Caffeine – The Supplement That Gives An Edge To Your Performance

T

he sports supplements which were once intended to be used only by serious bodybuilders have gained immense popularity in recent times. Sports supplements are now relied upon by every fitness freak. They provide the body with key nutrients to help improve exercise efficiency, boost your recovery, and help achieve your fitness goals easily.

The topic of discussion today is on one such supplement, Caffeine that is the most relied upon to boost short-term energy and focus. To go with, the word ‘Caffeine’ is derived from the German word, Kaffee, and the French word, Cafe, which means Coffee. Most of us consider caffeine as synonymous with coffee and tea. Caffeine is actually a bitter substance that occurs naturally in varying amounts in coffee beans, tea leaves, kola nuts, and cocoa pods, and guarana.

Caffeine supplement has retained a consistent place for improved mental and physical performance across a range of sports supplements available on the market today. Caffeine capsules are the most convenient way to boost performance-specific benefits like improved focus, wakefulness, alertness, reduced fatigue, faster recovery, and increased endurance. Most importantly, they deliver a surge of energy anytime you need mental and physical alertness.

Caffeine Gives The Energy Boost Without Added Calories

The supplement you choose can be considered the best if it offers you performance and health benefits at the same time. While coffee is generally the preferred natural stimulant to kick start the day, caffeine pills are proven to be better than coffee in certain aspects. While coffee is usually enjoyed with sugar and added cream which may contribute to the calorie count, caffeine pills are simply the best way to get the energizing effect without added calories.

  • Caffeine pills are a convenient way to boost your performance without compromising your dietary goals.

  • Best suitable for those who want to take the aid of a natural stimulant and don’t enjoy the taste of the coffee.

  • Coffee is acidic and can cause heartburn, especially when you drink it black. Caffeine pills are a better option to help eliminate acid.

  • Coffee is a significant source of cafestol and kahweol1, in addition to caffeine. These components may raise cholesterol levels in certain people. Such effects may be more pronounced in individuals who drink large amounts of unfiltered coffee. The advantage of caffeine pills is that they don’t contain these compounds, and hence don’t appear to have the same effect as coffee. 

How Does Caffeine Boost Your Workout Speed?

Caffeine is a natural stimulant that is most recognized for its potential performance-enhancing benefits. Ok, but how does it do so? I shall explain…

Caffeine is soluble in water and lipids and easily crosses the blood-brain barrier, it is absorbed rapidly in the small intestine and diffuses quickly into the other tissues. Its power-boosting effect comes from the way it acts on the brain’s adenosine receptors. Adenosine is known to cause sedation and slow down the nerve cell activity when it acts upon its receptors located in the brain. A good fact about caffeine is that it has a structure similar to that of adenosine (a neurotransmitter that transmits nerve impulses in the brain). This fact allows it to bind to adenosine receptors in brain cells. When caffeine molecules bind to adenosine receptors, it blocks the sleep-inducing effect of adenosine and nerve cell activity. This impact causes you to be more wakeful. By antagonizing adenosine receptors, caffeine enhances dopamine2 signaling in the brain, which promotes more wakefulness.

Caffeine not just keeps you awake and alert, but it reduces your perceived efforts, delays fatigue, and promotes better body coordination. The delayed fatigue allows your muscles to contract more carefully, so you can exercise longer and increase your training volume.

Interesting, isn’t it? Wait, there is yet another thing for you to know about this wonder waking promoter. Caffeine is loaded with antioxidants that may help lessen the oxidative damage muscles experience from lifting weights and thus helps delay fatigue. 

Did You Know? Caffeine Is A Potent Fat Burner

Over-the-counter fat burning supplements, caffeine makes its place as a potent fat burner. Wondering how? Caffeine increases the overall energy expenditure (helps burn more calories), improves the metabolic rate, which contributes to weight loss, and helps prevent weight gain. Caffeine helps muscles burn fat as the energy source, instead of glycogen. This way, it boosts endurance. 

Caffeine Is Not Addictive

Some people may fear using caffeine pills thinking they may get addicted to it. Well, that’s not the case with caffeine.

As I told you earlier, caffeine pills are comparatively better than coffee in all aspects. You may develop a physical dependency on certain foods of caffeine, but not on caffeine pills.

It does not cause any negative symptoms of withdrawal either, except for a temporary headache in a few cases. Caffeine does not accumulate in the bloodstream nor does it get stored in the body. It gets excreted in the urine hours after it is consumed. 

What Is The Best Time To Take Caffeine Pills?

Caffeine is rapidly absorbed in the body and reaches the peak level in your blood within one hour of consuming it. The effects of caffeine last for 4-6 hours.  Hence, for a potential benefit to athletic performance, half an hour to one hour before your workout is the ideal time to take caffeine supplements.

The proven ergogenic aid improves athletic performance, reduces time to completion in aerobic time trials, an effect positively associated with longer duration exercise…

So, what are you waiting for? Get set to work for longer hours in the gym…

Note: Caffeine is a zero-calorie supplement and hence does not aim to fill the calorie deficit. It is a must consume sufficient calories, nutrients, fluid when on supplementation.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16507475 
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4462609 

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