Whole Latte Love: The Performance And Caffeine Connection?

Caffeine is widely recognized as a powerful performance enhancer, especially for runners and endurance athletes. It doesn’t give you energy like calories do. Instead, it tweaks your brain and muscles so you can use your energy systems more effectively. Across many studies, endurance performance typically improves by ~2–4% with a well-timed dosage of caffeine.

How Caffeine Works in the Body

When you consume caffeine, whether through coffee, energy drinks, energy gels or capsules, it is rapidly absorbed and enters the bloodstream. It works mainly by blocking adenosine receptors in the brain and nervous system. Adenosine signals your brain to “slow-down” which makes your brain send a weaker “push” signal to your muscles, making you feel tired, effort feels harder and focus drops. When you consume caffeine it blocks adenosine, reducing fatigue, increases alertness, improves focus, and lessens the sensation of pain and physical effort. This means runners feel less tired and can keep going longer.

Boosting Energy and Physical Performance

Caffeine’s primary role during running is not in directly creating energy (ATP), but rather making the muscles work more efficiently and helping runners push their limits. Here’s how:

1. Brain’s “brakes” loosen a bit - Caffeine blocks a tired-feeling signal (adenosine). So effort feels easier, pain feels lower, and your brain sends a stronger “go ahead” signal to your muscles. Result: You can hold your target pace longer or kick harder at the end.
2. You pace better, for longer - Because the run feels easier at the same speed, you tend to run a little faster, and finish stronger without blowing up quickly.
3. Small fuel shift - Caffeine can make you burn a bit more fat at easier efforts, which may save some glycogen early on. But caffeine isn’t fuel; you still need carbs for long races. Think of caffeine as the helper, not the gas tank.

Intake and Guidelines

Most runners do best with 3-6 mg/kg (200-400 mg) caffeine about 45-60 min before a run (if your gut is sensitive, 2 mg/kg can still help). During long duration runs caffeine should be paired with carbs as it does not provide energy. Evidence suggests low doses taken during exercise can still produce meaningful endurance benefits. Test in training first.