Is Coffee Your Go-To Drink?

How beneficial is caffeine in boosting your workout performance?

Posted on

26 August 2015

| Last updated on 31 December 2017

Coffee is the world’s mostly widely used stimulant. It is commonplace and generally accepted. It is available in coffee, tea, cola, chocolate and numerous energy drinks. The amount of caffeine is variable from one coffee to another and one energy drink to another. A regular brew in one coffee shop is found to be stronger than another popular brand of espresso. It is not surprising that it is popular in the sporting world to improve performance which it does; to some degree, in specific situations and specific sports.

Initially caffeine was thought to improve strength and stamina across the board and was used widely in the sporting world. At one point certain levels of caffeine were considered as doping and subject to suspension in professional sports. In 2004 this changed and it was no longer a banned substance as caffeine is widely used in day-to-day life so it is hard to control. Studies have shown caffeine does have an enhancement effect but that it is variable in its effect and significance.

Caffeine has been shown to improve performance at normal and slightly elevated intake levels, but that taking further higher levels adds no further benefit and in fact, may actually decrease performance. Caffeine is particularly effective for certain sports that combine intermittent effort and endurance, such as soccer, rugby and hockey. The studies were performed in elite athletes, however, who, unlike most, are able to perform and train to exhaustion level. There is no solid evidence that caffeine is of benefit for amateur athletes.

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Athletes are competitive by nature. Looking for the competitive edge they think if a little is good than more is better. This is not the case: high doses of caffeine lead to the loss of fine motor skills, decreased technique, sleep disturbance, high blood pressure and irregular or speedy heart rhythms that all can lead to decreased performance. Also, the peak effect of caffeine is about an hour after it is consumed, loading up on energy drinks just before you start exercsing will not help.

Although very high doses of caffeine may lead to dehydration, this is not the case with regular to high doses, especially when taken in drink form, as the fluid intake during exercise is greater than the loss generated by caffeine.

The bottom line is that for recreational athletes, taking their regular caffeine an hour before your sport can be beneficial. An elite athlete may double or triple this amount, but usually in a controlled high performance environment to calculate the right amount for an individual. Any more caffeine than this does not help any further and may actually reduce performance. Caffeine as a stimulant in sports, just like in life, should be enjoyed and used wisely, in moderation.

Dr. Joseph Lemoine

Consulant Orthopaedic Surgeon and Sports Medicine

Mediclinic Dubai Mall