54 MD musculardevelopment.com July 2019
NUTRITIONperformance
There is no need to “cycle” caffeine. Athletes and trained
individuals seem to benefit more from caffeine than
untrained individuals, at least as far as performance is
concerned.
Should You Abstain From
Caffeine for a Few Days for
Better Performance?
References:
Gonçalves L, Painelli V, Yamaguchi G, de Oliveira L, Saunders B, da Silva R, Maciel E, Artioli G, Roschel H,
Gualano B. Dispelling the myth that habitual caffeine consumption influences the performance response to
acute caffeine supplementation. Journal of Applied Physiology. Published 11 May 2017; Vol. 123 no. 1. DOI: 10.1152/
japplphysiol.00260.2017
Doherty M and Smith PM. Effects of caffeine ingestion on exercise testing: a meta-analysis. International Journal
of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism 14: 626-646, 2004.Some of the many benefits of caffeine before
exercise are improved concentration, increased
energy, and alertness. Caffeine has many potential
benefits for performance and body composition.
Caffeine is rapidly absorbed, which makes it an
effective pre-workout supplement, since it doesn’t
need to be “loaded” for days or weeks like creatine,
and you can take it in a targeted manner just
before a competition or training session and get an
immediate effect. The exact mechanisms by which
caffeine exerts its ergogenic effects are still under
debate, with suggested mechanisms including
increased fat mobilization to be used as an energy
source, glycogen-sparing effect, etc. However, its
ergogenic effects are most likely due to its ability
to increase dopamine and noradrenaline release,
thereby promoting feelings of wakefulness and
alertness, and decreasing the rate of perceived
exertion and pain during exercise.
Some people have recommended athletes to
stop taking caffeine-based products for a few days
before a race and then resume before a competition
to get performance-enhancing effects. This
newest study in the Journal of Applied Physiology
found that there is no need to “cycle” caffeine. In
fact, the study found that athletes and trained
individuals seem to benefit more from caffeine
than untrained individuals, at least as far as
performance is concerned. Furthermore, the study
found that both regular caffeine users and non-
caffeine users alike appear to reap the benefits
of caffeine supplementation on performance. The
study had low, moderate, and high caffeine users
take caffeine before a race and found that caffeine
improved performance in all categories.
Caffeine is absorbed rapidly by the
gastrointestinal tract and enters the bloodstream
within 15 to 45 minutes of consumption, with peak
blood concentrations evident about one hour post-
ingestion. This means for optimal performance
benefits, you should take it an hour before exercise.
Additionally, the study found that there is no
need to refrain from caffeine use a few days
before an event and that low, moderate and high
consumers showed similar absolute and relative
improvements in exercise performance.
Robbie Durand works for VPXSPORTS.COMPER BERNALBy Robbie Durand