Hello Runner,
Welcome back to your weekly moment of endurance nutrition!
Happy Weekend!
How was your week? I hope you’re well!
I don't want to be negative, but my week was difficult, dragged out...I felt very tired mentally, physically, and emotionally!
I've continued training, but I've reduced the intensity. I chose to prioritize my well-being and my nights of sleep.
Unfortunately, we're not immune to bad days, but the good thing is that everything is temporary, and better days will come!
If there's one thing that has helped me A LOT this past hard week, it's coffee!.. In the moments when I've been dragging my feet the most, it's the one that's saved me.
Linking caffeine to sports nutrition, did you know that caffeine can improve endurance performance by about 4%? A large number of studies have confirmed this.
One of the frequent doubts is whether coffee has the same effect as caffeine supplements (tablets, gels, drinks, chewing gum, etc).
→ According to studies, there is NO significant difference in performance between coffee and caffeine!
In this case, caffeine as a supplement or coffee can improve your performance.
No matter how you consume it, it should be done 1 hour before a workout!
Below are more details on dosages, caffeine content per type of coffee, etc.
CAFFEINE INSIGHTS
What would be the dosage of caffeine supplement or coffee?
Suppose you prefer to consume it in supplement form: 3 - 5mg/kg of body weight/caffeine.
→ Note that 5mg of caffeine is a very high dose.
If you prefer to drink coffee → the levels of caffeine vary greatly due to variations in the coffee blend, the exact amount of ground coffee used, and the brewing technique. Also, the size of the serve varies tremendously.
In general:
200ml cup of brewed coffee ~ 90mg caffeine
60ml cup of espresso ~ 80mg caffeine
200ml cup of instant coffee ~ 90mg caffeine
200ml cup of decaf coffee ~ 4mg caffeine
If you want to know exactly how much caffeine you are ingesting, coffee may not be the preferred way, because of the variation.
Instead, you can choose instant coffee because its caffeine content seems pretty constant.
Nescafé contains 170mg caffeine/5g of instant coffee.
Gels with caffeine
Many brands make gels with 70-100mg of caffeine in their composition. If you are an experienced runner or athlete, you may have seen or even taken one.
My recommendation:
If you want an extra boost to finish a race, take the caffeine gel 20-25 minutes before the end of the race.
If you take the gel before that, chances are you'll have to run to the bathroom.
If you are sensitive to caffeine, I do not recommend using this type of gel unless you have tested it several times during your training sessions.
⚠ Be careful if you have caffeine sensitivity. For those who are sensitive to caffeine - like me - coffee before a run or bike ride can make you want to run to the bathroom!
Also, the chances of side effects are greater with higher doses. These side effects include headaches, anxiety, increased heart rate, dizziness, nausea, and GI Issues.
Wishing you a great weekend and week ahead!
Here’s to health and good runs⚡️
Ana Paula Alonso