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Coffee Vs Pre-Workout Supplement: Which Is Better To Take Before Exercise?

Take your best shot - by Lauren Williamson
  • 08 Oct 2019
Coffee Vs Pre-Workout Supplement: Which Is Better To Take Before Exercise?

Trending pre-workout drinks promise a purer hit of performance-enhancing juice, but can they beat the original booster: the humble espresso? Here’s the pep talk.

CAFFEINE

The caffeine in a double shot of Devil Mountain, the self proclaimed “World’s Strongest Coffee”, has 264mg – more than half your RDI in 60ml. A 330ml can of Nocco energy drink had 180mg. That’s a little less from a lot more liquid, but still plenty to fire up your session.

MUSCLE

One very robust meta-analysis found that the caffeine in your pre-gym shot can boost muscle strength by a fifth, accelerating your progress towards a squat PB. On top of caffeine’s benefits, the University of Córdoba found the citrulline added to pre-workout drinks helps you add up to 53% more bench-press reps per workout.

WEIGHT LOSS

Coffee helps you use up more fat during exercise: the caffeine releases adrenaline, which stimulates your fatty tissue to break down and release fat into your blood

HEALTH

In a 10-year study, coffee drinkers cut their risk of premature death by as much as 16%. Curiously, the positive effects weren’t linked to caffeine: decaf drinkers benefited equally.

PERFORMANCE

Whether it’s the gym or the rugby pitch, downing an espresso half an hour before go time will boost performance by 11%, according to the University of Luton. Your citrulline-packed pre-workout can provide a potent boost. In one study, cyclists could bike 12% longer before exhaustion – a tasty edge over the peloton

THE MH VERDICT: PRE-WORKOUT WINS

...with one major caveat: this fight took place in the gym. To kick-start your day and improve your health, espresso wins out easily. But when your training needs extra fizz, the micros in pre-workouts have an undeniable edge. Drink them more than that, though, and you’re opening a can of worms.

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Lauren Williamson
Lauren Williamson
Lauren Williamson is the Digital Content Manager for Women's Health and Men's Health. She's an experienced journalist, editor and social media fiend who's well versed in reporting on everything from food trends to fitness, health news to haircare. She has a double degree in Journalism and Political Science.

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