The Top Benefits And Drawbacks Of Drinking Coffee After Workout

You can’t work out without enough energy, right? That could be why you need a special stimulant to smash your goals without exhaustion and sore muscles. People love drinking coffee for different reasons: it enhances performance, improves brain function, and gives your body a special boost for various activities. That said, there are general concerns about when it’s better to down another cup of black coffee – pre or post-workout. Even though most research is dedicated to the effects of drinking coffee pre-workout, in this article you’ll learn about the top benefits and drawbacks of drinking coffee after a workout.

What Are The Benefits Of Drinking Coffee?

What kind of benefits pop into your mind when you hear the word “coffee”? An energy drink that gives your body a magical boost?  We all know that having another cup of black coffee can invigorate us. Nonetheless, a cup of coffee is more than an energy booster and in a moment you’ll discover essential coffee-positive effects you would have never thought of.

1. Coffee is associated with protection against Parkinson’s disease, liver cancer, type 2 diabetes, and liver disease (3).
2. There is evidence that coffee may help people lose weight. One research indicated that participants who drank more coffee had a higher mean reduction in weight, body mass index (BMI), and fat mass (4).
3. Coffee is a source of antioxidants that can help protect your body against free radicals. Free radicals may cause inflammation which is linked to type 2 diabetes and obesity. 

Some research in 2018 suggested that antioxidants in coffee may protect from metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome is the combination of high blood pressure, diabetes, and obesity. It puts a person at risk of coronary disease, stroke, and other conditions that negatively affect blood vessels. 

Overall, the versatile benefits of coffee drinking have proven this beverage to be not only a good source of energy but a good wellness promoter. 

Why You Shouldn’t Drink Coffee After A Workout?

Coffee before or after workout? – the question that may puzzle everyone who loves both coffee and training. 

You are aware that coffee is known for its ability to promote exercise performance (8). Besides, coffee may delay exercise fatigue and improve muscle strength. 

If you’re a workout buff who starts the day with invigorated training then has a cup of coffee after exercising, this will benefit your muscle recovery and fat burning. 

However, there is another scenario to consider. For example, you hit the workout before dinner. In this case, when you drink coffee after a workout you’re more likely to face disruptive effects on sleep and anxiety. 

The thing is, the caffeine from coffee lasts for 3-5 hours, depending on the individual. Plus, half of the total caffeine you ingest remains in your body after 5 hours. 

Hence, coffee consumption post-workout may lead to sleeping problems and anxiety. 

In order to avoid these adverse effects on your body, you should drink coffee no less than 6 hours before bedtime (1).

Another drawback of drinking coffee post-workout is that coffee may elicit anxiety in some people. If you already have anxiety you’d better reduce the coffee consumption or switch to green tea. 

To sum up, black coffee after a workout may provoke insomnia and anxiety. You can eliminate this problem by working out before or after lunchtime or replacing coffee with green tea.

Read More: How To Make A Traditional Coffee Truffle (And Other Coffee Recipes)

How Soon Do I Work Out After Coffee?

Some people prefer drinking coffee before the workout. Drinking coffee before the vigorous training may offer the following benefits: 

• enhanced physical performance
• boosted their cognitive function
• the potentially increased amount of fat burn (9).

Moreover, caffeine in coffee can benefit cognitive performance. Caffeine may improve cognitive states associated with better athletic performance, such as:

• concentration
• alertness
• energy levels
• fatigue

The improvement in cognitive function is linked to enhanced physical performance. If you want to reap the essential benefits of coffee drinking you can consume the beverage 30-60 minutes before a sporting event or a workout. 

The effective dose of caffeine for promoting exercise performance is 1.4–2.7 mg per pound (3–6 mg per kg) of body weight (5). 

Why Drink Coffee After A Workout?

The previous information may have led you to the conclusion that drinking coffee after a workout is harmful. Nonetheless, integrating post-workout coffee consumption can lead to amazing benefits. This will work well for your body only if you drink the beverage six hours prior to your bedtime. 

Check out the top 3 benefits of downing coffee post-workout. 

