No. It’s not cheating. A cup of coffee or two before a workout is like, totally legit, and, according to several studies done in the last few years, good for you–for two reasons. One: caffeine prevents workout fatigue. The London Times reports that a study conducted at the University of South Carolina and published in the American Journal of Physiology in 2003 reveals that one or two cups of coffee up to an hour
before a gym session can delay or prevent post-exercise tiredness by up
to 60 percent. And two: it helps you burn fat faster. The Times story tells us that substances in caffeine can trigger the release
of body fats into the bloodstream during activity. This means fat, rather than carbohydrate, is
burned first during exercise. The fat goes away, and carbohydrates are
stored in the muscle as glycogen for later
use. So you can exercise for longer, and burn even more fat. But what about the old concern about caffeine leading to dehydration? Not to worry. According to the London Times, that belief has gone the way of fat during a caffeinated workout. Read more.
Health, fitness and lifestyle tips for people over 50 who still like to play hard
Saturday, May 31, 2025
A triathlete in my low-30’s, I’ve often wondered about this. I don’t drink coffee daily. However, during races I often use “shots” that are caffinated. This article is pushing me to consider tracking this, much like I log workout times, and run distances, to see if there is a noticeable/objective difference in performance.
Thanks!
Jason
A friend of mine who trained for the U.S. cycling team in the 1980s said their Eastern Bloc coach had them put coffee in one of their water bottles…. And late in the ride it was rum… carbohydrates into the bloodstream faster!
I find if I’m working out after a long workday, a small coffee or capuccino sits very nicely. Maybe because, for a ritual morning coffee drinker, it’s kind of like starting a new day.
–SK
SportsGeezer
My friend A.J. has a blog called SportsGeezer, which in attitude is much like this one. That is, it’s for people who like to play hard. His focus is more on the… mature athlete of either sex, but could be relevant to anyone interested in health and fit…
Is there a site that lists a graph or chart that identifies various sports and the age at which they are played. I am over 40 but my mind still thinks it can play the active sports like football, basketball, etc. but no matter how much stretching, etc. I tend to pull, strain, snap something new much more often then I used to. I know that is common no matter how good of shape someone is. The wife is telling me it might be time to hang up some of the more active sports. I am sure someone has a chart that lists the various sports and which age group they tend to mostly be defined by (i am sure golf goes up with age while others tend to go down).
Hmmm… “Good” seems to conflict with this article: http://www.sportsgeezer.com/sportsgeezer/2006/02/coffee_before_e.html