Elevate your Barbell Performance with #BLACKCOFFEEONLY (leave your creamer at home)
Let me paint a picture for you…
It’s Saturday morning and you have the day off. You’ve been itching to finally get a workout in, but you know that at 9am your family wakes up with the expectation of pastries, mountains of bacon and some of the finest scrambled eggs you have to offer. You have limited time to blast the iron, so what do you rely on?
I’m sure you could chug an energy drink or disregard your intestines and try a dry scoop of the preworkout that’s been lingering in your pantry the last few months. Hell, you might be type of person that wants to be even more insane and dry scoop preworkout followed by chugging your energy cocktail of choice. Either way, it sounds like you’re itching to get a jolt of energy in order to blast the iron before your familia decides to wake up. But in my eyes, for those who have or haven’t, perhaps enjoy a nice cup of coffee to start your day instead. Here is why…
Benefits of Coffee as Preworkout:
1. Natural Source of Caffeine: When it comes to preworkout and energy drinks, I have had my share of both. I am totally fine with any adult choosing their path towards caffeine heaven, but something I have grown to enjoy and probably become more dependent on is coffee as a source of my morning fuel and workout fuel. Coffee is a natural source of energy as it has various levels of caffeine depending on the brand and brew. Looking for a mellow start to the day? Maybe hit up a nice dark roast or for those who are looking to add some fire to their cocktail, make it a blonde as it is known to have a greater source of caffeine due to the way the coffee bean is roasted. This natural source of caffeine also doesn’t come with an extensive list of ingredients that could put you at ease, and perhaps impress you as well.
2. Antioxidants: Coffee is a rich source of disease-fighting antioxidants. And studies have shown that it may reduce cavities, boost athletic performance, improve moods, and stop headaches -- not to mention reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes, colon cancer, liver cancer, gall stones, cirrhosis of the liver, and Parkinson's diseases.
3. Focus: With having ingested this nectar of the god’s, the caffeine also proves to improve focus and stimulate a response from the CNS as being “ready to go”! Caffeine can be labeled as “unhealthy” or “dangerous” but it also comes with how you use it. If you want a cup or two a day, that doesn’t seem too bad. If you are chugging a pot of coffee and have 1000mg or more of caffeine, I am sure your adrenal glands are screaming for help and one more sip could send you into shock or a gnarly belly ache. Just be sure to make sure and monitor your levels of coffee and drink plenty of water to dilute any negative effects that could occur.
…so now having learned a thing or two on coffee, its now time to grind those beans and start brewing! Coffee is easily my top choice of energy for my workouts, my mornings, and my attempts at hosting the heavy iron in competition time and time again!