What a great day to be racing!
When the triathlon season ends and our athletes training needs a change we begin to focus on 5K and 10K races. What better way to kick of a Sunday morning, especially Halloween morning with a quick 5K?
Bill's Halloween 5K in Newton, MA was the focus for many of our BPC athletes. The group organized early in the morning, and opted to start together at the front of the race. For many of our athletes, they were not used to starting out in the front and it was a good experience for them. They had to figure out pacing and get out of the crowd right from the starting line.
The race was mostly flat to small rolling hills around the downtown Newton area. We ran by beautiful Crystal Lake and through surrounding neighborhoods. The race was fast and had a nice downhill finish.
Great job to all our athletes who came out to race! Below are the results:
Bills Halloween 5K
ALI WINSLOW 21:54.6 7:01/M
KELLY CASSIDY 22:20.6 7:09/M
CHRISTINA TADDEI 22:26.1 7:11/M
LAUREN WALKER 22:30.1 7:13/M
BRET FORTENBERRY 22:33.0 7:14/M
SCOTT VAUTOUR 22:37.7 7:15/M
PATRICIA MURPHY 24:07.2 7:44/M
JOHN RUDBERG 24:13.5 7:46/M
JESSICA DOUGLAS 24:45.4 7:56/M
LAURA VAN ORDEN 24:45.5 7:56/M
CAROLINE BATRA-GALE 26:15.3 8:25/M
LIANNE CLEARY 45:46.5 14:40/M (6months pregnant)
ELIZABETH DIAL 45:46.6 14:40/M (7months pregnant)
DAVID CLEARY 46:50.2 15:01/M
BRAD EWALD 46:50.6 15:01/M
Bill's Halloween 5K Newton, MA Oct 31, 2010
Ali Winslow - Tuesday, November 02, 2010
Is Your Head Ready for Next Year???
Vic Brown - Wednesday, October 27, 2010
The fall seems to be an odd time for triathletes…disarray. There is a sense of lost identity. The days are shorter, making mid week cycling workouts more challenging to get in. And most are mentally exhausted from a long season. The injury bug may have even crept up on you as well.
Stop. Sit down. Rest. Don’t get up….for 2 weeks.
Really. Everyone needs some time off to let the body rejuvenate, mentally and physically. With the Boston University athletes I work with, we give them 2+ weeks off after a long training block &/or competition period.
Here’s the typical pattern I notice:
During the 1st week, almost no one shows up on their own to do a ‘shake out’ workout (a light workout just to break a sweat and feel alive again). This tells me that mentally, they needed the break. Even if their body is telling them they want to work out, their brain is tell them no. Somewhere around the middle of the 2nd week, athletes will start to make their way in for a light workout. And by the end of the 2nd week, a rough majority of the athletes will have come in for at least one workout. Mentally, some of them are ready to start some type of training again. Some need a little more time.
Why is this important? Because the mind is primary. If your head isn’t ready for the training, then you won’t get very much quality work done regardless of the little amount of training or intense training you are doing. Mindful, QUALITY WORK – constantly working on technique, improving weaknesses, working in the present, never drifting mentally, setting and achieving daily practice, set, and repetition goals.
So…Stop. Sit down. Let your head rest.
After 2 weeks, stand up. Dust your legs off and start your goal setting (long term goals, daily training goals, competition goals) for next season. After all, you’ve earned it.
Vegetarian Diets
Christina Taddei - Monday, October 25, 2010
Vegetarian diets encompasses a broad category of what “vegetarian” means. Recent research has shown that adhering to a vegetarian diet can lower the rates of coronary heart disease, largely explained by low LDL cholesterol, probable lower rates of hypertension and diabetes mellitus, and lower prevalence of obesity. In addition, cancer rates tend to be lower in vegetarians than others living in the same communities. A recent study sought out to explain why different vegetarians may not all experience the same health benefits.
While more detailed research needs to be conducted, it is clear that vegetarians experience less chronic heart diseases than others do. Two studies conducted (one in Britain and one in California) show a reduction in total cancer incidence among vegetarians. However, in Britain there was little difference amongst the vegetarians and health conscious non-vegetarians. The clear stand-out where that differences were stark is the relation between colon cancer and red meat consumption. Using more refined categories instead of vegetarian and non-vegetarian are needed because diets can differ greatly when no meat is eaten.
