The high-stress levels of modern living is taking a toll on our lives, resulting in premature aging. So with the ever-increasing stress levels we face, it is becoming more and more important to focus on our wellbeing.
Physical activity, exercise programs or workouts can improve your health but also reduce the risk of developing a number of diseases such as diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular disease. But not only that, a good workout can improve your quality of life, and experts tell us that just 30 minutes a day will allow you to enjoy these benefits.
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Start slowly
If you’ve been sedentary all your life, you can’t just suddenly plunge into a workout program. A workout should be developed around a person’s health status, age, goals and time availability.
You can create a workout program for yourself or you may want to go to a workout class where they develop a workout plan that fits your unique requirements.
Correct nutrition is basic to good health
Correct nutrition is an important part of optimal exercise performance. You need to give your body the essential nutrients and fluids it needs such as a pre workout coffee. Fluid replacement is important for preventing dehydration during training and competition.
Sufficient fluid replacement aids hydration and therefore improves the health as well as an optimal performance of people engaging in regular physical activity. Certainly, there is no situation in which dehydration is of an advantage to sports performance.
If you are in a dehydrated state, the plasma volume drops, the concentration of electrolytes and other plasma constituents increases and heart rate and body temperatures increase. When you’re dehydrated, your concentration and motor skills decline and as your level of dehydration increases, you may suffer from exhaustion.
Providing for the energy requirements of your workout
Your nutrition should provide for your individual dietary preferences as well as for the energy requirements of your workout.
There isn’t one diet to suit everyone’s workout needs, but there are some general guidelines. The rationale behind a good training diet is that it should at least provide your basic nutritional requirements.
So where does a pre workout coffee come into the picture seeing that the stimulant is good for heightening athletic performance? Can it be regarded as a pre-workout drink?
There are nutritionists who tell us that caffeine can certainly enhance performance during strenuous exercise, but that you should be taking it in with food. They say that the body still requires sufficient fat, carbohydrates, and protein if it wants to be able to complete a workout, so if you require to add your pre workout coffee drink to your pre-fueling system, add it to your regular meal.
Coffee has always been the beverage of the morning as people like to get their morning off with a boost of energy. The question arises – could that energy from the caffeine be used as a pre workout coffee beverage?
In fact, experts on the topic tell us that while you can buy heaps of pre-workout powders and supplements, just a cheap cup of coffee can give you the same type of benefits.
In recent months, we’ve heard a lot about the wonders of Bulletproof coffee, claiming that if we drink a cup of low-toxin coffee beans + MCT Oil + Grass-fed butter, our energy levels will soar. The caffeine and certain fats are the ultimate recipe to boost your workouts.
When you’re thinking of coffee as a pre-workout drink there are certain factors to think about
- the palatability of the drink
- gastrointestinal comfort
- the fear of needing to urinate during a workout session, as coffee is a diuretic.
- the availability of the coffee
● About coffee
The very taste and smell of coffee is what gets millions of people around the world on the go every morning and now the pre workout coffee drink is here too. There are many different types of coffees, in fact, more than 30 different types.
Coffee is a plant or bush that can grow up to 10 meters high. The plants originally grew in Africa but these days they are grown in Southern and Central America as well as Southeast Asia. They are an important crop for all these countries.
Coffee is made from the seeds of the coffee plants and they are referred to as coffee beans. The coffee contains a chemical known as caffeine that can keep people awake and make them more alert.
To make a drink from coffee beans, the beans must first be prepared by drying and roasting. The beans are then ground and when the ground coffee is placed into boiling water, the flavor goes into the water and releases a tantalizingly appealing aroma.
Making coffee is called brewing coffee. People drink their coffee in a hundred and one different ways, and some find coffee to be like a meal on its own, but it can also be drunk with food.
There is black coffee, white coffee cappuccino, latte, iced coffee, cafe au lait and many more. Most people drink their coffee with hot milk and sugar, although many others like it black and strong.
Some people don’t like instant coffee but it is the quickest way to make a cup of coffee and a cup that can taste jolly delicious too. If you use instant coffee, Nescafe Gold Instant Coffee All’ Italiana 200g, ranks highly in blind taste tests.
Certain factors influence the taste of coffee
The type of soil, the weather and rainfall all affect the taste of the coffee. Coffee has a good reputation and further research is revealing lots of health benefits with coffee. It is thought that coffee consumption is connected with a lower risk of colon cancer in women.
Caffeine is a natural stimulant found in coffee. It is defined as a drug as it stimulates the central nervous system and can make people feel more alert and energetic.
When you do research or look at labels on the ingredients of certain foods you will find that there are a lot of foods and drinks with caffeine in them. It is always a good idea to keep your caffeine consumption to a minimum.
Too much caffeine can cause –
- faster heart rate
- jitters
- headaches
● Is coffee a good pre workout drink?
