What you drink before a workout can impact your energy and stamina, mental and physical performance, blood flow, and body temperature regulation. Starting a workout properly hydrated can also help reduce your injury risk and improve how well your body recovers after exercise.

One report found that pre-workouts, known as multi-ingredient pre-workout supplements (MIPS), generally appear to be safe. Yet most studies have only assessed short-term use (less than eight weeks), and researchers have concluded that more studies are needed to evaluate long-term safety. Also, some pre-workout supplements have been shown to contain unwanted substances, such as heavy metals, stimulants, harmful chemicals, or hormones.

A study that surveyed people who regularly consume MIPS found that 54% reported various side effects, including skin reactions, nausea, and heart issues. This was particularly true for women, even though they were less likely than men to consume two or more servings of these products.

If you want to skip pre-workout or MIPS for any reason, there are plenty of beverages to enjoy before exercise that may offer nutritional and performance perks.

About 60% of the human body is made of water, and drinking enough water supports healthy hydration, which helps prevent headaches, constipation, urinary tract infections, and kidney stones. You lose water throughout the day through urination, bowel movements, and sweat.

Many factors can influence how much water you need to consume daily, but women generally require about 11.5 cups of total fluids per day, while men need about 15.5 cups. However, foods provide about 20% of daily water needs, which leaves roughly 9 cups per day for women and 13 cups for men.

Exercise increases water needs above your usual baseline due to sweat loss and the need to regulate body temperature. Even mild dehydration (2% of body weight) can lower concentration and alertness, heighten fatigue, and increase perceived effort, which means it feels more difficult to keep going. Proper hydration also plays a key role in exercise-related injury prevention and recovery.

While individual needs may vary, a general recommendation is to drink 16-20 ounces (oz) of water four hours before exercise, 8-12 oz every 15 minutes during exercise, and 16-24 oz for every pound lost after a workout.

If you’re engaging in moderately intense exercise that lasts an hour or less and is not in extreme heat or humidity, water should be adequate to support fluid balance.

Coconut water is the clear fluid found inside young coconuts. This beverage is rich in carbohydrates and contains electrolytes like potassium, magnesium, and sodium.

When you exercise, electrolytes are lost in sweat. Replacing these important minerals helps balance fluid levels in the body, stabilize blood pressure, support muscle and nerve function, and steady heart rhythm. 

Few studies have assessed the effects of coconut water as a pre-exercise drink. One small study compared the effects of coconut water to a sports drink during endurance cycling in 15 men and four women. The athletic performances with coconut water were comparable to those with a sports drink. There were also no significant differences in heart rate and sweat loss measures.

Like water, coconut water may be adequate when exercising moderately for an hour or less in climate-controlled conditions when sweat loss is minimal. The sodium content of coconut water is lower than what is typically recommended post-exercise. For example, one cup of unsweetened coconut water contains 63.7 milligrams (mg) of sodium. Experts recommend choosing a drink that contains 110 mg of sodium per 8 oz to match sodium sweat losses.

You can pair coconut water with a salty pre-workout snack to increase your sodium intake. If your workouts are true sweat sessions, long in duration, or you sweat more than average, talk to your healthcare provider about the best ways to meet your fluid and electrolyte needs, including sodium. 

Coconut water also contains antioxidants, which may help neutralize compounds called reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated during longer or exhaustive workouts. ROS production can lead to tissue stress and damage.

The composition of coconut water products is not standardized, so the nutrition can vary considerably. Some may contain added sodium, sugar, or fruit juice. Check ingredient lists for additional additives.    

There are dozens of sports drinks on the market with numerous ingredients and formulations. Their primary role is to replenish fluid and electrolytes lost in sweat, including sodium, potassium, chloride, and magnesium.

A sports drink may also be sweetened with sugar or non-sugar sweeteners, including cane sugar, monk fruit, stevia, and artificial sweeteners.

Carbohydrates in the form of sugars are used in some sports drinks to provide a fuel source to power continued movement during longer-lasting or intense workouts. Small amounts of sugar can also boost fluid absorption from the gut into the bloodstream to better support hydration.

Consuming carbs rather than water alone can help preserve exercise intensity during workouts that last an hour or longer or are more strenuous. An intake of 30-60 grams (g) of carbs per hour has been shown to help maintain blood sugar levels and sustain athletic performance.

