DIY Energy Drink

DIY energy drink

When you think of energy drinks you probably think of Red Bull. However, those are packed with calories, sugar, and will cost you a ton of money over time. But what can you do when you need an inexpensive energy boost? Make your own DIY energy drink.

DIY Energy Drink Supplements

DIY Energy Drink Supplies

  • Caffeine powder
  • Theanine supplement
  • Sugar or stevia
  • Flavoring powder
  • Milligram scale
  • Water

To make this drink, you will need caffeine powder, theanine supplement, and some kind of sweetener such as sugar or stevia as well as a flavoring of some kind (lime powder mix, citric powder, etc).

The batch we are going to make includes 16 cups of energy drink and costs less than $0.25 per gallon. That’s significantly cheaper than your average energy drink.

Caffeine is an obvious choice, but why is theanine included? More often than not, individuals choose to take energy drinks because they need to clear their head and focus on the task at hand.

Unfortunately, caffeine often comes with the jitters. This is why theanine is an excellent addition. The two supplements work together synergistically to boost your energy and focus without the jitters to provide clean and smooth concentration.

How to Make the Drink

To make the drink, you will need to heat up your water. This is to more easily dissolve the supplements. While the water is heating go ahead and measure out your supplements using a milligram scale.

You will need 450mg of caffeine (this will give you around 30mg of caffeine per cup). Most individuals choose to supplement theanine and caffeine in a 2:1 ratio, calling for 900mg of theanine. However, if you find that makes you too relaxed, you can do a 1:1 ratio of 450mg caffeine and 450mg theanine.

For a sweeter energy drink, use 800mg of stevia. However, if you aren’t a big sugar fan start with 600mg and increase from there. As for the flavoring you chose, just follow the instructions on the package to make 1 gallon.

Once your water is done heating up, add all of the powders and stir until the supplements, especially caffeine, are completely dissolved. Then, simply pour it into a pitcher, and you’re done. You now have an energy drink for less than $0.25 per gallon!

Watch a Video Demonstration

The video transcript is available below.

How to Carbonate Your Own Water

Some people really like that carbonated feel a lot of energy drinks have. If this is the case, you can also carbonate your own water!

To do this you will need a bottle, a tire valve, cold tap or filtered water, and a way to pressurize the bottle with CO2 (most often a CO2 tank).

You can easily drill a hole in your bottle cap and insert the tire valve. Next you will want to fill the bottle with water but leave some room for air. Squeeze the bottle until the water reaches the rim and screw on the cap with the tire valve in it.

Attach the CO2 tank to the valve and fill the empty space you squeezed to fully inflate the bottle. Do not over do it, or it might explode. Now shake the bottle (still attached to the tank) to mix and dissolve the CO2. Now you can remove the cap, and you have carbonated water. You can watch this youtube video for further instruction

How to make Concentrated Caffeine Water

coffee-beansWhat if you want concentrated caffeine water on hand to be able to easily measure a dose of caffeine? Or what if you wanted to caffeinate some of your favorite foods and products? Caffeinated alternatives are always much more expensive than their original counterparts. However, caffeine powder is incredibly inexpensive, so you can make your own caffeinated brownies if you so desired.

You will need a scale accurage to 1g, preferably to 1mg; bulk caffeine powder; a 500ml-1L bottle; a funnel; and warm or hot water (filtered or distilled is preferred).

Caffeine is incredibly potent in bulk form, so be careful when dosing. A standard serving size is 50mg; however, some individuals take up to 200mg at a time. The easiest way to accurately measure out caffeine is to dilute it in water. The following method will result in a concentration of 10mg per mL. This translates to 50mg per teaspoon.

Secure your scale to your bottle and begin filling it with water (1mL is equal to 1g) until you hit your desired 100g increment (500g, 600g, etc). Make sure to leave some space to add the caffeine. When adding the caffeine, divide your water weight by 100 to determine the proper caffeine dosage. So 500g of water will need 5g of caffeine.

Now you will need to screw on the lid to your bottle and shake it. This may take some time as caffeine does not dissolve easily. To speed up this process, you could leave your bottle out in the sun, near a hot water heater, or run it under hot water to heat up the water inside. Continue shaking every few minutes until dissolved.

Unfortunately, caffeine has a very distinct and bitter taste. If you are mixing it with a flavored powder and sugar of some kind as we suggest above you will not notice the bitterness.

Now you have an easy to measure caffeine mixture. If you want to use 50mg of caffeine, measure out a teaspoon; 150mg of caffeine is equivalent to a tablespoon. Your standard cup of coffee has around 85-125mg of caffeine, so start low until you find the dosage that works best for you. Be careful though as it is possible to overdose on caffeine.