Yes it is, for all those who enjoy a workout. It’s so surprising that you can’t find it on the shelves of the shop where you buy your supplements from as its benefits make it that it should be there. You don’t even have to swing by a coffee shop because coffee is right in most people’s homes. Coffee has a number of benefits as to why it is a good workout drink.
Most people work out to avoid putting on unwanted fat, and perhaps one of the biggest benefits of having coffee before your workout is that it is fat-burning. Consuming coffee before a workout can cause fat cells to be used as an energy source as opposed to glycogen.
Also, your metabolism is increased when you drink high amounts of caffeine in black coffee. Caffeine, as well as other compounds in coffee, also acts as an appetite suppressant, so that you eat less.
Many trainers who drink coffee prior to a workout swear by it over your regular pre-workout supplements because they most times have the same active ingredient – caffeine.
The stimulant is ideal for boosting athletic performance. Others go on to add that another benefit of drinking coffee as a pre-workout stimulant is that it doesn’t have additives such as many other pre-workout supplements. Some of these additives are beta-alanine and creatine.
● How soon before a workout should I drink coffee?
Your workout should start not long after you finish your first cuppa. If you want to hit the gym when the caffeine boost is most potent, you’ll need to down your cuppa joe about 40 minutes before working out.
We’re told by workout experts that maximum caffeine concentration kicks in about 45 minutes after consumption. Whatever coffee you’re drinking, whether standard or one of the highly concentrated ones, the saturation will peak more or less at the 45 minute mark.
● Is coffee better than pre workout?
Any coffee lover will tell you that coffee makes for a much better pre-workout drink than most pre-workout supplements. When you do research you find that pre workout coffee has both advantages and disadvantages. When you do further research, you discover that coffee can be a jolly good pre-workout booster, particularly when it is a cup of black organic coffee.
It improves your focus and while you’re busy with a workout you need focus, more so with those long-duration workouts. And of course, studies show that with the pre workout coffee you can enjoy a better athletic performance.
Pre workout supplements also claim to help you have more energy for your workout, but they contain a host of ingredients that are usually in the line of caffeine, guarana and creatine.
These sound like reasonable ingredients but people sometimes wonder if the supplements are safe. According to experts, these supplements can also give people the edge, so what’s wrong with them then?. What’s wrong with the presence of creatine?
The function of creatine is to boost the production of energy in the muscle cells. But not all pre-workout supplements are the same – they aren’t formulated in the same way.
Many supplements, for instance, say that they include a certain ingredient, and it does, but in such a tiny amount, so that it is scarcely worth mentioning. The effects can’t be considered real because there isn’t enough of it to have an effect.
Pre-workout supplements might not be helpful with every kind of exercise. Protein, for instance, may be able to help you with gaining muscle mass but it can also cause intense nausea. A supplement that says proprietary blends isn’t a good choice either as it will include small amounts of each ingredient.
● How much coffee should I drink before workout?
As already mentioned, with a pre workout coffee you need to get your caffeine in 45 minutes before your workout. Experts tell us that you must have about 3 milligrams of caffeine for each kilogram of body weight. The dose of caffeine in coffee will also vary according to the type of coffee bean, the coffee brand, the way you prepare your coffee and the size of your cup.
On average, a cup of brewed coffee usually has roughly 95 to 165mg of caffeine. Experts tell us that caffeine doses between 3 and 6mg/kg are required to improve performance. That’s actually equal to about 2 cups of coffee or 210 to 420mg for a 70kg person.
● Is black coffee a good pre workout?
Yes a pre workout coffee drink is perfect. Having a cup of black coffee before your workout provides more than just a boost of energy but a host of health benefits. It helps you burn fat, it increases athletic performance and several studies have demonstrated a link between caffeine intake before exercise and increased energy and strength.
Sports Medicine refers to caffeine as a powerful ergogenic aid and suggests that athletes can train at a greater power after they’ve consumed caffeine. Of course, there are other studies that have been published too, and for instance, the British Journal of Sports Science suggests that those athletes who consumed coffee prior to running 1500 meters on the treadmill completed their run quicker than those who didn’t. So it seems that downing a cup of coffee can definitely give you the edge.
- It improves focus
- It can help with preventing disease because it has high amounts of antioxidants which protect the body from free radicals.
- It helps with decreasing muscle pain during workouts.
In the long run, a pre workout coffee has a host of benefits which is why you can easily consider it instead of a pre-workout supplement.
When a pre workout coffee is consumed before an exercise session, it causes the fat cells to burn but to also act as the source of energy instead of glycogen. It is plain black coffee that consists of a high amount of caffeine and this is also what plays a huge role in increasing the rate of metabolism.
● Is caffeine bad before a workout?
The amount of caffeine in your pre workout coffee will depend on the exercise you’re doing. Caffeine has always been known for its performance-enhancing properties. To this day, caffeine in coffee still is known as being one of the safest performance boosters to enhance your workout.
