Do you ever drink a cup of coffee before exercising?
You are not the only one. But is it actually a good idea? We can be brief about that: Yes! Sports and coffee go very well together. Below we will tell you why.
You get more out of your training with coffee
Coffee increases your focus, which means you get much more out of your workout. That makes sense. If you're a little tired or have little concentration, you'll tend to hold back during exercise. Or be a little sloppy. More focus simply means a better workout.
Caffeine improves your blood circulation
The effect of caffeine on your blood circulation is quite big. After just over an hour, your blood circulation has improved by no less than 30%. Better blood circulation means that your muscles get more oxygen and can then deliver more power. Are you participating in a competition or is it important for you to perform better? Then definitely drink a cup of coffee well over an hour beforehand!
Less muscle pain
Did you know that if you drink coffee an hour before exercising, you will have less muscle pain after exercising? We at Koffie Piraat thought that was very good news. After an intensive workout, you no longer have to walk up the stairs of the warehouse with sore legs the next day. And there goes the excuse ("I have to work tomorrow") for not having to go all out during workouts.
Coffee after exercise helps muscle recovery
Another fun fact: During exercise, your body burns a lot of glucose (in the form of glycogen) that is stored in your muscles. The longer and harder you train, the more your muscles need to recover. The glucose supply needs to be replenished! It is common knowledge that taking carbohydrates helps with this. Less well-known is that the caffeine in coffee helps to bring the glucose from your blood to your muscles even faster. Coffee therefore accelerates the recovery of your muscles.
Your push in the back
If you ever dread hitting the gym (who doesn't?!), have a nice cup of coffee beforehand! Just like it's perfectly normal to pep yourself up before you go to work in the morning, you can also do that when you're going to exercise. In fact, it's good for you too!
