Ever wonder if caffeine and workout are a good mix?

This is the drink that your office buddy drinks at the time of the day when everybody else in the office is crashing. This is also the drink that your college classmates would drink for before the final exams. Yes, it’s no other than coffee. And did you know that coffee can actually be your bestfriend if you’re into healthy living, consider yourself a gym rat, or simply love to exercise? Amazing right? Here’s a list of reasons why caffeine, the substance found in coffee, is good for workouts.

Caffeine boosts up exercise performance. A study by Wallman, Goh, and Guelfi(2006) about the effects of caffeine on steady state exercise performance suggests that oxygen consumption and energy expenditure is significantly higher when caffeine is ingested before working out. Furthermore, another study by Smith,Fukuda, Kendall, Stout(2010) about the effect of pre-workout supplement that contains caffeine on anaerobic and aerobic training suggests that the mixture of caffeine and different substance(creatine, BCAAs, whey protein, and cordyceps) can improve aerobic performance, training volume, and the maintenance of lean mass.

Caffeine lessens muscle fatigue. An article by Davis, Zhao, Stock, Mehl, Buggy, and Hand(2002) about the effect of caffeine on nervous system and fatigue entails that caffeine can delay fatigue through central nervous system mechanisms, at least in part by blocking adenosine receptors(or the receptors responsible for regulating oxygen consumption and coronary blood flow). In short, caffeine can help one recover faster from muscle pains or muscle fatigue caused by heavy workouts.

Caffeine can aid in weight loss. It is shown that coffee can increase metabolism and can actually suppress appetite. There are claims that caffeine can actually burn  unwanted fats right away. However, without the proper exercise and proper diet, the fats that caffeine can burn would not be very significant.

Those are just three simple reasons why caffeine is actually good for one’s workout. If you’re wondering if caffeine can be help you in your workout routines, remember these; it boost up exercise performance,it lessens fatigue, and it aids in weight loss. Who would have thought that the simple drink you ingest during breakfast is not only good at keeping you awake but is also good in keeping you in shape.