Pre - Workout Coffee

   

    The votes are in this week and the use of coffee as a pre-workout came out on top! I think this was an interesting topic for many readers because everyone is always looking for a way to turn their workout up a notch. 

     We're all familiar with the classic pre-workout supplements on the market; NO Explode, C4, Assault, Jack3d & oh yes...the ARNOLD IRON PUMP!! Now, I know the ads for a lot of these products are extremely tantalizing, promising larger veins, instantly bigger biceps and extreme fat loss! The truth of the matter is, it's not worth putting all this crap in your body for very small, most of the time not even noticeable results. Most of these products have ingredients in them that even a chemist couldn't identify! 

     Coffee might not come with all the same "guarantees" as the above products, but it is a much healthier and safer option. When dealing with supplements or just food in general, the smaller the list of ingredients, the better! All natural or organic straight black caffeinated coffee fits that description perfectly! Before listing the many benefits of coffee, it should be noted that coffee consumption should be stopped once your workout is done. Coffee has the tendency to elevate cortisol in the body, this is the "muscle eating", stress hormone of the body and it's important to have that low when trying to recover. Now, on to the good stuff.....

1.       Warm coffee increases internal body heat, somewhat priming us for a warmup
2.       Having coffee as a pre-workout has been shown to increase focus and work capacity
3.       Studies have shown that caffeinated coffee has actually been shown to improve fat loss
4.       Caffeinated coffee can possibly increase power and strength
5.       Coffee increases motivation  

Try having some coffee before your next workout and see if it improves your session!

- Brig Van Etten CSCS - 

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