Caffeine’s Effects on Strength Training
Drinking an espresso before strength training could make hoisting those weights feel a bit easier.
In a study from The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 37 people took either a placebo pill or caffeine supplement equal to two eight-ounce cups of regular coffee.
One hour later, after doing bench presses, those who had the caffeine lifted about five pounds more than the placebo group.
“Caffeine may help you achieve better muscle activation, and that could help you lift more,” says Travis Beck, lead study author from the University of Nebraska in Lincoln.
Over time, a more challenging strength-training regimen will lead to more muscle mass and lower total body fat. Though Beck’s research doesn’t warrant increasing caffeine intake, it could be a wise choice to sip a preworkout cup. [source: Allure]
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10-10-07 at 2:44 am
Coffee puts the system under the strain of metabolizing a deadly acid-forming drug, depositing its insoluble cellulose, which cements the wall of the liver, causing this vital organ to swell to twice its proper size. In addition, coffee is heavily sprayed. (Ninety-two pesticides are applied to its leaves.) Diuretic properties of caffeine cause potassium and other minerals to be flushed from the body.
All this fear went away when I quit, and it was a book that inspired me to do it called The Truth About Caffeine by Marina Kushner. There are five things I liked about this book:
1) It details--thoroughly--the ways in which caffeine may damage your health.
2) It reveals the damage that coffee does to the environment. Specifically, coffee was once grown in the shade, so that trees were left in place. Then sun coffee was introduced, allowing greater yields but contributing to the destruction of rain forests. I haven't seen this mentioned anywhere else.
3) It explains how best to go off coffee. This is important. If you try cold turkey, as most people probably do, the withdrawal symptoms will likely drive you right back to coffee.
4) Helped me find a great resource for the latest studies at CaffeineAwareness.org
5) Also, if you drink decaf you won’t want to miss this special free report on the dangers of decaf available at soyfee.com