The cool-weather performance perks of caffeine

For many mountain athletes, the winter “off season”  is the ideal time to practice nutrition goals and experiment with nutrition without worrying about negatively impacting a big race. If you haven’t yet incorporated caffeine into your training, now is the perfect time to try it. Here’s why.

The benefits of caffeine

At Tailwind, we’re picky about what we put in our products. Caffeine is one ingredient we offer in various flavors because the science behind its use in sports is solid, and we’ve experienced its benefits first hand.

The science spark notes: caffeine releases fatty acid into your bloodstream that your muscles can burn instead of tapping into glycogen stores (aka increasing your “fat oxidation”), allowing you to go harder, longer. It also has the added benefit of reducing perceived effort and improving your emotional state—and as anyone who’s been in the late stages of a long race will tell you, mood matters. 

Caffeine can really shine during long events where you need to push through the night. By throwing off your natural circadian rhythm, it can keep you going long past the time you’d naturally want to nod off. 

Losing daylight hours means many of us will start or end workouts and hard sessions in the dark and/or cold—making it a great season to start incorporating caffeine. The increased alertness and focus from caffeine may make a difference in your motivation, when getting out the door feels harder and harder.

How to use it

The key to maximizing the benefits of caffeine is the right dosage at the right time.

• Dosage: 3-6 mg of caffeine per kilogram of body weight. 
• Timing: During longer workouts or races, incorporate caffeine throughout, every 1 to 3 hours depending on your tolerance. 

Keep in mind, it takes at least 15 minutes for caffeine to be absorbed into your bloodstream and another 45 to 60 minutes to peak, so for most of us it doesn’t make sense to ingest late in a workout or race (unless you really want the stoke to be high for the post-race celebration). 

Our Caffeinated Endurance Fuel (available in Tropical, Raspberry and Cola) has 35 mg of caffeine in one scoop (along with 25 grams of carbs and 303 mg of sodium). You can plug and play to meet your individual needs, adjusting serving size between one and two scoops as needed. Flexibility is everything.

*If you want to incorporate a single-serving of caffeinated Tailwind without cutting back on calories, try a scoop of your favorite caffeinated flavor with a scoop of Naked (unflavored) Endurance Fuel.

The Coffee Recovery Mix features 80 mg of caffeine and is the post workout boost you might need after a big effort. 

You knew there was a caveat

A few things to keep in mind:

• Too much caffeine is a great way to end up on the port-a-potty instead of the podium, so make sure to experiment with dosage in training before utilizing it on race day. More is not always better. 
• Caffeine can stay in your system for several hours, so be cautious when using it in the afternoon or evening—the training benefits are not worth sleep disruption. 
• If you have underlying heart issues, talk to your doctor before utilizing caffeine in training. 

Whether you’re shooting for a course record or just want to make the most of your early-morning sessions, caffeine could be the boost you need to level up. Why not try it?

Disclaimer: Everyone metabolizes caffeine differently, and some athletes report no performance benefit to caffeine consumption. If you have any concerns about using caffeine in training, talk to your doctor for an individual recommendation.