Short answer: My best picks for coffees for athletes are Caveman coffee, Kimera coffee, and Strong coffee company. These have some exceptional flavor and a good amount of caffeine.
Athletes around the world want to put out their best when it comes to competition. For this, they train for years and years to build up that stamina and endurance which can help them lift that cup.
During the training, they move up to anything they can which can help them stay focused and alert, be it protein shakes, energy drinks, or coffee.
Coffee is a pretty average beverage that you can add to your diet plan, it has nutrients and supplements and the most amazing part is the caffeine.
So let’s take a look at how coffee can impact the athlete’s performances and which ones can be top preferences.
What Kinds Of Coffees Are Best For Athletes?
So here are my top picks of best coffees for athletes with a table of their caffeine content:
| Coffee company | Caffeine per serving |
| Strong Coffee Company | 120mg |
| Laird Superfood Instafuel | 104mg |
| Onnit Coffee | 13.7% of its formulation |
| Kimera Coffee | No Proper value |
| Infinit nutrition cold brew | 100mg |
| Caveman coffee | 200mg |
| Strava Coffee | 10 mg CBD |
It depends on personal preference but caffeine’s ability to improve athletic performance is well documented: numerous studies have found that it improves strength, power output, and endurance. Companies are now targeting athletes by infusing their coffee with ingredients such as mushrooms and algae, which may have additional performance benefits.
Strong Coffee Company Original
This coffee was created by athletes themselves. It is sugar-free and makes you an instant latte with collagen proteins that can benefit injury repair and maintain healthy joints. It also contains a powdered MCT oil a fatty acid, which helps boost the endurance performance for any sport. You can find cacao in it for a hint of chocolate and sweetness.
Laird Superfood InstaFuel
This is a 100% arabica coffee plus original food creamer. No highly refined sugar, alternatives or food coloring. It is made with dried Arabica coffee mixed with coconut milk, coconut oil, and aquamin, a mineral supplement that is said to improve the density of bone and reduces inflammation. However, the good part is you’ll only be able to taste the coconut and not the algae. The best part is it’s dairy-free, soy-free, and gluten-free.
Onnit Coffee
Onnit coffee has been a big brand of fitness from the start, now they have partnered with Caveman coffee and Kuxtal coffee to offer two beans mixture roasted in small batches in Texas. Onnit always likes to use unconventional approaches toward fitness the reason why they produced this coffee supplement. It originated from Guatemala and has a certification of sustainability, organic, and no pesticides. You can buy it from grocery stores, supplement stores, or even online.
Kimera Coffee
By seeing the packet you can guess why it says coffee with cognitive enhancers, this brand adds nootropics to their coffee which can improve the physical and mental ability by improving focus and power input. It originated from the Dominican Republic and contains nootropics that are all-natural amino acids, which include, Taurine, L-Theanine, DMAE, and Alpha-GPC. Not to forget that this coffee is a dark-roasted one.
Infinit Nutrition Cold Brew Performance
Infinit Nutrition began as a sports nutrition company, selling drinks and supplements, and is now expanding into coffee. Each cup of its cold brew contains 100 milligrams of caffeine and 20 grams of whey protein, making it an ideal recovery beverage. The result is creamy and slightly sweet.
Caveman Coffee
This coffee was brought into formulation by MMA and CrossFit athletes Keith Jardine, Tait Fletcher, and Lacie Mackey. This coffee is roasted in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It can be found in five varieties, Ethiopian, Columbian, Brazilian, Cold Brew, and Papua New Guinea. It is organic with no pesticides and holds a certificate of sustainability and rainforest alliance protocols.
Strava Craft Coffee Restore
This is a Columbian whole bean coffee. It contains about 120 mg of CBD per bag, which can be proven beneficial for the ones looking to relax for some time and avoid the jitters. Its oil is rich in vitamin B1, vitamin B2, omega 3, and omega 6 fatty acids. CBD coffee helps in improving sleep quality, it can help you sleep faster and for a longer time.
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Can Athletes Drink Coffee?
Yes, athletes can drink coffee, it contains caffeine and supplements that can help in boosting the mechanism of the body.
Caffeine is a stimulant that stimulates the brain and central nervous system, it blocks the adenosine receptors from attaching to the brain which tricks your brain into thinking that you just woke up from a power nap.
This way you can focus better and stay alert for about 2 to 5 hours. However, where caffeine has its benefit it has a downfall too. The withdrawal effects, after about 12 hours when caffeine exits the body may experience withdrawal effects symptoms.
In addition to these effects, you must remember that overdosing on caffeine can lead to potential side effects such as:
- Dehydration
- Anxiety
- Abnormal Heart Rhythm
- Lack of Concentration
You can avoid these side effects by staying within the limit advised by FDA, that is 400 mg of caffeine per day.