Video Transcript

Let’s make our own energy drink. It’s not carbonated, you can make about 16 cups in less than 5 minutes, and it’s a heck of a lot cheaper than buying pre-made energy drinks like Red Bull. To do this, you’ll need caffeine powder, L-Theanine, and some kind of sweetener like Stevia or sugar. I use Stevia. And also you’re going to need some kind of flavoring.I’m just using Great Value brand lime powder mix from Walmart and also food coloring. Now if you buy bulk powders, this equates to less than $0.25 for a whole gallon. I’ll put the links to where you can buy these bulk powders in the video description. First, we’ll heat up some water in the microwave for about a minute and a half.

We want to really get the water hot so that the powder’s dissolve. Then while that’s heating up, let’s go ahead and measure up the caffeine and theanine. I like to use about 450 milligrams of caffeine, that equates to about 30 milligrams per cup. I forget to turn it on here. You can adjust it accordingly.

Let’s see. And as for the ratio between caffeine and theanine, I like to use a one to one ratio. Some people like to use a two to one between theanine and caffeine, but I find that that makes me a little tired, whereas theanine is just supposed to, I’ll make this about 900 total, whereas theanine is just supposed to take the nervous edge off caffeine.

All right, close enough. Okay. We’re going to measure out for a sweetener using Stevia. I like to use about an 800 grams per gallon. You can adjust that as well. You can always add more later, maybe start with 600 and then increase it from there, it really depends upon your preference. I like mine a little sweeter.

All right. Okay. Water’s done heating up. We’re going to add our flavoring and our food coloring. Just stir until everything is completely dissolved. Then add it to the pitcher. And now you have a gallon energy drink for less than 25 cents.

Energy-Boosting Alternatives to Caffeine

alternatives to caffeine

Caffeine is one of the most effective substances for increasing energy and promoting focus and concentration. These reasons are why caffeine has been used in many of the typical pre-workout supplements. On the other hand, caffeine is also an addictive substance with some significant side effects. Therefore, it would be very helpful if there were an alternative that might be just as effective without the resulting side effects. Here are the
contenders…

Sulbutiamine:

Sulbutiamine is a nootropic that has many excellent benefits. It is designed to help improve your mood, memory, and energy levels. Additionally, there is no resulting crash and you will feel more alive after taking this supplement. The increased focus and endurance is caused by the supplement raising levels of thiamine and thiamine-phosphate esters within the brain. This is now becoming a popular addition to energy drinks with several studies showing significant increases in focus and reaction time performances.

Citrulline Malate:

Citrulline malate is an amino-acid formulation that helps provide energy directly to the muscles. Otherwise known as intramuscular ATP, this fuel is exactly where you want your pre-workout energy boost to go—right to the working muscles. The more ATP you have, the longer your muscles will function at an optimal level. Not only will you benefit from an increased amount of working muscle energy, but you will also see an improvement in endurance and recovery times.

Beta-Alanine:

Beta-Alanine is another caffeine alternative to consider adding to your pre-workout stack. This is actually less of an energy enhancer and more of an endurance provider. In the end, it accomplishes pretty much the same thing but the method of action is interestingly different. This supplement works by increasing intramuscular-carnosine levels. Carnosine is a substance that helps to remove lactic acid from your muscles. Lactic acid is what results from working a muscle (too much lactic acid and not enough ATP means that muscle becomes sore and will not perform at an optimal level). This would be a great supplement to stack together with a pure caffeine-replacement energy enhancer (Citrulline Malate, for example).

Hordenine

Hordenine has energy enhancing qualities that will cause you to jump for joy

The compound Hordenine is used by many body builders as a supplement for weight loss. It can be found in a variety of grassy plants and grains but is usually taken as a supplement. Clinically known as N,N-dimethyl-4-hydroxyphenylethylamine, this supplement is said to work as a nervous system stimulant and slow the digestion of food.

What is Hordenine?

Hordenine is a phenylethylamine alkaloid which is related chemically to the amino acid called tyramine. Usually sold in capsule form, this supplement is sold over the counter. In plants, it can be found in different varieties of cacti but the best source is the barley seed where its name is derived from.

This alkaloid was first isolated from a species of cactus by Arthur Heffter in 1894 and in 1906, the modern day hordenine was isolated from barley seeds.

Hordenine Benefits

One of the major benefits of hordenine is its ability to increase energy. How is this done? The supplement stimulates a hormone called norepinephrine which is an excitory hormone that is similar to adrenaline. This hormone energizes the body and triggers the release of glucose from energy stores. When this occurs, lipids are oxidized for energy and a general reduction of body fact is noticed.

Another benefit of the supplement in relation to weight loss is its ability to slow down the digestion of food. Users of the supplement claim to have reduced appetites due to its ability to slow down metabolism and food digestion thereby making the person feel full at an early stage.

