The most used drug in the world. Honestly, it rightfully should be. I’m a big fan of caffeine, mainly because when used correctly there are wide-ranging benefits (aside from getting through the day) particularly in the gym or the field. So let’s breakdown some stuff you need to know on how best to utilise the miracle of caffeine.

The Ergogenic Aid:

Okay so if you didn’t know, an Ergogenic Aid is anything someone takes that can enhance athletic performance. Caffeine, one of the most widely consumed stimulants in the world has been shown to provide an ergogenic response when the dosage of caffeine is about 3–6 mg/kg body weight, and it is ingested about 30 min – one hour before exercise. To make that a bit easier to understand. If you were an 80kg man, you would need to ingest 240mg – 480mg of caffeine before training to enjoy the benefits of caffeine.

How to get in the right amount of caffeine:

Here’s a guide for you guys:

• Coca Cola: 30-47 mg
• Redbull: 80mg
• Monster: 150mg
• Green tea: 24-40 mg
• Coffee (250ml): 95-200 mg
• Espresso: 40-75 mg

Benefits

Caffeine, aside from being mentally stimulating, has been shown to have the following benefits during training:

• Faster reaction time
• Longer periods of exertion
• Shown signs (inconclusive) of increased strength & power

Stuff you need to know:

DO NOT CONSUME BEFORE BED TIME. Seriously, caffeine has a half life of about 5 hours. Which means, high levels of consumption close to bed time is not a great idea if you want 8 hours of sleep. Try time your caffeine intake to occur 30 min after waking up and cut all caffeine consumption before 11am.

Secondly, with caffeine consumption comes an elevated heart rate. If you are medically predisposed to any heart issues, consult with your physician before chugging the monsters.

Thirdly, don’t go over the RDA. Excess caffeine can make you cranky, cause headaches, drowsiness, and even nausea amongst other issues.

 

Wrapping this up:

Use it, love it, believe in it but use caffeine appropriately and responsibly. Good diet & good sleep come first, then the red bull.

 

Reference List

1. Goldstein E. R., Ziegenfuss T., Kalman D., Kreider R., Campbell B., Wilborn C., et al.. (2010). International society of sports nutrition position stand: caffeine and performance. J. Int. Soc. Sports Nutr. 7:5. 10.1186/1550-2783-7-5 [PMC free article] [PubMed] [CrossRef] [Google Scholar]
2. Stuart, G.R., Hopkins, W.G., Cook, C., Cairns, S.P. (2005) Multiple effects of caffeine on simulated high-intensity team-sport performance. Medicine and Science in Sports & Exercise 37:1998-05.
3. Clark, M.A., Lucett, S.C. NASM Essentials of Sports Performance. Baltimore, MD: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins;2010.