Athletes Caffeine Intake During Training
No matter the type of beverage, food, or medication, one thing is shared amongst them all – a hidden ingredient. This can range from a Starbucks Grande Caramel Oat Milk Latte on the way to work, Dairy Milk chocolate at lunch, a glass of soda at dinner, a cup of Earl Grey tea before bed, or a cold and flu tablet taken during the wintertime.
Caffeine! Caffeine is everywhere.
Since its utilization has been documented since the 1500s and an estimated two billion cups of coffee are ingested daily around the world, caffeine is perhaps the most frequently consumed enhancement chemical around the planet.
Following its removal from the prohibited list of the World Anti-Doping Agency in 2004, caffeine usage has pervaded a host of sports ranging from aquatics, athletics, boxing and judo to football and weightlifting. Of these, cycling, athletics and rowing have been identified as the activities with the highest concentration of caffeine revealed through urine tests.
What effects does caffeine have, and is it truly deserving of all the praise it receives?
The most popular way to obtain caffeine is from drinking coffee, but it can also be found in several other edibles and libations, which include black tea, green tea, dark chocolate, yerba maté, energy drinks, and pre-workout health regimens.
It can also be consumed in its purest form as pills, gum, or even a nose spray (really!). No matter what type it is taken as the outcomes will stay basically the same.
How does caffeine work
Before we get into the details, you must comprehend what caffeine is and how it affects the body.
A psychoactive substance, caffeine, has an effect on the brain. Specifically, caffeine is categorized as a stimulant because it boosts the activity of the nervous system and brain.
This clarifies why caffeine is typically associated with an increased level of awake or vigilant sensation.
Adenosine is a molecule whose inhibitory effects can be temporarily blocked by caffeine, an effect which has been studied widely and is widely known. As we perform activities, such as exercise and general thinking, throughout the day, the concentration of adenosine increases in our brain and attaches to certain receptors.
The greater the amount of adenosine attached to the receptors, the more exhausted and sleepy we become, and the more sensitive to discomfort we become. Where does caffeine come into the story?
Caffeine has a construction which is almost identical to adenosine, thus allowing it to attach to the sites where adenosine binds and avoid it being active. Less adenosine = less mental tiredness, and less pain. Sounds promising, right?
The second effect is directly within the muscle itself. For a muscle contraction to occur, calcium must be able to circulate within the muscle cell.
The stimulant effects of caffeine can help speed up the process of muscle contraction and, consequently, increase the power of the contraction. Studies on this result are substantial, yet most experiments performed utilized removed muscle filaments in lab dishes.
This technique permits the administration of a much more potent dose of caffeine than is ordinarily ingested by people. To come to an informed conclusion, further investigation is necessary to determine if this result has any practical application.
Fat burning is the third supposed effect of caffeine. Caffeine can promote the division and supply of triglycerides (stored fat), which in turn, can form free fatty acids that can be utilized as an energy source.
If the body is capable of burning increased amounts of fat, fewer glycogen stores in the muscles will be used, which allows for more carbs to be available at a later point in the workout, thus postponing the start of exhaustion.
Caffeine has an effect on the amounts of catecholamines in the body, which are hormones that contain adrenaline. The hormones involved can also cause triglycerides to be broken down, enabling more free fatty acids to be used as energy.
Studies on whether caffeine has a meaningful effect on fat burning have inconclusive outcomes, and this is especially true when evaluating if it has an impact on athletic capability.
It appears to differ from individual to individual and could likely be attributed to heredity. Any weight-loss advantages are probably minor, even if a few individuals may get benefit from it.
Caffeine as Athletic Performance Enhancers
Results vary immensely in almost all studies done on caffeine.
The results of a meta-analysis drawing upon data from 56-time trials showed that there was up to a 15.9% difference in performance.
The researchers discovered that the beneficial results of the caffeine intake were more prominent when the time trial was of a longer length.
Considering we understand caffeine’s role in alleviating tiredness and discomfort in the brain, it can be assumed that someone who is more physically exerted would suffer from greater exhaustion and ache, thus the reaction to the caffeine would be more profound.
Having strength and stamina in the muscles is essential for activities like rowing and swimming. Studies have revealed that caffeine can free up to a 7% increase in muscular endurance, however, other reports have determined that it is not helpful.
It seems that this is a result of the divergent approaches used in research designs.
Studies examining the effects of caffeine on physical performance are relatively
This is probably valid for athletes who engage in powerlifting and weightlifting; such athletes incorporate caffeine more than most.
It appears that aerobic activities of longer and shorter durations are most likely to experience an enhancement in performance due to caffeine intake, while sports with a major focus on explosive power may receive a lesser degree of benefit.
The most minimal impact appears to be observed in repeated bursts of speed, as is usually the case in many team sports. Regarding group sports, there is a substantial factor of cognitive ability and psychological strain, beyond just the strictly physical elements that we have already highlighted.
The overwhelming majority of studies on the effects of caffeine and fatigue on cognitive abilities have been conducted within the military environment, which is understandable given that the performance and safety of those serving are at stake.
The primary result of those studies is that caffeine could be beneficial for improving focus and awareness during periods when one is not getting enough rest or is under a lot of pressure.
Based on the available studies, passing accuracy and agility could potentially be improved when exercising with caffeine; however, the International Society of Sport Nutrition has concluded that sleep is more beneficial than caffeine.
When it is not possible to get a full night of rest, consuming caffeine might lend a slight boost.