Bottom line: Research has been able to prove the benefits of a vegetarian diet, but what do they consider to be “vegetarian”? Differentiating the diets into the following categories could be helpful; vegan, lacto-ovo, pesco-vege, semi-vege, and non-vege. Vegans (total vegetarians) consume no red meat, fish, poultry, dairy, or eggs. Lactoovovegetarians (lacto-ovo) eat milk and/or eggs, but no red meat, fish, or poultry. Pescovegetarians (pesco-vege) eat fish, milk, and eggs but no red meat and poultry; semivegetarians (semi-vege) eat red meat, poultry, and fish less than once a week; and nonvegetarians (non-vege) eat red meat, poultry, fish, milk, and eggs more than once a week.
Am J Clin Nutr. 2009 May; 89(5): 1607S–1612S.
How to Push Past the Pain, as Champions Do
Vic Brown - Wednesday, October 20, 2010
By GINA KOLATA
Published: October 18, 2010
http://www.nytimes.comMy son, Stefan, was running in a half marathon in Philadelphia last month when he heard someone coming up behind him, breathing hard.
To his surprise, it was an elite runner, Kim Smith, a blond waif from New Zealand. She has broken her country’s records in shorter distances and now she’s running half marathons. She ran the London marathon last spring and will run the New York marathon next month.
That day, Ms. Smith seemed to be struggling. Her breathing was labored and she had saliva all over her face. But somehow she kept up, finishing just behind Stefan and coming in fifth with a time of 1:08:39.
And that is one of the secrets of elite athletes, said Mary Wittenberg, president and chief executive of the New York Road Runners, the group that puts on the ING New York City Marathon. They can keep going at a level of effort that seems impossible to maintain.
“Mental tenacity — and the ability to manage and even thrive on and push through pain — is a key segregator between the mortals and immortals in running,” Ms. Wittenberg said.
You can see it in the saliva-coated faces of the top runners in the New York marathon, Ms. Wittenberg added.
“We have towels at marathon finish to wipe away the spit on the winners’ faces,” she said. “Our creative team sometimes has to airbrush it off race photos that we want to use for ad campaigns.”
Tom Fleming, who coaches Stefan and me, agrees. A two-time winner of the New York marathon and a distance runner who was ranked fourth in the world, he says there’s a reason he was so fast.
“I was given a body that could train every single day.” Tom said, “and a mind, a mentality, that believed that if I trained every day — and I could train every day — I’ll beat you.”
“The mentality was I will do whatever it takes to win,” he added. “I was totally willing to have the worst pain. I was totally willing to do whatever it takes to win the race.”
But the question is, how do they do it? Can you train yourself to run, cycle, swim or do another sport at the edge of your body’s limits, or is that something that a few are born with, part of what makes them elites?
Sports doctors who have looked into the question say that, at the very least, most people could do a lot better if they knew what it took to do their best.
“Absolutely,” said Dr. Jeroen Swart, a sports medicine physician, exercise physiologist and champion cross-country mountain biker who works at the Sports Science Institute of South Africa.
“Some think elite athletes have an easy time of it,” Dr. Swart said in a telephone interview. Nothing could be further from the truth.
And as athletes improve — getting faster and beating their own records — “it never gets any easier,” Dr. Swart said. “You hurt just as much.”
But, he added, “Knowing how to accept that allows people to improve their performance.”
One trick is to try a course before racing it. In one study, Dr. Swart told trained cyclists to ride as hard as they could over a 40-kilometer course. The more familiar they got with the course, the faster they rode, even though — to their minds — it felt as if they were putting out maximal effort on every attempt.
Then Dr. Swart and his colleagues asked the cyclists to ride the course with all-out effort, but withheld information about how far they’d gone and how far they had to go. Subconsciously, the cyclists held back the most in this attempt, leaving some energy in reserve.
That is why elite runners will examine a course, running it before they race it. That is why Lance Armstrong trained for the grueling Tour de France stage on l’Alpe d’Huez by riding up the mountain over and over again.
“You are learning exactly how to pace yourself,” Dr. Swart said.
Another performance trick during competitions is association, the act of concentrating intensely on the very act of running or cycling, or whatever your sport is, said John S. Raglin, a sports psychologist at Indiana University.
In studies of college runners, he found that less accomplished athletes tended to dissociate, to think of something other than their running to distract themselves.
