PERK BEFORE YOU PUMP

Coffee isn’t exactly a new trend, however, the widespread attempt to use it as fuel is a recent one. The key is in the detail. Coffee shouldn’t be relied upon to fuel your day (or life), such as the 9am kickstart or 3pm slump. Instead, use your coffee before you hit the gym to help fuel your workout.

More than just the mental alertness you may (or may not) get, the caffeine will act to bump cortisol levels in your body. This will in turn provide you with energy for the exercise to come by mobilising free fatty acids (FFAs) in order to help you train harder and for longer.

On the flip side, without having exercise to effectively burn up that energy racing around your blood stream, coffee’s effects can become detrimental. Rule of thumb: coffee before training, not after. Nothing “bulletproof”, just black or a little milk.