The short answer is yes. Caffeine has been found to help with endurance activities like marathon competitions and short, power-intensive activities lasting from 4 – 8 minutes. Not only will caffeine help your workout, but it will help you burn more fat. Caffeine will also help you focus at the gym.
The Science Behind Caffeine –
Caffeine is a stimulant. This stimulant will give you more stamina and increase your heart rate. Because of the increase in your heart rate, you will have improved blood flow from the heart to the rest of your body.
Caffeine is ergogenic. Ergogenic aids help enhance athletic performance by eliminating fatigue. Caffeine also increases the amount of adrenaline in your system, that will cause a rush of glucose and oxygen to rush to your muscles.
Caffeine will also help you burn extra fat. Caffeine is thought to delay the onset of muscle fatigue by helping your body use its own fat reserves as energy instead, reducing the glycogen burn rate. The longer your glycogen last, the longer your muscles perform efficiently.
How to Use It and When –
If consumed about an hour before your workout, you will have the best reaction. Unfortunately, consistent use of caffeine reduces most if not all the positive effects of coffee on a workout. A morning cup of coffee is good, but having 4+ cups of coffee is not. Studies have shown the best dosage is about 2 – 3 milligrams of coffee for every kilogram of weight. That’s about 2 – 3 cups of coffee. If you’re going to use caffeine, I recommend experimenting with the dosage and timing of it to see what is best for you.
You can get supplements that contain caffeine, but I always recommend staying with coffee. If you do use a supplement, stay away from synthetic caffeine and other stimulants as they will make you jittery. Natural supplements are the best. I like the brand Vega. Also, knowing the source of your supplements can avoid future issues such as failing a drug test.
As always, if you have questions, email me at pat@patsgym.com.
