Should you drink coffee before playing sports?

Through these debates, athletes are becoming increasingly aware that coffee does indeed offer distinct performance advantages, and more and more people are turning to the wake-up drink as a form of workout supplement.

Coffee - the legal stimulant of sports

Numerous studies over the past two decades have confirmed the benefits of caffeine on physical performance.

A review in the journal Sports Medicine (2019) found that caffeine can increase endurance by 2-16% depending on the subject and type of exercise. The main mechanism is that caffeine stimulates the central nervous system, reduces fatigue and increases reflexes.

Professor Louise Burke, an Australian sports nutritionist, commented: “Caffeine is one of the supplements with the strongest scientific evidence for improving sports performance” (quoted from Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport , 2020).

Marathon runners , long-distance cyclists, and swimmers often take advantage of this benefit to extend their endurance threshold.

In addition, some studies at the University of Illinois (USA) also show that caffeine can reduce muscle pain during and after exercise, helping athletes maintain higher intensity. This is especially useful for endurance sports or heavy training sessions.

The downside of coffee abuse

Despite its many benefits, coffee is not a “miracle drug” for all athletes. Dr. Asker Jeukendrup, a sports scientist at the University of Birmingham (UK), warns: “Caffeine can cause anxiety, heart rhythm disturbances, insomnia if consumed in excess or too close to resting time.”

Some people who are sensitive to caffeine will experience hand tremors, restlessness or headaches, which will reduce the effectiveness of their workout instead of improving it.

Furthermore, coffee cannot be considered as the main source of energy. If you rely only on caffeine and ignore the nutrition from carbohydrates or protein, you can quickly fall into a state of exhaustion.

How to use coffee effectively?

Experts agree that the safest and most effective dose is 3-6mg of caffeine per kilogram of body weight, which is equivalent to about 2-3 cups of espresso for a 60kg person.

The optimal time to take it is 30-60 minutes before a workout or competition. Recreational athletes can also use it, but they need to listen to their body to avoid exceeding their tolerance.

One important point is not to drink coffee right before bed. With evening training sessions or matches, consuming caffeine too late can disrupt your circadian rhythm, causing prolonged insomnia.

In addition, people with cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure or anxiety disorders should consult a doctor before use.