Other benefits include its ability as a nootropic in inducing a positive mood, general euphoric feelings, improved focus and concentration. The supplement also displays synergy with Phenylethylamine.

Hordenine for Energy

As explained, Hordenine works by increasing the levels of norepinephrine in the body that in turn increases your heart rate, speeds up circulation and prompts the release of glucose stores thereby providing the user with fuel/energy. This supplement has stimulating effect that also enhances the metabolism of the body that gives hordenine a double effect- your body releases more fuel giving you more energy and burns fats.

Hordenine has become a favourite among those who have started some weight loss program since it is able to help your weight stabilize after a drastic drop which is one of the major problems that weight loser’s face. This is called the “set point” theory which states that our bodies resist major changes in weight.  The supplement allows your body to stabilize its weight easily and in theory changes the ‘set point’ position therefore making keeping weight off permanently less of a battle.

Hordenine Dosage

It is generally recommended to stick to the dosage on the label, the common dosage for hordenine for energy is 20mg When another 10 mg is added, the supplement can be used as a performance booster taken 30 minutes before your workout. If you intent to use the supplement as a fat burner, it is advised that hordenine is taken early in the morning and again after six hours.

Hordenine Side Effects

In order to reduce the chances of experiencing any side effects, do not use it along with other nervous system enhancement supplements or else anxiety, difficulty sleeping, headaches and dizziness. Another caution is not to use hordenine when taking blood pressure medicine, asthma or allergy medication or some adverse effects

Magnesium Creatine Chelate: Energy, Benefits, and Dosage

Creatine magnesium chelate provides for energy pre workout

Magnesium Creatine Chelate is one of the most common and effective supplements used by body-builders and health enthusiasts on the market today. This is a unique combination because users will get benefits of both Creatine and Magnesium.

Magnesium Creatine Chelate Defined

This is actually a combination of two compounds-Magnesium and Creatine. Magnesium is a mineral that is found in large amounts in our bodies and is extremely important for the body to function properly. Supplementation for Magnesium can be found in foods like vegetables, whole grains and dairy products. Magnesium is also used by athletes to increase energy and endurance. [2]

Creatine on the other hand is found in the muscles in the body in particular that is produced by the body and can also be derived from food like fish and meat.  Commonly used for improving performance during exercise and increasing muscle mass, creatine supplement is generally used to improve athletic performance during high intensity activity. [3]

Magnesium Creatine chelate is different from the traditional creatine because it is bonded to Magnesium instead of water. This makes the supplement more easily absorbed by the body and less converted into a waste product. [1] This creatine supplement provides protection from breakdown in the digestive tract which will allow creatine to be more available in the muscles.

According to a study that compared a dosage of 2.5g daily of magnesium creatine chelate found that supplementing with magnesium gave better creatine loading effects in the muscle due to the multiple pathways that creatine was absorbed more readily by the body. [4]

Magnesium Creatine Chelate Benefits

Some of the typical benefits of Magnesium creatine chelate include:

  • Improved Endurance & Reduction of Muscular Fatigue: On a study performed on thirty one weight trained men who were assigned a specific supplement (either magnesium creatine chelate or Creatine), it was observed that after ten days, the group that took Magnesium creatine chelate had larger increases in work when compared with the other group. This suggests that the creatine supplement can indeed improve endurance during work out.[5]
  • Increased energy: By incorporating magnesium, this creatine supplement is able to hydrolyze ATP (Adenosine triphosphate, coenzyme used as an energy carrier in the cells of all known organisms) to ADP (Adenosine diphosphate an important organic compound in metabolism and a requirement to the flow of energy in living cells)   which contributes to the sufficient release of energy.

Although Creatine has been shown to be effective alone, by creating a creatine-magnesium chelate supplement, creatine can be protected by the acid in the stomach while chelate can help prevent its breakdown. This also helps increase the rate of absorption of creatine and decreases the stomach discomfort that users commonly experience according to creatine reviews.  [6]

Magnesium Creatine Chelate Dosage

This supplement is solely for adults and is not recommended for use. As a dietary supplement, the dosages is 3 capsules twice a day and on work-out days, take the servings 45 minutes prior to working out and the second serving between eight to twelve hours apart.  This dosage will depend on the body weight of the user and the ratio is 1g of the supplement per 40lbs of bodyweight per day.[7]

The use of magnesium creatine chelate for energy during workouts is backed up by scientific studies as well as consumer reviews. There has been no significant negative feedback about the supplement.

