In fact, some are going as far as to call coffee a superfood.  In addition to providing benefits to your health, drinking a cup of coffee before you workout can really help boost your performance.

Here are 5 reasons why you should be drinking coffee before you workout:

1. Pain Reduction

Have you ever missed a workout because you were in too much pain?  Well, a study at the University of Illinois, researchers found that drinking coffee before an intense workout helped to decrease pain experienced during the workout.  Drinking a cup of joe isn’t just about waking you up in the morning anymore… it can actually help you lower pain and help improve the quality of your workout!  In addition researchers believe that it can also improve your endurance performance because you’ll be able to withstand more discomfort.

2. Better Circulation

Studies show that people who drink coffee on a regular basis have better circulation.  When your circulation is working optimally, it helps boost oxygen levels that’s delivered to your cells.  This is particularly helpful to your muscles during a workout.
Having better circulation can help boost your workout performance.  Researchers found that circulation improved for 75 minutes after drinking a cup of coffee, so if you drink coffee, try drinking it just before you go to the gym to help boost the quality of your workout.

3. Fuel Your Muscles

Your body uses carbohydrates to fuel your muscles, and these carbs are stored in the muscle in the form of glycogen.  Your body uses the glycogen during your workout.  And depending on the intensity and duration of the workout your glycogen stores can get completely depleted.  Consuming caffeine along with carbs can help replenish your glycogen stores faster and more efficiently.  Although drinking a cup of coffee after a workout seems counter intuitive, when you combine it with health complex carbs like sweet potatoes, it optimizes you body’s ability to uptake glucose into your muscles.

4. Preserve Your Muscles

As you age, you begin to lose lean muscle mass.  This is why I recommend anyone past the age of 40 to include strength training into their regular fitness regimen.  In addition, studies show that drinking coffee regularly can help further preserve your lean muscle as well.  If you want to preserve lean muscle mass… drink some coffee and lift some weights!  Keep in mind that having more muscle isn’t just about aesthetics.  It keeps you stronger and less susceptible to common age related injuries as well.

5. Improved Memory

Studies have found that drinking coffee improves your ability to focus and boosts memory for put to 24 hours. If you’re doing activities that require intense focus… drinking a cup of coffee can definitely help improve the quality of the activity.  This also applies to general workouts as well.  Caffeine can help you get into the zone quicker and stay in the zone so you can have a great workout.

How Much Should You Drink?

Just because coffee helps to improve your workout, it doesn’t mean that you should drink copious amounts of coffee throughout the day.  Instead drink caffeine in moderation, and drink it just before your exercise session if you want to boost your workouts

A general rule of thumb is about 6mg of caffeine per kilogram (approximately 2 pounds) of body weight.  The bigger you are the more caffeine your body can handle.  I’d say stick to 1 - 3 cups of coffee a day.

Also, make sure that you are picky about the type of coffee that you are drinking.  It doesn’t make sense to load up your coffee with sugar and cream right before your workout!  My recommendation is high quality black coffee. If you’re drinking good coffee you shouldn’t have to cover the taste up with cream or sugar.  Personally I find that using a French Press (or an Aero Press if you’re a coffee snob!) is the best method to bring out the full flavor of the coffee…. but that’s just my opinion.  If you absolutely can’t stand the taste of black coffee and you still want the benefits of caffeine for your workouts, you can always opt for a espresso shot as well.

The best time of the day to drink coffee is in the morning.  Drinking coffee too late can disrupt your sleep.  If you workout in the late afternoon or evening, you’ll need to experiment with how much caffeine your body can handle without interfering with your sleep… while still getting the benefits for your workout.