How coffee makes you run faster
The benefits of caffeine for sport performance: what the evidence says, optimal dosing, and why individual variation matters more than any average effect.
Caffeine is the most widely used performance supplement in sport, legal since 2004 and backed by a substantial evidence base. The effect on endurance is strong: 3 to 6 mg per kilogram of body weight taken 1 to 3 hours before exercise improves time trial performance by around 3% on average. For sprint and resistance training the results are more mixed, but power output and velocity during high-intensity efforts generally improve.
The article covers the evidence for endurance, sprint, and resistance performance; the recommended dosing range and timing; whether habitual coffee consumption blunts the acute effect; and why individual variation is where most of the interesting variance lives. The meta-analysis average won't tell you what works for you specifically. Published on Medium, August 2022.