Does Caffeine Help Exercise?

Don't forget, 200mg of caffeine and 20mg of ephedrine (found in otc asthma medication) can be combined to create a fantastic CNS stimulant. This is helpful when you are dieting and need to increase your metabolism.

The whole NO thing in bodybuilding is a scam. The science behind it is that dilated blood vessels bring more nutrients to your muscles.

Check out the:
The NO2/Arginine Scam

The supplement companies make billions off of it. Don't fall for the marketing.

Whenever I drink coffee with caffeine in it, my face breaks out a few days later. Does anyone else have this problem? I've read that coffee hasn't been found to affect complexion, but my own experience shows otherwise.

Look, let's face it, why should coffee be any different??? One study shows a benefit, another finds the opposite... nothing new about that!

Sleep problems are masked by caffeine consumption. I read at http://www.projectweightloss.com why people tend to use caffeine. Almost twelve million Americans suffer from obstructive sleep apnea and are not even aware of their problems.

A coffee a day...

Great information!! I just read a book called say yes to NO by Lou Ignarro, www.ignarro.com and it talks a lot about the importance of Nitric Oxide. I didn't know you can get it from coffee.

Caffeine is a thermogenetic, which means it has fat burn effects. If we combine it with exercising we are going to burn more fats.

Anyway if you expect magic results, just forget it. It is good supplement to our diet and very sweet in the morning :)

I like coffee very much. What about you?

By the way Alex sometimes I drink coffee in the evening and don't have sleep disorders. May be it depends on our organism.

There are many myths about diet. Can I suggest you look at www.bestdietprogramme.co.uk it busts a load of myths

Healthy doesn't always include high caffeine amounts. Although caffeine is milder, it operates on our bodies using the same mechanism that amphetamines, cocaine and heroin use to stimulate the brain -- hence caffeine's addictive qualities. We're getting more and more caffeine in our systems because products have higher amounts. You buy your coffee at Starbucks and you've got 50 percent more caffeine than traditional drip coffee. Food and beverage manufacturers that make diet pills, cold medicines (and pure caffeine pills) all are putting more and more caffeine in their products. And they are aggressively marketing to a younger group of consumers. But high caffeine products --like the popular energy drinks -- are dangerous and put drinkers at risk. Ethic Soup blog has a good article on caffeine facts at:

http://www.ethicsoup.com/abcs-of-caffeine.html

Sharon McEachern

I sometimes drink a cup of coffee about an hour before I work out and I definitely think it helps my endurance. I had heard that there is an increase in athletes abusing Viagra for similar reasons...it increases the NO levels in your blood and improving circulation to the lungs (as well as other areas I suppose).

There is so much back and forth on this topic - stimulant junkies and body-builders tend to say one thing and health fanatics another .. I'd like to think I'm somewhere in the middle. I've done plenty of research and even blogging on this topic over the years but in the end personal experience wins out. Here's what I've found:

- Organic coffee seems to stimulate me and I definitely push the limits harder when training, but I don't get that jittery feeling. I'm calm but strong.

- Non-organic coffee jacks me up, even shortens my breath a little, and definitely gives me the jitters.

I thought that was interesting. Maybe the negative effects of caffeine on exercise are more related to toxins in coffee than to the caffeine itself? Maybe I just found my next article idea!

Whenever I drink coffee with caffeine in it, my face breaks out a few days later. Does anyone else have this problem? I've read that coffee hasn't been found to affect complexion, but my own experience shows otherwise.

yah i have the exact same problem

The caffiene is great for working out / burning fat, I just don't like the taste really. When on a diet, I take a 200mg pill before workouts, and I drink plenty of green tea for the caffiene / antioxidants.

I would like to know the original paper of Japanese Research. I could not find any information on it, except for Hiroshima University...

There's no need for caffeine, food supplements, or "energy-drinks" before a workout. They are a waste of money.

If you eat a nutritious diet, you'll have all the energy you need.

I gave up coffee about a year ago and what a difference but was lacking something before hitting the gym, now I supplement with N-o before the workout and it works for me

I would put more emphasis on workouts and may be yoga....All other things are totally crap to me....

Coffee and exercise could be a bad combination I would think as it increases the heart rate.

I think you don't need any boost just do it!

Caffine has been well known source for performance boosts.

I drink at least four a day - and sometimes more when I have a important sporting match, interview or even exam.

I don't know if you subscribe to CrossFit at all or know Robb Wolf, (http://robbwolf.com) but on http://crossfit.com there is a thing called CrossFit Journal, along with a CrossFit Radio. I was listening to the 4th episode today, where Robb Wolf came onto the show and talked about how caffeine has been shown to have beneficial effects for those who are lean already, and have the opposite effect for those who are not yet lean. So that could explain the opposing studies.

I love my coffee. It doesn't really matter to me what researchers say (today coffee is good, tomorrow coffee is bad...) I will still drink my cup of Joe each morning.

wow. i just quit smoking pot if that counts for anything, but when i quit i started dringing alot of caffinated drinks. and i also started eating alot. i guess that is from where i never ate when i was high. So i've been clean for about 4 months and gained 15 pounds, which is good because i only weigh 130 pounds.