This Is What Happens When You Drink Coffee Before You Work Out

I have this rule that I'm not allowed to have any coffee or tea until after my workout. I must have read somewhere that it was bad to have caffeine before exercising. But once I'm done, get out of my way or feel my wrath as I go to get my cup of coffee or tea.

Apparently, I had it wrong all this time.

According to an article in Self, coffee isn't to be avoided before a workout — it's to be embraced. A study called "Caffeine Consumption around an exercise bout" that was published in the Journal of Applied Physiology had 14 participants do two moderate workouts on a stationary bike.

One group was given caffeine (the equivalent of two eight-ounce cups of coffee or four cups of black tea, one and one and a half hours before working out, while the other group was given a placebo. 

The researchers found that caffeine led to exercise being perceived as less difficult and more enjoyable. In addition, the researchers found that when people caffeinated pre-exercise, they were less hungry later in the day.

Another study led by professor Robert Motl of the University of Illinois found that anybody who had some caffeine — whether they were a coffee-addict or someone who stayed away from caffeine — had the same amount of pain reduction during exercise after consumption.

As long as you consume caffeine in moderation, no more than four brewed cups of coffee a day, you'll avoid some of the less enjoyable effects of caffeine such as feeling jittery, anxious, and having stomach pains and a racing heart.

Now I can have a cup of coffee before my workout and enjoy it all the more.