Coffee Can Boost the Exercise Performance, But There’s a Twist

Coffee Can Boost the Exercise Performance, But There’s a Twist

Coffee is one of the most popular stimulants. It can enhance alertness and focus, improving your mental performance. But many still wonder: does coffee really boost exercise performance?

That’s a question only scientists can handle, so we have the perfect explanation backed by science!

Here is what you need to know.

Caffeine vs. Sports Performance: What’s the Truth?

Previous studies found that caffeine is one of the most popular substances that help athletes train harder and longer and perform better. So, both amateur and professional sportspeople often choose to take caffeine as a performance-boosting “ergogenic” support for a vast range of activities.

Dr. Neil Clarke is an expert in sport sciences at Coventry University in the UK. He released a statement about caffeine and sports performance:

“[…] Limited improvements have been found for events lasting under three minutes; [however] for races of around ten seconds, caffeine can improve peak power output, speed, and strength.”

Source: Unsplash

Other studies have found that caffeine boosts cycling, running, weightlifting, football, golf, basketball, and tennis.

Coffee vs. Caffeine Pills: Same Thing?

Another subject that has been debated for too long: does coffee have the same results as caffeine pills?

Many scientists focused more on the effect of caffeine pills rather than coffee drinking. They ran some lab tests, surveyed thousands of people, and came across some pretty intriguing stuff.

Measuring how coffee really influences sport performance is actually challenging. The reason?

The caffeine can vary from cup to cup.

Dr. Clarke, however, thinks that more and more research papers proved that coffee could be used “as an alternative to caffeine” to boost competitive running and cycling. How cool is that?

Other scientists found that coffee could actually be more effective at enhancing resistance exercise than caffeine alone.

The Takeaway

Notably, caffeine in various forms has been proved to boost sports performance. However, its effects can vary a lot between individuals.

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