Caffeine During Exercise
When starting to work out your caffeine needs during exercise, you’ve got two major variables to play with:
- Amount of caffeine
- Timing of caffeine
It is recommended that you adjust the amount and timing of caffeine you consume based on the length of your workout or competition. To account for this, we’ve broken our advice down across several time brackets:
Exercise duration: 0-3 hours
If you have abided by the instructions for consuming caffeine before exercising (which is 3-6mg of caffeine per kilogram (1.4-2.7mg per pound) of one’s body weight inside of 60 minutes ahead of beginning), then basically this magnitude ought to still be in your metabolism by the conclusion of a competition lasting 0-3 hours, considering that caffeine typically has a half-life of around 4-5 hours.
It is commonly accepted that it is beneficial for athletes who are participating in extended performances, such as a marathon or a triathlon over an Olympic distance, to drink caffeinated beverages during the latter parts of their time competing.
It is unknown to what degree this is due to an individual’s psychology rather than an actual performance-enhancing effect. So, some experimentation with this approach is recommended.
How to use caffeine during exercise lasting 0-3 hours
Most athletes should have some caffeine in the hour leading up to physical activity. One may want to take in 100-200mg of PF 30 Caffeine Gels either 1 or 2 times during exercise.
One should bear in mind that it will take a minimum of 15 minutes for the body to absorb caffeine. Consequently, the highest quantity of caffeine in the bloodstream won’t occur until 45 to 60 minutes post-consumption.
Eating it too late won’t provide any benefit before the finish line, which could be disappointing unless you want a boost of energy to dance after crossing!
Make sure to drink your coffee roughly 45 to 60 minutes before when you want to take full advantage of the benefits it can provide in terms of improved performance.
An example
Malcolm Hicks achieved a 2:23 marathon during the Tokyo Olympics and ingested 200mg of caffeine tablets at the later portion of the race.
Exercise duration: 3-5 hours
For races that last longer, it may be beneficial to consume 3-6mg of caffeine per kg of body mass within the hour leading up to the activity (which works out to be 1.4-2.7mg per pound).
You should continually advantage of adding on “top-ups”, using either small doses of about 50 milligrams routinely or bigger amounts of around 100 milligrams less often. This can assist in preventing both mental and physical exhaustion as the amount of your pre-race dose starts to decrease.
The amount of time caffeine stays in your system is estimated to be 4-5 hours, depending on how quickly your body processes it. By replenishing your caffeine levels periodically, you can try to maintain the benefits of having had caffeine before the race.
How to use caffeine during exercise lasting 3-5 hours
It is suggested to take in around 3-6mg of caffeine per kilogram of body weight (1.4-2.7mg per lb) to perform optimally during an event lasting three to five hours. This includes the caffeine dose that you should have previously taken within the hour before beginning the physical exercise.
For a person weighing 70kg (150lbs) who is an athlete, the recommended daily dosage of medicine should be somewhere around 200-400 milligrams.
The type of caffeine you consume during exercise appears to be not especially vital, although caffeinated gum is digested more quickly (around 20 minutes) and may be preferred if a quick boost is needed.
Our research with 15 highly skilled middle-distance triathletes revealed an average caffeine intake of 3.5mg/kg of body weight, with a spread ranging anywhere from 0.67 to 6.25mg/kg. The typical amount of time spent racing for these people was around 4 hours and 8 minutes.
Studies have looked into larger dosages than 6 mg/kg body weight and have revealed that some individuals may be able to tolerate between 9 to 12 mg/kg. However, it does not seem to boost an athlete’s performance more than a lower dosage would.
If you’re sensitive to caffeine, it may just take a small amount (something like 1-3 mg/kg) to generate the energizing impacts caffeine has; consequently, it is suggested that you test and experiment with various quantities when exercising to determine what works best for you.
Exercise duration: 5-12 hours
For extended periods, the suggestion to intake 3-6mg of caffeine per kilogram of body weight may not be as helpful.
This is because the regulations do not take into account the extensive length of time in which all of the caffeine consumed before and early on in the race would be wholly processed. You need to consume a greater quantity to stay on top of your caffeine needs during the competition.
How to use caffeine during events lasting 5-12 hours
During the cycling part of a triathlon, you could eat two to three servings of PF 30 Caffeine Gels (with 100 milligrams of caffeine each) and then routinely drink sips of cola for the running section.
In our studies of triathlon athletes competing in long-distance events, the amount of caffeine consumed by the more accomplished athletes (average race duration of 9 hours and 45 minutes), the average caffeine intake was 6.48 mg/kg (n=9, range; 0.68-11.31 mg/kg). This group of athletes should be considered as ‘elite’.
Exercise duration: 12+ hours
For races that last for an extensive amount of time, it can be advantageous to consume caffeine at the end (particularly during the night) when circadian patterns can hinder one’s performance due to weariness and exhaustion.
It may not be necessary to drink coffee before engaging in activities that require a lot of stamina.
It may be beneficial to hold off on excess caffeine before a race, such as avoiding a second cup of coffee before you leave. This can help you avert any withdrawal symptoms and also make sure you get the most from your caffeine intake closer to the start of the race.
A single study illustrated that taking caffeine intentionally when tired or exhausted mentally improved endurance time by around 14 per cent. The evidence from this single study suggests that using caffeine wisely can help to fight fatigue.
Caffeine is particularly beneficial when dealing with your internal biorhythm of sleeping and waking, especially when you find yourself staying awake overnight and may experience a drop in performance.
Rather than taking small amounts of caffeine during a long-term exercise session that lasts for more than 12 hours, it is better to wait until your mental exhaustion or exhaustion is at its greatest, especially when going through the later stages and overnight.
Taking a greater amount (roughly 200mg) could cause a more intense effect and could be useful in managing the ill effects of not getting enough sleep.
Since long-distance running events normally last for twelve to twenty-four hours, the amount of medication consumed by an individual during this period could surpass the recommended 3-6 milligrams per kilogram of body weight.
