Caffeine 101 – Ingredient Spotlight!

Ah Caffeine! Isn’t it a gift from the gods? Well, it is for me personally, but maybe not everyone has quite the same obsession I do! Even so, it is the most popular stimulant in the world, from that morning cup of coffee to a good pre-workout, energy drink, fat burner or stand-alone supplement. In this edition of Ingredient Spotlight, we’ll take a good look at this amazing ingredient. So grab your coffee and let’s get started! 

What is Caffeine?

It can be defined as a natural chemical that stimulates neurotransmitters in the brain that in turn excites your central nervous system. Not to mention, it can be found in more than 60 plants. These include coffee beans, guarana berries, kola nuts, cacao pods, and tea leaves. There are also several synthetic versions available (more on that soon). 

Once ingested, liquid sources of this sensational stimulant are absorbed rapidly through the gastrointestinal tract, reaching peak blood concentrations within 15 minutes up to 2 hours. Food sources or dietary fiber can delay this. It is primarily broken down in the liver and has an average half-life of 1.5 to 9.5 hours. (1, 2, 3)

What Does It Do?

The main mechanism of action of this stimulant is its effect on the brain’s adenosine receptors. Here’s a stimulant that is both water and fat-soluble, meaning it easily crosses the blood-brain barrier. This results in the blocking of 4 adenosine receptor subtypes (A1, A2a, A2b, and A3). In fact, the A2a receptor antagonism causes it’s alertness effects. (2)

The Benefits

Here are the primary benefits of this ultra-popular stimulant.

• Increased Energy – As stated above, it goes without saying that this is the most popular stimulant on the planet. The reason is because it drastically increases your energy (among other benefits of course). No doubt most people from all walks of life start their day with some form of caffeine. Plus, many people depend on it throughout their day for energy. Not to mention, it’s the main stimulant in many pre-workouts and it can have a big impact on workout quality.
• Increased Alertness – Piggybacking off the last benefit, it increases alertness by blocking the neurotransmitter adenosine. The function of adenosine is to make you feel tired. 
• Enhanced Mental Focus – As noted, it stimulates the neurotransmitters dopamine and norepinephrine which enhance mental focus.
• Improved Mood – Along with improved focus, the neurotransmitters mentioned above also elevate your mood. 
• Thermogenesis Activation – It increases your body’s heat production and raises your resting metabolic rate by 3% to 8% for a few hours. This temporary boost causes your body to burn extra calories and break down stored fats for energy. (4)
• Improved Exercise Performance – It can improve exercise performance whether you’re engaging in weight lifting or endurance training. (5)

How Does Caffeine Affect Muscle Growth?

The International Society of Sports Nutrition’s official position regarding caffeine and exercise performance is that this stimulant improves muscular strength, muscular endurance, and movement velocity. In addition, it supports jumping, throwing, and sprinting performance, along with a number of aerobic and anaerobic sport-specific actions. Also, it improves muscular strength and power. (6, 7)

As noted, all of these benefits are because of it’s role in inhibiting adenosine receptors in the central nervous system which in turn increases neurotransmitter activity. This increases motor unit firing rates and suppresses pain. In addition, it supports muscular contractions, which causes an increase in force-production potential which can make a difference in your workouts. Of course, supporting your contractions is huge when it comes to workout quality.

The Different Types of Caffeine

1. Caffeine Anhydrous – This is a crystalline powder with all the moisture removed, making it more concentrated. This type is the most common found in pre-workouts and stand-alone products. 
2. Caffeine Citrate –  This is a synthetic version that combines anhydrous mentioned above and citric acid monohydrate. It is 50% caffeine and absorbs quickly.
3. Infinergy™ Dicaffeine Malate – Infinergy is a trademarked complex that consists of 75% caffeine combined with 25% malic acid. The caffeine in this blend absorbs much slower than regular types. What does that do? It helps decrease the jitters and the common “crash” effect you can get from this stimulant. There is also a non-patented version of this type. (8)
4. Green Tea – This is a mild source, in fact a single 8oz cup of brewed green tea contains roughly 25 mg of caffeine. Of course, green tea is also a source of EGCG, a powerful antioxidant. (9)
5. Green Coffee Beans – This type consists of unroasted coffee beans and contains a natural compound called chlorogenic acid which provides numerous healthy benefits. Green coffee beans only contain 1.67 mg per 100 beans, therefore it is an extremely mild source. (10)
6. Guarana – This is a popular plant in South America that contains 22% naturally occurring caffeine. 
7. InnovaTea® Natural Caffeine – This is a very pure tea grown by farmers that use sustainable farming practices. InnovaTea is 98% caffeine. (11)
8. Yerba Mate – Here’s another herb from South America. The tea form of yerba mate is one of the more popular caffeinated drinks in the world.

