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One of the most effective ways to boost your performance and training is caffeine. What we found is a good amount of athletes do not know how to utilize it properly.
We’re going to breakdown how to use caffeine like a pro to fuel your performance and training.
Caffeine will boost your athletic performance
More and more scientific studies show that caffeine boosts athletic performance. Historically, it was believed to help increase V̇O₂ max. Still, more recent data suggests that the impact is more on relieving mental fatigue and decreasing our perception of fatigue enabling us to push our bodies harder.
You want to pre-load caffeine before you start
The research shows that most athletes want to pre-load caffeine before training, and especially before racing. It will also take a lot more caffeine than you probably think to get to a performance-enhancing level.
We have found that 200mg of caffeine pre-training is optimal. If you are a coffee drinker, we recommend ~100mg in a cup of coffee or espresso within an hour before you start. Then during your warm-up or at the start line, we have been using SFH Push Pre-Work for another 115mg of caffeine.
During your workout, you want to keep caffeine topped up
Once your workout starts, you want to keep consuming caffeine if your training session is over 90 minutes. Aim to consume 100mg of caffeine per hour for the first 3 hours. The upper limit is 500mg to 600mg of caffeine per day.
How much caffeine is right for me?
The first question to consider is whether you are a “habitual” caffeine user? Do you drink coffee every day? If so, you want to use the recommended levels above.
If you occasionally consume caffeine, the above recommendations are still valid.
But if you don’t consume caffeine, cut the recommendations in half to start.
Be aware of caffeine’s half – life:
Caffeine has a half-life of about five to six hours for the average adult. This means about 50% of that caffeine is still circulating in your system five to six hours after you had that cup of coffee and sports nutrition with caffeine in it. If you have caffeine too late in the day – it can disrupt your sleep quality.
What to take if you still feel a little “buzzy” from caffeine?
If you have a training session and overdo it on your caffeine, take Quicksilver Scientific’s liposomal LipoCalm.
LipoCalm uses naturally sourced GABA, the primer ‘calm and connect’ neurotransmitter. It also has natural botanicals like Skullcap, Passionflower, and Blue Egyptian Chamomile Oil for relaxation.
Should I stop drinking coffee/caffeine before a big training session or event?
This has long been a practice by riders within the Tour de France to taper caffeine usage before a big event. While it can’t hurt and seems logical, little scientific data shows that tapering will make caffeine significantly more effective in competition. We say avoid the headaches and withdrawal and keep your pre-event caffeine usage reasonable, but don’t go cold turkey.v
What are the best products to get caffeine?
SFH Push Pre-Work: A pre-workout mix that will give you 115mg per serving of caffeine to help stimulate drive and focus so you can get the most out of your workouts. Maurten Gel 100 Caf 100: This is hands down a game-changer for your next event when it comes to caffeine. You will also get 25g of carbs for quick-acting energy. Clif Tropical Punch Bloks: One of the most popular selling Clif Blok flavors, packed with 50mg of caffeine per serving. Note that a serving is 3 bloks. So each "blok" is 16mg of caffeine. Tailwind Colorado Cola Drink Mix: Aside from tasting like Cola (tastes great), it packs 35mg of caffeine per bottle/100 calories. It is our favorite caffeinated drink mix, and if Cola isn't your favorite, it has 3 other caffeinated flavors. Run Gum: This is a fun way to get caffeine on the go. Created by 2x Olympian Nick Symmonds, the regular flavor have 100mg of caffeine per pack (2 pieces of gum), and the Extra Strength Spearmint is 200mg! We recommend chewing it for 2 minutes then taking it out of your mouth before it becomes bitter. Ascent Pre-Workout: This is my favorite way to get going before gym workouts when I don't want the carbs of a Maurten Gel. It packs 150mg of caffeine per serving and tastes great. Coffee: Our favorite coffee options are from Infinit Cold Brew Coffee that packs 20g of protein, and our favorite blend from Boxcar Coffee.
Stay caffeinated.
