Working out soon? Indulge in some coffee!

New study finds healthy portion of caffeine to boost gains from exercise

The easiest way to boost your gains from a workout or dominate an athletic competition might be as simple as chugging down a healthy portion of caffeine — as much as four cups — about an hour before, reported Esquire magazine.

Unlike past theories about caffeine and sports performance, which iterated that caffeine could only benefit athletes if they had gone without it for a few days, a new study found that athletes don't have to abstain at all to benefit from a caffeine boost.

Researchers from the University of São Paulo tested the effects that 400 mg of caffeine pills had on cyclists, almost all of whom pedaled harder and faster after taking it. On average, their performance improved by 3.3%, which is quite an improvement considering the mere seconds that matter for runners and cyclists, as The New York Times said.



The participants took the pills an hour before cycling, and then cycled until they burned 450 calories. Also, it didn't matter if the cyclists were heavy caffeine-drinkers in their daily lives or not. Even coffee drinkers who regularly drank a lot and did not cut caffeine from their systems before participating in the test got better results from the extra caffeine pill. Such were the results for other caffeine drinks, like Red Bull or tea.

Granted, all those who participated in the study were already super-fit, and a 400-mg tablet of caffeine alone is equal to about four cups of coffee on top of any caffeine already consumed that day. The safest agreed upon total daily caffeine intake is 400 mg. But the results indicate there is no need to deprive yourself of caffeine before trying to push your body to new limits.

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