Most of us get no work done before coffee. Now, you might not get a workout done before a cup of joe! Having some coffee before workout can help you burn fat, improve concentration, and boost your performance. A coffee workout will provide you with the endurance you need to find your edge and meet your wellness goals. So, if you’re trying to up your workroom results, be sure to drink a coffee pre workout. Here is how a cup of coffee before workout helps you become the best version of yourself possible.
Coffee Before Workout Improves Focus
Just as it can give you the kick in the pants necessary to start your day, consuming coffee before workout helps you conjure up the motivation needed to hit the gym. This effect is crucial, especially on Leg Day! However, a coffee pre workout does more than get you into the gym. It helps you show up once you’re there.
Many underestimate how much focus it takes to meet your fitness goals. To an outsider, pumping iron can come off as mindless. However, those who make the most gains are focused on their outcome. They must be intuitive to their body; listen to find that sweet spot and rhythmic motion that provides the best workout.
Once you’ve found that groove, you must stay laser-focused to remain on the right track. That sort of concentration can be amplified by implementing a coffee workout plan.
Having a coffee before workout helps you get into this zone due to caffeine. Caffeine stimulates the central nervous system to release dopamine. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter (communication device) in the brain. It promotes many benefits to the human body, including increased alertness. That’s why caffeine before workout can help you mentally check-in for the exercise and check-out on the thousands of other things on your to-do list.
Coffee Before Gym Fights Fatigue
During a workout, it’s not usually your body that gives up; it’s your mind. When you push yourself to the limit, your body starts to feel stressed. As this happens, it produces our fight-or-flight hormone, cortisol.
When cortisol enters the system, that’s when we start questioning everything. These are the moments where doubt creeps in. For one, you begin wondering if you have the energy necessary to push through the rest of the workout. Thanks to drinking coffee before workout, these moments of weakness can become less intense.
As our body fights through the fatigue, your mind releases adenosine into the system. This protein lets your central nervous system know that it’s getting gassed. Adenosine perpetuates our desire to quit. However, caffeine before workout can shield us from tossing in the towel.
Caffeine molecules are similar in structure to adenosine. So, when we drink coffee before workout, caffeine links onto adenosine receptors. By merging coffee and exercise, the adenosine protein will have no receptor to latch onto. Therefore, you naturally have more energy to push through the tough parts of your workout.
Coffee Improves Workout Performance
Implementing a coffee workout into your wellness regimen can help you make gains you never thought imaginable. One study had 13 young, healthy volunteers workout with weights that were 60% greater than their one-rep max. Some drank coffee before workout one hour before exercise. Others drank a placebo in the same time frame.
The subjects participated in the following coffee and weightlifting activities:
- Bench Press
- Deadlift
- Squat
- Row
Results unanimously found that those who had coffee pre workout were less exhausted than their counterparts. As a result, they performed better.
One of the reasons for this benefit is that caffeine contains alkaloids known as methylxanthine. Research suggests that methylxanthine influences serotonin. In studies, the methylxanthine-serotonin interaction influences locomotor movement. Scientists hypothesize that coffee and exercise promote muscle memory functions that can improve your workout performance.
Coffee and Exercise to Improve Cardio Endurance
Not only is it ok to drink coffee before working out, but it should also be essential. That’s because coffee acts as a vasodilator. That fancy word means that molecules in coffee help relax our blood vessels. This trait is especially helpful for cardio warmups.
When we do cardio, the first thing we struggle with is our breath. We’re attempting to pull in as much oxygen as possible. However, we’re not able to draw in our breath fast enough.
Blood cells are enriched with oxygen. So, as we get our heart rate up, these oxygen-rich cells should be bringing life to our muscles. Unfortunately, many of us who follow a Western Diet has some gunk clogging the arteries these blood vessels must travel. As a result, we might not get the oxygenated blood necessary for our cardio session.
Since coffee is a vasodilator, the cells become less engorged. Like a mouse fitting into a hole in the wall, your blood cells become more compact. This action makes it easier for all areas of your body to get oxygenated blood cells. Therefore, you’re less likely to experience muscle fatigue or feel a shortness of breath. With coffee and exercise, you should perform like a well-oiled elliptical machine!
Drinking Coffee Boost Metabolism
Health and wellness goals may differ from person to person. However, we all generally want to achieve two goals-- maintain or lose weight and get leaner or put on muscle. Both of these desires are better accomplished with coffee before workout because caffeine helps boost metabolism.
This stimulant increases our metabolic rate. Our metabolic rate is an autonomous process where our body burns energy so that we function optimally. Normally, we blow through glycogen to coast us through our day-to-day functions. However, strenuous workouts alter how we use energy.
