Coffee Enhances Performance
Written by Holden Rethwill
Raise your hand if you’re someone who doesn’t want anyone to talk to them until you’ve had your morning cup of coffee. I’m raising my hand as I type this (let me say, typing with one hand is not as easy as it may seem). For the millions of us who fall into this category, did you know that coffee, if used correctly, can be one of the most powerful pre-workout and performance enhancers out there?
Think about it…how many fillers and added products go into a typical pre-workout supplement? Too many to count. How many of those are actually aiding your performance? Or how many of them are just claiming to do so?
One thing is for certain.
Caffeine works…There’s a reason too much caffeine can cause someone to fail a urine sample.
On top of it’s powerful stimulation properties, there’s nothing added! No, I’m not talking about those fancy pumpkin spice latte drinks that Starbucks made famous. I’m talking about straight up black coffee taken in the right amount.
If caffeine is taken at the right time, in the right dosage before a workout – and monitored outside of training – it can be one of the most powerful performance enhancers on the planet.
How much should I drink before a workout?
This does vary somewhat person to person depending on caffeine sensitivity, but the typical sweet spot, according to Men’s Health, is somewhere around 3mg of caffeine per kg of bodyweight (this typically comes to between 100-300 milligrams of caffeine), drank around an hour of your physical activity. This is right around one cup of coffee. However, not all “cups” of coffee are created equal. According to an article from the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a Starbucks Blonde Roast can run upwards of 475mg! (Click the link to the article to see caffeine contents for other common coffees and teas).
Where a lot of people aren’t doing themselves a favor is consuming multiple cups of coffee, two, or three, or more, times a day. This limits their caffeine sensitivity, and numbs them to the positive side effects of caffeine. Properly managed, however, caffeine can be the key to unlocking your inner super human!
What are the benefits of caffeine?
An article from healthline.com discusses the wide range of benefits in different areas of exercise ranging from endurance training to strength training. But these benefits don’t stop there. Caffeine can aid in a multitude of areas all the way from cognitive function, to disease prevention! We can get into that another time, for now we’ll stick to the benefits provided for exercise. Some of them are as follows:
* Improved energy and focus
* Reduced tiredness
* Delayed fatigue
* Increased levels of epinephrine in the blood (adrenaline)
* Increases in thermogenesis (heat production that helps burn calories)
* Overall increased performance
And the list goes on.
If you’re someone who is all about the latest and greatest pre-workout supplements. I urge you to give coffee a shot. Brew a cup of coffee 30 minutes prior to your workout and let me know how it goes. If all else fails, at least your wallet will be happier!
Also Check Out…
Pre-Workout Coffee Recipe For Early Morning Exercisers
The Complete List Of Recommended Supplements
World Anti Doping Agency Removes CBD From 2018 List Of Prohibited Substance