The short answer is: yes. According to a recent (2021) review of the literature by the International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN), caffeine, when taken at a dose of between 3 - 6 mg per kg of bodyweight, 30 - 90 mins before exercise, can lead to small improvements in muscular strength, endurance, and power.
In conclusion, caffeine administration does not impair skeletal muscle load-induced mTOR signaling, protein synthesis, or muscle hypertrophy.
It helps your muscles recover. According to the American Physiological Society, post-workout caffeine can aid in muscle recovery if consumed with carbs. That's because it helps bring glucose from your blood and into your muscles, therefore replenishing your stores, in as little as four hours.
Studies have shown that caffeine can benefit endurance performance, high intensity exercise, and power sports. However, it seems to benefit trained athletes the most. The recommended dose varies by body weight, but it's typically about 200–400 mg, taken 30–60 minutes before a workout.
Caffeine can lead to elevated levels of anxiety and stress (4), as well as raise your cortisol levels. The down side to elevated cortisol levels is that it can stunt your body's natural recovery process if you consume too soon after a workout.
Coffee is a well-known sports performance aid that may increase your strength, endurance, power, alertness, and energy levels during a workout.
Among men, consumption of caffeinated coffee increased total testosterone and decreased total and free estradiol. Among women, decaffeinated coffee decreased total and free testosterone and caffeinated coffee decreased total testosterone.
Enhanced Anaerobic Performance
A caffeine dose of 200 to 600 mg may help you sprint faster or lift more weight, according to research.
Not only can caffeine help boost your energy production, but it can also get you dialed in and enhance your muscle pumps and vasodilation.
Tip. Caffeine has many performance-enhancing effects, according to a January 2019 paper in Sports Medicine. This readily available stimulant increases endurance and strength, but it has no meaningful effect on muscle growth.
Skolnik says timing can play an important role in your overall performance. “Caffeine is quickly absorbed from the stomach within 15 to 45 minutes of consumption, but it hits its peak stimulatory effects between 30 and 75 minutes,” she says. Drinking a cup about one hour before you work out is optimal, Skolnik says.
The benefits of caffeine appear to be maxed out at around 200 mg (3 mg/kg of bodyweight), with no additional benefits coming at much higher doses. At very high doses (6 mg/kg of bodyweight or 400 mg4) caffeine may start to decrease performance, and increase anxiety and cortisol.
"For this reason, losing weight may improve testosterone levels, and a healthy diet can help you achieve that." A healthy diet includes plenty of vegetables and fruits, whole-grain carbohydrates, moderate amounts of healthy fats and lean protein, such as chicken and fish.
Caffeine intake may have a negative impact on male fertility, including sperm count and testicular function, especially when used in excess and when found in sugary beverages like cola and energy drinks.
You might hear a PT say, "don't drink coffee after training because it will stimulate the release of stress hormones and stop you from recovering from training, which is bad because you want rest and digest mode".
Causes of Low Testosterone
Medicine side effects, such as from chemotherapy. Testicle injury or cancer. Problems with glands in the brain (hypothalamus and pituitary) that control hormone production. Low thyroid function.
Eggs are a fantastic source of protein, cholesterol, vitamin D and omega-3s, all of which aid in the production of testosterone. Eggs are a very versatile ingredients and not only do they help increase testosterone levels, the protein in them helps with muscle building too!
Bananas can boost testosterone as well as improve energy levels. Other beneficial fruits include watermelon and grapes. Citrus fruits can help testosterone production and reduce the hormones that make testosterone production less effective.
For healthy adults, the FDA has cited 400 milligrams a day—that's about four or five cups of coffee—as an amount not generally associated with dangerous, negative effects. However, there is wide variation in both how sensitive people are to the effects of caffeine and how fast they metabolize it (break it down).
If you are going to be doing cardio, taking 250mg to 400mg of caffeine 45 to 60 minutes before your workout is a good range to get you started, depending on your body size and overall caffeine tolerance.
Try 50 to 100 mg of caffeine at first and slowly increase from there. Most people get the best results by taking 100 to 300 mg of caffeine in the two hours before working out. The highest amount that most people can tolerate before hard exercise is 350 mg.
According to a study, caffeine can be beneficial to muscle and energy recovery by keeping the muscle glycogen levels elevated after a workout. If your glycogen levels are depleted, you'll feel muscle soreness and fatigue from exercising.
While consuming caffeine before a workout can be beneficial in enhancing performance, consuming too much caffeine can lead to some negative side-effects. Some of these side-effects include restlessness, insomnia, rapid or abnormal heart rhythm, anxiety, upset stomach or heartburn, and increased blood pressure.
Up to 400 milligrams (mg) of caffeine a day appears to be safe for most healthy adults. That's roughly the amount of caffeine in four cups of brewed coffee, 10 cans of cola or two "energy shot" drinks.