Mmmm coffee
Sorry got distracted! Considering my love of coffee, of course I was going to make a post on caffeine. It’s not only found in coffee, but also tea, Monster Ultra (green > white 😏) and chocolate too. You can also supplement it in tablets or powders.
Caffeine is a natural stimulant, and various studies have shown numerous performance benefits. These include giving you faster reaction times and better concentration, as well as improved endurance performance and anaerobic performance. It may also increase strength.
For performance drinking tea or coffee isn’t as efficacious as taking it at the relevant doses in tablet form. Ergogenic doses range from 2-6mg/kg of body weight. To make it more effective you may want to consider reducing your normal daily intake from other forms. That includes Monster Ultra and pre-workout, as well as coffee!
There are conflicting studies on whether it reduces your appetite. It potentially can help create a small increase in your metabolism which could help when trying to lose weight.
When you consume caffeine it takes around 45 minutes to be absorbed. The half life is 4-6 hours, which you might want to keep in mind for how late in the day you have it. Sleep is important for our overall health and being a stimulant caffeine can effect this negatively.
What’s your favourite caffeine containing beverage? Have you ever cut it out for a period of time to see if it affects your tolerance? Personally I cut it out for 2 weeks earlier this year. But I didn’t notice much difference. Plus I definitely function better in the mornings when I’’m caffeinated.
References: Mac Nutrition Uni, Duvnjak-Zaknick et al 2001, Kamimori et al 2015, Carr et al 2001, Desbrow et al 2010, Placket 2001, Astrup et al 1990, Gavrieli 2011 & 2013
(Reposted from Instagram)
