The International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN) recently released its position statement on caffeine and performance.
If you're interested in reading the full article, you can find it here.
This post briefly shares some of the key takeaways, and my reflections on how to integrate these into your training.
Disclaimer: Whilst this article highlights the advantages of caffeine, it’s important to take care when using caffeine as a training aid. It may cause side-effects when used excessively, and for some, even small amounts may be intolerable. Therefore, the following advice should be taken as general guidance, not as a set of rules.
Effect on performance...
The ISSN concludes that caffeine taken as an ergogenic supplement may improve muscular endurance (time to fatigue), strength, and power output. It may also benefit endurance sport performance by decreasing perceived exertion and delaying fatigue.
Variation...
There is a large variation in beneficial effects of caffeine between different individuals, which may be due to factors including genetics, age, sex, and cigarette use. There is also a large variation in the negative impacts of caffeine consumption (anxiety, mood, sleep disruption) between different individuals.
Form...
The time it takes to reach maximum caffeine concentration in the blood varies depending on the form in which it is delivered. Peak blood caffeine concentration is reached in 30 minutes for coffee, tea, and pill forms, and two hours in cola and chocolate. Caffeinated gums and oral sprays deliver caffeine even faster due to quicker absorption.
Another important point is that caffeine content varies greatly between coffee sources, so individuals hoping to regulate their caffeine intake more tightly may want to use measured forms, such as capsules.
Dose...
Training benefits are most clearly seen when 3–6mg/kg of body mass is taken 30-90 minutes before exercising.
So, if you’re 60kg, aiming for 180mg of caffeine prior to your training will likely prove beneficial.
For reference, here are some common drinks and their caffeine content:
1 mug of filter coffee – 140mg
1 mug of instant coffee – 100mg
1 mug of tea – 75mg
1 can of Redbull – 80mg
1 can of cola – 40mg
Small bar of chocolate – 25-50mg
Caffeine tablet – 200mg
*Very high doses of caffeine (around 9mg/kg) do not provide increased benefits and are associated with negative side effects.
What you should take from this depends on your individual fitness goals...
If you're an athlete...
Paying more attention to delivery method, dose, timing, and source, may provide those marginal improvements. Caffeine capsules, oral sprays, and gels may all be useful during general training and competition.
If you're a non-competing fitness enthusiast...
Caffeine timing and dose may be important. For general training, caffeine from coffee, capsules or a simple pre-workout mix will be sufficient.
If you're a light exerciser...
A coffee (or any source of caffeine) before your workout/run/class may provide a useful boost of energy. It’s less important to worry about exact dosing, timing, or form.
...but, no matter what level you're at, its recommended that you pay attention to how it affects you personally. Since there is such variation in how people respond, only you can determine whether it’s helping or hindering. You may have a particularly negative response to caffeine, or a particular form of caffeine, and therefore may want to reduce the dose, or avoid it altogether.
Final considerations…
Capsules and sprays may offer non-performance benefits in terms of waste reduction. Using energy drinks, gel sachets, and single-use coffee cups all produce significant amounts of waste that is either difficult to recycle, or cannot be recycled.
I give black coffee 8/10
ISSN Position Statement on Caffeine: https://jissn.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12970-020-00383-4
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