Get the most out of your workout with a cup of coffee

Maybe you always drink a cup of coffee before you exercise and noticed that it makes it just that little bit easier. But what effect caffeine really has on sports performance has remained a mystery until now. After years of research, it has recently been shown that the stimulant can actually significantly improve your performance. Whether you exercise individually or in a team, it does not matter.

Exercise at a lower intensity

From the research shows that enormous improvement can be seen in all aspects during efforts: on muscle strength, movement speed, sprint, jumping and throwing performance, reaction time and mental alertness. Do you like to do a sport at a lower intensity, such as jogging, cycling, rowing and cross training? Then you seem to be taking the most of the benefits of caffeine.

The stimulating effect of caffeine on sports performance is probably due to the fact that the substance has a direct influence on the central nervous system. As a result, caffeine suppresses pain and fatigue, which is of course nice if you want to get the most out of your workout.

‘Genes also play a role’

How much effect caffeine has on you, however, varies from person to person. Everyone reacts differently to coffee. According to the Flemish sports doctor Luk Buyse, your genes also play a role. “Some people can consume five cups of coffee a day without any problem, while others prefer not to drink more than two. But in principle, caffeine has a positive effect on sports performance for everyone,” he tells the newspaper. AD.

That sounds great, but how much coffee should you actually drink? The optimal dose is between two and six milligrams of caffeine per kilogram of body weight. How many cups is that exactly? A 125 ml cup can contain 60 to 85 milligrams of caffeine, so it’s hard to know exactly how much you’re getting. If you – in general – drink an espresso half an hour before exercising, your performance can already improve. It is important that you do not get palpitations. “The effect lasts for two to three hours. If your sports performance lasts longer than that, you have to take a new dose,” says Buyse.

Is coffee dangerous during exercise?

It is sometimes claimed that coffee would dehydrate you and therefore it would be dangerous to drink it during exercise, but this is not true. Coffee is not diuretic. So you can safely drink a cup of coffee before exercising. In fact, coffee without sugar contributes to fluid intake and fits into a healthy diet. It advice for healthy adults is to drink two to four cups of coffee per day.

Coffee is not a panacea

Remember, coffee is not a panacea. If you’re having a bad day or if you’re not well trained, you can drink as much coffee as you want, but it won’t help you any further. Are you a top athlete or do you want to hit a little more than usual as an amateur athlete, then coffee gives you that little bit extra. Also pay attention to your diet and drink plenty of water, both before and after exercise.