Java Go or No-Go?

This question comes up routinely. Should an athlete deprive themselves of their treasured vice or does their habit actually help them? Caffeine anhydrous (a powdered form of concentrated caffeine) is most often used to examine the effects of caffeine on exercise performance and conveniently, the effects are similar to drinking coffee. Although other sources of caffeine are consumed, e.g. energy drinks, gels, etc., as an ergogenic aid, coffee is by far the most commonly used. The dose requirement for this purpose is in the range of 3-6 mg/kg body weight. Despite the varience of beans, the preparation, etc., the average cup contains ~100mg caffeine. Based on this & body weight, one can approximate the dose.

Interestingly, taking very broad strokes across multiple exercise parameters, there does appear to be performance gains in muscular strength & endurance, aerobic endurance, power  & vertical jump height with ingesting an ergogenic dose of caffeine 60 minutes prior to competition/testing. These gains appear in numerous conditions whether it be male/female, trained/untrained, upper body exercise/lower body exercise, habitual/non-habitual users, etc. While certainly noteworthy, we refrain from liberally advocating its use. Outcomes highlighted above, which comprise the vast majority of studies, reflect acute conditions. What draws less attention are the drawbacks, including that of chronic use. 

Caffeine, being a stimulant, may activate the bowels, which in most cases would pose an inconvenience in competition. Habitual use may also tax the adrenals, something the athlete may already be stressing with their competitive lifestyle. Tolerance increases with use; therefore a habitual consumer would be best advised to reduce/refrain from consumption in the days prior to competing in order to obtain a boost with pre-competition ingestion. Perhaps the most deleterious, is the potential reduction in sleep quality with use.

We believe the best approach may be minimal reliance on caffeine for ergogenicity and more as a treasured delicacy from time to time.