The Pre-Workout Shot That Actually Works

Most pre-workout rituals are more habit than evidence. This one has a decade of research behind it, and it costs about as much as a bottle of juice.

Drink roughly 400-500ml of beetroot juice, or a concentrated ~70ml nitrate shot, about 2 to 3 hours before a training session or endurance effort. That window matters: it's how long your body needs to convert dietary nitrate into nitric oxide, which improves oxygen efficiency in working muscle and pushes back the point where you hit exhaustion during sustained effort.

What the Research Found

A 2021 meta-analysis pooling 73 separate studies found nitrate supplementation improved power output and extended time-to-exhaustion by an average of about 25 seconds. That's a real, measurable effect, though a modest one, and it isn't evenly distributed: recreational exercisers doing longer efforts see the biggest benefit, while elite endurance athletes, whose bodies are already efficient at producing nitric oxide, see less of a boost.

How to Use It

Timing is the part people get wrong. Necking a shot 10 minutes before you walk into the gym misses the window entirely, since your body hasn't had time to convert the nitrate yet. Build it into your pre-session routine the same way you'd plan a meal: 2-3 hours out, so it's already working by the time you pick up a weight.

Sources and references

• Gao Z, et al. (2021), Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 18:55. A meta-analysis of 73 studies on dietary nitrate supplementation and exercise performance. PMID: 34243756

This is general information, not individual medical or sports-nutrition advice. Check with a doctor before adding supplements if you have a health condition or take medication.