Excessive sodium and added sugar intake are linked to health risks. However, the sodium and sugar combination may be beneficial in a sports drink to support hydration and fluid balance under certain circumstances, such as longer or more intense workouts and periods of sweat loss.

About 75% of adults over 20 years old in the United States drink coffee, and nearly half consume it daily. The beverage has been linked to several health benefits, including reduced disease risk, which are likely tied to the coffee plant’s antioxidant levels and anti-inflammatory effects.

Coffee has also been shown to enhance mood and support brain health, though its caffeine may increase anxiety in some people.

Drinking coffee in the right amount before exercise may improve athletic performance. Effects include improved reaction time and possibly enhanced power and aerobic performance.

A typical pre-workout coffee protocol for athletes is 2-4 cups (approximately 16–32 oz) of brewed medium-roast or reconstituted Arabica instant coffee. The final sip should be consumed about one hour before exercise. The amount varies based on individual sensitivity, body size, and frequency of use.

This is a caffeine equivalent of 3–6 mg per kilogram (kg) of body weight. For example, for an adult weighing 150 pounds (68 kg), that’s 204-408 mg of caffeine. Despite coffee’s reputation as a diuretic (a substance that increases fluid losses), this amount of caffeine isn’t associated with dehydration when consumed pre-exercise. 

For adults without preexisting conditions, experts advise consuming no more than 400 mg of caffeine daily. Otherwise, you may experience side effects like nausea, headache, upset stomach, fast heart rate, anxiousness, and insomnia.

Tea, including green tea, has been used medicinally in Japan and China for thousands of years. Green tea has been shown to possess anti-inflammatory, antiviral, and antibacterial properties and is rich in polyphenol antioxidants. The latter is linked to improved cholesterol, blood pressure, blood sugar regulation, and positive effects on gut bacteria that lead to chronic disease prevention.

Green tea may improve mental alertness. It’s been thought to promote weight loss, but research does not support this claim. Consuming up to 8 cups per day is believed to be safe.

Green tea has been shown to offset oxidative stress, an imbalance between the production of cell-damaging compounds called free radicals and the body’s ability to counter their harm. Prolonged or intense exercise can trigger free radical production, leading to oxidative stress and hindering athletic performance.

Several studies have shown that green tea protects against oxidative stress during and after exercise. It’s also been found to increase fat burning during moderate-intensity activity.

One 8-ounce (oz) cup of green tea generally contains 30-50 mg of caffeine, which is less than coffee. Still, green tea should not be combined with MIPS that contain additional caffeine or other stimulants.

Due to its research-backed effects, beetroot juice (the juice from beets) has become a recommended beverage to support athletic performance. Beetroot juice has been shown to elevate levels of nitric oxide (NO), which increases blood flow, improves oxygen delivery and use, boosts energy production, and strengthens muscle contractions.

One research review found that beetroot juice can improve cardio endurance and increase time to exhaustion, meaning an athlete can exercise longer at a given intensity without the need to stop. 

Another review found that consuming beetroot juice in a single dose or in multiple doses over a few days helped improve performance during intermittent, high-intensity training.

The effects of beetroot juice are seen about 150 minutes (2.5 hours) after consumption, so some experts recommend drinking it at least 90 minutes before exercise, depending on the length of your workout.

The juice also provides a range of minerals, including potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc, and manganese. Plus, beetroot has very high antioxidant activity—which can help protect against exercise-induced oxidative stress.

Beet juice can be made fresh, purchased ready-to-drink, combined with other juices, consumed in the form of concentrated shots, or as powders to be mixed with water.

If you’re new to beetroot juice, start with a small portion to see how your body responds. Drinking beetroot juice can cause your urine or stool to become pink to deep red in color. If you’ve been told to limit very high oxalate foods or are prone to kidney stones, avoid beets and beetroot juice. Using beetroot juice with caffeine can also reduce its effectiveness.

One cup of 100% tomato juice is 95% water, provides just 41 calories, and supplies 170 mg of vitamin C, or 189% of the Daily Value. Vitamin C is needed for repair throughout the body. It helps make collagen to support skin, blood vessels, tendons, and ligaments and helps maintain bones and cartilage.