“Sometimes dissociation allows runners to speed up, because they are not attending to their pain and effort,” he said. “But what often happens is they hit a sort of physiological wall that forces them to slow down, so they end up racing inefficiently in a sort of oscillating pace.” But association, Dr. Raglin says, is difficult, which may be why most don’t do it.
Dr. Swart says he sees that in cycling, too.
“Our hypothesis is that elite athletes are able to motivate themselves continuously and are able to run the gantlet between pushing too hard — and failing to finish — and underperforming,” Dr. Swart said.
To find this motivation, the athletes must resist the feeling that they are too tired and have to slow down, he added. Instead, they have to concentrate on increasing the intensity of their effort. That, Dr. Swart said, takes “mental strength,” but “allows them to perform close to their maximal ability.”
Dr. Swart said he did this himself, but it took experience and practice to get it right. There were many races, he said, when “I pushed myself beyond my abilities and had to withdraw, as I was completely exhausted.”
Finally, with more experience, Dr. Swart became South Africa’s cross-country mountain biking champion in 2002.
Some people focus by going into a trancelike state, blocking out distractions. Others, like Dr. Swart, have a different method: He knows what he is capable of and which competitors he can beat, and keeps them in his sight, not allowing himself to fall back.
“I just hate to lose,” Dr. Swart said. “I would tell myself I was the best, and then have to prove it.”
Kim Smith has a similar strategy.
“I don’t want to let the other girls get too far ahead of me,” she said in a telephone interview. “I pretty much try and focus really hard on the person in front of me.”
And while she tied her success to having “some sort of talent toward running,” Ms. Smith added that there were “a lot of people out there who were probably just as talented. You have to be talented, and you have to have the ability to push yourself through pain.”
And, yes, she does get saliva all over her face.
“It’s not a pretty sport,” Ms. Smith said. “You are not looking good at the end.”
As for the race she ran with my son, she said: “I’m sorry if I spit all over Stefan.” (She didn’t, Stefan said.)
Milk as a recovery drink?
Christina Taddei - Monday, October 18, 2010
An interesting article was published in the Chicago Tribune which brings up the question of using Milk as a recovery drink. The goal of a recovery drink is a combination of carbs, protein, and electrolytes to replenish what was lost during exercise. A simple glass of chocolate milk can do that for you. On longer training days, making a smoothie by combining milk or yogurt, fruit, and peanut butter can provide 300-400 calories along with carbs and protein.
Milk vs. sports drinks
Chocolate milk is increasingly touted as the perfect post-workout recovery drink for muscles because it has ideal ratio of quick carbs (sugar) to protein.
But do you really need any type of sports drink, whether it's milk or an electrolyte replacement after a workout?
If you're a child...the answer is a resounding 'no!' Water is the best drink, whether your 8-year-old is playing chess or an hour of soccer. If you're trying to reduce your child's sugar intake, remember chocolate milk has more carbs -- and thus more sugar -- than regular white milk. Energy drinks have added sugar and little nutritional value.
If you're an adult doing an hour-long workout at the gym...there's no need for a sports drink or either kind of milk. "Just water and a balanced diet throughout the day," said registered dietitian Janel Ovrut.
If you're an endurance athlete and cycling or running for many miles/hours...then "you should fuel with something like Gatorade, Gu, or natural sources of carbs like raisins," said Ovrut.
"Post workout food is best - a good combo of carbs and protein," said Ovrut, a big fan of smoothies with banana, chocolate soymilk, and peanut butter.
Sports drinks are often mistakenly associated with being healthy, but they're really no better than sugary soda, according to a new study published in this month’s issue of Pediatrics.
The beverage industry continues to deny that the consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks is linked to obesity.
http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/features_julieshealthclub/2010/10/milk-vs-sports-drinks.html
Correcting Imbalances with Suspension Training
Kelly Cassidy - Friday, October 15, 2010
As a strength coach to athletes it is imparitive to identify & improve imbalances to avoid or heal nagging injuries. Many techniques & tools can be used to accomplish this. In the following article Bob Seebohar demonstrates exercise using a method called suspension training on the TRX. Pay extra attention to the single leg squat! ENJOY!
TRX for Endurance Athletes
In his years as a strength coach, Bob Seebohar has assessed the functional movement patterns of hundreds of endurance athletes and has noticed a trend: 90% to 95% of these athletes display problems in three areas: 1) deep abdominals, 2) shoulder stabilizers and 3) hip rotators.