When you drink your pre workout coffee, the caffeine goes straight to your head. It has the ability to block different receptors in the brain. Blocking the A1 receptors, the stimulant can increase endurance. By blocking the A2A receptor it raises the brain’s levels of dopamine and epinephrine – increasing focus and power.
So no, caffeine in your pre workout coffee isn’t bad before a workout – caffeine still offers many more benefits over cons, but as with anything, moderation is key. You can definitely have your pre workout coffee if you want to benefit from enhanced energy.
● What is the best thing to drink before a workout?
Experts tell us that what you eat before a workout is very important as it has the means to fuel your exercise.
If you want to avoid pre workout supplements, then you can consider meals and snacks. Not eating the right foods and not eating enough can make you feel dizzy, lethargic and nauseous.
You need to certainly drink water. It’s best to get your body hydrated. You want to be drinking water before, during and after a workout. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t other things you can take before your workout.
There are a host of nutritional products that contain nutrients in amounts greater than that provided by the diet or RDA in the belief that they will provide a performance-enhancing effect. As already suggested, these ingredients are creatine, caffeine, bicarbonate, branched-chain amino acids, medium-chain triglycerides, ginseng, inosine and chromium picolinate – all examples of nutritional ergogenic aids.
You just have to remember that too much of a particular micro-nutrient is not necessarily beneficial. You have to be careful of polypharmacy – where you get the same nutrient from different supplements, nutrient interactions, and toxicity.
The truth is, it is preferable to improve your daily diet before supplementing. Then, if your diet is still inadequate, the lowest recommended some of a nutritional supplement will provide the desired effect.
● Which coffee is best for pre workout?
When you do research you find that there are various views on which coffees work for a pre-workout. A pre workout coffee is an awesome drink, especially when you compare it to the ingredients of pre-workout supplements in their various forms – artificial flavors, colorants and sweeteners. A pre workout coffee is natural and delicious. Some people use instant coffee, some espresso and others insist on Death Proof Coffee, but this particular pre workout coffee is better straight after a workout
● Is coffee good for muscle growth?
There are conflicting views on muscle growth and the benefits of a pre workout coffee online with some experts saying that new research is showing that your pre workout coffee contains antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds and that it can increase muscle growth. Others say pre workout coffee doesn’t affect muscle growth. They say that it does affect many other important functions in your body that could indirectly affect muscle growth.
● Is banana good pre workout?
For your pre work out nutrition, it is important to eat foods high in carbs and moderate in protein and fiber. And of course the humble banana fits the bill.
Bananas are the perfect pre-workout food and they are all full of potassium, helping with muscle function during your workout. People make a banana and honey smoothie which is easily digestible and the honey helps in slow release of sugar to the brain.
● How long does pre workout last?
A pre-workout doesn’t last the same for everyone, and in fact there are a number of factors that come into play to determine this. It’s the strength of the supplement, your age and muscle mass, and the quality of the supplement’s ingredients.
Generally, most healthy people can expect their pre-workout to last between 1 and 3 hours. Drinking plenty of water prior to your workout and eating fresh raw foods can help to make your pre-workout last longer.
● Why is c4 banned?
Unlike safe pre workout coffee, people who simply want to do well with their workouts try to achieve this with the wrong products. They make use of any one of the many supplements available to help them have a successful workout.
C4 is one of these pre-workout supplements. It’s a powder that you mix with water and consume it. The manufacturers of this powder tell us that taking it will provide athletes with a surge of power and motivation. Unfortunately, there have been side effects and deaths associated with C4.
It contains creatine nitrate, beta-alanine, arginine, caffeine, and an energy blend. It is banned in many sports because of an ingredient – synephrine. This particular ingredient gives athletes the edge over their opponents. There is a warning label on the package, informing the user not to use the product for more than 8 weeks and to also not consume any caffeine throughout the day if the supplement is taken. This includes coffee.
The label also gives a list of medical conditions that if you have one of them, you should first speak to your doctor before use. With pre workout coffee there are no medical conditions like this.
● How late is too late for pre workout?
You should consume your pre workout coffee before exercise – usually it is taken 30 – 45 minutes before a workout. There are many athletes who can only pump in the evenings, and then you have to be careful how late you consume your regular pre-workout.
You will need to plan carefully if you want to get some decent shut-eye because taking pre-workouts too close to bedtime can actually wreak havoc with your sleep patterns as you will be too energized to sleep.
To be on the safe side, try and avoid a workout close to bedtime and always refer to the labeling on the packaging as a guide.
● Is it bad to take pre workout everyday?
Yes, unlike with a pre workout coffee they are all stimulants with a host of ingredients that have their own unique blend of advantages while some of them are not good for long term workouts. So in other words, these supplements aren’t long-term. A pre workout coffee is long term.
