Caffeine has proven benefits for athletes and lifters as an energy enhancer. It might also potentially boost concentration and clear thinking. In fact, some studies suggest that caffeine can even aid athletic performance during endurance activities and make the task at hand seem easier by roughly six percent. More than half of the population consumes caffeine — usually coffee — on a daily basis. Then there are those of us who are casual coffee drinkers but use premium workout supplements like P4’s Pre Game and Energy Formula for a caffeine boost. Here are four ways the caffeine in those supplements offers benefits in the gym or on the field:
#1. Research published in the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism found that athletes who caffeinated before training burned 15% more calories for three hours following the workout compared to athletes who were administered a placebo.
#2. According to research out of the University of Illinois, consuming caffeine an hour before a tough workout can also help ease muscle pain and delayed-onset muscle soreness.
#3. Caffeine is not a suitable replacement for chronic lack of rest. A study published by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine found that caffeine had little to no benefit after three consecutive nights of poor sleep. To perform your best and to get the most out your caffeine or P4 workout supplement, make rest and sleep a priority.
#4. A Japanese study found that coffee had a positive impact on circulation when taken before a workout. Researchers gave subjects either caffeinated or decaffeinated liquid and found that after 75 minutes, those who consumed caffeine had a 30% increase in blood flow.
Remember: One scoop of P4’s Pre Game Formula and Energy Formula contain 150mg of caffeine; Recovery Push Formula has zero caffeine. You should not consume more than 200mg of caffeine within a four-hour period.