The 5 Benefits of Beetroot Juice As Pre-Workout

Wondering how to improve your stamina and endurance, increase muscle power and boost your cardiovascular health? Think red because those are some of the many benefits of beetroot juice as a pre-workout!

 

Eating specific meals, aka pre-workout food, is an everyday staple among athletes. The purpose of pre-workout nutrition is simple: to give the right kind of fuel your body will need to match the physical activity. 

Popular pre-workout foods include bananas, oats, fruit, and yogurt. But benefits of beetroot juice as a pre-workout food cannot be overlooked. Beetroot is full of iron, calcium, folate (vitamin B9), and the phytochemical betalain. These nutrients make beetroot health benefits amazing – and help you get the most out of your workout.

Usually, people take their pre-workout nutrition about an hour or so before exercise, but beetroot juice takes 2-3 hours to fuel your body. However, consistent intake of beetroot juice can have lasting health benefits too, especially strengthening your cardiovascular health. 

The Nutrients in Beets

The beetroot, aka red beet, garden beet, and table beet, is a root vegetable notorious for its red pigment that stains teeth and carpets with ease.

But like with many superfoods, the beet’s strong pigment is a good sign. It points to a veggie, fruit, or root full of nutrients and phytochemicals.

Packed with essential nutrients, beetroot juice is an excellent source of:

• manganese
• iron
• vitamin C
• folate (vitamin B9)
• calcium
• phytochemicals betalains with powerful anti-inflammatory properties

However, beets have one more trick up their sleeves. Beets are a rich source of inorganic nitrate, which is one of the main reasons athletes seek beetroot juice. Nitrates are the reason why beets are so good for blood flow and pressure, and in a way, athletic performance. Athletes and fitness enthusiasts alike turn to beetroot juice for their pre-workout food needs, whether for competition or a simple run around the field.

Don’t Forget Beets are Sweet

Everything in moderation – the saying rings true for most foods and drinks out there, including beetroots too.

Keep in mind that beets have a high sugar content, ranking as one of the most sugary vegetables out there. With 8-10% carbohydrates, of which at least 70% are glucose and fructose – you should be mindful and portion beets well.

A single serving of beets is about 1 cup or 135 grams – one medium-sized beet per meal.

With fruit and veggie juices, it’s often easy to consume more calories than we truly need. Read the label on your favorite juice, or even better, juice your own beetroots in a juicer to keep your sugar intake in check.

 

The Top 5 Benefits of Beetroot Juice before Exercise

1. Lowers Blood Pressure

Medical studies confirm that beetroot and beetroot juice can improve blood pressure levels. This is mainly attributed to its nitric oxide content, which is known to dilate blood vessels. 

This is particularly important in athletes who are prone to blood pressure spikes or those afflicted with mild hypertension.

Drinking beetroot juice 2-3 hours before a workout session or competition can significantly decrease the risk of elevated blood pressure levels.

2. Increases Nitric Oxide Levels

Speaking of nitric oxide, beetroot is one of the few vegetables with an abundance of this wonderful molecule. It’s wonderful because of its power to enhance overall exercise performance, and improve endurance during strenuous physical activity.

One particular study focused on cycling performance where nine amateur cyclists participated. The study focused on testing whether drinking beetroot juice before cycling would improve the trial time of each athlete.

The study concluded that a single dose, consisting of 70 mL, of beetroot juice improved the nine amateur athletes’ cycling times by almost two minutes.

3. Improves Muscle Blood Flow

As beetroot juice helps relax blood vessels and lower blood pressure, it improves blood flow towards the muscles.

Increasing blood flow brings enhanced performance, more endurance, and less fatigue or at least a delayed response to fatigue.

A study that utilized pomegranate extract confirms how supplying the body with nitric oxide, which is heavily present in beetroot juice, can effectively delay and reduce fatigue during training if consumed as a pre-workout food.

This can effectively translate to more reps, heavier lifts, or farther distances covered faster when running or cycling. Simply relaxing the blood vessels can increase muscle strength, growth, and endurance, and it’s all thanks to beetroot juice.

4. Boosts Stamina

One of the popular benefits of beetroot juice is how it can increase stamina. In conjunction with how it can delay the body’s response to fatigue, consuming beetroot juice before training can boost your energy, especially with recreational athletes.

Nitrate supplementation, whether through food or pills, can give a moderate improvement in constant load time to exhaustion tasks. It doesn’t bring revolutionary results, but it will give you a little boost and nourish your body with nutrients that are hard to find even in other healthy vegetables.

With regular use, even elite athletes can reap the performance-enhancing benefits of beetroot juice as pre-workout food.

5. Protects Against Inflammation

When you train, it’s not easy to avoid injuries, no matter how hard you try. If you do get injured, usually inflammation occurs. If your injury starts swelling, your body’s dealing with inflammation. While mild inflammation is a sign of the recovery process, sometimes the body overreacts and causes discomfort.

Betaine is a phytonutrient that is naturally found in beetroot, and very few other plants. This chemical helps protect enzymes, cells, and proteins from environmental stress while also having anti-inflammatory properties. It can help reduce exaggerated inflammation during injuries and improve the body’s overall health.

Dealing with inflammation? Along with beets, CurcumaPRO can be a great addition to your diet and supplement routine.

Beetroot Juice, Concentrate, or Powder?

So, we established that beetroots are a veritable superfood that everyone should include in their diet at least occasionally.

But, if you’re not a fan of the earthy munch, you can get most of the same benefits with beetroot juice and smoothies. The only thing you’ll be missing out on are the fibers – most of which get destroyed when you juice or blend your plants.

• Multiple studies that confirm the benefits of beetroot juice cited obtaining it through conventional juicing. We recommend using a masticating juicer instead of a centrifugal one – while slower, masticating (or cold press) juicers preserve more of the nutrients.
• Spice up your beetroot smoothie or juice by combining beets with apples, carrots (known as ABC juice), lemons, or bananas. Don’t forget to eat your plants whole too – it’ll keep your digestive tract in check!

Juicing beets every day can end up time-consuming and messy. Alternatives in the form of beetroot extract powder and concentrates are now widely available in the market and can improve your athletic performance with the added benefit of convenience. Beetroot juice concentrates have been shown to replicate the effect of fresh juice, particularly when it comes to athletic performance.

Drink Up, It’s Red and Tasty

Nature is amazing – and even the humblest plants come with many health benefits and nourishing chemicals. Folk medicine suspected it for a long time, and science confirmed it: beetroot juice is a great, nourishing drink that will help your body deal with the physical activities ahead. It can improve athletic performance, reduce inflammation, and provide a whole roster of nutrients for the body.

For training or competition, consuming beetroot juice will help you get stronger and faster.

References:

• Anti-inflammatory activity of betalains: A comprehensive review. Human Nutrition & Metabolism. 2021
• Effect of beetroot juice on lowering blood pressure in free-living, disease-free adults: a randomized, placebo-controlled trial. Nutr J. 2012
• Acute blood pressure lowering, vasoprotective, and antiplatelet properties of dietary nitrate via bioconversion to nitrite. Hypertension. 2008
• Dietary nitrate supplementation and exercise performance. Sports Med. 2014
• A single dose of beetroot juice enhances cycling performance in simulated altitude. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2014
• Effects of pomegranate extract on blood flow and running time to exhaustion. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2014
• The effect of nitrate supplementation on exercise performance in healthy individuals: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2013
• The potential benefits of red beetroot supplementation in health and disease. Nutrients. 2015
• Effect of beetroot juice supplementation on aerobic response during swimming. Nutrients. 2014