Science has proven it: coffee is a stimulant that improves sports performance. But it also has a wonderful power that you have probably taken advantage of many times without realizing it.
Like millions of people, chances are the first thing you do when you get up is turn on your coffee machine or fill the kettle with water to prepare this delicious concoction.
If we like the taste, we also greatly appreciate the effect: caffeine is a very effective stimulant which quickly takes us from the torpor of sleep to the desired state of wakefulness in order to subject our brains to intellectual work or manual that awaits us. Or simply to take our eyes off ourselves to read the morning news.
Run faster thanks to coffee?
While it stimulates the activity of our neurons, coffee also has the ability to make us better runners.
But before going any further, let's clarify this: there is no miracle involved. Caffeine, which is the active pharmacological agent in coffee, has virtues that science continues to explore since it promotes – according to research already carried out – better sports performance. But it won't allow you to suddenly run 10 km in 30 minutes.
What research has shown about caffeine is that it:
- Helps produce adrenaline, which improves the heart's ability to pump more blood through your body.
- Reduces fatigue caused by endurance effort.
- Improves general vigor and feeling of well-being.
- Modifies the perception of effort.
- Partially inhibits the sensation of muscle pain.
So, to summarize, caffeine provides a small boost, but more importantly tricks your neurotransmitters into thinking that the effort you are producing is a little less difficult than it actually is.
It's a bit like in Rocky IV , when the famous Italian Stallion played by Sylvester Stallone is beaten up by the brutal Ivan Drago, and his coach, between two rounds, tells him: "You're not bad, you're Not bad. »
Except that there, it's in a corner of your brain rather than in the corner of the ring that it's happening.
The true magic effect of coffee
Consumed in reasonable quantities (i.e. less than 400 milligrams of caffeine per day, which represents 5 double espresso shots or 3 cups of filter coffee), it is healthy and allows us to modulate our daily lives by offering us necessary breaks in our day of work.
But the real magical power of coffee is to bring people together. In pairs or groups. Between friends or as a couple. Coffee is more than just a performance agent, it is a social binder.
There is no scientific data to support this. But trust us. It works.
Above all, don't forget one thing: running fast is good, but sharing precious time with friends or making new ones is a lot better.
