If you are looking for a cheap and natural pre-workout, a cup of coffee is all you need. Coffee, the best and cheapest pre workout available as it contains a significant amount of caffeine.
There are several benefits of drinking coffee before a workout. This is even more effective if you are doing an early morning workout on an empty stomach.
Why Coffee is the best and cheapest pre workout?
You will find a lot of pre-workout supplements with fascinating labels on it. Most of them often contain the same ingredient – caffeine. Caffeine is the substance that actually does all the wonders. It instantly absorbs in your bloodstream and stimulates your nervous system.
Like all these pre-workout supplements in the market, coffee also contains a high amount of caffeine. Due to this reason, people prefer to drink coffee before a workout rather than fancy pre-workout supplements.
Another thing is that it is much cheaper and all-natural, unlike supplements. Coffee is as good as other expensive pre-workout supplements especially if you are a beginner in bodybuilding.
These factors make it the best and cheapest pre workout drink but only if you use it efficiently.
SUMMARY: Similar to other pre-workout supplements, coffee is high in caffeine. It is also much cheaper and all-natural.
Timing Of Drinking Coffee Before A Workout
Timing is the major factor that decides how that cup of coffee will affect your workout.
Studies show that elevated levels of caffeine can appear in the bloodstream within 15-45 minutes of consumption. The peak concentrations of caffeine hits at about one-hour post-ingestion. After one hour, the effects of caffeine start reducing. So it is good to start your workout right after 45 min of drinking coffee.
Remember that in addition to boosting your performance in the gym, coffee also keeps you awake. So if you do the workout at night or late in the evening, then it would not be a good idea to drink coffee before a workout.
Coffee is high in caffeine and the half-life of caffeine is about 6 hours. Hence, if you don’t want any interference in your sleep because of coffee, then have your last cup of coffee before at least six hours of going bed.
SUMMARY: Down a cup of coffee before 30-60 minutes of workout. Avoid coffee if you are hitting the gym at night or late in the evening.
What amount should you take?
Take about 3-4 milligrams of caffeine per kilogram of body weight. That means a 60 kg person would need 180-240 mg of caffeine before a workout.
If you are a coffee lover and keep drinking coffee throughout the day then you have to keep a count on your overall caffeine intake. As there are several side effects of high caffeine intake.
According to Mayo Clinic’s recommendations, keep your caffeine consumption under 400 mg in a day. This dosage is healthy for most of the people. However, many people consume even more than that and experience no harmful effect as caffeine intolerance varies from person to person.
SUMMARY: 3-4 mg of caffeine per kg of body weight is enough to benefit you in your workout.
The Best Way To Drink It
You may love to add some sugar, milk or cream in your daily cup of coffee. But when you drink coffee before a workout, a strong cup of black coffee is all you need. Just add coffee in a cup of hot water, and you are good to go.
One thing to remember is that it’s good to drink coffee before a workout but you can’t replace it with your pre-workout meal. You still need to eat your pre-workout meal to fuel your workout.
You can drink coffee along with your meal or some time after it. In the case of early morning empty stomach cardio, you can go only with a cup of black coffee. This will help in waking you up and help in burning more fat.
SUMMARY: A simple cup of black coffee is all you need before exercise. Avoid adding milk or sugar in it.
Benefits Of Coffee As A Pre Workout:
1. Promotes fat loss
One of the best benefits of having coffee as a pre-workout is its fat-burning properties. Coffee, when consumed before a workout, can cause fat cells to be used as an energy source as opposed to glycogen.
The high amount of caffeine present in coffee helps increases your metabolism, which further helps in burning more calories throughout the day.
Also, caffeine and other compounds found in coffee act as an appetite suppressant, making you consume fewer calories overall.
2. Boosts performance
Caffeine has been shown to improve the capacity of trained athletes when performing an anaerobic exercise. A study was done on athletes with 4 mg/kg of caffeine before workout showed a significant increase in performance for the chest press.
Several studies have shown that drinking coffee before a workout increases athletic performance. According to a report published in Sports Medicine, mentions that “athletes can train with more power and for a longer time after consuming caffeine.”
Drinking coffee before a workout increases endurance capabilities significantly. However, there are not many noticeable changes in strength and power.
3. Coffee improves focus in your workout
High caffeine presents in the coffee act as a stimulant for your brain. Caffeine stimulates the CNS(Central Nervous System) and increases blood flow.
This helps your mind to focus and increased heart rate and blood flow help your body to push harder in your workout. Caffeine also helps in maintaining a better mind-muscle connection while performing an exercise.
4. Reduced fatigue and muscle pain
Drinking coffee before a workout helps you in reducing muscle pain and less DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness). It also reduces exercise fatigue that helps you in working out for a longer time.
Researchers at the University of Illinois found that people who consumed coffee before a workout experienced less muscle pain during their workout than their non-caffeinated counterparts.
Heidi Skolnik, M.S., a sports nutritionist says “Coffee can also increase the release of feel-good neurotransmitters like dopamine, which effects pain receptors and mood” while you working out.
Best and Cheapest Pre-workout – In A Nutshell
So because of all these benefits, coffee is one of the best and cheapest pre-workout. But there are some harmful effects of coffee too if you are consuming high dosage. So it is better to take it in moderation.
Having coffee before a workout is not sufficient. Your body still needs an adequate amount of macro-nutrients (protein, carbohydrates, and fats) to provide fuel through the entire workout. So add coffee as a pre-workout in addition to your pre-workout meal, not in place of it.
More about coffee:
Is it necessary to take preworkout?
No, it’s not necessary