One study with middle-aged women found that tomato juice consumption increased calorie burning, reduced high triglyceride (blood fat) levels, and helped relieve menopausal symptoms, including anxiety.

As for exercise, a small study found that tomato juice as a pre-workout beverage reduced post-exercise fatigue, which may lower a common barrier to becoming regularly active.

Other research looked at tomato juice consumption during and after exercise. Scientists found that the juice reduced levels of creatinine phosphokinase (CPK) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), markers of exercise-induced muscle damage. These compounds returned to almost normal levels, an effect that wasn’t seen in the control group that didn’t drink tomato juice. C-reactive protein, a marker of inflammation, was also reduced in the tomato juice drinkers.

However, in one of the studies, men and women were asked to drink about 11 oz of tomato juice, which is more than a usual portion (individual cans are typically 5.5 ounces). Also, tomato juice isn’t an optimal beverage for everyone. 

Tomato juice contains FODMAPs, specific carbohydrates that are not fully broken down and absorbed from the digestive tract into the bloodstream. This may cause gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms like bloating for some people, such as people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

Tomato juice may also aggravate gastroesophageal reflux (GERD), a condition in which stomach contents rise up into the esophagus, which leads to heartburn and discomfort.

Pomegranate juice is rich in polyphenol antioxidants. Small preliminary studies have linked the juice to protection against obesity and heart disease as well as healthy blood sugar regulation.

The beverage has been shown to offer anti-inflammatory and antioxidant benefits during and after exercise, improve cardio performance during exercise, and support post-workout recovery. However, these studies were small and used higher serving sizes, about two or more cups daily.

Weight training studies have shown that consuming pomegranate juice a few days before and one hour before exercise improves performance, reduces oxidative stress, and curbs pain. Other research has demonstrated positive effects on muscle soreness and fatigue when consumed pre-exercise.

Studies have used various amounts of pomegranate juice over different time periods, so the most efficient dosing is unknown. If you opt for pomegranate juice pre-workout, keep in mind that one cup provides about 135 calories and is low in sodium, with just 22 mg per 8-oz serving.

Consuming watermelon can contribute to your overall diet quality, increasing intakes of magnesium, potassium, vitamin A, and specific antioxidants like lycopene, beta-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin.

As a juice, drinking about 16 oz one hour before exercise has been associated with reduced muscle soreness. However, research results regarding watermelon juice and exercise performance are mixed with some data showing no impact on endurance.

Watermelon juice is also a high FODMAP food. For people not sensitive to high-FODMAP foods, it can be a refreshing, hydrating beverage as it’s 91% water. An 8-oz portion provides about 20 mg of vitamin C (about 20% of the Daily Value) and just over 70 calories.

Ginger shots have exploded in popularity and are now available in health food stores, mainstream supermarkets, and retail shops. Ginger, which is an herbaceous plant, is known to contain natural anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antibacterial, and antiviral compounds.

Ginger has also been explored as pre-workout. In one study, 36 women were randomly divided into three groups. One group consumed ginger one hour before exercise, another group took it immediately after exercise, and a third group received a placebo.

The results suggested that the equivalent of 2 g of dried ginger powder pre-workout may trigger anti-inflammation and pain-reducing effects post-exercise and improve symptoms of delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). DOMS involves acute inflammation, pain, swelling, and reduced range of motion.

The amount of ginger in various shots and drinks isn’t standardized, so a commercially available shot may not provide the same benefits seen in research. Ginger may also trigger side effects, including digestive discomfort, heartburn, diarrhea, and mouth and throat irritation, particularly if consumed in large doses. Research has shown that consuming more than 6 g of ginger root daily can cause side effects.

Talk to your healthcare provider about if ginger is right for you, pre-workout and otherwise. If you take a small shot before exercise, typically about 2 oz, hydrate properly with water.  

There are many pre-exercise beverages to choose from, with varying levels of nutrients, calories, and research-backed benefits tied to physical activity and health. Water is the ultimate beverage, but water alone isn’t enough to adequately replace electrolytes before, during, and after sweaty workouts.

Some functional drinks beyond water may positively affect exercise performance and recovery. These include coconut water, beet juice, tomato juice, and more. However, these beverages aren’t optimal for everyone. Talk to your healthcare provider for personalized guidance based on your medical history and goals.