Does anyone have any experiences with drinking coffee before a workout? In other words, has it helped/hindered your workout in any way? If so, did you notice too much of it having any bad effects?
Most days I hit the Gym around 3:00pm so by 2:00 I’m having a cup of coffee and another on my drive to the gym, which I?m usually finishing as I enter the workout area.
Do I need it? Yes Do I have to have it? Probably not. I do it because this time of day is usually a low spot for me in terms of motivation and I feel this kicks me up enough to give it my all. Life commitments and my career prevent me from scheduling my workouts at a different time so I use the coffee crutch to help me out.
Coffee is THE wonder drug. It offers thermogenesis for fat burning, it gives you a kick in the ass to power you through the workout, and it elivates your mood, to keep you in a positive frame of mind. Not bad for .75 a cup!!!
[quote]GhostNtheSystem wrote:
If so, did you notice too much of it having any bad effects?[/quote]
Too much of anything can result in disasterous consequences.
The trick is in finding out how much YOU can tolerate without causing negative side effects.
[quote]GhostNtheSystem wrote:
Does anyone have any experiences with drinking coffee before a workout? In other words, has it helped/hindered your workout in any way? If so, did you notice too much of it having any bad effects? [/quote]
Sure. A have a good strong cup of coffee before lifting. It is a stimulant.
Too much is bad though. You get overstimulated and can’t perform at an optimal level.
Glycogen sparing.
I have some form of caffeine before every workout. Either a shot of instant coffee, cup of black coffee, or a vivarin or two. It helps me to focus and I almost always have a better lift. If I don’t have it, I feel sluggish and unmotivated. However, what are your goals? If you are looking to burn fat, don’t put in any sugar. Be a real man and drink it straight up–BLACK!! Don’t take too much thought b/c if you get overstimulated you will have a crappy lift. I have learned this through self experience. As of now, I only take 1 vivarin about 30-45 minutes before working out.
I’m I’m not keen I’ll usually have a coffee before a workout. I did over do it once at a jujutsu comp and couldn’t focus at all so I try to keep my intake low. That way a small dose gives me a bigger effect.
Being dependant on caffeine is hell too as when you go without you get terrible headaches.
Why not use Spike or Spike Shooter instead? The effects are much better. It is more expensive though.
There’s an article on this site called the “Caffein Roundtable”. Good info.
Although coffee contains caffeine, if you want caffeine there are better ways to get it, much better. Also if you drink lots of caffeine, you have to take it just to feel normal, let alone to get a boost.