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Can Coffee Improve Sports Performance?
There are many studies that state that coffee can improve athletic performance depending on the individual. Coffee contains caffeine which has the same effects as amphetamines and cocaine but on a smaller scale.
Caffeine has been said to be an ergogenic aid that can benefit by increasing speed and power, resulting in improvement in athletic activities, length of training, and fatigue resistance.
According to studies, up to 25% of athletes between the ages of 11 and 18 have used caffeine to improve their athletic performance.
Here, it says that ingestion of caffeine before a competition has shown increased endurance and speed during prolonged exercise.
When Should Athletes Drink Coffee?
In my opinion, if you want to feel the maximum effects of caffeine you should have it 30 minutes before your competition.
Typically, caffeine enters your blood in about 10 to 15 minutes of consumption. It affects peaks after about 30 to 50 minutes and it stays like that for about 3 to 4 hours.
During this time, caffeine activates your nervous system and hormones to perform and focus better. It helps in releasing endorphins that increase the feelings of wellness. You can read my other article where i discuss when coffee usually kicks in.
Here’s a video where you can learn more about how coffee can be a pre-workout drink:
Benefits Of Coffee For Athletes
Coffee is a powerful beverage itself, it gives you many health benefits that can improve your athletic performance as stated above.
Here are some benefits that coffee can give you:
Reducing Pain During Exercise
Train long enough, and your muscles will beg you to stop. Coffee may be able to reduce the volume of those cries. A jolt of caffeine (such as that found in a cup of coffee) taken before exercise can reduce the amount of pain perceived by low to moderate caffeine consumers. Even if you aren’t a regular coffee drinker, a cup before a big game or practice may provide an immediate benefit. Just keep in mind that a “cup” is exactly what it sounds like 8 ounces or a small glass.
Reduced Pain After Exercise
According to research published in The Journal of Pain, moderate doses of caffeine (about two cups of coffee) can reduce post-exercise soreness by up to 48 percent. The study looked at the effects of caffeine on a group of nine female college students who were neither regular caffeine users nor physically active regularly. Then, one or two days later, they took either a caffeine pill or a placebo and performed quadriceps exercises, first to produce force, then to produce sub-maximal force for an hour. Those who received caffeine reported a 48 percent reduction in pain during the full effort exercise and a 26 percent reduction in pain during the sub-maximal effort exercise when compared to the placebo subjects.
Helps In Refueling
If you’re craving a protein shake after practice, consider swapping it for a sweet potato and a cup of coffee, according to new research published in the Journal Of Applied Physiology. According to the findings of that study, athletes who drank coffee after exercise had approximately 66 percent more muscle glycogen than those who drank a placebo four hours later.
Delays Exhaustion
Those extra reps at the end of a weight training session are always more difficult than the first few, but according to Coventry University in England, a caffeine hit (like what you’d find in a cup of coffee) could help you to delay exhaustion.
In a study, 13 young men bench pressed, deadlifted, squatted, and rowed to failure with weights equal to 60% of their one-rep max.
- The participants completed two workouts: one in which they drank a placebo beverage an hour before exercise and another in which they drank a beverage containing 179 mg of caffeine an hour before exercise.
- The workouts were at least 48 hours apart. The researchers discovered that athletes who did not consume caffeine fatigued much faster than those who did.
- However, it was found that with the caffeinated drink, the person felt more able to invest effort,”
- Michael Duncan, a senior lecturer in sports science at the University of Exeter in England and the study’s lead author, told The New York Times in an interview that “The athletes would put in more action during the workout session, and when it was over, they were more psychologically ready to go again in the presence of the caffeine.”
Coffee Helps You Cut Flab
Grab a green coffee bean if you’re looking to lose a few pounds before beach season. According to research presented at the 243rd National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS) in 2012, overweight people who eat a “fraction of an ounce of ground coffee beans” can lose a significant amount of weight—the participants in this study lost about 10%.
Final Thoughts
Athletes can drink coffee, it helps them to focus and stay alert. My recommendation is that one should have coffee 30 minutes before a competition to achieve its maximum effects
My best picks for coffees for athletes are Caveman coffee, Kimera coffee, and Strong coffee company. These have some exceptional flavor and a good amount of caffeine.
With this, I hope you can choose the best one for you.
If you’re looking for the best deals on great coffee, definitely check out Volcanica coffee where you’ll find a wide range of the highest quality coffee. (Affiliate link)
Other Articles
- Best Coffee For Sports (Win the Game!)
- Best Coffee For Exercise (Boost Up Your Workout!)
- Best Coffee For Cycling (Enhance Your Performance)
- Best Coffee for Football (Enhance the Performance)
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