Does coffee make you stronger when lifting weights?
Are Caffeine’s Effects on Resistance Exercise and Jumping Performance Moderated by Training Status?
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Caffeine had no meaningful effect on 1RM strength despite statistical significance.
Most supplement ads claim caffeine boosts strength—but this study shows the effect is so tiny (1.5 kg max) it’s practically useless.
Practical Takeaways
Take 200–300 mg of caffeine (about 2 cups of coffee) 45–60 minutes before high-rep sets or plyometric workouts.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Caffeine had no meaningful effect on 1RM strength despite statistical significance.
Most supplement ads claim caffeine boosts strength—but this study shows the effect is so tiny (1.5 kg max) it’s practically useless.
Practical Takeaways
Take 200–300 mg of caffeine (about 2 cups of coffee) 45–60 minutes before high-rep sets or plyometric workouts.
Publication
Journal
Nutrients
Year
2022
Authors
Erfan Berjisian, A. Naderi, S. Mojtahedi, J. Grgic, Mohammad Ghahramani, Raci Karayiğit, Jennifer L Forbes, F. Amaro-Gahete, Scott C. Forbes
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Claims (6)
Taking caffeine before exercise may make the experience more enjoyable, but it does not cause muscles to grow larger or stronger over time.
In young men who rarely consume caffeine, performance on a one-rep max bench press test improves even when they take a sugar pill instead of caffeine, suggesting that expectations or psychological factors can enhance strength output.
Taking 6 milligrams of caffeine per kilogram of body weight before a workout can increase the number of repetitions a person can perform to failure during bench press and squat exercises at 70% of their maximum strength, based on measured effect sizes in young men who rarely consume caffeine.
Taking 6 milligrams of caffeine per kilogram of body weight before jumping can slightly increase how high a young man who rarely consumes caffeine can jump, compared to when he takes a placebo.
Taking a dose of 6 mg of caffeine per kilogram of body weight has almost no meaningful impact on how much weight a young man who rarely consumes caffeine can lift in a single repetition of bench press or squat, even if the change is statistically detectable.