To correct the imbalance or loss of function in these areas, Seebohar used to rely on balance boards, foam pads and tubing, but with the TRX, he now finds it much easier to isolate the areas of concern. “Using the TRX is not only more effective,” says Seebohar, “but it incorporates other stabilizing muscles at the same time, which is a double bonus.”
Some of his favorite TRX exercises to target these areas of imbalance are listed below. These exercises will help to address the main areas of imbalance frequently found with endurance athletes. Depending on the individual athlete’s level of imbalance and weakness, these exercises should be done two to four times per week.
Problem Area: Shoulder Stabilizers
Corrective Exercise: TRX Push-up (with Push)
Push-ups are very effective to strengthen the upper body and core musculature. However, by adding an extra push at the top of the normal range of motion, you turn this traditional exercise into a super exercise that accentuates the shoulder stabilizers. You can do this exercise two different ways. The first is to start with your feet in the TRX foot cradles and your hands on the ground in a front plank position. Perform a regular push-up, but as you reach the end of your normal push-up range of motion, push a bit more to spread the shoulder blades apart and go up another two to three inches.
The second way of doing this is to have your feet securely on the ground and your hands in the TRX in a chest press position. Perform a TRX Chest Press and again, at the top of the normal range of motion, round out the shoulder blades to get another few inches at the top. This second method is more advanced since the shoulder stabilizers are engaged more to control the upper body.
Problem Area: Deep Abdominals
Corrective Exercise: TRX Plank to TRX Side Plank to TRX Pike
Begin with your feet in the TRX foot cradles and your hands on the floor in a push-up position. Hold this front plank position for 10 seconds and then rotate onto your right side while lifting your left hand off the ground. Hold this for 10 seconds and switch to the left side and repeat. Return to the front plank position and finish up with 10 reps of the TRX Pike to finish off one set.
Problem Area: Hip Rotators
Corrective Exercise: TRX Single Leg Squat (with Rotation)
This is a great exercise to emphasize the side muscles of the hip. To perform this movement, configure your TRX into single handle mode and place your right foot in the foot cradles with your left leg out in front. Then perform a squat, but instead of simply going down and up in the same plane, reach your right hand across your leg and reach for the outside part of your left foot so that you create a crossover of your midline. Pretend there is a pencil on the outside of your left foot, and you need to pick it up with your right hand. This small rotation within the TRX Single Leg Squat will activate and strengthen the hip rotators.
Bob Seebohar (www.fuel4mance.com) is a Board Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics, the former Director of Sports Nutrition for the University of Florida and most recently served as a sport dietitian for the US Olympic Committee. Bob traveled to the 2008 Summer Olympic Games as a sport dietitian for the US Olympic Team and the personal sport dietitian for the Olympic Triathlon Team.
1st Annual Fall Foliage Ride Set for this SUNDAY
Vic Brown - Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Boston Performance Coaching 1st Annual Fall Cycling Classic will take place this SUNDAY October 17. This will be a Metric Century ride to enjoy the foliage of autumn. With almost 30 people registered, this is sure to be a fun and scenic ride. The course will follow a challenging road route around the Quabbin Reservoir, a pristine jewel in the heart of Massachusetts. Ride will depart from the Summit Tower at Quabbin Reservoir at 9 AM.
All cyclists should have a repair kit with them; including pump &/or CO2, spare tube, & tire iron. Riders should be prepared with an adequate amount of food and begin the ride with at least 2 bottles.
When:
SUN October 17, 2010 at 9 AM
Directions:
Summit Tower at Quabbin Reservoir, Ware, MA. Parking is at the tower.
Ride Route:
http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=3958731
For more information or to reserve a spot, contact Vic at vic@bostonperformancecoaching.com.
6 Strategies to Eat Better
Christina Taddei - Monday, October 11, 2010
A recent article written by Nancy Clark on the USAT website describes the 6 Strategies to Eat Better. This is a great article that brings up six simple points for healthier eating.
How many strategies are you currently doing? Is there room to change your diet?
http://www.usatriathlon.org/resources/multisport-zone/fuel-station/6-strategies-to-eat-better
By Nancy Clark
For Active.com
More often than not, athletes ask me “What is a well-balanced diet? What should I be eating to help me perform at my best?” They feel overwhelmed by the seemingly endless list of nutrition don'ts. Don't eat white sugar, white bread, processed foods, fast foods, french fries, soda, salt, trans fats, butter, eggs, red meat... You’ve heard it all, I’m sure.
