Caffeine is the most widely consumed mood-altering drug in the world. Caffeine is known to have negative effects on athletes who are trying to perform optimally, especially when it comes to exercises that involve small muscles like those used during sprinting. This article aims to answer whether coffee is good for athletes (it’s not) and what negative effects caffeine has on athletic performance (small muscle contraction times).
Contents
Is coffee good for athletes?
Coffee contains large amounts of caffeine, which can lead individuals to engage in activities requiring fine motor control or maximal effort to perform suboptimally (more likely), or result in them withdrawing from participation altogether. The negative effects of caffeine include anxiety, jitteriness, hallucinations, high blood pressure, increased heart rate, increased urination, and gastrointestinal distress.
Is coffee good for athletes who perform small muscle exercises?
Caffeine has negative effects on athletic performance during any exercise that uses small muscles. This negative effect is based on the mechanisms of caffeine – it enhances the neurotransmitters in your brain that account for greater motor neuron stimulation (of skeletal muscle) which = reduced ability to contract the same muscle again quickly (reduced power/strength). This could lead to negative outcomes when compared with an individual who has not consumed caffeine prior to participating in an activity involving smaller muscles.
What negative effects does caffeine have on athletic performance?
Caffeine has negative effects on athletic performance by keeping the body in a state of over-arousal. This negative effect is based on the mechanisms of caffeine – it enhances the neurotransmitters in your braines caffeine have on athletic performance?
Caffeine can contribute to negative outcomes during physical activities requiring fine motor control or maximal effort, leading to suboptimal conditions or complete withdrawal from athletic competition.
- reduced power/strength
- anxiety, jitters, hallucinations
- reduce the ability to contract muscles quickly increased urination & gastrointestinal distress.
- increases the neurotransmitters in your brain account for greater motor neuron stimulation
- increased heart rate & blood pressure
