How Coffee Can Enhance Your Physical Performance

Coffee has been the popular choice for starting the day off, but can it also be used for physical activities like working out? For some people, the boost from caffeine found in coffee gives them a great energy source to fuel their gym sessions.

Which is better, Coffee or Pre-Workout?

Instead of spending money on expensive pre-workout powders, you could just grab a cup of coffee to get the same energising effects. Your local supplement store is full of colourful powders, but why not keep it simple and natural by simply reaching for your favourite brew?

Coffee is a preferred choice of trainers and athletes as compared to pre-workout supplements due to the fact that they both contain the same active component, which is caffeine. Scientifically, it's been established that caffeine can enhance athletic performance when taken along with food. It's found to be particularly helpful in activities that last between 5-20 minutes and require immense effort. 

Coffee doesn't contain additional additives, like some pre-workout supplements might. This means you can be sure you're getting pure coffee and no additional ingredients like beta-alanine and creatine. So if you're looking for a pure drink before exercise, coffee is the way to go!

Best time to drink caffeine before a workout?

It turns out that you should drink your cup of coffee roughly 45 minutes prior to working out if you want to capitalise on its energising effects. So the answer to when is the best time for a caffeinated boost? Not too long after you finish that cup!

Although you may get a jolt of energy soon after you take a drink, your body may still be absorbing the caffeine. Coffee may take a bit of time to kick in, but it's definitely worth the wait. As soon as it reaches your bloodstream, caffeine has a half-life - meaning that it'll be burned through in five to six hours - and this is what wakes you up. During this period, you will experience the stimulating effects of the chemical on your body.

To get the most out of that caffeine kick, it is important to know when its effects will peak. This means understanding how long it will take before your body begins to feel all the benefits of having consumed caffeine.

Research has found that caffeine builds up to its peak level of concentration in your body after about 45 minutes. From there, the amount of caffeine in your system gradually decreases, leading to a reduction in its effects. Timing your caffeine intake with your workout can maximise its effects on your performance. Consuming a cup of caffeine approximately 45 minutes prior to hitting the weights will enable you to reap the most benefits of its energising effects.

What is the best coffee for working out?

The amount of caffeine doesn't make any difference here. Whether you're drinking a typical cup of drive through services coffee or a highly concentrated one such as Red On! the outcome is the same.

At the 45-minute mark, caffeine saturation is at its highest. However, you should not exceed 400 milligrams of caffeine in a day- equivalent to 4 cups of coffee. As long as you don't use pre-workout as your fifth cup, then everything's fine...