If you want to eat better but don’t know where to start, here’s a nutrition strategy that can help you fuel your body with a well-balanced sports diet. The suggestions guide you towards an eating style that's simple and practical, yet can effectively help you eat well to perform well, despite today’s bewildering food environment.
Eat At Least Three Kinds of Nutrient-dense Food at Each Meal
Don't eat just one food per meal, such as a bagel for breakfast. Add two more foods: peanut butter and low-fat milk. Don't choose just a salad for lunch. Add grilled chicken and a crusty whole grain roll. For dinner, enjoy pasta with tomato sauce and ground turkey. Two-thirds of the meal should be whole grains, vegetables, and fruits, and one-third low-fat meats, dairy, beans or other protein-rich foods.
Too many athletes eat a repetitive menu with the same 10 to 15 foods each week. Repetitive eating keeps life simple, minimizes decisions, and simplifies shopping, but it can result in an inadequate diet and chronic fatigue. The more different foods you eat, the more different types of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients you consume. A good target is 35 different foods per week. Start counting!
Eat “Closer to the Earth”
For instance, choose oranges rather than orange juice; orange juice rather than sports drink; whole-wheat bread rather than white bread; baked potatoes rather than french fries. Foods in their natural (or lightly processed) state offer more nutritional value and less sodium, trans fat and other health-eroding ingredients. You’ll find these foods along the perimeter of the grocery store: fresh produce, lean meats, low-fat dairy, whole grain breads. If possible, choose locally grown foods that support your local farmer and require less fuel for transportation to the market.
Fuel Your Body on a Regular Schedule
Eat even-sized meals every four hours. For example, a reducing diet (non-dieters need another 100-200 calories per meal) might be:
Breakfast (7 to 8 a.m.): 500 calories (cereal + milk + banana)
Lunch (11 a.m. to noon): 500 calories (sandwich + milk)
Lunch #2 (3 to 4 p.m.): 400-500 calories (yogurt +granola+nuts)
Dinner (7 to 8 a.m.): 500-600 cals (chicken +potato + greens)
This differs from the standard pattern of skimpy 200 to 300 calorie breakfasts and lunches that get followed by too many calories of sugary snacks and super-sized dinners.
Depending on your body size, each meal should be the equivalent of two to three pieces of pizza; that's about 500 to 750 calories (or 2,000 to 3,000 calories per day). Think about having four “food buckets” that you fill with 500 to 750 calories from at least kinds of foods every four hours. Even if you want to lose weight, you can (and should) target 500 calories at breakfast, lunch #1 and lunch #2. Those meals will ruin your evening appetite, so you’ll be able to “diet” at dinner by eating smaller portions. (Note: Most active people can lose weight on 2,000 calories, believe it or not!)
Whatever you do, try to stop eating in a “crescendo” (with meals getting progressively bigger as the day evolves). Your better bet is to eat on a time-line and consume 3/4 of your calories in the active part of your day; eat less at the end of the day. One runner took this advice and started eating his dinner foods for lunch, a sandwich for lunch #2 (instead of snacking on cookies) and then had soup and a bagel for dinner. He enjoyed far more energy during the day, was able to train harder in the afternoon, and significantly improved his race times.
Honor Hunger
Eat when you are hungry, and then stop eating when you feel content. Hunger is simply a request for fuel; your body is telling you it burned off what you gave it and needs a refill. To disregard hunger is abusive. Just as you would not withhold food from a hungry infant, you should not withhold food from your hungry body. If you do, you will start to crave sweets (a physiological response to calorie deprivation) and end up eating “junk”.
While counting calories is one way to educate yourself how to fill each 500-calorie “bucket” (for calorie information, use food labels, www.fitday.com, and www.calorieking.com), you can more simply pay attention to your body's signals. Keep checking in with yourself, “Is my body content? Or, does my body need this fuel?” If confronted with large portions that would leave you feeling stuffed, consider letting the excess food go to waste, not to “waist.”
Think Moderation
Rather than categorizing a food as being good or bad for your health, think about moderation, and aim for a diet that offers 85 to 90 percent quality foods and 10 to 15 percent foods with fewer nutritional merits. Enjoy a foundation of healthful foods, but don't deprive yourself of enjoyable foods. This way, even soda pop and chips, if desired, can fit into a nourishing food plan. You just need to balance the “junk” with healthier choices throughout the rest of the day. That is, you can compensate for an occasional greasy sausage and biscuit breakfast by selecting a low-fat turkey sandwich lunch and a grilled fish dinner.