Sources

  1. www.mindandmuscle.net/articles/magnesium-creatine-chelate/
  2. www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-998-MAGNESIUM.aspx?activeIngredientId=998&activeIngredientName=MAGNESIUM
  3. www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-873-CREATINE.aspx?activeIngredientId=873&activeIngredientName=CREATINE
  4. www.mindandmuscle.net/articles/magnesium-creatine-chelate/
  5. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15142029
  6. www.muscleandstrength.com
  7. www.priceplow.com

Creatine and Caffeine for Strength and Energy

During a workout session, many of us begin to feel sapped of energy and experience feelings of fatigue and exhaustion. This can lead to less productive time in the gym, less muscle gains, and, ultimately, can hinder our ability to reach our goals. A healthy diet can be fortified with beneficial supplements to help our body adapt to increased intensity during training when working towards a set of goals. Two different compounds, Creatine and Caffeine, when included as part of a workout stack or as daily supplements, can help the body combat fatigue and increase the overall performance of our bodies.

What is Creatine Supplement? What is Caffeine Supplement?

Creatine [1,2] is an amino acid that occurs naturally in humans and is found in different organs in the body- the liver, kidneys, and pancreas. Creatine supplement is used as an energy source by skeletal muscles during intensive exercise and is transported easily and efficiently through the bloodstream. Since its discovery in the early 1800s, Creatine is known to be significant in the proper functioning of the skeletal muscles as roughly 95% of the body’s supply is stored in these muscles. Additional supplementation of Creatine has not been shown to have high chances of toxicity in the body.

caffeine powder for energyCaffeine [3,4] is a natural alkaloid that is widely used for its stimulant effects on the central nervous system which help alleviate symptoms of sleepiness and fatigue. Caffeine supplements are derived from a number of sources including the coffee bean, leaves of different types of teas, guarana berries, and numerous others. While intensive amounts of Caffeine supplements are not recommended, moderate levels have been shown to improve different aspects of our body’s performance and concentration.

How can these supplements help?

Creatine and Caffeine supplements can be taken at varying periods of the day depending on your workout schedule, diet, and sleep habits. When taken as part of a supplement schedule, the two compounds work to provide our bodies with energy and prevent early feelings of fatigue. During a workout, the stress we exert on our bodies and muscles can create a need for quick energy resources to help keep our current pace and stay on target. Creatine [1,2] fills in these gaps by helping to energize our muscles to help prolong and increase performance. Additionally, Creatine is reported to increase the body’s ability to build and retain lean muscle. Caffeine also helps [3,4] to energize our bodies by stimulating different systems of our body to alleviate feelings of fatigue during especially intensive exercise regimens. Caffeine can provide faster reaction time, increased concentration, and boost total time spent in the gym. This combination can help us to meet our fitness and health goals, but as with any supplement, the body requires both adequate hydration during exercise and recovery time to ensure optimum performance of our bodies.

Sources

  1. www.umm.edu
  2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creatine
  3. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12439084
  4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caffeine

Good Pre-Workout Supplements to Enhance Results in the Gym

preworkout520Most athletes or weight training individuals instinctively know that they should take a good pre-workout supplement. But beyond this necessity lies many different questions. For example, many people want to know what are the best supplements to take before a workout are. Other common questions are whether these supplements should be stacked and if it helps to cycle on and off, rotating different types of supplements into your routine. Weight training is something which requires a lot of effort and care in order to achieve your goals.

Planning Your Goals

The answers to anything relating to weight training should start with examining your goals. If you are training to gain size, this will demand a different supplement routine than someone who is looking to get “ripped” or cut.

Despite this, I think that most people would agree on basic ideas about what they are looking to get out of their workout. For example:

• To increase strength and power
• Improve endurance
• Decrease muscular breakdown during training
• Increase energy levels (to allow for more intense training)
• Increase protein synthesis
• Enhance metabolic rate (also improves fat burning)

Best Pre-Workout Supplements

For someone looking to simply to increase size and strength, there is nothing better than some Creatine Monohydrate and Taurine. Both of these are some of the most popular supplements on the market.

With the goal of improving muscle growth and eliminating muscular breakdown, there are some great options. Branched chain amino acids are excellent, since muscle tissue metabolizes them instead of the liver. This leads to a much quicker delivery (which also helps with endurance). Whey protein is also another interesting choice.

There are tons of products on the market that help to increase energy. Even something as simple as caffeine could work. One of the main benefits of Tyrosine supplement is it is a nice option for energy, since it is believed to be a precursor to dopamine and other key neurotransmitters.

As for endurance, the top two supplements are Beta Alanine and Citrulline Malate. These both can help to reduce fatigue and even increase ATP production.

Using These Pre-Workout Supplements

You could simply mix and match any of the supplements listed above. However, stacking is probably the best idea to get consistent results. One possible suggestion would be to pick an item from each category.

It is also very helpful to consider cycling your pre-workout supplements. For example, if you have been taking the same supplement regime for 2 months and start noticing your results stagnating, then take a short one- to two-week break from the supplementation regime. Or, consider switching out some of the supplements for others.

If you follow these tips, you can look forward to a long history of strength and muscle gains as well as improved results. Good luck!