Uploaded September 2024 | Updated September 2026, 2 days ago
Caffeine is incredibly popular among lifters and non-lifters alike. In a variety of cultures all across the globe (including the iron culture), caffeine is a daily staple. While most people use caffeine for a morning boost of energy, lifters have long used caffeine as a performance-enhancing supplement. There is a tremendous amount of evidence reporting acute ergogenic effects from a single dose of caffeine, but there is a surprising lack of research addressing critical questions about caffeine's utility as an "everyday" pre-workout supplement. In today's episode, Eric Trexler reviews a new study suggesting that caffeine improves performance when consumed in the morning, but not in the evening. This is followed by an in-depth discussion about when caffeine may (or may not) be effectively used as a performance-enhancing supplement, and how to balance potential tradeoffs between acute performance enhancement and sleep disruption.
00:00 Intro to an episode that the powers that be don’t want you to listen to
05:52 Trex, the caffeine sceptic?
Gardiner 2023 The effect of caffeine on subsequent sleep: A systematic review and meta-analysis pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36870101
18:16 Different caffeine intakes for different times of the day? Breaking down the study and the literature
massresearchreview.com
Bourgine 2024 Effects of Different Caffeine Dosages on Maximal Physical Performance and Potential Side Effects in Low-Consumer Female Athletes: Morning vs. Evening Administration pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39064667
31:27 Is caffeine a specialised morning supplement? And the low-hanging fruit in the caffeine literature related to strength and power outcomes
Grgic 2020 Wake up and smell the coffee: caffeine supplementation and exercise performance-an umbrella review of 21 published meta-analyses pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30926628
38:55 Practical applications for caffeine supplementation for lifting
Giráldez-Costas 2021 Pre-exercise Caffeine Intake Enhances Bench Press Strength Training Adaptations pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33575270
52:58 Closing out this shorter than 60min episode
Caffeine is incredibly popular among lifters and non-lifters alike. In a variety of cultures all across the globe (including the iron culture), caffeine is a daily staple. While most people use caffeine for a morning boost of energy, lifters have long used caffeine as a performance-enhancing supplement. There is a tremendous amount of evidence reporting acute ergogenic effects from a single dose of caffeine, but there is a surprising lack of research addressing critical questions about caffeine's utility as an "everyday" pre-workout supplement. In today's episode, Eric Trexler reviews a new study suggesting that caffeine improves performance when consumed in the morning, but not in the evening. This is followed by an in-depth discussion about when caffeine may (or may not) be effectively used as a performance-enhancing supplement, and how to balance potential tradeoffs between acute performance enhancement and sleep disruption.
00:00 Intro to an episode that the powers that be don’t want you to listen to
05:52 Trex, the caffeine sceptic?
Gardiner 2023 The effect of caffeine on subsequent sleep: A systematic review and meta-analysis pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36870101
18:16 Different caffeine intakes for different times of the day? Breaking down the study and the literature
massresearchreview.com
Bourgine 2024 Effects of Different Caffeine Dosages on Maximal Physical Performance and Potential Side Effects in Low-Consumer Female Athletes: Morning vs. Evening Administration pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39064667
31:27 Is caffeine a specialised morning supplement? And the low-hanging fruit in the caffeine literature related to strength and power outcomes
Grgic 2020 Wake up and smell the coffee: caffeine supplementation and exercise performance-an umbrella review of 21 published meta-analyses pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30926628
38:55 Practical applications for caffeine supplementation for lifting
Giráldez-Costas 2021 Pre-exercise Caffeine Intake Enhances Bench Press Strength Training Adaptations pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33575270
52:58 Closing out this shorter than 60min episode