• It mobilizes fats. Caffeine increases blood levels of the hormone adrenaline. This hormone travels through your blood to the fat tissues and signals them to break down fat and release them into your blood. This excels in weight loss and promotes inner body health. Besides, there won’t be any excess fat stored around your organs. This is a major coffee benefit, which prevents future health risks. No matter whether you opt for black coffee after your workout or mix it with dairy, you will still feel the benefits and it won’t affect how the caffeine is absorbed. 
• It replenished glycogen. This point is beneficial to muscle recovery and is great for athletes. Bodybuilders or amateurs who focus on a specific set of muscles can recover faster due to coffee drinking after a workout. Here’s how it works: it increases the speed of glycogen, therefore, allowing the athletes to refuel muscles and recover quickly from rigorous exercising. Glycogen is a muscle’s primary fuel source during exercise which you can replenish more rapidly when you ingest both carbohydrates (eg. bananas) and caffeine after the training. Thus, you’ll improve your performance. 
• It increases calorie burn. There is a resting metabolic rate at which you burn calories when you’re not working out. Coffee enhances fat loss by increasing your metabolic rate. The higher your metabolic rate, the more calories your body burns no matter how much exercise you undertake. Caffeine can increase resting metabolic rate by 3–11%. Stronger coffee and high caffeine provide better results. A shot of espresso and americano after your workout provides a boost to your RMR. Therefore, after you’ve finished your workout you get a chance to burn more calories during the resting period with the help of coffee. 

Let’s conclude. Is coffee good after a workout or not? If you consume coffee more than six hours prior to your bedtime you will have a chance to enjoy the essential benefits of the beverage on your health. Drinking coffee after a workout can break down more fat, replenish glycogen which allows your muscles to recover faster, and increases the calorie burn during the resting time. Therefore, coffee after workout fat loss is possible here but only when you mix your training with a healthy diet.

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Why Is Coffee Bad After A Workout?

Unfortunately, some athletes or sports amateurs don’t have enough time for daytime training and opt to hit the gym after lunchtime or before dinner. 

In this case, drinking coffee after the training will be a bad idea since caffeine intake before bedtime can impair your sleeping. 

Healthy sleep is more essential to your health than coffee because it aids in weight control and athletic achievement (7).

With the lack of healthy sleep you’re less likely to have energy to accomplish sportive activities. Sleep deficiency is associated with different chronic health problems such as high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, depression, heart disease, and stroke. 

Now you see the connection: you drink coffee before bedtime, have insomnia, suffer from exhaustion the next day, and therefore, have no energy for further workout activities. Only in this case, you should avoid drinking coffee after a workout.

How Much Coffee And When To Drink?

Coffee can become a part of a healthy diet for most people but too much caffeine may expose a person to dangerous risks. Hence, such factors as body weight, medications, and individual sensitivity affect the dose for each individual. 

USA Food and Drug Administration indicated that healthy adults can consume 400 milligrams per day. That’s approximately four to five cups of coffee which doesn’t pose any danger to a person. Still, depending on the coffee sensitivity this dose can change. 

Over consuming caffeine can lead to adverse effects, such as: 

• insomnia
• anxiousness
• jitters
• fast heart rate
• nausea
• upset stomach
• headache
• the feeling of unhappiness (6).

As was already mentioned the best time to drink coffee is six hours before your sleep. Therefore, you won’t interfere with your sleep and lower your levels of anxiety.

Read More: Green Coffee Bean Extract Benefits And Side Effects

Should I Drink Coffee In The Morning?

Many people got used to enjoying coffee upon rising. This is due to the general myth that if you want to get invigorated then you need to enjoy the coffee beverage right after waking up. 

Science says exactly the opposite thing though. Drinking coffee too soon after getting out of bed can decrease the energizing levels, as your stress hormone cortisol is at its peak level. 

Cortisol is a hormone responsible for metabolism and blood pressure regulation. Plus, it enhances alertness and focus. Drinking coffee in the morning may increase cortisol levels which can impair your immune system over time (2).

Therefore, drinking coffee one hour later, one hour after rising is preferable but not for all people.

If you tend to let yourself off the hook, raise the white flag when things get tougher than you expected, send yourself on an unconscious binge-eating trip – BetterMe app is here to help you leave all of these sabotaging habits in the past!

The Bottom Line

Coffee is a delicious beverage responsible for essential health benefits. It promotes weight loss, protects against certain serious diseases, and offers healthy antioxidants. 

In the article, you’ve learned about the top benefits and drawbacks of drinking coffee after a workout. Integrating coffee into your workout mix is a good idea for athletes and beginners. It enhances physical performance, revs up the invigorating levels, and aids in fat burn. 

However, individuals are advised to consume coffee no less than six hours prior to their sleep. Drinking coffee before going to bed may provoke insomnia and anxiety. Sleep deprivation is linked to fatigue, heart diseases, diabetes, obesity, and high blood pressure. 

Thus, there is nothing harmful in drinking coffee after a workout. All you need to consider is the timing and daily doses.