How to use caffeine effectively?
Consuming caffeine an hour before exercise helps increase exercise performance, or drinking it when waking up improves performance during the day.
For two years, Steph Gaudreau (San Diego, USA) abstained from drinking coffee every day. She switched to herbal teas for strength in the domestic dirt bike race and had a cup of coffee during the warm-up. Gaudreau said feeling more refreshed, focused and mentally prepared for the race.
Caffeine is the world's most widely consumed and most studied psychostimulant. Scientists have been looking at the effects of caffeine on athletes since the 1900s. Although there is still some disagreement about how caffeine affects exercise performance, scientists agree on a cup of coffee. Pre-exercise can significantly improve exercise performance. People just need to be aware of the harmful effects of caffeine as well as the dose used.
Caffeine improves exercise performance by an average of 2 to 5%, moderately improving shorter, high-intensity activities such as weight lifting, sprinting, and high-intensity interval training. The greatest benefit of caffeine lies in aerobic activities (lower intensity, longer exercise) such as swimming, cycling, and jogging.
For example, a 2020 analysis of multiple studies on the effects of caffeine on rowing found that athletes improved their time at 2,000 meters when using caffeine.
The body's response to caffeine varies from person to person, depending on factors such as genetics, gender, hormonal activity, and diet. Some notice a performance improvement of over 5%, while others may see nothing.
Drinking coffee an hour before exercise or work boosts performance. Photo: Channel News Asia
The effects of caffeine on the nervous system begin with adenosine. Adenosine is a neurotransmitter that binds to specific receptors and makes people feel sleepy. Caffeine binds to the same receptors, blocking the action of adenosine, creating a stimulant effect, releasing dopamine and epinephrine associated with mood, focus, and alertness.
Some studies have shown that caffeine also helps muscles produce more force. The body needs calcium to initiate muscle contraction, and caffeine helps mobilize calcium ions to interact more with muscle fibers.
Studies show that ideal muscle performance is in the range of 1.4 to 2.7 mg per 0.4 kg of body mass. For example, a cup of coffee about 240 ml has about 100 mg of caffeine (may vary depending on the type of coffee and brewing method). Two cups of coffee will be suitable for a person weighing 68 kg, which can vary depending on the body of each person. Once you have a specific amount of coffee, you should drink it about an hour before exercise to allow the body to absorb the caffeine.
You should avoid consuming caffeine when exercising late in the day as it can disrupt sleep. When you don't get a good night's sleep, caffeine-induced exercise performance is lost. Caffeine also has other side effects for some people, including nervousness, anxiety, and increased blood pressure. If caffeine is causing trouble sleeping , you should consume about 8 to 12 hours before sleep.
Consuming coffee on a daily basis also doesn't reduce the effects, so you don't have to abstain just to focus on your workout. If people abstain from coffee, people may experience side effects such as headaches, fatigue and impaired concentration, affecting later training sessions.
For those who aren't competitive athletes, the benefits of caffeine could be going to the gym more. If your morning cup of coffee helps you get out of bed, it should be maintained to improve performance.
Regarding the type of caffeine, you can use tea or coffee depending on your taste. In particular, people should drink coffee with milk, because milk helps balance the acidic pH of coffee. Black coffee is said to contain a lot of caffeine, drinking too much will make it difficult for the body to absorb minerals from the diet such as iron, calcium and zinc; It also affects the sleep cycle.
If the body is lactose intolerant , you can drink more diluted coffee to reduce the caffeine concentration. In addition, do not drink hot coffee because it can irritate the esophagus.