Coffee as a pre-workout
We all know working out is very important but finding motivation can be hard sometimes. If you're looking for an all-natural way to get you pumped up for a ride, look no further. Here are the benefits of drinking coffee before your ride:
- It increases performance.
According to the European Food Safety Authority, caffeine before a workout helps train at a greater power output and train longer. So, you’ll be able to add more resistance and go even harder on those last pyramids and sprints!
- It improves focus.
Black coffee helps you improve your mental focus, keeping you productive and effective during your ride and beyond!
- It accelerates fat loss.
When coffee is consumed before exercise, it can cause fat cells to be used as an energy source as opposed to glycogen. Also, it can increase your metabolism by up to 20 percent making you burn more during class and up until 3 hours after.
- It decreases muscle pain.
Whoever said “No pain, no gain” probably didn’t have to go to work after an intense ride. Around two cups of coffee a day can reduce post workout pain by up to 48 percent. This makes sense because caffeine is a main ingredient in a lot of pain relievers. It’s still important to stretch after your ride and take care of your water intake but drinking your coffee definitely helps!
Side note: just be sure that you don't exceed 400 milligrams of caffeine in a day, according to the Mayo Clinic's recommendations. That's the equivalent of four cups of coffee. So as long as your pre-workout isn't your fifth hit, you'll be good to go.
