Dr. Rhonda Patrick

some brain supportive effects.

Now let's talk about caffeine and physical performance, what the data says, how to use caffeine optimally, and when you're getting too much.

So first off, caffeine is arguably the most studied and reliable performance enhancer available.

It consistently improves performance across endurance sports,

strength training, and cognitive tasks requiring focus and reaction speed.

So how much caffeine do you actually need?

The science points to a dose range of about three to six milligrams of caffeine per kilogram of your body weight.

Practically speaking, if you weigh about 70 kilograms or 155 pounds, that's roughly 200 to 400 milligrams of caffeine or about one to four cups of coffee, depending on how strong your coffee is.

Lower end doses, around three milligrams per kilogram body weight, are effective for most people,

But higher doses, up to 6 milligrams per kilogram body weight, might be necessary if you're habituated to caffeine.

In endurance events like running, cycling, swimming, you typically see about a 3% to 5% improvement in performance.

In strength or power-based activities, caffeine reliably boosts strength output and muscular endurance by about 2% to 4%.

And even again, cognitive skills, focus, reaction time, attention, these get about 10 to 15% bump from a modest caffeine dose of about 100 to 150 milligrams.

Caffeine peaks in your bloodstream around 45 to 60 minutes after ingestion.

And the performance enhancing effects do last about two to four hours.

So keep this timing in mind to maximize its benefits, especially for competition or intense workouts, or if you're looking for that mental pump.

There's a clear ceiling to caffeine's benefits.

Going beyond 400 milligrams rarely provides additional performance gains and frequently increases negative effects like anxiety, jitters, increased heart rate, digestive issues, and crucially, sleep disruption.

So consuming caffeine later than about eight hours before your bedtime will cut into your sleep quality, undermining training adaptations and recovery.

Unfortunately, decaf coffee does not have the same performance benefits.