Aside from being one of the most widely consumed and appreciated beverages around the world, it turns out that coffee is a fantastic pre-exercise drink. Its caffeine content is actually a natural performance booster that can enhance your workout experience in a variety of ways. From supporting metabolism to averting common pains, there are countless reasons as to why you should adopt it as your pre-workout beverage. In that spirit, we’ve compiled some of caffeine’s most beneficial properties that will help you achieve your athletic and fitness goals.
Increases Circulation
Consuming a cup of caffeinated coffee prior to your workout session has been proven to increase the blood flow throughout your body, up to 30% according to Japanese researchers. The caffeine will prompt a small bump in blood pressure, which will improve the activity of the cells around the blood vessel walls. Ultimately, more circulation means better tissue oxygenation, and that can help enhance your performance significantly.
Boosts Metabolism
Coffee is a natural metabolic booster. Your metabolic rate is important in that it regulates the pace at which your body burns energy in the form of calories. Thanks to its chemical properties, caffeine boosts the metabolism and enables it to burn more energy during and after your workout. Now, since consuming a lot of it will be counterproductive, make every cup count with an appliance for better bean roasting that will guarantee the freshest cup of coffee there is. Skipping the conventional pre-ground beans and preparing your own beans will also allow you to choose the roasting level; light to medium roasts have higher caffeine concentrations to kick up your metabolism. In any case, consulting online reviews and purchase guides will enable you to make a satisfying purchase.
Improves Endurance
If you often find yourself quickly running out of breath on that treadmill, consuming black coffee before high-intensity cardio exercises have been shown to make your workout easier to a certain extent. This is particularly beneficial if your objective is to build endurance or if you’re a power sports enthusiast. Aim for 200-300 mg of caffeine (but no more than 400, which is the recommended daily dose for an adult) to be taken 30 minutes to one hour before hitting the gym or that running track.
Reduces Pain
A dreaded part of exercising pertains to the inevitable, harrowing pain that comes during and after a workout session. Believe it or not, caffeine can help tremendously in that regard. As a matter of fact, a recent American academic study has established that 2 cups of coffee consumed 30-60 minutes prior to exercise may help alleviate muscle pain and soreness by nearly half, both during and post-workout, and speed up recovery. That is fairly more remedial than taking a dose of aspirin, which only decreases common aches by a quarter.
Preserves Muscles
In a like manner, muscles are prone to giving up when we exert our bodies during an intense workout. Especially with age, this can induce loss of muscle strength. Nevertheless, regular caffeine consumption may help offset these performance issues, preserving the muscles, and diminish the risks of injuries and atrophy. It does so by triggering a growth factor in the brain that’s responsible for the muscle’s neuro-motricity, which helps in keeping them strong and healthy over time.
Promotes Concentration and Memory
Anyone who trains naturally looks for ways to improve their mental focus in order to achieve an effective and productive workout. Now, apart from boosting metabolic performance, coffee and caffeine can also have positive effects on the central nervous system and help improve brain function. They do so by stimulating the frontal regions of the brain that regulate our aptitudes for concentration, attention span, and memory. All in all, researchers suggest drinking no more than 2 cups per day for optimal results.
Fights Diseases
Lastly, coffee is a powerful source of antioxidants. These substances help the body fight diseases by cleaning the blood of free radicals, which can damage the cells and cause premature aging. The black beverage, provided it’s drunk in moderation, can also help reduce inflammation and prevent the appearance of a number of illnesses. As such, consuming caffeine before a workout can cleanse the body, flush out toxins, and help you stay healthy.
All things considered, incorporating caffeine in your pre-workout regimen can yield formidable results and help you stay on top of your game. Between promoting a fast metabolism, reducing pain, and fighting disease, who knew a good old cup of Joe could be so beneficial! In any case, it’s recommended not to overdo it, otherwise, this could offset the positive impacts and result in a variety of harmful symptoms, such as rapid heartbeat, palpitations, or caffeine sensitivity.