If you’ve ever thought using caffeine for working out and how it can affect your training sessions. You may have heard that caffeine is an unhealthy stimulant that you should stay away from.
I couldn’t disagree more.
Caffeine is a powerful supplement, but it also has a ton of benefits. Especially if you’re a bodybuilder, power lifter, fitness model, or even just somebody that works out in the gym to look and feel better about themselves.
Fear not – If you want better workouts and better results, you can and should supplement with caffeine.
Table of Contents
- Benefits of Caffeine For Working Out:
- Everything you need to know about glycogen consumption:
- Caffeine Supplementation & Fat Loss:
- Caffeine For Working Out: Safe & Effective Doses.
Benefits of Caffeine For Working Out:
- Extra Stamina
- Enhanced Alertness
- Increased Heart Rate
- Improved Blood Flow
- Adrenaline Increase
- More Oxygenated Muscles
- Increased Heart Rate
In my opinion, the best benefit that caffeine for working out offers is that it reduces your muscles consumption of glycogen, which comes with it’s own list of benefits.
Everything you need to know about glycogen consumption:
When your able to reduce your muscles consumption of glycogen, you will notice immediate results – like the burning sensation that comes along with exercises being reduced.
Getting rid of that pesky burn allows you to workout harder and longer – resulting in more fat burned and more muscle built.
The reason you get that burning sensation in the first place is because your building up lactic acid.
When you supplement with caffeine, the amount of glycogen consumed by your muscles is reduced and so is the amount of lactic acid that is built up.
The result: Less severe burning sensation during your workouts.
Caffeine Supplementation & Fat Loss:
When caffeine reduces the amount of glycogen in your muscles, your body needs a different source of energy to power your workout.
Guess where your body goes when it runs out of glycogen?
If you guessed fat stores, you’re right!
Your body will actually use fat as fuel for your weight training and cardio sessions because the caffeine is discouraging your body from using glycogen to power your workout.
Pretty awesome, right?
Caffeine For Working Out: Safe & Effective Doses.
- Make sure you’re taking a pure caffeine supplement and not getting your caffeine from sodas and other drinks with empty calories.
- Some people drink a small cup of black coffee before their workout, which is actually a great idea.
- I personally do not like coffee, so I simply take a caffeine capsule before I head to the gym.
- You don’t need a lot of caffeine to see results. Try 100mg of caffeine 30 minutes before going to the gym.
- I recommend only taking caffeine on your workout days to avoid building up a tolerance.
I workout in the mornings, so caffeine is a great supplement for my workouts. However, if you exercise go late at night, caffeine might not be the right supplement for you, as it will probably keep you up all night.
Hopefully I’ve helped dispel some myths about caffeine and you’re not afraid to use it anymore. However, it’s important to remember that caffeine is just a tool and if it comes down to making a choice between using caffeine for working out or getting a good nights rest, you need to get a good nights rest first.
