Applied Research; Caffeine for endurance athletes

Caffeine is commonly cited as the most prevalent psychoactive drug in the world. The fantastic little molecule found in coffee, tea, soda, energy drinks, and increasingly found in endurance sports foods like energy gels and chews, is consumed by 80% of American adults on a daily basis. The inclusion of caffeine in endurance sport specific food products is for good reason, as the substance has been demonstrated to be effective in improving exercise performance, and is a safe and reliable way for many athletes to ensure sharpness for big workouts and race day.

Caffeine is a psychoactive substance found in many common foods and drinks (Coffee, tea, energy drinks, to name a few). The substance is commonly consumed for its stimulating effects. Most people report the substance increases mental alertness, and have few side-effects, however other people report restlessness, increased heart rate and perspiration, stomach irritation, and other unpleasant issues. If you respond negatively to caffeine, don’t keep consuming it for performance reasons, stop taking it. Some people are very sensitive to caffeine and the risks outweigh the reward.

There’s a couple consideration for caffeine intake for peak performance. First, when should you be consuming caffeine for maximum effect? Studies have found that to answer that question, you need to check the specific way you’re consuming caffeine. Most athletes will drink it, in coffee, tea, of endurance drink mix. When consumed in a liquid, caffeine levels peak 2 hours, and performance fades from there. For drinks, target 30 minutes before the start of most races for maximum kick. One alternative to drinking caffeine is chewing gum. Many athletes prefer to keep a light stomach, so a product which does not weight them down is preferred. Shockingly, when in chewing gum form caffeine impacts begin almost immediately after chewing the gum and will fade from there. If you’re trying a chewing gum for caffeine, pop it right at the start of the race.

For race day, or for a big workout, shoot to having your caffeine fix 30 minutes before the race can be challenging. If you’re drinking coffee, you may be tempted to drink coffee on waking, and then have more just before the race. Be careful with that! It’s easy to overdo caffeine. It’s best to try whatever you’re planning on race day ahead of time, exactly as you plan it, to make sure you don’t have a negative reaction. Great performances can be disrupted by small changes to your routine, and race day will be disruption enough without doubling your caffeine consumption.

Caffeine is not a silver bullet for all athletes, and if you’re just starting out, maybe hold off. There’s some evidence that trained athletes benefit from ingestion of caffeine more than untrained athletes; some have found that untrained athletes perform the same regardless of caffeine intake. If you’re just starting out, hold off on using caffeine