Caffeine For Athletes Training
Athletes in various sports opt to take caffeine as a supplement due to its demonstrated impact on performance (accepted by the World Anti-Doping Agency in 2004).
Does the use of this particular supplement help athletic performance in terms of endurance? Is it being utilized correctly by athletes? Should you be adding caffeine to your diet if you haven’t been using it already?
Caffeine’s Drawbacks and Benefits
For many people, a beverage that contains caffeine is the only thing that helps them positively launch the day.
Andy Blow, the person behind Precision Fuel & Hydration, had a moment where he hastily went to a coffee drive-through in the wee hours of the morning and requested a double shot of Americano even though it was past the shop’s closing time.
It was obvious that Andy was aiming to receive a quick lift before he started his morning jog, as he usually wakes up early to go running.
Andy doesn’t stand alone in relying on coffee for an energy boost as caffeine is a stimulant that can increase awareness and lessen the feeling of tiredness. Additionally, it can speed up fat burning which may keep the muscles energized and postpone fatigue.
That said, caffeine does have its pitfalls. Incorrect use of the medication, specifically the amount taken, could potentially lead to unwanted side effects such as jitteriness, headaches, digestive distress, and frequent urination.
In terms of results, adrenaline can be intensified, heartbeat increased, and a feeling of anxiety can be magnified before a competition.
Researchers at the University of Northumbria made a serious mistake when they supplied participants with a dosage of 30 grams of caffeine as opposed to 0.3 grams, which was an amount 100 times more intense.
The goal of the research was to investigate the consequences of ingesting a moderate amount of caffeine on athletic performance, yet ended in two scholars being admitted to the hospital.
How athletes use caffeine
When attempting to get the greatest advantage from the caffeine in your workout regime, the type, quantity, and application of caffeine will depend on your physical stature, physical fitness, particular inclination, and overall objectives.
Everybody reacts differently when consuming caffeine, and it could be unsuitable for some people. A specific group is especially sensitive to caffeine and may have bad reactions if they consume it in any form.
Caffeine timing
It appears that almost all caffeine is taken in within 45-60 minutes of it being consumed, while people may start to feel the results after 20-30 minutes.
The amount of time caffeine stays in one’s body differs based on metabolism, but on average, it sticks around for around 5 hours because of its half-life.
If taken one hour before exercising, the performance-enhancing effect can last the entire time it takes to complete a 5K, 10K or possibly a marathon for some athletes.
For an extended competition, taking repeatedly small doses of caffeine can be just as advantageous as taking one large amount before the event.
It would be beneficial to decide if caffeine should be a part of your pre-exercise and during-exercise energy source before you think about how to use it.
It is suggested that for best results, individuals should consume between 3 and 6 milligrams of caffeine per kilogram of their body weight (or 1.4-2.7 milligrams per pound).
For a 70kg athlete, a low or moderate dose would require 200-400 mg of caffeine (i.e. 2-4 servings of a caffeinated product such as PF 30 Caffeine Gels, which have 100mg of caffeine per serving).
The amount of caffeine someone can consume should be determined by how used to it they are and the effects it has on them. For those who do not normally ingest caffeine, it is recommended to begin with a low amount and gradually increase the quantity over time to allow the body to become accustomed to it.
It has been argued that frequently drinking caffeine decreases its ability to bring about physical or mental improvement.
A study from the early 2000s found that people who did not typically consume caffeine experienced more substantial, prolonged effects of the stimulant than habitual users.
Those who frequently drink a lot of caffeine may wish to try reducing the amount they consume in the days before a race. It is still undecided if this will truly aid in achieving better results.
It is reasonable to consider that those who drink caffeine often might be better able to tolerate a larger amount, leading to the same result in terms of effects as those who do not usually have caffeine having to use a smaller amount.
The investigation has revealed that consuming more than 9 mg/kg does not increase one’s performance more than taking a moderate amount of 3-6 mg/kg. For certain people, as little as 1-3 milligrams per kilogram of body weight is enough to take advantage of caffeine’s performance-enhancing properties.
