The Coffee Guide for Lifters
Coffee is such a magnificent beverage, as a Frenchman, I am happy that it is so prevalent in our culture!
As with everything, there are downsides, but if your consumption is not too high, the positives definitely outweigh the disadvantages.
Indeed, you can build dependence, and your heart rate and anxiety might increase a bit.
But also, you will have energy levels that will be higher than ever before, your attention is going to be better than ever, and your dopamine receptors will make you feel like everything in life has value, etc.
It helps me tremendously during my work, working on Excel spreadsheets all day long is great, I love it!
But it also takes a lot out of me, surprisingly, and to perform my best during my evening workout, coffee is a must.
Studies have consistently shown that the benefits are consistent across different dosages and individuals (PubMed) (Stronger by Science).
Your workout performance is going to increase, no matter your goal!
Whether you want to increase your power, strength, endurance, or muscle size, all kinds of training will be better with some caffeine in you (Stronger by Science) (PubMed).
These effects are due to caffeine’s impact on the central nervous system (PubMed).
There also seems to be a consensus that caffeine is best taken 30 to 60 minutes before your workout (Stronger by Science) (PubMed).
This is particularly useful for people who work out in the morning!
That being said, for people like me, who work out in the evening, it can definitely impact your sleep.
The half-life of coffee is 8 hours, my rule is to stop drinking coffee after 2 PM.
So, I try to get my coffee as close to my workout as I can while following my rule.
Performance is important, but you can also use your willpower to push harder!
This is not the case for a lack of sleep, you can’t convince yourself that you are well-rested.
The optimal dose of caffeine seems to be 3–6 mg/kg from various sources like coffee and gels (Stronger by Science) (PubMed).
Main takeaways:
- Coffee enhances energy, attention, and dopamine levels.
- Caffeine boosts workout performance by improving power, strength, endurance, and muscle size.
- Optimal caffeine intake: 3–6 mg/kg, 30–60 minutes before exercise.
- Avoid caffeine after 2 PM to prevent sleep disturbances.
- The benefits of caffeine are due to its impact on the central nervous system.
Now that you know all of this, apply this knowledge and let’s enjoy the gains!
Work hard and reap the reward!
