Cut post-workout pain in half with caffeine

If aches and pains are preventing you from working out again, a few cups of coffee might help you get back to the gym.

A study that will be published next month in the Journal of Pain suggests that caffeine may be the key to reducing the muscle soreness that often follow work outs. The study sample was small - just nine women - but its findings reported that, among the partipants, post-exercise pain was cut by up to 48 percent when the women had moderate amounts of caffeine.

The results, the lead author of the University of Georgia study cited, may be most applicable to folks who are new to a fitness regime. He adds that reducing pain may help people make the transition in the first week.

Before you begin guzzling macchiatos on the way to boot camp class, consider that these results may not have the same impact on people who regularly consume caffeine or for men. Researchers also note that there is a need for a larger study to replicate this one. The promising news? At least in these findings, caffeine out-ranks naproxen, aspirin and ibuprofen in pain prevention effectiveness by almost 20 percent.

With a bit more research - who knows? - we could be taking our workouts pain-free.