I've always used a mix of three things:
- 8oz cup of Illex Guayusa tea. Guayusa is a tree native to the upper Amazon. It contains the average amount of caffeine as a cup of coffee (80-110mg). Also, Guayusa is loaded with polyphenols, trace minerals and all 15 essential amino acids. For me personally it's offered a nice, smooth, not-too-jittery level of energy. Guayusa also contains theobromine, an xanthine alkaloid (found in cacao/chocolate) - a blood vessel widener and heart stimulant. It's been used by indigenous hunters of the Amazonian rainforest for ages.
- 2g of Cordyceps sinensis. A high altitude parasitic fungus that takes over species of ghost moths in the high altitude regions throughout Asia. They've been a staple of chinese medicine for ages. Cordyceps were also found to be used in the 1992 olympics, and soon thereafter banned due to their purported athletic enhancement. Cordyceps sinensis can greatly increase respiratory function, heart function, and most noticeably cellular oxygen uptake (by 40% in several studies). In my experience any form of strenuous activity - taking 2g 40 or so minutes before working out has greatly increased my overall output while reducing muscular fatigue. Im able to dig into my sets for longer periods of time.
- 4-5g of L-Arginine powder. An essential amino acid. It's found in alot of different foods, but many people supplement it in the multiple gram range through pure powder form. It's most prevalant effect is relaxing the blood vessel walls through the production of nitric oxide. This allows load to be taken off the heart, helping the various arteries, and also allowing more blood/nutrients to be shuttled to muscles during exercise pre/during/post; also visually - it greatly increases the 'pump' you get during an intense bout of exercise also. Another effect that's been noted is the increased removal of waste products from the kidneys through continual supplementation.
These 3 supplements i've taken for a number of years. They've never failed to deliver as far as a solid, linear bosot in performance goes. Im not a huge proponent of the high sugar, high filler, high caffeine/stimulant content of most pre workout supplements, as in the long run those aren't too positive for the body.
