Why do we love it so much?
For some just the smell of grinding fresh coffee beans in the morning can get their energies revving, for others their cup of java serves only to keep them alert in the day or simply allows them to be nice to other individuals first thing in the morning… lol Not only do I love the taste and the aroma of coffee, but I love the energy kick and alertness it gives me. Most of us love it just as much as we need it … but Is there such thing as too much?
I know sometimes listening to the media can be frustrating, one day the news tells us that one cup of coffee a day is enough, and then on another news report I hear that having several cups of coffee a day (more than 4 cups) can actually benefit us because it may prevent certain diseases.
Here are a list of drinks and their caffeine levels:
1 cup of Coffee – 135 mg
1 Espresso Shot- 50 mg
1 Diet Coke – 46.5 mg
1 cup of Green Tea – 40 mg
1 Redbull – 80 mg
1 Caffeine Pill (Caffeine anhydrous) – 200 mg
Can taking caffeine before a workout help you lose weight/ build muscle?
Yes… Caffeine gives you energy and increases performance when taking it as a pre-workout. It stimulates our central nervous system giving us an energy spurt. It also increases our blood pressure and heart rate. Taking up to 100mg to 300mg of caffeine will give you the energy you need to workout at a higher intensity and for longer durations. You may be able to push a heavier weight for extra reps, or burn more calories by running on the treadmill for an extra 10 minutes.
Studies also suggest that our training endurance also improves because muscle glycogen (glycogen is stored energy in our muscle tissues that’s broken down during exercise) is spared in our muscle tissue and is broken much slowly during exercise, allowing us to workout harder for longer.
Taking Caffeine anhydrous pre workout makes for an effective fat burner as it helps with fat oxidation. It comes in pill form and can be easily found at a local supplement store.
Caffeine will stay in your system for about 3-6 hours. So if you’re stacking on a cup of coffee and an espresso followed by a diet coke later in the evening, you may have a hard time falling asleep! So there is such thing as too much caffeine but I believe it depends on your timing of consumption.
Finding out the right dosage for you may take some trial and error.
Definitely cut back on the amount if you feel like you’re super jittery … Depending on what your goals are start with 50-100mg of caffeine at first and work your way up.
Avoid getting dependent on caffeine by taking some time off it. For example, 3 months on and 1 week off. Also something else important to keep in mind is that caffeine acts a diuretic, making you pee more! So stay hydrated! It helps to have a cup of water for every cup of coffee you have.
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Graham, T. E., Battram, D. S., Dela, F., El-Sohemy, A., & Thong, F. S. (2008). Does caffeine alter muscle carbohydrate and fat metabolism during exercise?.Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism, 33(6), 1311-1318.
Glaister M, Patterson SD, Foley P, Pedlar CR, Pattison JR, McInnes G. Caffeine and sprinting performance: dose responses and efficacy. J Strength Cond Res. 2012 Apr;26(4):1001-5. PubMed PMID: 22388491.