Yes it is, if you time it right. Look, the main ingredient in all your pre-workout supplements is Caffeine, and caffeine is coffee. Caffeine has been proven over close to 70 years of body building and fitness research that it can boost athletic performance.

A cup of coffee is a great pre-workout if you don’t want all the other stuff that is included in pre-workout supplements. Coffee is basically just one ingredient, caffeine, but you of course you can opt to add in milk and sugar if you choose. That can be a great bonus for you if you are interested in the “clean” stimulant for a pre-workout.

So when should you take it? Well first make sure your body has an adequate amount of carbohydrates, fat and protein to help the caffeine help you get through the workout. Without a healthy amount of those three, it won’t matter how much caffeine you take. If you are sure you are well fueled then you should plan to take your coffee around your workout. Research shows that caffeine stays in your body for 5-6 hours but it peaks within 35-45 minutes of consumption.

You might feel your buzz starting within seconds of your first sip, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s fully worked its way into your system. Coffee wakes your body up by dispersing caffeine into your bloodstream, which has a half-life (how long it will take for your body to burn through half of the caffeine dosage you ingest) of five to six hours. The stimulating effects of the chemical will hit your body during this period. That is why you should plan to do your workout with 30 minutes of drinking that cup of coffee.

Happy lifting!

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