![\"A](\"https:\/\/content.artofmanliness.com\/uploads\/2020\/06\/caffeine_workout.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
It can be hard to head out the door for a run around the neighborhood or a tough workout at the gym. And once you\u2019ve gotten going, it can be hard to push yourself to your limits and go all out. Understandably then, athletes and exercisers of all kinds frequently turn to caffeinated beverages, shots, and supplements to give them a little extra boost as they put themselves through the paces. <\/span><\/p>\n But does caffeine actually improve your physical performance? And if so, how do you consume it in order to maximize its benefits?<\/span><\/p>\n Today we\u2019ll answer those questions, unpacking the ways caffeine can enhance your workouts, how much of it to consume, and when to throw it back.<\/span><\/p>\n The connection between caffeine and improved athletic performance has been well-studied and well-vetted. In fact, the stimulant provides such an undeniable advantage that for a time, the World Anti-Doping Agency listed caffeine as a banned substance. That changed in 2004, but in 2017, talks began again about reinstituting the ban or at least setting a limit as to how much caffeine can be in an athlete\u2019s system. <\/span><\/p>\n The decades of research that have been done on caffeine show that it can improve athletic performance in two main ways:<\/span><\/p>\n Increases Aerobic Endurance<\/b><\/p>\n Several studies have shown that caffeine can improve aerobic endurance. For example, <\/span>one study<\/span><\/a> found that athletes who consume caffeine before a run were able to cover more miles without tiring compared to a group that took a placebo. <\/span><\/p>\n Similar studies have shown that caffeine can reduce an athlete\u2019s perception of effort during an aerobic event, allowing them to go longer without tiring. <\/span><\/p>\n Researchers believe this aerobic endurance benefit comes from the fact that caffeine blocks the A1 receptor in the brain, which helps control feelings of sleepiness and fatigue. With the A1 receptor blocked by a caffeine molecule, your brain doesn’t receive the signal that it\u2019s feeling tired from a run. <\/span><\/p>\n Increases Anaerobic Performance<\/b><\/p>\n Research has shown that caffeine consumption before a strength training or sprinting workout can allow an athlete to lift more weight or sprint faster. <\/span>According to science writer Alex Hutchinson<\/span><\/a>, researchers believe \u201cthat caffeine directly affects how muscle fibers contract at a cellular level, making each fiber contract more strongly when it receives a signal from the nervous system.\u201d The stronger the contraction, the more weight you can lift or the faster you can run. <\/span><\/p>\n Another anaerobic boosting effect of caffeine is that it can temporarily elevate testosterone levels, which can help increase strength or sprinting performance. <\/span><\/p>\n So caffeine can help improve your athletic performance. But how much do you have to consume to get the benefit?<\/span><\/p>\n A lot more than you\u2019d think.<\/span><\/p>\n In a podcast interview I did with writer Murray Carpenter<\/a> about his book <\/span>Caffeinated<\/a>, <\/span><\/i>Murray highlighted research that shows that you need to consume about 6 mg of caffeine per kg of bodyweight; so if you weigh 200 lbs (90 kg), you\u2019d need to consume about 540 mg of caffeine before your workout to get an athletic boost from the caffeine. <\/span><\/p>\n Other research has shown that you need to consume between 200-600 mg of caffeine to see an improvement in aerobic or anaerobic performance. <\/span><\/p>\n That\u2019s a crapload of caffeine. <\/span><\/p>\n To put that in perspective, a single can of Red Bull has about 80 mg of caffeine; a cup of strong coffee has about 140 mg. Even if you were to consume caffeine at the low end of the recommended range for enhanced athletic performance, you\u2019d need to throw back two and a half cans of Red Bull or two cups of strong coffee before your workout.<\/span><\/p>\nHow Caffeine Improves Athletic Performance<\/h3>\n
How Much Caffeine Do You Need to Consume for Athletic Improvement?<\/h3>\n