We recommend caffeine as part of the pre-workout regimen, but how much you take can have a huge impact on muscle strength and power. Make sure you’re getting in enough of this strength builder and fat burner before every one of your workouts to maximize your results in the gym.
THE STUDY Researchers from San Diego State University recruited healthy, college aged men who were daily caffeine users to participate in their study. The subjects took either about 165 milligrams of caffeine or about 415 mg of caffeine one hour before being tested on a leg extension and leg curl machine.
THE RESULTS As reported in a 2010 issue of the journal Medicine and Sciencein Sports and Exercise, only when the subjects consumed the 415 mg dose of caffeine did they experience a boost in muscle strength and muscle power of about 5% as compared to when they took a placebo.
THE DOSAGE The San Diego researchers did not look at doses between the lower level (about 165 mg) and the higher one (about 415 mg), so it’s hard to confirm whether a lower dose than the 415 mg would produce similar results. FLEX recommends that to get the most strength and powe rbenefits from caffeine before workouts, be sure to take a minimum of 200 mg and up to about 400 mg of caffeine one hour before workouts .
