Summary: Caffeine is the most commonly used supplement in the world!
Shifts energy use from Carbs -> Fats (lipolysis) = Burns your body fat, before/during/after exercise! PERFECT FOR ANYONE WHO WANTS TO CUT!
Improves muscle efficiency, strength, endurance, and mental function (alertness, reaction time, visual information processing).
Dosage is 3-6mg/kg 1 hour before exercise for maximum benefits.
Pill form is most effective (a cup of brewed coffee has 100mg of caffeine).
Physiological benefits do not wear off even with repeated use.
Eating carbohydrates + caffeine (8mg/kg) post workout increases glycogen storing by 66%!!!! **That is a lot of caffeine, higher probability for side effects.
Green Tea contains catechins which help you burn fat (especially around the stomach), similar to caffeine. And it is even more effective in conjunction with caffeine.
Why should I take caffeine?
It has a variety of physical and mental benefits. Caffeine directly affects your Central Nervous System to increase psychological function. These include alertness, reaction time, visual awareness processing, perception of fatigue (feel less tired), and motivation. Physically, it increases strength and endurance. The physical benefits have been found to be significant in prolonged activity (60-120 minutes), and new research has been finding similar benefits for short-term/intense activity (to a lesser degree). Even if it does not improveperformance it will still cause you to burn much more body fat. Your body gets energy mostly from carbohydrates when you exercise. Taking caffeine causes this balance to shift, and more fat is used for energy.
How does it work?
There have been three possible explanations for how caffeine improves performance. Going from most to least likely:
1) Inhibits Adenosine Receptors: Adenosine receptors are found throughout the body and it does things that limit performance. Caffeine makes adenosine receptors less sensitive which stimulates a bunch of things that are great for athletes! Stimulates lipolysis (fat breakdown), central nervous system, respiratory system, spontaneous nerve electrical activity, and locomotor activity.
2) Catecholamine (adrenalin/noradrenalin) Increase (Glycogen Sparing?): Adrenalin and Noradrenalin play huge roles in performance and caffeine increases the production of them in your body. One of the things they do is to again stimulate lipolysis which frees up fatty acids to be used for energy.
3) Increase in Intramuscular Calcium: Calcium is necessarily for your muscles to contract. Caffeine stimulates the release of caffeine which leads to better contractions. However, the amount of caffeine for this to be effective is very high.
Aren’t there a lot of side effects?
If you aren’t overly sensitive to caffeine and you stick to the dosage range, you should be fine. However, the more you take, the more susceptible you are to side effects. Some common ones are lack of sleep, nervousness, headaches, and restlessness. Try and start with a lower dose if you are just starting out, and make sure you avoid taking it near bed time.
Dehydration was a big concern for not taking caffeine, but research showed that caffeine does not make you much more dehydrated than usual. And even with repeated use of caffeine, it does not become any less effective within the dosage range prescribed here.
How much should I take?
The dosage is 3-6mg/kg 1 hour before you exercise. So if you are 60kg, you could take anywhere from 180mg-360mg. The maximal amount of psychological benefits can be achieved at the lower range. For increased strength and fat burning, I would go near the top of the dosage range.