They will give you a boost of energy and focus when you need it but they shouldn’t be taken long term as there are downsides to taking pre-workout supplements every day. Some of the common pre-workout supplement side effects include, among others, vomiting, headaches, cramps, trouble with sleeping, flushed skin, anxiety and even chest pain. There’s a solution though – coffee, and it works. Just drink your pre workout coffee and reap the benefits.
● Does pre workout damage your liver?
Not every pre-workout supplement is bad, but there are some side effects that you should be aware of. The most widely used pre-workout supplement is protein – one of the main components in muscle building. Taken correctly, it’s ok, but too much protein isolate can be harmful for your liver and kidneys in the long run.
Medical experts tell us that this whey protein can cause a whole lot of unpleasant conditions of which liver damage is just one. Also, dimethyl amylamine is a simple aliphatic amine, which is marketed under many names and which is considered highly dangerous as it can cause liver failure and heart palpitations.
These are just two ingredients in pre-work out supplements, but there are others which are also effective in being risky for your health.
● Why coffee is a good pre workout?
A pre workout coffee is a good idea as it can improve your workout performance. This is because a pre workout coffee has caffeine and this caffeine increases adrenaline in the body to prepare it for physical exertion.
The caffeine in the pre workout coffee increases your body’s energy levels and improves your workout performance as it reduces feelings of tiredness.
People such as trainers and athletes who drink coffee will tell you that they prefer a pre workout coffee over pre-workout supplements as they have the same active ingredient, caffeine, but that coffee doesn’t come with all those other suspect ingredients
If you want to add your pre workout coffee to your pre-fueling plan, enhance it by adding it with your regular meal as opposed to in place of it. The only ingredients you’ll find in a cup of coffee are milk and sugar, and that’s if you drink them like that. Coffee doesn’t have additives such as beta-alanine and creatine. And whether you’re having a regular cup of Starbucks or going with a highly concentrated brand, the coffee effect begins to kick in after 45 minutes.
● Is it OK to have coffee before working out?
If you’re not a coffee lover or if you’ve never grown up with coffee it wouldn’t be a good idea to suddenly start drinking a pre workout coffee,, particularly if you are susceptible to the negative effects of caffeine.
Coffee can be too powerful for some people, so if you’ve heard of the benefits of coffee as a pre-workout drink, try a coffee out first – instant coffee or a single espresso. You don’t want to get into the more heavier stuff for a pre workout coffee such as a strong cup of percolated coffee that has brewed for a long time. Certainly, if you’re experiencing adrenal exhaustion, drinking coffee before a workout can boost your athletic performance. The people who drink two cups of coffee before a workout are those who are well acclimated to coffee and caffeine.
● Is cold coffee good before a workout?
Being hydrated is good for your mental and physical health. But can drinking cold liquids have a negative impact on your health, and more so before a workout? There are those who believe that drinking cold water is a bad habit that can actually harm your health.
Studies show that drinking icy water has negative effects in your body. Having a cold pre workout coffee prior to heading to your workout isn’t a good idea as recent research has found that drinking a chilled beverage inhibits your natural sweating and thermoregulatory response.
Rehydrating by replacing lost fluids and electrolytes is important before and after a workout but avoid drinking icy drinks and stick to your regular hot cup.
Summing up
Nobody is forcing anyone to drink anything they don’t want to, but we’ve just sought to draw your attention to the fact that if you need a good natural pre-workout ‘supplement’ that you give the pre workout coffee a go.
The simple reason is that your pre workout coffee doesn’t contain all those strange-sounding ingredients that could present you with a whole of horrible side effects. The decision is entirely up to you on what you should be drinking now that you know the pros and the cons of pre workout supplements and coffee.
If you do decide to go with pre workout supplements, just take care that you make sure you understand where and what the ingredients are and whether it is indeed safe to continue with the product.
Any energetic athletic adults who want to enhance their athletic performance with stimulants but who don’t want to sit with a whole lot of side effects that come from drinking unregulated supplements should take a look at pre workout coffee. Yes, coffee has caffeine, a natural stimulant but which is a safe and effective alternative to improve your workouts.
When people start doing workouts they would never dream of the fact that one of the most effective pre-workouts is sitting right inside their cupboard. Yes, coffee is literally one of the most effective pre-workout drinks there is.
This bit of evidence hasn’t been sucked out of someone’s thumb. Research has been done on the topic and it shows that downing a cup of coffee before a workout can most certainly boost your performance.
So, whether you believe it or not, why don’t you drink a cup of pre workout coffee prior to your workout and see what it can do for you? If you want that extra edge, give it a go and you may well discover that you never have to invest in a pre-workout supplement again.
Not only will it save you a lot of money, as the supplements can be pretty expensive, but it can save you a lot of damage to your health as well.
