Why Your Gym Bag Should Include CaffeinAll

Posted by MallowQueen on 12/19/2011 to Caffeinated News

I've written about how caffeine benefits athletes in my blogs before, because scientists are continually validating the findings that caffeine increases stamina and endurance. But now, according to a recent article in the New York Times, caffeine also adds to enjoyment of exercising. Caffeine works both on the muscles and on the central nervous system, combining to make a stronger, happier, less fatiguing workout.

In How Coffee Can Galvanize Your Workout, Gretchen Reynolds cites "one of several new experiments suggesting that, whatever your sport, caffeine may allow you to perform better and enjoy yourself more."

The article states that many Olympic athletes use caffeine for high intensity activities, such as triathlons. But how caffeine affects less cardio-intense workouts, such as weight training, had not been looked into until now. Scientists also examined sports that require stop and start movement (instead of sustained aerobic action), such as soccer and basketball.

The outcome was that the weight trainers were more motivated with coffee and felt less tired after the session.

“Essentially, we found that with the caffeinated drink, the person felt more able to invest effort,” says Michael Duncan, a senior lecturer in sports science at the University of Exeter in England and lead author of the study. “They would put more work into the training session, and when the session was finished, in the presence of the caffeinated drink, they were more psychologically ready to go again.”

There's a reason behind this. Caffeine reduces adenosine, which blunts the energy of a muscular contraction. So muscles are able to contract more powerfully as a result of caffeine.

Another experiment involved athletes and caffeine capsules--something like CaffeinAll, our encapsulated caffeine powder. The athletes who ingested the caffeine capsules experienced much less fatigue when doing high energy workouts that involved anaerobic activity. Scientists believe that under those conditions, potassium builds up in the muscles, contributing to the feeling of exhaustion. But caffeine lowered the levels of potassium in the fluid between their muscles, allowing the athletes to feel less fatigue.

The third effect of caffeine is on the central nervous system, which contributes to the attitude of the athlete towards achievement. It affects the parts of the brain "involved in mood, alertness and fine motor coordination during exercise. In a study published last month in The British Journal of Sports Medicine, soccer players dribbled, headed and kicked the ball more accurately if they’d had caffeine than if they hadn’t."

Dr. Magni Mohr, an exercise physiologist, conducting these studies in England and Denmark says, “probably everyone can get some” fatigue-delaying and mood-enhancing benefits from caffeine when it comes to exercise. That makes us feel that we are definitely in the right direction in offering CaffeinAll. It is more convenient than a cup of coffee, has no calories, and no flavor. And, unlike a caffeine in a capsule, you can sprinkle it over food--so you don't even need liquid to get it into your system.