All the Reasons to Drink Coffee Before Your Workout

A great way to support weight management and improve your workout gains might already be sitting in your kitchen: Coffee. Your go-to brew features more than polyphenols and rich taste. It also offers a safe, affordable and legal option for getting the most out of your gym time.

But not any coffee before your workout will do. A large hazelnut soy latte with extra whip has loads of calories, fillers and artificial flavors. High-quality coffee, though, has the power to fuel your workout and support fat-burning, even when you’re away from the gym.

Read on to learn some of the amazing benefits coffee offers to support weight management and muscle recovery. You’ll also discover the best time to have caffeine before your workout.

How Coffee Supports Your Workout and Weight Management Goals

Coffee can support your workout with benefits for both your body and mind. Here’s how:

Powers Your Training

Whether you prefer high-intensity exercise or cardio, coffee helps you push harder and exert more power. In one study on weightlifters, caffeine gave athletes more endurance for resistance training. This was versus those who had not taken caffeine.^[1] The caffeine in coffee acts as a stimulant, which can improve your endurance during workouts.

Coffee is a well-known ergogenic aid in the workout world.^[2] This means it affects your nervous system in a way that supports your physical performance. By stimulating the central nervous system, caffeine can help you feel more energized and focused. This allows you to push through intense workouts with greater intensity and motivation.

Other ergogenic aids like steroids or growth hormones are harmful or illegal. Coffee is a safe option that can give you an extra edge.

Boosts Your Metabolism

Coffee speeds up your metabolism,^[3] which can also support weight management. A faster metabolism helps you burn calories and sustain more energy throughout the day.

What’s more, coffee is thermogenic. This means it creates more heat in your body.^[4] When you consume coffee, the caffeine in it stimulates your nervous system. This signals the release of certain neurotransmitters like dopamine and norepinephrine. The stimulation can lead to an increase in heart rate. It can also support the breakdown of stored fats in fat cells, releasing fatty acids into the bloodstream.^[5] As a result, the body may use these fatty acids as a fuel source. This could promote fat oxidation and make it easier to stay in shape.

Improves Your Focus

You might already be familiar with the way coffee switches on your brain. It binds to receptors in your brain reserved for chemicals that make you sleepy.^[6] This is how it makes you feel awake in no time. Coffee helps improve focus for a workout by providing a quick burst of alertness and mental clarity. This is thanks to its caffeine content.

When you have coffee before your workout, its caffeine stimulates your central nervous system. This increases the release of neurotransmitters like dopamine and norepinephrine.^[7] Your brain activity goes up, which may enhance concentration and focus. This helps you stay motivated during your workout session and could give you that extra edge to push through and achieve your fitness goals.

Soothes Sore Muscles

Can coffee make you feel less sore? Science says yes. In studies on both men and women, having caffeine before a workout reduced feelings of sore muscles. This was especially true for people who didn’t regularly consume caffeine.^[8][9]

Caffeine increases chemicals which can stimulate the breakdown of stored fats for energy.^[10] By promoting fat use during exercise, caffeine may help preserve glycogen stores. This delays muscle fatigue and helps you push harder for longer.^[11]

Why Bulletproof Coffee Supports Weight Management (and a Great Workout)

Coffee alone already boosts your workout and supports weight management. When you pair it with grass-fed butter and Brain Octane Oil (a superior MCT oil), you can take your favorite drink to the next level.

Brain Octane Oil and other MCT oils support weight management and better workouts. This is because they give you quick cellular fuel and boost your endurance. Plus, MCT oil helps kickstart your metabolism^[12] for quicker fat-burning power.

And don’t forget the butter. The extra fat helps you metabolize caffeine more slowly, so you can exercise harder and longer.

Wondering when to drink coffee before your workout? Read on to find out.

The Best Way to Drink Your Coffee Before Your Workout

Enjoy your coffee 30 to 60 minutes before you hit the gym. By then, your body will start to absorb its caffeine. If you like to eat before you exercise, try these pre-workout meals.

For an extra boost, try Bulletproof Intermittent Fasting before you work out. Fasting also slows down mTOR, a protein that tells cells to grow.^[13] Combine fasting with your coffee and workout routine to maximize your muscle-building potential.

You can also supplement with protein. Within 15 minutes of ending your workout, have grass-fed collagen or whey protein. This will help slow a cortisol spike that keeps you from building muscle. Try them both in this protein-packed sweet potato smoothie.