Is It True That Coffee Improves Exercise Performance?

For many of us, coffee is part of our daily routine. But should coffee also be part of your exercise routine?

There is a common belief that coffee is a diuretic, meaning it causes you to lose more fluids than you take in and potentially contributes to dehydration.

Luckily, this is only true if your coffee consumption is excessively high. For most of us, drinking a moderate amount of coffee during the day has no adverse effects and still counts towards our daily fluid intake.

That’s great news considering the importance of staying hydrated when exercising.

But will coffee enhance our performance when it comes to exercising?

Caffeine travels easily around your body, causing many different reactions along the way, including:

• Activating your nervous system and brain, which is why you might feel more focused and energetic and less tired after drinking coffee
• Triggering production of adrenaline, the ‘fight or flight’ hormone, which can improve athletic performance
• Releasing endorphins, which increase your sense of wellbeing and give you that post-exercise ‘high’
• Raising your body temperature and metabolic rate, both of which help you burn more calories, as well as increasing the body’s ability to break down the fat in fat cells
• Improving endurance levels so you can train with greater power output for a longer period of time, as well as feeling less fatigue and effort during your workout

While each of these on its own may have a minimal impact, in combination they can have a considerably positive effect and it’s easy to see why it has become increasingly popular to use coffee as a pre-workout.

The science also seems to confirm that coffee does enhance exercise performance. There have been many studies done on the use of caffeine for both endurance exercise and short-term, higher intensity exercise. A review of these studies suggests that coffee provides an average improvement of around 12% in performance. Notably, the results were greater for people who don’t regularly drink coffee, as your body will build up a tolerance over time.

Perhaps even more importantly, the studies also suggest that caffeine makes the effort of exercise seem easier by around 6%. That’s definitely a positive benefit!

Of course, everybody reacts differently to caffeine so it is important to find a level of intake that works best for you.

Not sure which type of fitness equipment is best for you? Whatever your exercise goals, get in touch with your local BeFit Hire agent today for expert advice on which piece of home exercise equipment will best suit your specific needs.

BeFit Hire offers safety and convenience, with a comprehensive range of home fitness equipment available including treadmills, manual and programmable cross-trainers, upright and recumbent exercise bikes, and rowing machines.

BeFit Hire has been operating for more than 50 years and as a family business we offer only the highest standard of service to every customer.

With free delivery to most of metro Adelaide and Melbourne for most hire periods, you can rest easy knowing your BeFit agent has tested, cleaned and disinfected your hire equipment prior to delivery. Contactless delivery is also available if you are in voluntary or medically directed self-isolation.

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