Strong black,
please
l “Caffeine can help
weightlifters and
those doing circuits
or short aerobic
sessions because of
the same principle as
its endurance benefits,”
says Lovell. “Higher
doses can help you
recruit more muscle
to lift more weight.”
But it’s not solely
that: there’s the focus
factor, too. “It’s become
part of our fitness
psyche to associate
the alertness caffeine
provides with the start
of exercise,” says
trainer Sarah Lindsay.
“If you’re training in the
morning and can’t face
breakfast, coffee can
be the one thing you can
tolerate pre-workout.”
It’s estimated that
caffeine takes around
30 minutes to peak in the
blood. “I use caffeine
before gym sessions,
but guardedly, because
the more you use it, the
less response you have
to it,” says Lindsay.
Applying such due
diligence when using
caffeine is something
Lovell also suggests.
“The key seems to be not
using too much, as three
cups a day detracts from
the ef fect.”
Research from Dublin
City University, Ireland,
found that athletes who
don’t drink caffeine-
rich drinks on a daily
basis gained a greater
performance benefit
when they did reach for
a Red Bull or coffee than
those who consume
them all the time. “That
makes sense, as you
get used to the lift –
it’s not special to the
body or the receptors
anymore,” says Lovell.
“So decreasing caffeine
a couple of weeks
before you want it to be
effective is a great idea.”
As well as providing
a spike in alertness
and giving a workout
session a decent boost,
caffeine also rewires
the mind to change
our perception of how
tough a workout really
is. A team of scientists
at Queensland’s Griffith
University found that
taking it had a whole
host of plus-points
for exercisers. When
compared to athletes
taking a placebo, the
caffeine consumers
perceived a variety of
workout sessions to
be less difficult – they
also used more energy,
oxidised more fat and
ate fewer calories
after testing.OCTOBER 2019 MEN’S FITNESS 8310 min
Caffeine effects
start to kick in 10
minutes after
it’s taken.24
%
Endurance
improves by this
much with 3-7mg
caffeine per kilo of
body weight.
1.91kg
Per capita
coffee sales
in Australia
in 2017.