Energize your workout

It's kind of strange, really; there are literally thousands of supplements out there claiming to do this and that for your health and fitness, yet very few have the empirical research to prove it. And, as odd as it may seem, the one thing that continuously shows promise in scientific studies is a household ingredient almost everyone already uses: Caffeine.

In a recent study published in the International Journal of Sport Nutrition Exercise, evidence shows that caffeine reduces "pain" during exercise. Now, I put the word pain in quotation marks because I feel it's necessary to clarify something first before proceeding about the study. Unlike the old fitness maxim "No Pain, No Gain," the pain described in this case refers to the buildup of tenseness in the muscles. The burn, if you will. Pain should never be the goal; in fact, pain should be avoided at all costs. Yearn For the Burn? Sure, that fitness credo works fine. But No Pain, No Gain? Sorry ... no dice. Anyway, sorry for the cautionary detour. Back to the study.

Researchers discovered that when volunteers were given 5mg of caffeine per kilogram of bodyweight, they reported less muscle fatigue during a 30-minute session on an exercise bike (at 80-percent effort) than volunteers who were given a placebo. Bear in mind, however, that excessive amounts of caffeine have also been shown in separate studies to restrict blood flow during exercise. Therefore, using this old and new information as a general guide, it seems that allowing yourself a small amount of caffeine before workout is a safe and effective way to give yourself a little boost.