Caffeine: Your Endurance Partner

Caffeine is originally obtained from coffee, which seemed to be discovered and put to use in Ethiopia in the 15th century. Coffee beans made their way around the globe through mysterious trade routes and a treasury of interesting stories. At this point, this super drug is commonly found in kitchens all around the world and enjoyed as a beverage by a large number of people. Caffeine was first extracted from coffee in 1819 and has opened up many possibilities by which it can be consumed. The cultural history is just amazing, but I wouldn’t attempt to explain the history for the sake of relevance.

What we are concerned about is how the contents of this bean is critical to the performance of professional and recreational endurance athletes. At first glance, knowing caffeine’s effect on the heart rate, one would assume that it would not be beneficial to begin a long run with your heart racing before your feet get a chance to catch wind. However, this cannot be further from the truth.

Caffeine has been found in many studies to have an ergogenic effect for cardiovascular endurance. The term ‘ergogenic’ means it helps improve physical performance. It has proven to be very beneficial in endurance events, across the spectrum. This includes all forms of events. Caffeine reduces the time to completion of the event by increasing the average power output of the body. It is able to counteract the effects of adenosine and does the job better as the distance of the event increases. The benefits are about 3 percent, which can be very critical in the higher ranking runners.

The fact that anywhere between 3 and 6 milligrams per kilogram of body weight yields similar performance results is a relief to many athletes who don’t want to risk an upset stomach by drinking more than they are used to. 3 milligrams per kilogram of body weight adds up to 2 small cups of coffee, which is about a mug, for a person weighing 65 kilograms. Of course, this depends on the type of coffee, the concentration, and the method of brewing, amongst many other factors.

What is even fascinating is that this positive effect is present irrespective of the age, sex, or even the aerobic capacity of the athlete. Caffeine does not discriminate in handing out bonus points. As mentioned earlier, there is a range which offers similar improvements. Additionally, it is not sensitive to the timing of consumption relative to the event. Of course, to benefit from caffeine, you have to consume it before the event and not after. Since 5 hours as the half-life is pretty long, making sure the event falls within that window is probably all that needs to be considered.

This hack is something that every endurance athlete should know, as it almost feels like a hack. Coffee being totally natural is probably the easiest source, but there are plenty of supplement options available over the counter. What needs to be taken care of is the authenticity and reputation of the product. To avoid all the fuss, we would recommend sticking to just coffee.