|
By Sam
Murphy
 A
pre-race cup
of coffee is
as much part
of the keen
exerciser’s
ergogenic
arsenal as a
bottle of
Lucozade
these days.
But does
caffeine
really
enhance
sports
performance,
or is it all
something of
a storm in
a, er,
coffee cup?
The ‘Java
jury’ is
still out –
but there
have been
some very
interesting
findings
since
caffeine’s
performance-enhancing
effect was
first
discovered
in the
1970s. In a
series of
studies
conducted at
Ball State
University,
cycle time
to
exhaustion
increased by
19.5%
following
caffeine
intake. A
whole batch
of studies
followed
this initial
experiment –
with mixed
results.
The effects
of caffeine
on
performance
Current
researchers
tend to
suggest that
caffeine
almost
certainly
has an
ergogenic
influence in
some people,
in some
forms of
exercise. In
other words,
it isn’t a
magic
bullet. But
let’s have a
look at who
might
benefit –
and when.
The most
compelling
evidence
regarding
caffeine’s
usefulness
is in
prolonged
submaximal
endurance
exercise.
For runners,
that means
your long
and steady
runs –
sessions in
which you
are
exercising
for a long
time but not
at your
maximum
effort.
Workouts
that do not
use the
person’s
maximum
effort but
last 40
minutes or
more are
also
examples of
prolonged
submaximal
endurance
exercise.
There is
less
research on
the effect
of caffeine
in
multi-sprint
sports, such
as football
and tennis –
although one
study found
that women
who took
caffeine
prior to a
four-hour
tennis match
won
significantly
more games
compared to
when they
drank a
carbohydrate
drink or a
placebo
And that
brings us to
an
interesting
point. While
early
researchers
thought
caffeine’s
benefit came
from its
ability to
help us
‘spare’
muscle
glycogen by
increasing
fat
metabolism,
current
thinking is
that it is
caffeine’s
effect on
our brain,
rather than
the body,
that really
counts.
The fact
that
caffeine
worked even
better than
carbohydrate
in the
tennis study
may have
been due to
the caffeine
having had a
positive
influence on
the women’s
concentration,
alertness
and speed of
reactions.
And that
idea is
backed up by
research
that shows a
beneficial
effect on
activities
requiring a
lot of
concentration
and fine
motor skill,
such as
fencing,
shooting and
badminton.
This
shouldn’t
come as any
surprise.
Who hasn’t
used a
strong cup
of coffee to
blow away
fogginess
and waning
focus?
It seems
that the
caffeine
effect isn’t
restricted
to
sharpening
mental
skills,
either; it
also appears
to make
exercise
easier by
preventing
the rise in
neurotransmitters
associated
with fatigue
during
exercise –
so that you
simply don’t
feel tired.
For example,
in one study
cyclists
were able to
maintain a
higher
intensity of
effort over
a two-hour
period after
caffeine
intake, but
their
‘perception
of effort’ (RPE)
stayed the
same. In
other words,
they were
working
harder but
didn’t feel
as if they
were.
Caffeine
sensitivity
Before you
go off to
fill your
sports
bottle with
cold
espresso,
bear in mind
that the
amount of
caffeine-induced
performance
enhancement
you are
likely to
get depends,
in part, on
your
‘caffeine
sensitivity.’
Starbucks
addicts are
less likely
to get a
performance
kick than
people who
only rarely
partake in a
cappuccino.
Then again,
if you
aren’t
accustomed
to caffeine,
you may find
that it
upsets your
stomach – so
it isn’t
something to
experiment
with prior
to an
important
race or
training
session.
Dehydration
and
urination
While coffee
gets a bad
press for
its
dehydrating
and diuretic
effect on
sports
people,
studies have
shown that
caffeine
consumption
prior to
exercise
does not
increase
levels of
urination or
dehydration
– possibly
due to
increased
adrenaline
interfering
with the
usual
function of
the kidneys.
Professor
Ron Maughan,
one of the
UK’s top
hydration
researchers,
says:
‘Caffeine is
a diuretic,
but the
fluid
provided in
the drink is
enough to
offset its
diuretic
effect. Take
60mg of
caffeine and
add it to a
cupful of
water and
milk, and
you’ll
likely end
up more
hydrated
than if you
hadn’t drunk
it.’
How much
to drink?
So how much
caffeine do
you need to
get a
performance
benefit?
There is no
single,
definitive
dose that
will work
for everyone
– though the
research
suggests
that
competitive
athletes
should stick
to 6mg per
kg of
bodyweight
or less, in
order to
balance the
chances of
getting a
boost with
the risk of
exceeding
the legal
limit of
12mcg of
caffeine per
1ml of
urine. This
equates to
roughly two
to three
cups of
coffee for
most people.
Or you can
dispense
with your
cup of
coffee
altogether
and opt for
caffeine
pills.
Whichever
way you get
your
caffeine
fix, take it
an hour
before your
workout to
ensure that
you reap the
benefits.
And
remember,
this is not
one of those
instances
where ‘if
some is
good, more
must be
better.’ Too
much
caffeine can
lead to
headaches,
palpitations,
dizziness,
tummy upsets
and
insomnia.
And that
sure ain’t
going to aid
your
performance!
|
