Caffeine: The science behind the best pre- and post-workout supplements

In the hour before training, you should focus on preparing the internal environment for hard physical and mental work. Therefore, pre-workout supplementation should optimize your mind and body to maximize performance.

What is caffeine and how does it work?

Caffeine is a powerful psychoactive and nervous system stimulant, which is quickly absorbed by your body and easily transported to the brain. Once there, caffeine attaches itself to specific receptors that are also used by another neurotransmitter, adenosine. When you take a dose of caffeine, it blocks adenosine and also blocks the "relief" effects that adenosine normally produces. Finally, the brain in combination with the presence of caffeine is full of adrenaline and noradrenaline, which produces the feeling of energy.

But this is only the beginning of what caffeine does in the body. It also blocks an enzyme called phosphodiesterase (PDE) that breaks down a signaling molecule called cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP). Because caffeine blocks PDE, levels of cAMP accumulate, which prolong and intensify the energizing effects of the hormones adrenaline and noradrenaline.

Through these and other mechanisms, caffeine supplementation before training reduces perceived effort and muscle fatigue during exercise. Its benefits also extend to recovery, positively affecting your perception of muscle pain. The end result in both cases is higher training intensity and volume, resulting in greater gains in a shorter time.

How is caffeine administered?

Take somewhere around 1.36 milligrams of caffeine per kilogram of body weight, 30-60 minutes before training. For most adults, that's about 180-300 milligrams of caffeine.

More is not always better. In fact, as with most stimulants, the benefits of caffeine decrease if more than an optimal dose is taken, so avoid taking more than 2.5 milligrams of caffeine per kilogram of body weight.

Text source: bodybuilding.com

1. Doherty, M. and Smith, PM (2005). The effects of caffeine ingestion on the assessment of perceived exertion during and after exertion: a meta-analysis. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports, 15 (2), 69-78.

2. Duncan, MJ, Stanley, M., Parkhouse, N., Cook, K. and Smith, M. (2013). Acute caffeine ingestion improves strength performance and reduces perceived effort and the perception of muscle pain during resistance exercises. European Journal of Sports Sciences, 13 (4), 392-399.

3. Hurley, CF, Hatfield, DL and Riebe, DA (2013). The effect of caffeine ingestion on delayed onset muscle pain. Journal of resistance and conditioning research, 27 (11), 3101-3109.

Text translated by Andrei Tescut