Caffeine stops one feeling physically drained, helps people exercise for longer
DRINKING some coffee before working out could get one fitter.

According to a leading physiologist, caffeine can help working out seem easier.

When people exercise, the nerve cells produce a chemical that makes them feel fatigued, called adenosine.

But caffeine blocks the adenosine, preventing us from feeling as physically drained and therefore making us more motivated to continue exercising, said Professor Samuele Marcora, from the University of Kent.

The study was published in the scientific journal Sports Medicine.

Adenosine also impacts how mentally fatigued we feel, so coffee could be particularly useful for those who often find exercise too much of a chore at the end of the working day, said Marcora.

“Taking caffeine before a workout reduces perception of effort and enables people to exercise, on average, 11 per cent longer than placebo,” he said.

“It also increases exercise enjoyment, and this should motivate people to stick to their exercise programme in the long term.

“Adenosine is also one of the main causes of mental fatigue, and mental fatigue increases perception of effort and reduces exercise performance,” he added.

“So using caffeine before a workout is particularly beneficial to people that go for a run or to the gym after work when they are mentally tired.

“Caffeine can help them overcome their mental fatigue and perform a good workout.”

He said drinking 3mg of caffeine per kg of body weight before exercise should be ‘effective without inducing unpleasant side effects in most people.