Take Mealtimes Seriously
If you can find the time to train hard, you can also find the time to fuel right. In fact, competitive athletes who don’t show up for meals might as well not show up for training. You’ll lose your edge with hit or miss fueling, but you’ll always win with good nutrition!
Nancy Clark, MS RD CSSD (Board Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics) counsels casual and competitive athletes in her private practice at Healthworks, the premier fitness center in Chestnut Hill MA (617-383-6100). Her Sports Nutrition Guidebook, new Food Guide for Marathoners, and Cyclist’s Food Guide are available at www.nancyclarkrd.com. Also see www.sportsnutritionworkshop.com for information about her online workshop.
This article originally appeared on Active.com—your source for event information, training plans, expert advice, and everything you need to connect with the sport you love.
BPC Athlete Results: Cranberry Half Marathona and 7.3 Mile Road Race, and the San Jose Rock and Roll Half Marathon
Ali Winslow - Monday, October 04, 2010
Fall is a great time to race. The air is cool and crisp, the leaves are changing, the humidity is low. Plus, an added bonus is that our legs aren't trashed from hard bike rides and swims.
This weekend BPC athletes represented at the Harwich Cranberry Half Marathon and 7.3mile road race, and on the other side of the country, at the San Jose Rock and Roll Half Marathon. Below are the results. Great job everyone!
Cranberry Harwich Half Marathon and 7.3 Mile Road Race
Alison Winslow 1:40:33 (5TH AG)
Dawn Varnum 1:30:22 (1st AG)
Christina Taddei 1:46:05
7.3 Mile
John Fox 1:01:31
Laura Van Orden 1:02:03
San Jose Rock and Roll Marathon/Half Marathon
Robyn Metcalfe 1:56:14
Julia Metcalfe 1:56:53
This weekend BPC athletes represented at the Harwich Cranberry Half Marathon and 7.3mile road race, and on the other side of the country, at the San Jose Rock and Roll Half Marathon. Below are the results. Great job everyone!
Cranberry Harwich Half Marathon and 7.3 Mile Road Race
Alison Winslow 1:40:33 (5TH AG)
Dawn Varnum 1:30:22 (1st AG)
Christina Taddei 1:46:05
7.3 Mile
John Fox 1:01:31
Laura Van Orden 1:02:03
San Jose Rock and Roll Marathon/Half Marathon
Robyn Metcalfe 1:56:14
Julia Metcalfe 1:56:53
Does caffeine help performance in athletic activities?
Christina Taddei - Monday, October 04, 2010
A recent study set out to look over all the information about caffeine supplementation and the effects on sports performance. How exactly does caffeine work in the body? Caffeine is quickly absorbed through the gastrointestinal tract (GI tract), it then moves through the membranes of the cell and is circulated to the tissues. Lastly, it is then metabolized by the liver. Caffeine can be detected within the bloodstream within 15-45 minutes of consumption.
Caffeine has been shown to enhance several different modes of exercise performance including endurance, high-intensity team sport activity, and strength-power performance. Caffeine supplementation effects both the central and peripheral systems within the body and is thought to act primarily on the central nervous system. While research shows that caffeine supplemental can improve sports performance, it is depended on such factors as; the condition of the athlete, exercise (i.e. mode, intensity, duration) and dose of caffeine.
Research has found that caffeine consumed in low dosages (3-6 mg/kg) and is more effective when consumed in anhydrous state (water has been removed) versus coffee. It has been shown to be effective for people participating in endurance exercise, time-trials, and high-intensity team sports (such as soccer and rugby). Addition research is needed to see if caffeine helps improve performance when related to strength-power performance. If a person is sleep deprived caffeine has been shown to enhance concentration and alertness during high-intensity exercises. Keep in mind that caffeine remains in the bloodstream 3-6 hours after consumption. Therefore if you consuming caffeine pre or post workout, make sure it is timed in conjunction with when you normally go to sleep as to not interrupt your sleep patterns.
Bottom Line: For high-intensity athletes research has shown that caffeine can help positively aid in performance. Keep in mind the studies done have used a caffeine supplementation, not coffee. Remember liquid forms of caffeine are not a replacement for liquid intake during high-intensity activities and water or sports drinks is needed to be keep hydrated.
J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2010; 7: 5. Published online 2010 January 27. doi: 10.1186/1550-2783-7-5.