It is wise to be wary when consuming caffeine before and during physical activity.
The source of caffeine
Caffeine can be found in a range of items and beverages, such as coffee, tea, energy drinks, soda, pills, energy gels and shots, powders, bars and gum used in sports nutrition.
It is up to the athlete to settle on the most suitable source based on several considerations such as what they like, how easy it is to get it, its availability, and the amount they want.
It can be challenging to figure out the exact quantity of caffeine in each product since it varies, particularly if you rely on caffeine-rich beverages such as coffee, whose strength can differ.
It is critical to check the label to determine the dosage when purchasing brand-name energy gel items that typically contain 25-50 mg of caffeine, yet some may have higher concentrations.
Popular among endurance athletes, caffeine gels provide both energy and an appropriate dose of caffeine during an event such as an Ironman triathlon. A more direct route to caffeine intake could be chewing gum, taking tablets, or having shots.
Using caffeine during high-intensity exercise
Research on caffeine and its usefulness for activities involving strength and power are not in agreement.
It looks like caffeine does not have a huge impact on short activities, but it does appear to have a slight advantage for activities that run longer than 1 minute.
The advantages of being more attentive and focused can be advantageous in dynamic activities, such as when you’re trying to have a quick start.
Muscle Gain
Research Consensus
It is unlikely that caffeine will have any noticeable impact on muscle growth.
Nevertheless, increasing the strength of each repetition (weight lifted per rep) or the number of repetitions (total weight lifted per training) through reducing the sensation of tiredness may help boost muscle growth, if indirectly, by providing a better workout stimulus.
Here are some of the results from studies examining caffeine’s effect on high-intensity exercise:
- (10) found participants to be able to bench press more with 60% of their maximum, along with reduced perceptions of fatigue. This was at a dose of 5mg/kg.
- (18) noted increased power output and overall training volume in sprinters who were supplemented with caffeine.
- (7) found 4mg/kg of caffeine increased power output and training volume after sleep deprivation and after normal sleep. This effect was higher in the sleep deprived.
- (1) found benefits of 6mg/kg caffeine ingestion to repetitions to failure on the leg press but not for upper body exercise.
Other studies indicated that caffeine had no influence on the maximum number of repetitions with a specific weight until exhaustion or the total volume of the exercise.
Pathway
Caffeine supplementation appears to reduce perceptions of fatigue. The primary way it helps reduce tiredness is by tying to adenosine receptors in the brain. When adenosine is attached to its respective receptors, it produces a calming effect and brings on feelings of sleepiness.
Caffeine impedes the action, causing enhanced vigilance and being awake. It appears that caffeine might contribute to staving off fatigue during strenuous activities.
Thoughts
Training volume is determined by multiplying the number of sets, reps, and the weight lifted. In simpler terms, the continual use of a large volume of weight that is a minimum of 60% of one repetition maximum over a lengthy period is a very effective way of stimulating muscle growth.
If caffeine consumption allows for more work to be done during a workout, it could potentially lead to faster muscle gains, GIVEN THAT you can rest and recover afterwards without stressing yourself out with too much of a workload. This could result in positive results over time.
Having a decreased feeling of tiredness may enable you to generally train nearer to muscle exhaustion and take on increased amounts of training.
Being able to see the program as easier to follow may increase adherence to the routine before it has become part of the individual’s lifestyle.
Not getting enough sleep is not beneficial for making big improvements, but if you ever find yourself in a position where you are training without adequate rest, it is good to drink caffeine before you work out. It can significantly reduce how tired you feel and help you get more out of your session.
The literature is not consistent regarding the connection between caffeine, muscle development, and the effectiveness of weight training, and few long-term types of research have been conducted on the topic.
Given that most research results indicate a positive outcome related to caffeine, it would make sense to incorporate caffeine into the diet of an individual who is attempting to build muscle during the more challenging portions of their exercise regime.
