Coffee makes exercise easier?

Acid_Violet

So I've been running for the past few days in a desperate attempt to get in shape for my sister's wedding (any small change is a change nonetheless!). Normally I'd run earlier in the day (before 12 more often than not) but when I went for a run today at 8.30 pm I was full of beans and able to give it way more socks than ever before, dramatically so. I think it's down to either of these three things;

1) I was running in the evening
2) it was damp and a generally nice climate for running
3) I was on a caffeine buzz (about 2-3 heaped teaspoons of the stuff you use in a coffee maker used as instant, I'm not a big coffee drinker)

I think it was the latter but I'm not sure so if anyone could shed some light on this for me it'd be great. Does the coffee takes away from benefits of exercise (ie. calorie burning, muscle building) or could I use it to give me that little push in the future? Any feedback would be muchly appreciated

AARRRGH

I know Arnold Schwarzenegger thought caffeine was great when he was into weights and all that...

Transform

Coffee can help with fat burning, increased running performance and make the running feel easier so yes it can help but only use it when you really NEED a lift as otherwise you will get used to it and its effects will diminish.

Oh and use real coffee not instant for a proper kick i.e. plunger or coffee from maker like gagia

Certainly will not take away from your training in any way

eclectichoney

Acid_Violet wrote: »

(about 2-3 heaped teaspoons of the stuff you use in a coffee maker used as instant, I'm not a big coffee drinker)

how does that work? Do you just leave the ground cofee a the bottom of the mug?

Anyway, it may also be because you have had a day's worth of calories to give you energy.

t-ha

Coffee ftw! Like Transform said, you have to be careful not to drink it too regularly or the effects diminish (also health reasons etc.). I drink decaf mostly so when I do drink a proper coffee it gives me a real good training buzz.

Acid_Violet

eclectichoney wrote: »

how does that work? Do you just leave the ground cofee a the bottom of the mug?

Anyway, it may also be because you have had a day's worth of calories to give you energy.

The bits mix up pretty nicely for the most part, I just stir the bits which haven't properly mixed with the water and drink it, it's pretty nice

brianthebard

You want to be careful how late you drink coffee though,especially if you switch to proper ground stuff.Caffeine has a half life of 5 hours and doesn't fully leave your system for ten,so it may affect your sleep drinking it around 8pm.

hunnymonster

brianthebard wrote: »

....Caffeine has a half life of 5 hours and doesn't fully leave your system for ten,....

I know this is getting a bit nerdy-scientist on my part but that statement doesn't add up. <dons teachers hat> Caffeine pharmacology follows first order kinetics so if it's half life is 5 hours* then after 10 hours the conc will be 1/4 not gone. 1/4 might be negligible but that very much depends on the starting concentration. Lots of people assume they can drink 20 cups of pressed coffee at breakfast and be fine to sleep at night because it's 14 hours later.


*actually it's more like 3-4 hours for a healthy male adult, a bit longer (5-6) for a female taking the OCP and even longer during pregnancy.




OP caffeine will help with fat metabolism and with endurance (because it's a stimulant) but it will do these things in the morning just as well as at night. In the morning (before breakfast) you also have the advantage of lower blood sugar levels so your fat-burning hormones should kick in faster. This has to be done carefully or you risk losing muscle as well. Of course we've completely neglected to consider the intensity you're working at in any of this.

brianthebard

hunnymonster wrote: »

I know this is getting a bit nerdy-scientist on my part but that statement doesn't add up. <dons teachers hat> Caffeine pharmacology follows first order kinetics so if it's half life is 5 hours* then after 10 hours the conc will be 1/4 not gone. 1/4 might be negligible but that very much depends on the starting concentration. Lots of people assume they can drink 20 cups of pressed coffee at breakfast and be fine to sleep at night because it's 14 hours later.


*actually it's more like 3-4 hours for a healthy male adult, a bit longer (5-6) for a female taking the OCP and even longer during pregnancy.

Thanks, I got it from a nat geog article a while ago, but you've gone into more detail. What are the chances of caffeine disturbing sleep after ten hours though, assuming a person isn't very sensitive to it?

hunnymonster

the chances are slight (but I am that scientist nerd!) because anyone who still has a significant amount of caffeine in their body after that length of time obviously is well used to it because the initial amounts would be causing jitters in joe soap.


I've recently given up caffeine. I was probably taking about 400-500 mgs up to about 3pm. I have to say I've really noticed a difference in two things, sleep quality and skin. The skin could be because I swapped the diet coke and coffee for plain water though.

Transform

J Strength Cond Res. 2008 May;22(3):978-86.

Caffeine use in sports: considerations for the athlete.

The ergogenic effects of caffeine on athletic performance have been shown in many studies, and its broad range of metabolic, hormonal, and physiologic effects has been recorded, as this review of the literature shows. However, few caffeine studies have been published to include cognitive and physiologic considerations for the athlete.

The following practical recommendations consider the global effects of caffeine on the body: Lower doses can be as effective as higher doses during exercise performance without any negative coincidence; after a period of cessation, restarting caffeine intake at a low amount before performance can provide the same ergogenic effects as acute intake; caffeine can be taken gradually at low doses to avoid tolerance during the course of 3 or 4 days, just before intense training to sustain exercise intensity; and caffeine can improve cognitive aspects of performance, such as concentration, when an athlete has not slept well.

Athletes and coaches also must consider how a person's body size, age, gender, previous use, level of tolerance, and the dose itself all influence the ergogenic effects of caffeine on sports performance.

Acid_Violet

hunnymonster wrote: »

OP caffeine will help with fat metabolism and with endurance (because it's a stimulant) but it will do these things in the morning just as well as at night. In the morning (before breakfast) you also have the advantage of lower blood sugar levels so your fat-burning hormones should kick in faster. This has to be done carefully or you risk losing muscle as well. Of course we've completely neglected to consider the intensity you're working at in any of this.

