Coffee can make you better at exercise

CAFFEINE drinkers rejoice: coffee makes exercise seem like less effort, according to new research.

Does caffeine help you get more out of your workout?

A NEW paper says coffee makes exercise seem like less effort.

Every Saturday morning as I drive to the gym I pick up a pre-workout piccolo from my local. On an empty stomach, the caffeine hit helps me perform better and harder — at least I think so. I feel awake and energised and ready to squat, lunge, crunch (etc.) for the full 60 minutes.

As it turns out, there is science behind my habit. In a new paper published in Sports Medicine by Samuele Marcora, PhD, caffeine “reduces perception of effort and improves exercise performance, and this is one of the main reasons why three out of four elite athletes consume caffeine before or during competitions.”

It can also increase the enjoyment of exercise and reduce discomfort.

Does caffeine help you get more out of your workout?

The caveat? The benefits only apply to physically active people since coffee’s impact on exercise in sedentary people is yet to be studied.

Even if you’re an active person, motivational tools are important (ask any model!) and if a coffee is going to help you enjoy exercise, you’ll be more likely to commit to your workout.

Just remember to go light: too many sugars or a super-sized takeaway cup can add more calories, fat and sugar to your day than you think.

And we all know you can’t out-exercise a bad diet.

This article originally appeared on Vogue.