citrulline malate enhances athletic anaerobic performance and relieves muscle soreness. J Strength Cond Res.
- 6
Schwedhelm 2008 Oral L-citrulline and L-arginine: impact on nitric oxide metabolism. Br J Clin Pharmacol.
- 7
Guest 2021 ISSN position stand: caffeine and exercise performance. J Int Soc Sports Nutr.
- 8
Drake 2013 Caffeine effects on sleep taken 0, 3, or 6 hours before going to bed. J Clin Sleep Med.
- 9
FDA Spilling the beans: how much caffeine is too much? (400 mg a day for most adults).
Not medical advice. Caffeine and extra salt aren’t for everyone: if you have high blood pressure, a heart or kidney condition, are on medication, or are under 18, talk to your doctor first.
Want the full plan?
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