What are the benefits of drinking coffee before exercise?

When I have a cup of coffee in the morning, I feel refreshed and energetic. And new research has found that having a cup of coffee before working out also has many benefits. Recently, a study published in the International Journal of Sports Nutrition and Metabolism (Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism) showed that trained athletes who consumed caffeine before training consumed 15 per cent more calories than those who took a placebo within three hours after exercise. The amount of caffeine they take is calculated on the basis of 4.5 milligrams per pound, and a 150-pound (68-kilogram) female athlete takes 300 milligrams of caffeine, equivalent to the amount of caffeine in a 12-ounce (340 milliliter) cup of freshly brewed coffee.

What are the benefits of drinking coffee before exercise? Let's take a look at it together.

1. Accelerate blood circulation

Japanese researchers asked subjects to drink five ounces of coffee, either regular or decaffeinated, and then measured their fingertip blood flow velocity. The results showed that within 75 minutes of drinking coffee, people who drank normal coffee had a 30% increase in blood flow speed than those who drank decaf coffee. This is important for fitness people because an increase in blood flow speed increases the oxygen supply to the muscles.

two。 Reduce muscle pain

Researchers at the University of Illinois in the United States asked subjects to take caffeine equal to about two to three cups of coffee an hour before starting an intensive training program that lasted 30 minutes. The result is a decrease in their perception of muscle pain, which means that exercisers can push more weight, thereby increasing muscle growth and endurance.

Five benefits of having a cup of coffee before working out

3. Improve memory

A study by Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins University) shows that caffeine can improve people's memory for as long as 24 hours. The researchers asked two groups of subjects who did not drink coffee to take 200 milligrams of caffeine or a placebo after learning a set of pictures, and the caffeine group clearly remembered the test a day later.

A good memory is also important for fitness people, because some of the more complex movements must be remembered clearly.

4. Reduce muscle degeneration

A study on animals at the University of Coventry (Coventry University) shows that caffeine can reduce muscle degeneration caused by age. This protective effect of caffeine on muscles may reduce muscle damage that tends to occur with age.

5. Provide power for the muscles

A recent paper in the journal Applied Physiology (Journal of Applied Physiology), which studied the benefits of caffeine intake after exercise, showed that caffeine intake after exercise can improve endurance, which is good for athletes who need to train every day. The study found that people who ate both caffeine and carbohydrates produced 66% more glycogen in their muscles during intense exercise than those who ate only carbohydrates. Glycogen in muscles can provide energy during exercise, increasing muscle strength and persistence.

Since drinking coffee before exercise has so many benefits, do you want to try it, too? At the same time, experts also pointed out that we must be careful not to drink too much, not to drink more or less every day, and to drink more water and no coffee 6 hours before going to bed, so as not to affect sleep.