Caffeine for Sports Performance

by Louise Burke, Ben Desbrow, Lawrence Spriet

Caffeine for Sports Performance is the definitive resource for all your questions regarding caffeine and its impact on sports performance. Based on the most recent research, studies, and guidelines, this guide is ideal for athletes and fitness enthusiasts looking to improve training and competition. Inside you will find these • The history of how caffeine has become the most widely used drug in the world • The pros and cons of using caffeine, including habitual daily caffeine intake, to boost sports performance • Personal usage guides that can be applied to various sports or scenarios of caffeine use in training and competition • Health advice regarding caffeine use • Performance effects of caffeine use • Safety considerations and potential risks • Best and worst sources for caffeine Caffeine for Sports Performance provides plenty of practical tips for using caffeine. In particular you will find sidebars that feature interviews with top athletes and coaches who have interesting stories to tell regarding their experiences using caffeine. You will also gain new insight into current attitudes towards caffeine and how those attitudes have changed over the years. Caffeine for Sports Performance gives you all you need to understand and use caffeine to get the most out of your sport.

216 pages, Paperback

First published November 5, 2011

Reviews

[J. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This volume purports to separate fact from fiction regarding the titular substance, a stimulant found naturally in such plant products as coffee beans, cocoa pods, cola nuts and tea leaves. The writing team consists of a sports dietician with close to three decades of experience (Burke) and two academics long involved in athletic/nutrition research (Desbrow and Spriet).
Strong points of the book include a reliance on the scientific literature regarding the effects of caffeine on sports performance, a detailed listing of said literature, and a concluding “Bottom Line” section to each chapter that summarizes the foregoing discussion. Weak points are vague attribution (many quotes do not name sources, but rather list titles or positions, such as “coach” or “Olympic endurance athlete”), and, this is the deal breaker, far too much content has little to no bearing on the central question of what caffeine does or does not do for the athlete. Chapter 2, “How Caffeine Works,” is a case in point. Essentially a lesson in biochemistry, the authors practically admit that this is so much filler when they state point blank: “Please bear with us or simply skip this chapter” (page 7).
There is no need for the reader to remain in suspense. The “Bottom Line” of Chapter 5, “Effectiveness,” states “…there is evidence that caffeine supplementation can improve performance or the outcomes of a range of sporting events, particularly those involving a prolonged duration of sustained or intermittent efforts” (page 78). Considering the fact that the human race has been imbibing the Big C for a couple of hundred years precisely for its energizing qualities, that’s not exactly a news flash. Here is this reviewer’s own bottom line: get yourself a mug of mud instead of this book. Why spend the dough for what you already know?

[Neill Tumulac · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I first heard that coffee/caffeine could be used to enhance athletic performance, I was surprised. I remember hearing stories about people having seizures, or worse, dying on their way to the hospital, from drinking too much caffeine before a sports race or swimming event. I personally felt unsure and cautious when I would walk into my local climbing gym, hot coffee in my hand instead of the typical bottle of water. This book seemed like a good place to learn about what I heard: That coffee DOES improve athletic performance. To summarize the book, you need 3mg/kg typically to feel an improvement, and that's according to the studies discussed in the book. 3mg/kg for me is 183mg, which is like a double shot espresso with a little bit extra. A double shot is typically 90-160mg. Now I can walk into the climbing gym, or run a sprint if I want, knowing that the cup of coffee I had just before, is actually improving my performance by an impressive margin. It is surprising to read how much coffee can do for your workout. Very interesting.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book provides solid, reasonable advice on the most-used psychoactive drug on our planet. Grant, one would probably not want to exercise so much as the effect renedered by the drug wears off. Yet using it properly and within reason is explained quite nicely. This book would be a go-to in lieu of a medical doctor if push came to shove, but does not replace an M.D.
-M

[Steve Walsh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well presented and thoughtfully organized. The empirical data is solid as can be expected when conducting such a subject-dependant studies. Clears up several misconceptions about the effects or lack-there-of, of caffeine as well as potential dangers. Two takeaway numbers: 3mg/kg for peak enhancement, 500µM for death.
P.S. 8000µM caffeine. Holy hot darn that must have been a night.

[Pedro Dullius · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent reading for the conscious sport practitioner

Well researched text with a plethora of references about caffeine usage research. It is adequately agnostic regarding wether you should or shouldn't use caffeine at all, providing scientific backing to any claims.