If you think that one of the most popular doctors at TikTok are the two best times to drink coffee every day (for alertness and cognitive function) during the hours 10:00 to 12:00 and 14:00 to 17:00, when your hormone Cortisol is not the highest and you can really get the most out of your caffeine boost. But if you are a regular trainer and want to get the most out of your workouts, especially a new study of all male subjects published in Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition suggests another time to drink coffee: before exercising. What’s more – which is excellent news for coffee lovers – it should be strong coffee.
Read on for more about what the researchers say about the connection between your coffee and your fitness – and when exactly you should drink it. And if you’re looking for a great new fat burning workout, read through the quick 10-minute workout that melts belly fat, according to a top trainer.
“The results of our study showed that acute caffeine intake 30 minutes before performing an aerobic exercise test increased maximal fat oxidation during exercise regardless of the time of day,” sa Francisco José Amaro-Gahete, professor of physiology at the University of Spain in Granada, and lead author of the study.
For the study, researchers at the University of Granada went on to investigate the effects of coffee on exercise, and whether it really helps improve athletic performance. They experimented on 16 men with any average age of 32, who completed “exercise tests four times at seven-day intervals.” Participants drank either a certain amount of caffeine or placebo. And for better exercise advice, check out the simple morning workout that melts fat all day, experts say.
The study says that about 3 mg of caffeine per kg of body mass is the amount that increases the rate of fat burning. For reference, this means that a man of 170 pounds should drink 231 mg of caffeine half an hour before exercise, which translates to about a Tall Starbucks Pike Place mix.
The researchers note that there are limits to the benefits of caffeine in fat burning. “Very high doses of caffeine (eg 9 mg / kg) are associated with a high incidence of side effects and do not appear to be required to produce an ergogenic effect,” says the study. (For the record, 9 mp / kg for the same 170 pounds would be 693 mg of caffeine – or more than 30 ounces of Starbucks Blonde Roast, its strongest rust.)
The researchers also concluded that the effects of caffeine consumption on your fat burning are “more marked” when the exercise is performed in the afternoon, as opposed to the morning. For more information on the benefits of exercising later in the day, see why this is the perfect time of day to exercise, says new study.
According to the study: “Small to moderate benefits of caffeine use include, but are not limited to: muscular endurance, speed and muscle strength, sprint, jumping and throwing performance, as well as a wide range of aerobic and anaerobic sports-specific measures.”
The study also states that caffeine can improve performance in certain sports such as basketball (“increased jump height … free throws made … increased number of total and offensive returns”) football (“increased total distance covered during the game”), volleyball (“increased number volleyball measures and reduced number of imprecise measures “) and cross-country skiing (” reduced time to complete a certain distance “).
Related: This exercise drives 29 percent more fat loss, science says
“In summary,” the study concludes, “the results show that the combination of acute caffeine intake and moderate-intensity aerobic exercise in the afternoon provides the optimal scenario for people who want to increase fat burning during physical exercise.” And for more great exercise advice, do not miss The Crazy-Popular Walking Workout That Totally Works, Say Experts.
