Recently, we dove into why kratom makes a great natural pre workout. The next step is figuring out the best way to use kratom for working out.
Kratom tea has been used for centuries (possibly even millennia) to help physical laborers with their work. So using kratom tea to complete great workout only makes sense! Of course, kratom tea has historically been used as a necessary tool to earn a living. From the traditional perspective, drinking kratom tea to grind in the gym might seem like a 180…
Yet, while we grapple with our mostly sedentary Western lifestyles, why not try to dovetail traditional wisdom with our daily hour of working out? Drinking kratom tea during a workout is one small step towards choosing whole foods over powders and potions. Let’s go over the basics of working out with kratom, then warm up our bodies – and some tea – and crush a workout!
How is Kratom Tea Traditionally Used?
Kratom is the name of both the plant and the leaf from the Mitragynia speciosa tree. In Thailand, kratom has a history dating back to the 1600s, and some even suggest that kratom was used for thousands of years before it appeared in written historical records.
Since kratom is a naturally growing tree, people first started consuming kratom by plucking leaves off the tree, and then chewing them.
Kratom has been used frequently because a small amount of kratom has energizing properties. Like our beloved cup of coffee, people drink kratom tea for a boost at work. Many Thai farmers will start their day with a cup of kratom tea and then chew leaves or drink tea periodically throughout the day.
Kratom and Physical Labor
Kratom is a tree that only grows in tropical regions. As you can imagine, that means it’s hot out! Putting in long, hard days under the sun in a tropical environment is exhausting.
Farmers routinely work 12 hour days, which is a testament to both their will power and the efficacy of kratom tea. If kratom can help Thai farmers grind out a day of labor, then kratom tea can give your workout a boost!
When to Drink Kratom Tea Before Working Out?
We recommend that you drink your kratom tea about 30 minutes before you want to workout. Drink your tea an hour before your workout if you’ve eaten within the last two hours.
Kratom tea is the best way to consume kratom, because the active alkaloids are extracted from the leaf and move into the water. By drinking kratom tea, you avoid having to digest the leaf material, which is known for occasionally leading to upset stomachs.
Stay Hydrated!
Exercising typically dehydrates you. You should always drink water when working out. The necessity of drinking water while working out, only rises in importance when you use kratom tea as a pre workout. Like coffee, kratom is a diuretic, which means you urinate more when you drink it.
Avoid any of the symptoms of dehydration such as dizziness or dry mouth by simply increasing your intake of water. Sure, you’ll hit the restroom a bit more often, but your fitness will be better for it!
How Much Kratom Tea Should I Drink Before Working Out?
Kratom tea has a fascinating range of effects. When you only drink a little bit of tea (one or two tea bags) you will likely experience an energizing effect. When you drink more kratom tea, the effect switches. It can be calming and lead to a general feeling of wellness and relaxation throughout your body.
Since you will want to be motivated to give your best effort during your workout, you should try to drink the least amount of kratom tea that still gives you effects.
If you drink too much kratom tea before you work out, you may be at risk of dulling your awareness of how much you are taxing your muscles. Working out is all about being in touch with your body. Losing this connection by accidentally drinking too much kratom tea can lead to you pushing yourself too hard without realizing it.
You will definitely feel it the next day. With luck, you’ll only be extra sore. However, it is very possible that you may push yourself to the point of injury without realizing it.
What this word of caution means in practice: drink your kratom tea in moderation, and start slowly with only one or two tea bags.
Prep Tea in Under 3 Minutes
Don’t want to have a hot drink during your workout? Need to hit the gym right after you wake up, and don’t have time to brew tea? We get it!
Tips for speeding up your morning and staying cool during your workout:
- Brew your tea overnight
- Use a vacuum-sealed thermos
- Make iced tea
Turn on the electric kettle and pop your tea bag and some lemon juice into a thermos. Add the boiling water, cap it, and go! We’ve timed ourselves, and we can prep tea in under 3 minutes!
Your tea can then steep in the hot water for about 20 minutes while you’re making breakfast or commuting to the gym.
Overnight brew: Want to make your mornings even easier? Add your tea to your thermos the night before you want to drink it, then grab it and go in the morning. This is especially helpful if your trip to the gym is short and you want to have some time between drinking your tea and starting your workout.
Iced kratom tea: Making iced tea is easiest if you brew your tea overnight, because it has time to cool. That way, when you add ice to your tea in the morning, you won’t need as much, and it won’t become very diluted. Worst case scenario: more diluted tea means more hydration!
Best Kratom Strains for Working Out
Kratom strains are a mixed lot, and don’t have much consistency between batches. This is because the potency and effect of the kratom leaf is largely dependent upon how and where it was grown. Still, there are some consistent facets of kratom strains that can guide you to finding your best match.
Kratom is divided into several sub-categories. There is only one kratom species: Mitragyna speciosa. All kratom comes from this plant. The first sub-categorization of kratom is the vein color.
There are three vein colors, which are dependent upon factors such as the age of the leaf, when it was picked, and how it was left to dry after being picked. These vein colors are white, green, and red. Any other vein colors that you see when browsing for kratom are usually the result of vendors mixing these three vein types.
The next kratom subcategory is the strain. Strains are categorized by the region that the kratom came from. For example, White Thai is a white vein tea from kratom trees that originated in Thailand. Though the kratom trees the tea was made with might not have been grown in Thailand, the trees are assumed to be related to Thai trees originally. This explanation of strains has loosened over time as growing kratom trees becomes more widespread and commercialized.
Within strains, there are different cultivars, which can yield different alkaloids ratios and types.
There is a lot of misinformation out there regarding kratom strains. Check out this blog post on the myth of kratom strains for more information.
White Vein for Stamina
Our favorite types of kratom for working out are the white vein teas. White vein kratom is renowned for being energizing.
Many people say that they can replace their daily coffee with white vein kratom tea.
It’s great for focus, motivation, and that extra little boost of power to grind out an extra set. White vein kratom leads the recommendations for the best natural pre-workout.
Green for Strength
While white vein kratom is usually the best kratom type for working out, many people report having excellent results after drinking green vein kratom tea. The green veins are the most balanced type of kratom.
They fall somewhere in between red and white veins. They can be calming and centering, while still energizing. Green vein teas give you the focus you need to nail your workout.
Since green vein kratom tea also has red vein qualities, we recommend drinking even less green vein kratom tea than you would white vein. This way, you won’t accidentally lose your mind-muscle connection and push yourself too hard without realizing it.
You may think that we would not recommend red vein kratom for working out. For the most part, you guessed correctly.
Some people do report great success with using red vein kratom as a natural pre workout. However, most find that white and green are better.
Red vein kratom tea can still have a place in your gym bag, though…
Red for Recovery
After a hard workout, especially one day later, soreness can slow you down from doing your daily tasks. A nice cup of red vein kratom tea is a great way to promote a general feeling of wellness and avoid any disruption of your routine due to soreness.
Early Popularity of Kratom with Bodybuilders
Before kratom really kicked off in the United States, it had early popularity on bodybuilding forums. It was touted for its energizing effects, along with loads of other benefits.
If you go through the old forum conversations, you’ll notice how drastically the price has gone down since 2005. In 2005 dollars, 50 grams of kratom powder cost $159.99! In contrast, you can get 42 grams of premium kratom in tea bag form for just $19 today.