Dosage
It appears that a dosage of 4-6mg/kg is adequate for increasing training capacity and strength. This dose can be taken in the form of caffeine pills or pre-workout powder.
The amount is quite substantial, so consuming it through coffee or energy drinks would be less efficient and costlier (other than if it is a low-priced instant coffee!).
To begin, it is recommended to start with a dose of 2-3mg/kg of caffeine, particularly if you are not used to having caffeine regularly, before increasing the dosage.
I suggest that you try different times of day to have caffeine and exercise to determine what works best for you as the time it takes for caffeine to reach its maximum concentration in the body after being taken can vary greatly.
It is advised to drink caffeine about half an hour to 45 minutes before the most significant set of exercises of the day. It would probably take about 20 minutes before you become heated up.
Strength Gain
Research Consensus
Research has not demonstrated any improvement in maximum strength when utilizing caffeine supplementation.
(1) Research has indicated that taking caffeine at 6mg/kg one hour before performing a one-repetition maximum or reps at 60 per cent of failure in either bench press or leg press did not make any difference. No distinction in optimum muscle strength was discovered when ingesting caffeine.
Although there are a few individual studies that don’t support the majority of research findings, (20) summarizes the data in the majority of studies which indicate that caffeine has an impact on maximal strength. The researchers came to a consensus that consuming caffeine can boost maximum strength, particularly in the quads.
An examination of the 27 studies that were carried out revealed that 23 of them demonstrate the positive impact of caffeine on maximum voluntary contraction. This test is a dependable method of determining maximum strength. On average, the advantages equalled a 4% boost when compared to not taking caffeine.
It was intriguing to find that in a study conducted by (16) on highly resistance-trained men, caffeine can actually reverse the decreased strength usually seen in the morning and increase it to a higher level than the strength seen in the afternoon.
Pathway
The effects of caffeine on maximal strength are mostly a result of its effect on the central nervous system. The central nervous system sends out signals to muscles, which is the beginning of the process that results in the muscle contracting.
It appears that by consuming caffeine, the Central Nervous System can utilize more muscle for a task, such as picking up an object. This leads to a strengthened and more forceful contraction, which translates to an increased level of strength.
The engagement of more motor units might be beneficial for developing strength and muscle in the long run (9), as well as during just one session of exercise.
Understandably, caffeine has a greater effect on the quadriceps than on the hamstrings, based on research. Without the addition of any other substances or materials, the amount of activity usually seen during maximum efforts with the quadriceps is lower than activity seen in other muscles.
By taking in caffeine, it aids in almost reaching maximum activation for the muscles, yet since the other muscles are as close to 100 per cent activation already, caffeine would not add any added advantage to the strength gains (20).
Caffeine could potentially have an effect on muscle tissue that could assist in enhancing maximal strength.
Thoughts
It would be beneficial to take caffeine before working out if you are trying to increase your strength as much as possible. For days on which you are pushing yourself to the limit with only 1 or 2 reps remaining, it is better to have a caffeine intake if you are performing reps of 6 or lower.
When you complete greater reps than 3 with a program that is not as variable due to consistent weights and percentages, the advantages of using caffeine to stimulate neuron recruitment may not be as significant.
If your fitness routine has an adaptive component, such as tweaking the load or changing the number of sets on a given day, then caffeine might be beneficial because it could help you lift more weight.
By decreasing your sense of strain and exhaustion and enhancing muscle unit summoning, you can likely use a little more weight and tackle additional training volume.
Dosage
Taking 5-6mg/kg of a certain substance before doing exercise appears to be the magnitude of dose which has been most thoroughly researched and provides the most benefit when it comes to maximum strength.
If you’re doing your morning workout for lifestyle reasons, it would be beneficial to take a caffeine supplement of about 3mg/kg before working out to reach the same level of strength you would have in the afternoon.
It is recommended to drink caffeine 30-45 minutes before working on the most significant exercise routine of the day. It would probably take about 20 minutes until you begin to feel warm.
