[Houston Deck is a recent graduate of Florida Atlantic University and an Athletic Development Intern at Athletic Lab]

caffeine After oil, coffee is the second most valuable commodity in the world. More than 50 percent of Americans drink coffee everyday three to four cups each, more than 330 million cups a day and counting (Neal, 2002).

Whether it’s an average Joe looking for a pump after leaving the 9-5 or an elite athlete training full time, caffeine is highly sought after for its ergogenic benefits. Coffee, caffeine pills, powder, energy drinks and pre-workout supplements are all various forms of caffeine. How much does this drug actually benefit us within the weight room? First, let’s understand what caffeine is and what it does.

Caffeine is found in various plants as an alkaloid in the seeds, fruit and even leaves. It is the number one used drug in the world with 74% of all elite athletes reportedly consuming caffeine prior to competition (Coso et al., 2012). The drug is shown to increase calcium release and influence actin and myosin binding sites. This increase of calcium from the sarcoplasmic reticulum can increase and benefit both muscle contraction and duration of the contraction (Olorunshola, Kolawole V., Achie, L.N. 2011). Also, acute ingestion of caffeine is shown to delay time to fatigue. This is due to increased calcium release inside the muscle fibers and higher delivery of blood to muscles that are at work (Green et al., 2007).

So when it’s international chest day at the gym, how much of this caffeine is actually helping? In one study on caffeine ingestion and upper body resistance training, 5mg/kg bodyweight caffeine was given to 13 men who performed an average of 2.5 reps more in a max effort bench press test than those who didn’t consume caffeine (Duncan & Oxford, 2011). Another study administered 5mg/kg caffeine to its subjects as well and only a 9% increase was seen in max effort bench press attempts based off of 1RM percentages (Duncan et al., 2013). Now that we understand the benefits of caffeine on upper body resistance training, how about the lower body? One study examined the effects of caffeine during max effort leg press attempts. Participants consumed 6mg/kg bodyweight 1 hour before testing and completed 3 max effort attempts and completed an average of 1-2 more reps per set than placebo (Green et al., 2007).

Whether we are looking for the itchy skin after chugging 2 scoops of C4 after a long day at work or looking to hit a personal record in preparation for a competition, caffeine is shown to aid performance. The difference may only be 1-2 reps or 1-2 seconds, but that may just be the slight edge we need to beat out the competition.

  • Coso, Juan D., Salinero, Juan J., Milan, Cristina G., Vicen, Javier A., Gonzalez, Benito P. (2012). Dose response effects of a caffeine-containing energy drink on muscle performance: a repeated measures design. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 9(1), 21-30.
  • Duncan, M. J., Stanley, M., Parkhouse, N., Cook, K., & Smith, M. (2013). Acute caffeine ingestion enhances strength performance and reduces perceived exertion and muscle pain perception during resistance exercise. European Journal Of Sport Science, 13(4), 392-399.
  • Duncan, Michael J., Oxford, Samuel W. (2011). The Effect of caffeine ingestion on mood state and bench press performance to failure. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 25 (1). 178-185.
  • Green, J. M., Wickwire, P. J., McLester, J. R., Gendle, S., Hudson, G., Pritchett, R. C., & Laurent, C. M. (2007). Effects of caffeine on repetitions to failure and ratings of perceived exertion during resistance training. International Journal Of Sports Physiology & Performance, 2(3), 250-259.
  • Neal, Rome. (2002, November 14). Caffeine Nation. CBS News. Retrieved from https://www.cbsnews.com/news/caffeine-nation/
  • Olorunshola, Kolawole V., Achie, L.N. (2011). Caffeine alters skeletal muscle contraction by opening of calcium ion channels. Journal of Biological Sciences 3(5).521-525