The Bean and the Barbell: A Match Made in Heaven

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How caffeine affects workout strength and performance

Do you smell that? No, no, not the smelly gym shoes you're about to put on as you walk out the door. That other smell...that nutty, smoky, warm, comforting smell of that morning Jitter Juice. Yes, coffee. I'm here to tell you that not only does coffee make you a tolerable person first thing in the morning, but it can also take your fitness performance to the next level. That might just make it the greatest drug on earth, or at least the tastiest.

"Ok, I've had my first cup and I'm [finally] ready to hear whatever it is you're saying, Ryan." Great! To make a long story short, caffeine decreases the perception of effort, fights fatigue, and increases motor unit recruitment (which is a fancy way to say increasing overall power output and total volume) in muscles, particularly the legs. Who knew?!

So...basically, yet another great benefit of caffeine (did I say coffee?) is giving that extra zing and focus to get to and start up the workout, but even more weight on the bar and muscle gain. Pretty awesome to say the least.

What the Science Says

One study showed increases in 1RM strength in the Bench Press (+ 3kg, or about 6.5lbs) and Hack Squat (+22kg, or 48lbs) in a 4-week trial, alternating weeks with placebo. [1] Another study showed similar increases in motor unit recruitment from 9.1% in the biceps (all we need to hear, fellas) to 13.7% in the quads (think squats/deadlifts/lunges). [2] These are serious gains, folks! Substantial increases not only in strength/power but also in motor unit recruitment, meaning more muscle mass.

The only troubling thing found in these studies was the dosage size. It was primarily used at 6mg/Kg; for a 200lb person, they'd need to consume 545mg of caffeine. That is A LOT of caffeine - around 4-5 cups of coffee, 2 servings of pre workout, AND and 3-4 energy drinks. That's not realistic for most, and there are some potentially brutal side effects (anxiety, insomnia, gut issues, and muscle breakdown) that are almost certainly counter to your goals.

What’s the right amount for me?

So the first step is to find the *right* amount of caffeine for you. Here's a simple formula: Convert your weight to kilograms (weight (in lbs)/2.2), then multiple your weight in Kg by 3 and also by 6. This is your range for ergogenic aid effects.

  • For a 200lb person: 200/2.2 = 91 x 3 = - 273, 91 x 6 = 546 --> The range is 273-546

With findings of as low as 3mg/kg of benefit (275mg from above example), this is more of a realistic dosage for most. A good protocol for using caffeine as an ergogenic (and reaping the performance and strength benefits) is to monitor how much is ingested each day, using it primarily on the heavier/more intense days in the gym.

How do I apply this?

Using the same 200lb person example:

  • Monday: Heavy Upper body – 275mg-300mg, 20-30min before working out

  • Tuesday: Minimal Caffeine intake – just the standard "system start" cup in the am...maybe one more?

  • Wednesday: Heavy Lower Body – 300mg+, 20-30min before working out

  • Thurs-Sunday – Half (or less) dose (2-3mg/kg ALL DAY)

The big take home point is the lower the standard intake is each day, the lower the tolerance, meaning the caffeine will have high impact on performance and strength. In that case, save your caffeine for the more intense/heavier days in the gym! Also, hydration is critical. Try to match every ounce of a caffeine beverage with 1-2 ounces of water to keep those pesky side effects down; it will also aid in overall performance.

To give you an idea of caffeine content...these are some popular choices:

  • Starbucks Drip Coffee (12oz) – 260mg

  • K Cup (8oz) – 90-140mg

  • 5 hour energy (2oz) – 215mg

  • Red Bull (8oz) – 80mg

  • “C4” Pre Workout Powder – 150mg – 300mg (product dependent)

If you're not a frequent caffeine user, steer towards the lower end of the range you calculated above, gradually increasing as needed. Keeping your caffeine intake lower (2-3mg/kg per day) is probably a good level to maintain while getting the benefits of the high dosage on intense workout days (1-2x/week).

Now it's time to go after that PR in the squat, feel free to slug down that second cup of java and go at it, enjoy the extra push!

Sources
[1] Richardson DL, Clarke ND, Effect of Coffee and Caffeine Ingestion on Resistance Exercise Performance, J Strength Cond Res. 2016 Oct;30(10):2892-900. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000001382.

[2] Tomas Timmins, et. al., “Effect of Caffeine Ingestion on Maximal Voluntary Contraction Strength in Upper and Lower Body Muscle Groups,” Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research 2014, DOI: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000000447