Many love to start their day with the cup of their favorite coffee, but you will be surprised to know that the research has shown coffee can help you perform better in workouts too.
Isn’t Coffee Great?
This happens because of caffeine that promotes focus and lightens fatigue. Coffee taken at the right time helps enable the person to do the workout for longer. Caffeine has its own adverse effects, and the consumption must be limited to 4-6 mg per kg of the body weight, to have the best results. If you are 50 kg then you need 200 of 300 mg of caffeine.
It simply means that two to three average size cups, with 100-150 mg each, will be enough before your workout. You will be able to perform 30% more, will have better focus, and maintain your vigor longer. In interviews many renowned athletes have acknowledged the fact that they take coffee to improve their performance, endurance, and motor skills.
How can coffee give such fantastic results?
Due to the action of caffeine on the brain, which reduces the messages related to fatigue, and at the same time increases fat oxidation and metabolism. After reading this article you will be surprised to know that it is a super food, which can give you lots of functional benefits during workouts.
Here are some benefits of taking coffee to get the best out of your workouts. We shall also discuss the rules of getting it done without causing harm.
It Improves Circulation
Proved during scientific research, that taking a 5 ounce cup of regular caffeinated coffee can increase the blood flow to as high as 30% compared to consuming non- caffeinated version.
Better blood flow means more of oxygen to muscles and, better results during physical exercises and other sports activities. As one needs more energy during a workout, it also needs a higher metabolic rate. To improve the metabolic rate one needs more oxygen. Drinking coffee does exactly the same by improving blood flow.
It Retards Muscular Pain
It has been established in scientific studies that consuming two or three cups of caffeinated coffee one hour before high intensity workout, considerably reduces the possibility of muscular pain.
It is not an exaggeration to say that drinking coffee enables you to push through, while the endurance exercises thereby adding to stamina and muscular strength. Better blood circulation and improved oxygen supply reduces the formation of chemicals that cause muscular pain after workout.
It Improves Memory
During a particular research on the affect of caffeine on memory, a group of target people were given 200 mg of caffeine 5 minutes after going through a set of images. Another group was not given this dose. After 24 hours when both the groups were asked to recall the images, the group that was given caffeine scored much higher.
Better memory can achieve a better workout; as athletes are able to remember the sequence and methodology of complex exercises.
It Adds to Muscular Preservation
With age one loses the muscular strength, but it has been shown that regular consumption of caffeinated coffee helps in retarding the loss of muscular strength with age. The affect of caffeine was remarkable in preserving the strength of the diaphragm, the primary breathing muscle.
In short we can say the moderated and controlled intake of caffeine helps in preserving overall fitness and retards the possibilities of other age-related complications and injuries.
Improves the Muscular Power Reserve
Glycogen is a type of carbohydrate that gets accumulated in muscles during intense exercises and helps as the power booster during particular strength moves. It is like stored energy. To improve, one has to consume a good quantity of carbohydrates.
But it has been seen that taking a little amount of caffeine (better through caffeinated coffee) improves the Glycogen content as high as 66% from the typical situation. This additional power ensures that you are able to give even better performance every time you pass through high intensity exercises.
Reading the article, one may say that it will be better to consume as much caffeinated coffee as possible. This is not so, as this strategy, if not followed judiciously can backfire leading to more harm that the benefit. You can avoid this and get the best of caffeine benefits, by following the following basic rules…
- Restrict the caffeine consumption to maximum six mg per kg of body weight for an adult.
- Instead of taking coffee with lots of sugar and cream, which will only add to your weight,take it along with almond milk and cinnamon.
- Drink lots of water throughout the day.
- Do not take caffeinated coffee less than six hours before going to sleep.
Only when you follow the above mentioned rules, you get the most positive results of caffeine when improving performance during workouts and sports events. So, next time when you lift your coffee say cheers to your health and enjoy it responsibly.
