Find out if tea and coffee can be used as a strong CNS stimulant before a hard workout, and what the consequences might be. Tea for athletes is a source of antioxidants and stimulants. Everyone knows that coffee is a powerful stimulant of the nervous system. Today we will consider the question of what will bring the use of tea and coffee before exercise: benefit or harm. To make the information better understood, we will tell you about these drinks separately and start with tea.
Should you drink tea before exercise?
Tea leaves contain two main alkaloids: tannin and caffeine. They have the ability to speed up metabolic processes in the body. Let's talk a little more about the mechanism of these alkaloids, using caffeine as an example, since tannin has similar properties.
Epinephrine synthesis is regulated by cAMP. This substance can be broken down due to the action on it of a special enzyme - phosphodiesterase. Caffeine has the ability to block the production of this enzyme, which leads to the accumulation of cAMP.
The concentration of glucose in the blood is relatively low and when it decreases, the body uses carbohydrates obtained from food, and when they are deficient, the glycogen reserves of the liver are used. If this source of energy is not enough, then fat reserves are used. Thus, we can note several main positive aspects of drinking tea before starting the training:
- Caffeine has a positive effect on performance, which leads to more active fat burning as you can exercise more intensely.
- After using up the reserves of glucose and glycogen, the lipolysis process is activated.
- Tea contains a lot of antioxidants.
It should also be noted that green tea contains more active elements and should be preferred. Answering the question - tea and coffee before workout: benefit or harm, consider the features of drinking the second most popular drink.
Pre-workout coffee: general information
Before talking about what tea and coffee will give before a workout: benefits or harms, let's briefly talk about coffee itself. This is true, because now, after water, it is coffee that is the most popular drink on the planet. Agree that the morning for most people starts with a cup of coffee.
This is one of the oldest drinks on the planet, which is obtained from the beans of the coffee tree. Currently, the leading coffee suppliers are Costa Rica and Brazil. Everyone knows that in stores you can buy ground, instant and coffee beans.
The Benefits of Drinking Coffee Before Workout
Any food product has positive and negative effects. Let's find out what benefits or harms from drinking tea and coffee before exercise. We have already talked about tea, the time has passed to talk about coffee, and let's start with the positive effects.
Excellent source of magnesium
Magnesium is a valuable mineral for the body, and in the first place it concerns people who lead an active lifestyle. This substance acts as a catalyst for a large number of biochemical processes. In other words, if there is a deficiency of this mineral in the body, then all the processes of enzyme production are suspended.
Increased efficiency and power
During the Sochi Olympics, many athletes were found to have high levels of caffeine in their blood. This may indicate that athletes consume a lot of coffee. Scientists believe that caffeine can enhance coordination, strength, exercise performance and performance.
American scientists carry out a lot of research related to sports. In the course of one of them, it was proved that with the correct dosage of caffeine before starting a class, you can significantly increase strength parameters. According to their calculations, for a powerlifter, whose body weight is 90 kilos, for this it is necessary to drink from 6 to 8 cups of the aromatic drink.
However, a lot here depends on the characteristics of the organism of a particular person and can be determined by the indicator of insulin sensitivity. In another experiment, it was found that to increase the power when performing the bench press and squats, you need to consume about three grams of caffeine for every kilogram of body weight. This suggested that coffee can affect not only the nervous system, but also directly on the muscles.
Regenerative processes are accelerated, and dyspepsia is reduced
With the help of caffeine, you can reduce crepartia and speed up recovery reactions by up to 50 percent. The experiment was again carried out in the United States. The subjects practiced walking and took caffeine before starting the study. As a result, they moved without stopping for 48 minutes.
The control group used a placebo and were able to move for only 19 minutes. In the third group, carbohydrates were used, which allowed its representatives to walk non-stop for 32 minutes. These results have led scientists to believe that coffee accelerates the process of resynthesis of glycogen in muscles, and also promotes the reduction of adipose tissue. Accelerates the lipolysis process and improves body constitution
Green coffee extract is a great weight loss aid! This conclusion was reached by a group of scientists from the United States after a long experiment that lasted 22 weeks. The study involved men with overweight problems. After consuming enough green coffee extract, they lost more than 27 percent of their weight on average. In addition, there is a large amount of scientific evidence of the ability of coffee to speed up metabolic processes. As you know, this leads to the active burning of fats, which are used by the body instead of glucose for energy.
Increases reaction speed
A dosage of 4 grams of caffeine per kilogram of mass allowed football players to increase their reaction speed, and strength athletes were able to perform more repetitions, which indicates an increase in motivation. In the control group, who took placebo, the results remained unchanged.
In addition, the concentration of cortisol and male hormone was investigated after performing strength exercises. The results suggest that caffeine is unable to increase the rate of cortisol secretion. Athletes who are highly sensitive to caffeine or are under stress may be advised to take 2-10 grams of vitamin C after exercise. This will help reduce cortisol levels and accelerate regenerative responses.
Myths and facts about coffee
There are many myths around coffee drinking, and now we will consider only those that relate to sports.
- Fact number 1 - the person becomes more active. Caffeine has a fairly mild stimulating effect on the nervous system. As a result, concentration and attention are increased. Drinking coffee before training can make your workout more effective.
- Fact number 2 - the rate of lipolysis increases. We have already noted that drinking coffee can speed up your metabolism. This, in turn, is one of the factors required to activate the processes of reduction of adipose tissues. At the same time, the direct effect of caffeine on increasing energy expenditure is not so great, it can be beneficial for weight loss.
- Fact no. 3 - concentration and concentration increases. Caffeine can speed up the processing of information in the brain by 10 percent. Coffee can also help you get rid of drowsiness in a cold room or after eating.
These are scientifically proven facts, and now let's talk about myths.
- Myth number 1 - it is difficult to refuse to drink coffee. In practice, this is fairly easy to do. You should only gradually reduce the amount of coffee you drink. You should not abruptly quit drinking this drink, as you may feel somewhat inhibited. If you reduce the dosage of coffee gradually, the body will more easily adapt to the decrease in the concentration of caffeine. Scientists have proven that coffee does not cause the often talked about addiction.
- Myth number 2 - coffee has diuretic properties. If you consume no more than four cups of coffee throughout the day, then the diuretic effect of the drink will be minimal. With increasing dosage, the diuretic effect will become more pronounced.
- Myth number 3 - coffee can significantly increase blood pressure. According to the results of scientific research, people who regularly drink coffee have blood pressure readings that do not differ from non-caffeinated people. At the same time, with a long break in drinking a drink, an insignificant increase in pressure is possible when you resume drinking coffee. Moreover, this effect is short-term.
- Myth number 4 - coffee can cause osteoporosis. For a long time, people were convinced that coffee has the ability to flush calcium from bone tissue, which leads to their weakening and the development of osteoporosis. Scientists from the UK have denied this assumption. However, if you are afraid for your bones, then you can safely drink coffee with milk, as this negates all the effects of caffeine.
It should be noted that people often equate the effects of coffee (beverage) and caffeine (supplement). However, this is not the case, and most of the studies were carried out precisely with the use of caffeine, which significantly exceeds the effect of coffee due to the high concentration of the active component.
You should also remember that instant coffee is often of poor quality and contains less caffeine than a properly prepared beverage made from ground beans.
For the benefits and dangers of pre-workout tea or coffee, see here:
