Caffeine and sports nutrition.

Who doesn’t like having a cup of aromatic coffee at breakfast, which will help to cheer up and go to work in a good mood? Numerous opinion polls have shown that 80% of people consume caffeine on a daily basis. Many believe that it improves mood, invigorates and stimulates the brain. But besides this, few people know that this alkaloid is an indispensable assistant for various types of physical activity.

In recent years, scientists in many countries have made a lot of efforts to identify the effect of caffeine on the body of athletes and people leading an active lifestyle. And the results were pretty clear about its beneficial effects: it turned out that caffeine not only helps to burn more subcutaneous fat during exercise, but also improves aerobic and anaerobic performance. Let’s understand in more detail!

Caffeine belongs to a specific group of substances called methylxanthanines. It is obtained from a separate plant species (coffee seeds, tea leaves, and cola nuts) and is quite affordable and comes in pill form. Most people get caffeine during the day along with chocolate, coffee, cola and cocoa. What effect does this substance have on the human body?

Caffeine can help you lose weight and improve athletic performance.

In the late 80s of the last century, experts at the Ball University in Indiana concluded that caffeine significantly increases the concentration of free fats in a person’s blood, thus contributing to more active use of subcutaneous fat by the body as the main fuel.

It has been proventhat in a person who regularly takes caffeine in the form of a dietary supplement, the level of fat oxidation in the body increases by 50%, and this is a little, a lot – the burning of additional kilocalories. For example, in one hour of jogging, an ordinary person burns about 800 calories, and thanks to the action of caffeine, during this time, 600 kilocalories will be burned as a result of fat oxidation and 200 as a result of the breakdown of glucose.

As for sports performance: it has been scientifically proven that the fat-mobilizing feature of caffeine significantly increases the overall anaerobic capacity of the body. This means that thanks to caffeine, you will have significantly more energy for active sports, you will be able to train longer and more actively. As already mentioned, taking caffeine increases the level of free fatty acids in the blood, which allows the body to use more fats, thereby causing an alcohol-sparing effect (the onset of fatigue is suspended and a person can work longer).

Plus caffeine increases the functionality of the muscles, and also increases the contractility of the diaphragm, thereby making breathing easier while exercising in the gym. This feature of caffeine is very important for people who have any respiratory problems and for athletes competing in high altitude conditions.

Effectiveness of caffeine in those situations where the body has to perform short, but rather intense work, has also been proven by the example of an experiment in which sprinter cyclists took part. Before the start of the races, they drank caffeine in the following doses – 6 mg per 1 kg of body weight. After that, the cyclists had to ride at top speed until they were completely exhausted. Interestingly, those athletes who took caffeine lasted one minute longer. “Just think, just one minute!” – you will say. But don’t jump to conclusions, because the duration of a bicycle sprint is only four to five minutes in total! And for a number of indicators, it is close to bodybuilding, which is proof of its benefits for athletes. So, caffeine will not only help the bodybuilder to “burn” excess fat faster, but will also increase the intensity of training.

Due to a number of beneficial properties, caffeine is now actively used by athletes in preparation for the Olympic Games. By the way, this is why the IOC limited the use of this substance by the Olympians – the maximum level of caffeine in urine should be 12 micrograms per milliliter.

Caffeine pills.

Sports nutrition manufacturers offer caffeine in tablets. Caffeine pills are very convenient and functional. And pure caffeine is very easily and quickly absorbed by the body, which ultimately leads to the maximum effect. At the same time, you can always determine the optimal dose, focusing on your weight.

How long caffeine should you take?

It is recommended to select the dose of caffeine individually. The optimal dosage of caffeine for a bodybuilder is approximately 9 to 20 mg per kg of body weight. Most often, athletes take caffeine along with aspirin 1 minutes before training.

Do not increase the dosage at a rapid pace: it is better to start with 2 mg and slowly increase to 20 mg. Moreover, the final dose (20 mg) is determined solely by the health and condition of the athlete. Irritability, increased feelings of nervousness, trembling limbs are signals to immediately reduce the dosage of caffeine.

Side effects.

With excess and overdose of caffeine, the following side effects may occur:

• sleep disturbance;
• indigestion;
• anxiety;
• tachycardia or arrhythmia;
• muscle twitching;
• increased urine output;
• psychomotor agitation;
• redness of the face.

For caffeine poisoning symptoms such as lack of appetite, trembling fingers, nausea, hypertension, and confusion are observed. If the intoxication is quite strong, then convulsions, delirium tremens, hyperglycemia may appear.

Normal concentration of caffeine in people who regularly drink coffee, is 1-10 mg / l, and the concentration of 80 mg / l is incompatible with life.