February 01, 2016
Want To Make Your Workouts Easier? Try This
If we told you there was a substance out there that could make your workouts easier, would you take it? Don't panic, we aren't talking about dangerous performance enhancing drugs here but something you may already be consuming. Relatively common and easily accessible, this substance can not only make your workouts feel easier but enhance your enjoyment of them!
It turns out, consuming caffeine before your workout alters the way your brain perceives the level of effort you are putting into that workout.
Samuele Marcora, Ph.D., researcher at the University of Kent, conducted a study in which he divided subjects into two groups. One group received a caffeine pill before exercising while the other was given a placebo. The participants all did the exact same workout but the group who had taken the caffeine pill rated their exertion levels at a 6.1 on a 10-point scale while the placebo group gave theirs a 6.7. Marcora said that similar effects were found in a variety of workouts, including endurance aerobics, resistance training, and high-intensity interval training.
[bctt tweet="Want To Make Your Workouts Easier? Try This"]
Exercise causes your neurons to produce adenosine -- a chemical that makes you feel fatigued. Caffeine blocks adenosine which prevents you from feeling as tired and makes your workout feel less strenuous.
The difference between 6.1 and 6.7 may not seem like a lot but as Marcora explains, it could be the difference that allows you to pound out a few more reps or run an extra mile. Those extra efforts are what can take your fitness regime to the next level. Besides, if you aren't completely wiped during your workout, you are more likely to enjoy it which makes you more likely to stick to the plan long term. Marcora tested this concept in a different study and found that when people consumed caffeine before their workout, they reported having a more enjoyable experience.
“One of the biggest reasons that people don’t exercise is that it’s hard work,” says Marcora. “But we can reduce the difficulty that prevents people from sticking to exercise with caffeine.”
If you'd like to see for yourself, this is what Marcora recommends: take 3 milligrams of caffeine per kilogram of body weight 1 hour before your workout.
So, make yourself a coffee, put on your workout gear, clear a space in your living room and join us for the BodyRock Beginner Bootcamp and/or the BodyRock Intermediate Bootcamp! A new workout will be delivered to your inbox each day for 30-days for free! Let Edith and Lisa be your workout buddies while you crush these 10-12 minute real time workouts! Always different and always exciting, we can help set you on the path to your best self. Join us and put that caffeine buzz to good use! Check out Sweatflix℠: BodyRock on Demand to get access any time, any place, to our entire catalog of workouts plus new and exclusive content being uploaded all the time! Trust us, this will change the way you workout!
What do you think of these studies? Are you willing to give caffeine a try before your workouts? Share your thoughts with us!
Source: Men's Health
Samuele Marcora, Ph.D., researcher at the University of Kent, conducted a study in which he divided subjects into two groups. One group received a caffeine pill before exercising while the other was given a placebo. The participants all did the exact same workout but the group who had taken the caffeine pill rated their exertion levels at a 6.1 on a 10-point scale while the placebo group gave theirs a 6.7. Marcora said that similar effects were found in a variety of workouts, including endurance aerobics, resistance training, and high-intensity interval training.
[bctt tweet="Want To Make Your Workouts Easier? Try This"]
Exercise causes your neurons to produce adenosine -- a chemical that makes you feel fatigued. Caffeine blocks adenosine which prevents you from feeling as tired and makes your workout feel less strenuous.
The difference between 6.1 and 6.7 may not seem like a lot but as Marcora explains, it could be the difference that allows you to pound out a few more reps or run an extra mile. Those extra efforts are what can take your fitness regime to the next level. Besides, if you aren't completely wiped during your workout, you are more likely to enjoy it which makes you more likely to stick to the plan long term. Marcora tested this concept in a different study and found that when people consumed caffeine before their workout, they reported having a more enjoyable experience.
“One of the biggest reasons that people don’t exercise is that it’s hard work,” says Marcora. “But we can reduce the difficulty that prevents people from sticking to exercise with caffeine.”
If you'd like to see for yourself, this is what Marcora recommends: take 3 milligrams of caffeine per kilogram of body weight 1 hour before your workout.
So, make yourself a coffee, put on your workout gear, clear a space in your living room and join us for the BodyRock Beginner Bootcamp and/or the BodyRock Intermediate Bootcamp! A new workout will be delivered to your inbox each day for 30-days for free! Let Edith and Lisa be your workout buddies while you crush these 10-12 minute real time workouts! Always different and always exciting, we can help set you on the path to your best self. Join us and put that caffeine buzz to good use! Check out Sweatflix℠: BodyRock on Demand to get access any time, any place, to our entire catalog of workouts plus new and exclusive content being uploaded all the time! Trust us, this will change the way you workout!
What do you think of these studies? Are you willing to give caffeine a try before your workouts? Share your thoughts with us!
Source: Men's Health