Caffeine timing is something that everyone seems to have an opinion on but nothing more than "I always do this" to support it. SuppVersity comes through again giving us a great review on literature for caffeine timing.
The studies tested several different methods and modalities of taking in caffeine. It varied from chewing gum, to pills, to coffee and cola. The timing was anywhere from 6hrs to 20 minutes and anything in between. This may seem like a large range but a study from the 90's showed that 3hrs post caffeine consumption circulating fatty acids were at their peak. This leads us to believe caffeine has long standing effects past what pre workout labels lead us to believe.
It was found that on average the peak time for coffee/cola, which would relate to pre workout the most, was 39-42 minutes. When using chewing gum it was about 20 minutes and caffeine capsules showed the slowest time peaking around an hour. So for those of you who drink your pre workout 10 minutes before walking into the gym or right before your first set, you may be better off drinking it a bit earlier. There were no conditions where liquid caffeine supplementation was effective in under 20 minutes.
Read the full article to learn more.
On our supplement page we have plenty of products that can help you get more out of your pre training protocols.