Caffeine: The Effect of Acute Caffeine Intake on Resistance Training
Caffeine is one of the most effective legal performance boosters on the planet. Most of us have consumed some form of caffeine during our daily activities or at work to get them through a long day, or to "wake them up". The caffeine options are endless from Pre-Workout, Red Bull, Monster, Herbal Teas, Caffeinated Sodas, or Coffee to name a few.
As a fitness professional and consumer of caffeine, especially coffee, I wanted to know does taking a dose of caffeine help with resistance training or a tough workout.
Before I get into the study I came across in regards to performance, lets first go over what caffeine does as most of us still use it as complete idiots because we don't know what it actually does, how much to take, when to use it, and that half of the population processes it slower, impacting possible sleep quality.
There are a few things we know about caffeine and how it might aid performance (if taken up to 4 hours before performance) from previous meta-analysis studies.
What Does Caffeine Do:
1- Stimulant
*Feel more alert
*Awake
*Less fatigued
2- Performance Stimulant:
*Caffeine helps with focus and concentration enhanced
*Reaction time
*Endurance
*Effort output
*Helps in intensity
How Much Caffeine Should You Take:
RANGE(S):
Solid: roughly 100mg to 200mg.
Stronger Hit: roughly 200mg to 300mg.
Shakey Hit: 300mg+
PERFORMANCE RANGE:
130mg to 400mg
Note: If you want to be really technical, performance ranges are typically based upon bodyweight: 1.3mg/4.0mg/kg
When Should You Conceivably Take Caffeine:
General Use:
When you need a boost, but "BE AWARE" that some individuals do not process caffeine effectively due to different liver enzymes. This is where don't drink caffeine after 2pm comes from, as it takes over "HALF" the population between 4-10 hours to fully process caffeine consumption.
Performance Use:
45-60 minutes pre-workout, as it takes about this much time to saturate.
THE STUDY/EVIDENCE:
Now to the study that I am reviewing for you. I was intrigued by this particular study because I am a habitual coffee drinker at about 1-2cups of coffee per day, usually at the recommended guidelines of 1.3-4.0 mg/kg.
Due to the previous meta-analysis studies about performance on caffeine, I wanted to know if I would still get the impact of drinking a cup of coffee 45-60 minutes before or during a workout routine, even if I had consumed coffee earlier or throughout my day before I exercised.
This study tested total reps. perceived exertion, total training, and blood markers for muscle damage.
The RESULTS:
*increased total training volume
*modest protective effect on oxidative stress
*PE (perceived exertion) stayed the same throughout. This is usually a perceptual response, so if load or workout or amount of time is difficult to sustain, the PE will always be represented the same as workouts if done correctly, are daunting.
The TAKEAWAY:
Habitual caffeine users, like me, still increased total training volume for everyday workouts with acute coffee intake 45-60 minutes before training began. Ultimately caffeine provides a measurable boost in performance if taken prior to working out.
How to Apply this Study and Use Caffeine Without Getting the Shakes:
1- Caffeine does build tolerance and you do get acute results in the short term.
2- Short breaks of caffeine intake can restart sensitivity. These short breaks might give greater improvement to higher training days, testing, or competition.
3- Everyday workouts still show significant improvement with caffeine.
FINAL THOUGHTS (IMHO):
Although caffeine has shown to improve acute performance if taken 45-60 minutes before resistance exercise training even for the habitual users, it doesn't mean drink more caffeinated beverages to reach peak performance or break a Personal Record/Personal Best.
The concern with pre-workouts or even habitual caffeine users for performance is what happens at the systemic level when it becomes daily dependency. The body adapts to the repeated chemical signal and downregulates its own responsiveness. If you become too chronically stimulated and under-recovered, every domain in performance will be affected.
Caffeine doesn't fix bad habits, poor diets, or replace sleep (in fact it can do the opposite).
Sleep and actual readiness are sometimes confused with stimulation.
Disclaimer: Sharing a study is NOT an endorsement. You should read the original research yourself and be critical.
Jesse
