A BOOST OF caffeine can really help you power up those hills!
As many seasoned cyclists and sports pros already know, the hit from a cup of coffee doesn’t just help us shake off sleepiness in the morning, it can be a very effective fitness performance-enhancer too – and the Institute for Scientific Information on Coffee has just released a video explaining some of the benefits for cyclist and the science behind them.
The video features multi-discipline bike racer Juliet Elliott – who swears by her two mornings cups before hitting the road – and Dr Neil Clarke PhD from Coventry University’s course director of sports and exercise nutrition.
And you don’t have to glug gallons of the stuff to reap the rewards. A moderate intake – think a few cups max – is probably wise.
After research, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) concluded there’s an association between caffeine consumption and an increase in endurance performance, endurance capacity and a reduction in the rated perceived effort or exertion during exercise, compared with decaffeinated alternatives. This was based on 3mg of caffeine per kg of body weight. For a 70kg person, that equates to 210mg or two to three cups of coffee.
How caffeine works
Caffeine is rapidly absorbed into your bloodstream, and blood levels peak after 30–120 minutes. Caffeine levels remain high for 3–4 hours and then start to drop.
Unlike most substances and supplements, caffeine can affect cells throughout your body, including muscle and fat cells and the effects include:
- The nervous system. Caffeine activates areas of your brain and nervous system to improve focus and energy while reducing tiredness
- Hormones. Caffeine increases circulating epinephrine (adrenaline), the hormone responsible for the “fight or flight” response, which can increase performance
- Fat burning. Caffeine may increase your body’s ability to burn fat via lipolysis, or the breakdown of fat in fat cells
- Endorphins. Beta-endorphins can increase feelings of wellness and give you the exercise “high” that people often experience after working out
- Muscles. Caffeine may improve muscle performance through activation of the central nervous system; however, the exact mechanisms are unclear
- Body temperature. Caffeine has been shown to increase thermogenesis, or heat production, which raises your body temperature and may help you burn more calories
- Glycogen. Caffeine may also spare muscle carb stores, primarily due to increased fat burning. This can enhance endurance performance
Clarke says: “Drinking coffee has a broad range of benefits that can improve performance from a physical perspective. These include improved muscular endurance, movement velocity and muscular strength. Performance might also increase due to the release of endorphins, which attenuates [reduces] the pain sensation and rating of perceived exertion during exercise, decreasing the perceptions of effort.”
In other words, those hills won’t feel so killer!
“In addition, factors such as improved reaction time, cognition, and mood are also likely to have a positive influence on performance,” adds Clarke. “Whether cycling competitively or for recreational purposes, there is evidence that drinking a cup of coffee may enhance performance.”
