It’s a truth universally acknowledged that caffeine increases alertness and energy levels, but could a cup of coffee pre-workout also have athletic benefits too?

Coffee is one of the most commonly consumed – and popular – mind-altering drinks worldwide. It’s used by millions of us to kickstart our sluggish morning brain function and pick us up throughout the day. And research suggests that if you drink coffee an hour or so before exercise, it could also help boost your performance.

“The caffeine in coffee stimulates your central nervous system, elevating your heart rate, increasing blood pressure and even releasing adrenaline,” explains Megan Thomas, sports scientist for Amunra Performance Coffee – a scientifically designed coffee containing the optimal dosages of caffeine to maximise both performance and recovery.

“All these factors combine to increase motivation, focus and excitement, improve blood flow around the body and to muscles worked during exercise, while reducing how difficult you perceive the exercise to be – enabling you to push harder for longer,” she says.

Can drinking caffeine before exercise improve your fitness? Why it's such a good pre-workout