Since carbohydrates get stored in our adipose (fat) tissue, an increased metabolic rate also helps burn fat. In fact, one study showed that caffeine before workout significantly increased the metabolic rate of volunteers when compared to those who consume a placebo.
Furthermore, they experienced the benefits up to three hours after consumption. So, if you aren’t happy with your performance, you can still burn through the fat with some coffee post workout.
Coffee Post Workout Speeds Up Healing
Coffee and exercise are such a great pair. Not only can caffeine before workout help push you through your sweat session, but a coffee post workout also has a load of benefits, as well.
When we crash down on our joints during a run or strain our wrists during a snatch, these movements send out an SOS. As a result, our immune system jumps into the fray, sparking inflammation. It does this to let us know where we’re hurting, essentially telling us to do something about it. Drinking coffee post workout is what you should be doing to set your immune system at ease.
The longer we experience inflammation, the more oxidative stress our body endures. When this happens, it can lead to tissue or DNA damage. Thankfully, coffee beans have an abundance of antioxidants.
Antioxidants help repair damage caused by inflammation. They also work to rejuvenate cells that make up our tissues and muscles. Drinking coffee before workout is a preventative measure because it provides our body with the antioxidants necessary to fix the little tissue tears we make from exercise. Then, drinking coffee post workout gives the body even more nutrients to speed the healing process up.
Coffee Pre Workout FAQS
Now that you have a clear understanding of the benefits that drinking coffee before gym can bring you. Let’s take a look at some frequently asked questions (FAQ) pertaining to a coffee workout. That way, you can meet your max potential, shatter it, and create new wellness goals.
Is it Ok to Drink Coffee Before Workout?
Having coffee before gym sessions can boost your gains. That’s because caffeine prompts the gut to produce hydrochloric acid. Hydrochloric acid assists your body in breaking down the food you consumed pre workout. As a result, the hydrochloric acid helps you use energy more efficiently.
Keep in mind that coffee is a diuretic. So, if you drink coffee pre workout, you want to drink plenty of water. This advice is especially crucial if you have caffeine pre workout and on an empty stomach. Otherwise, you may feel discomfort, such as bloating and gas.
Are There Black Coffee Benefits for Weight Loss?
If you’re looking to lose weight, look no further than coffee and exercise. Research shows that caffeine stimulates the body to oxidize fat cells. By having coffee before workout, you are setting your body up for success, and your waistline up for loss.
Does Coffee Burn Calories?
For calorie counters wondering, “if coffee is healthy?” The answer is a resounding, “yes.” This stimulant helps you burn through calories and can also curb your appetite so that you don’t binge-eat.
While may equate calories with weight, they are actually indicative of energy. As we mentioned earlier, consuming caffeine before workout can boost your metabolic rate. Therefore, drinking coffee before workout naturally decreases calories.
Word of the wise, don’t get too hung up on the term “calories.” Sure, having a number to associate with caloric intake can help you control weight gain. However, you should worry more about the source of this energy, rather than the number of calories themselves. For instance, 1,000 calories of wild-caught salmon, sweet potatoes, and kale salad are far different than 1,000 calories of a TV dinner.
When Should I Drink Coffee Pre Workout?
While you can feel the benefits of coffee and exercise up to three hours after drinking caffeine before workout, you might not want to wait that long. You will feel max benefits of coffee before workout if you drink your brew about an hour before exercise.
For those in a time crunch, even waiting a half hour to have caffeine before workout can have advanced effects. Of course, you can always bring your joe with you to your workout session. However, it’s optimal benefits may not be realized until you’re ready to call it a day. So, be sure to listen to your body to find the right time intervals for increased success.
Which Coffee Before Workout is Best?
Choosing which coffee before workout best suits your routine is just as important as finding the perfect workout program. You want to make sure you are buying a coffee that is sourced ethically. Don’t opt for inferior coffee brands that implement pesticides in the cultivation of their beans. These toxins are harmful to your system and can negate the positive effects of consuming coffee before gym.
Also, pick a brand that doesn’t use artificial flavoring in your coffee. Superior coffee doesn’t need all of these additives. The flavor of a good cup of joe should capture your taste buds, not repel them.
Furthermore, choose a brand that provides you with more caffeine per cup. You can get 50% more caffeine in the Caffeine & Kilos PR Blend Coffee. Our PR Blend is a light roast that brings heavy gains. Blast fat and get in the zone with this smooth blend that’s sure to ignite your taste buds and your workout regimen.