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Definition: "An ergogenic aid is any substance or phenomenon that enhances performance "
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25.07.2009 |
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Caffeine before training raises testosterone level
The researchers used a couple of dozen professional rugby players for their trial. Because caffeine in the form of a supplement takes about an hour to reach maximum concentration in the blood, the researchers gave the players caffeine pills an hour before they started to pump iron.
The dose varied from 200, 400 to 800 milligrams. A cup of coffee contains about 100 milligrams of caffeine.
Strength training increases testosterone production, and even more so if you limit the rest periods between sets. Stress hormones like adrenalin – not cortisol of course – increase this effect, probably because they activate the second messengers in the testes. Second messengers are messenger molecules, in this case ones that make the Leydig cells more responsive to messenger hormones like FSH and LH.
When the players did strength training without caffeine, their testosterone concentration rose by 15 percent. When they took caffeine the rise in testosterone was higher.
The highest dose of caffeine – 800 milligrams – led to a testosterone rise of a modest 21 percent. Whether this would lead to much more extra muscle mass the researchers were unable to say.
It was not so much that the effect was modest, but rather because the caffeine impulse also led to a rise in the cortisol level – 52 percent to be exact. The post-training testosterone cortisol ratio, a marker for anabolism in the body, was 14 percent lower as a result of the caffeine.
Doing relaxation exercises after training has an immediate effect, but probably has less effect if you've just taken 800 mg of caffeine. Preventing dehydration on the other hand inhibits cortisol production during training and has an immediate effect. As do sugars.
Hmm. Caffeine, water and sugar.
Would strength athletes grow faster if they down an energy drink before training?
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