There’s a growing trend in the fitness world that might take you by surprise. People are sipping on coffee in the middle of their workouts. You read that correctly, during their workouts! While it might seem like a remedy designed for only the hard-core caffeine addicts, is this new trend actually helpful for working out?
Coffee For An Energy Boost
Why do people sip (or chug) on coffee in the first place? Beyond it’s taste and aroma, many people have incorporated coffee into their routine because it has caffeine, a stimulant. When caffeine is consumed, it alerts the nervous system to make us more awake, both mentally and physically. By waking up the body’s different systems, brain, and heart, this in turn helps to enhance our physical performance in the gym.
How Much Coffee Is Enough?
Each cup of coffee has between 95-165 miligrams of caffeine. This amount is sufficient to stimulate and awaken your senses. However, the timing is also important, for the effects of the caffeine don’t kick in right away. The best time to drink coffee anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes before working out, for this allows it to metabolize in your system and provide you energy. Therefore, drinking mid-routine is less efficient than if you were to drink prior to the gym.
Alternative Considerations
There are several other considerations to take into account when deciding to drink coffee for a workout. The first is, how long is your work out? If you only plan on doing a quick 20 minute session, drinking coffee might not make that much of a difference. Alternatively, your sweat session could benefit from the stimulant during an hour or longer workout.
Additionally, if you never previously consumed coffee nor caffeine regularly and decide to swig down a cup before a run, you could have some issues. Some people reportedly have laxative side effects from drinking coffee, which can leave one feeling desperate on a long run. Others also have trouble sleeping at night if they had coffee too late in the day, which would kill the much needed recovery your muscles need after a workout.
The Bottom Line
If you decide coffee is helpful for your routine, that is perfectly alright. However, experts all around emphasize the need to also drink water to counterbalance coffee’s diuretic effects. This way, you will avoid any chance of getting dehydrated during and after your workout!
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