Drinking up to four cups of coffee a day fits within a healthy diet. But what about caffeine for athletes? Can it enhance athletic performance?
Caffeine stimulates the central nervous system and improves movement capacity and the body’s responsiveness. According to several studies, a high dose of caffeine (about 200 mg, equivalent to 2–3 cups of coffee), taken before or during exercise, has a performance-enhancing effect. A lower dose does not improve performance but does increase alertness, awareness, and mood.
The studies that show caffeine has a positive effect mainly involve exercises repeated until physical exhaustion or failure. Caffeine intake allows the athlete to perform more repetitions compared to those who didn’t consume caffeine.
Studies that show no results are often conducted with untrained athletes. So, for untrained individuals, extra caffeine is not recommended. It’s also not recommended for young people.
For trained athletes, caffeine may help increase strength and endurance. Ideally, you should drink 2–3 cups of coffee about 3 hours before exercising.
Maintaining proper hydration is also crucial for athletic performance. Fortunately, it has been proven that coffee does not cause dehydration—provided you stick to the recommended maximum of four cups per day.