Ok, I've found this post particularly helpful but I don't understand about the risking losing muscle tone thing, if you could explain it better at some stage please.

I find it hard to describe the intensity I'm running at. I only started on Wednesday and I'd either go on runs for about 30-40 mins (breaks included, I'd try not to take a long break so as to keep my heart rate up) or for over an hour (breaks included again.) Maybe if you could give me categories of intensity I could give you a better idea?

Thanks for the help everybody

shels4ever

For me i find that if i've an early morning run / race i need to stay away from coffee, but later i the day its ok. I'm not sure why

hunnymonster

On the perceived effort point, the Borg scale is the most widely used
6 No exertion at all
7 Extremely light
8
9 Very light - (easy walking slowly at a comfortable pace)
10
11 Light
12
13 Somewhat hard (It is quite an effort; you feel tired but can continue)
14
15 Hard (heavy)
16
17 Very hard (very strenuous, and you are very fatigued)
18
19 Extremely hard (You can not continue for long at this pace)
20 Maximal exertion




personally I quite like this dummies guide one though

• Level 1: I'm watching TV and eating bon bons
• Level 2: I'm comfortable and could maintain this pace all day long
• Level 3: I'm still comfortable, but am breathing a bit harder
• Level 4: I'm sweating a little, but feel good and can carry on a conversation effortlessly
• Level 5: I'm just above comfortable, am sweating more and can still talk easily
• Level 6: I can still talk, but am slightly breathless
• Level 7: I can still talk, but I don't really want to. I'm sweating like a pig
• Level 8: I can grunt in response to your questions and can only keep this pace for a short time period
• Level 9: I am probably going to die
• Level 10: I am dead

On the muscle loss thing (Im sure I'm not going to explain this well). Your bodies first choice for fuel is carobhydrates/sugars. If you exercise fasting (i.e. before breakfast) these are not so readily available as they are later in the day, so it looks to other sources, in an ideal world this would be 100% fat but in reality it doesn't take long for muscle to start to break down (albeit in relatively small amounts). If size, power and strength are your primary goals then don't take the risk, if losing weight is the most important, then the fasting exercise is a really good idea.

hunnymonster

Oh and on a completely unrelated point, you only started last wednesday? Have you heard of the 10 % rule? In general it is not advised to increase
-your total running distance
- the distance of your longest run or
-the intensity of your running
by more than 10% in any given week. Anything more and you're at a significantly higher risk of injury.

Acid_Violet

Level 7 sounds about right to me. What if you want to build pec muscles and tighten your obliques? Fasting still work?

Oh, and I'd say I've been doing things that overall tire me out to the same level each time for the past few days.

Brian?

Just got back from the gym, had a cup of coffee on the way after I saw this thread and wanted to test it out. I don't normally drink coffee.

Today was a squat day, added 10Kg to my PB squat. Which was nice, but unlike normal squat days I was able for a 10 minute run and 10 minute cross trainer afterwards.

Coincidence? More than likely as I had a great nights sleep last night as well.

tits

AARRRGH wrote: »

I know Arnold Schwarzenegger thought caffeine was great when he was into weights and all that...

it is great.

coupled with chocolate it makes a serious supplement.


i drink a cappachino and a bar of bournvill before training.

Dirk_Diggler

I eat a salad.

celestial

hunnymonster wrote: »

On the muscle loss thing (Im sure I'm not going to explain this well). Your bodies first choice for fuel is carobhydrates/sugars. If you exercise fasting (i.e. before breakfast) these are not so readily available as they are later in the day, so it looks to other sources, in an ideal world this would be 100% fat but in reality it doesn't take long for muscle to start to break down (albeit in relatively small amounts). If size, power and strength are your primary goals then don't take the risk, if losing weight is the most important, then the fasting exercise is a really good idea.

Hunnymonster, this is a theory that seems to prevail these days, especially on this forum! However, I think it may be a bit misleading, especially for someone starting out and looking for advice. I would contest the 'doesn't take long for muscle to start breaking down part' and would need to see some studies to be convinced - I am pretty sure that the average person has enough energy in the form of glucose before any type of muscle loss would occur. I mean I think you'd need to be fasting for days, really.

Hanley

celestial wrote: »

Hunnymonster, this is a theory that seems to prevail these days, especially on this forum! However, I think it may be a bit misleading, especially for someone starting out and looking for advice. I would contest the 'doesn't take long for muscle to start breaking down part' and would need to see some studies to be convinced - I am pretty sure that the average person has enough energy in the form of glucose before any type of muscle loss would occur. I mean I think you'd need to be fasting for days, really.

Also, unless you're already very lean, muscle wasteage isn't gonna be a problem.

irishpacker

I dont know the science behind it so I wont talk about something I dont know about, but all I know is that I have to have my coffee about 1/2 before hitting the gym. I know I have to, because the days that I dont, I never feel as alert or energetic to get that extra rep in. All I know is that it works for me! Which I cant understand tbh, because I thought coffee/cafine dehydrated you.... so shouldn't the negatives of being dehydrated outweight the benefit of being extra alert? ... Well I go through a few liters of water training so that probably counters it!

hunnymonster

celestial, I absolutely agree with you. I only mentioned it for completeness and then the op asked for an explanation. It's a minor consideration for all but the highest level people and even then it's a minor effect.

I don't have access to the literature at the moment but from what I can remember, you don't need days, overnight was certainly sufficient for measurable effects but I can't remember the magnitude. I often do 2-3 hour low HR sessions first thing in the morning so it is something I looked at a while ago.