Espresso training: coffee can take the pain out of going to the gym

Published on Tuesday 31 March 2009 23:10

IT COULD be the holy grail for fitness fanatics – the ability to push oneself to the limit without collapsing in pain during a 10k run.

Scientists claim the humble cup of coffee could hold the key to pain-free exercising – revolutionising our approach to keeping fit.

Researchers believe that caffeine can take the pain out of the most gruelling sessions in the gym, by blocking the receptors that make the brain aware of muscle strain.

Prof Robert Motl, of the University of Illinois, claims to have made the breakthrough by regularly drinking coffee as a competitive cyclist. The community health expert believes many people have a coffee before a workout, unaware that it helps them feel less pain.

He has investigated the relationship between caffeine and physical activity for seven years. Initially he looked at links between caffeine intake, spinal reflexes and exertion and he realised that caffeine worked on parts of the brain and the spinal cord heavily involved in pain processing.

Prof Motl said he is the first person to study the effects of caffeine on muscle pain during high-intensity exercise.

He said: "What we saw is something we didn't expect: caffeine-nave individuals and habitual users have the same amount of reduction in pain during exercise after caffeine consumption."

The study's 25 participants were fit, college-aged males divided into two groups: those whose everyday caffeine consumption was extremely low to non-existent, and those with an average caffeine intake equivalent to three to four cups of coffee a day.

After an initial exercise test on a stationary cycle, to determine their aerobic power, the subjects returned for two high-intensity, 30-minute exercise sessions.

An hour before each session, cyclists – who had been told not to drink caffeine in the preceding 24 hours – were given a pill. On one occasion, it contained a dose of caffeine equivalent to two to three cups of coffee; the other time, they took a placebo.

During both exercise periods, subjects' perceptions of quadriceps muscle pain was recorded at regular intervals, with data on oxygen consumption, heart rate and work rate.

Prof Motl believes the research could prove encouraging for a range of people, including the average person who wants to become more physically active to realise the health benefits of a punishing workout.

He said: "One of the things that may have a practical application is if you go to a gym and you exercise and it hurts, you may be prone to stop doing that because pain is a stimulus that tells you to withdraw.

"So if we could give people a little caffeine and reduce the amount of pain they are experiencing, maybe that would help them stick with that exercise.

"Maybe then they'll push a little harder as well... maybe get even better adaptations to the exercise."

Prof Motl said he planned more research on caffeine's effect on sport performance. He said that although it reduced pain, it remained unclear whether it improved performance.

Last night a spokeswoman for the Fitness Assessment and Sports Injuries Centre in Edinburgh stressed the dangers of pushing fitness levels, especially for those who had injuries.

She said: "If it is an injury it is not a good idea to run through pain because it could make a minor injury into a chronic one."