Suggested Products

Stand-Alone Products

1. AllMax Nutrition Caffeine – One tablet provides 200mg of caffeine anhydrous. 

Pre-Workouts 

1. Gorilla Mind Gorilla Mode – This is a sensational pre-workout with 400 mg of the anhydrous version per 2 scoops. 
2. Condemned Labs Convict High Stim – An impressive pre-workout with 350 mg of anhydrous (yep, it’s popular!) per scoop. 
3. Kaged Pre-Workout – Here’s a great pre-workout featuring 274 mg of PurCaf®, organic coffee from green coffee beans. 
4. NutraBio Base – A “Core” pre-workout providing 200 mg of the ever-popular anhydrous version per scoop. 
5. 5% Nutrition Reloaded – Here’s a newer pre-workout with a solid formula that features a Blend: caffeine anhydrous – 300 mg, caffeine citrate – 50 mg, and Infinergy® Dicaffeine Malate – 50 mg
6. Panda Supplements Skull – A very impressive nootropic pre-workout with the anhydrous (again!) – 325 mg, caffeine citrate – 100 mg, and dicaffeine malate – 50 mg (the un-patented version). 

Fat Burners

1. Hi-Tech Lipodrene – The number #1 thermogenic including 100 mg of caffeine anhydrous, plus a small amount from  green tea in a prop blend. 

Energy Drinks

1. Alani Nu Energy Drink – One serving provides 200 mg of caffeine. 
2. AllMax Nutrition Rapidcuts Shredded – This extensive formula provides caffeine anhydrous – 190 mg, dicaffeine malate – 27 mg, green tea – 25 mg, and guarana – 17 mg. 

How To Use It

These instructions assume you’re taking it by itself:

• Timing: Consume 30 to 60 minutes before hitting the weights to allow blood concentrations to peak. 
• Dosage: See table below.
• Avoid Late-Day Doses: Keep intake to the morning or early afternoon to prevent caffeine from ruining your sleep, which is when muscle recovery and growth happen.
• Watch for Tolerance: Daily high-dose use builds tolerance quickly, meaning you may need to cycle off periodically to keep its ergogenic effects potent.

Dosing Guide and Blood Concentration Levels
Daily doses up to 400 mg are generally safe for healthy adults.
User Profile / Target	Recommended Daily Dose	Key Clinical Considerations
Healthy Adults	Up to 400 mg/day	Safe threshold; 5–6 mg per liter of blood per 100 mg dose.
Athletic Performance	3 to 6 mg/kg body mass	Minimal effective doses may beas low as 1 mg per pound of bodyweight.
Pregnant Women	Max 200 mg/day	Can take up to 15 hours to leave the body.
Adolescents (12+)	Max 100 mg/day	Higher central nervous systemsensitivity.

If you use it as part of a pre-workout (the most common way) follow the directions on the label. 

Summary

As you can see, this is quite a sensational ingredient. Used in a pre-workout, it can be the difference between a good workout and a great one, especially if your energy is lacking. Of course, for muscular energy, you need plenty of stored glycogen from carbohydrates. But for greater alertness, focus, and mental performance, this stimulant as part of a balanced pre-workout is the way to go. Don’t forget fat burners and stand-alone sources either – after all, people consume it for more than just workouts. That said, all that’s left is to stop by illpumpyouup.com and stock up!

References:

1. https://medlineplus.gov/caffeine.html
2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK519490/
3. https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/caffeine/
4. Astrup, A, et al; “Caffeine: a double-blind, placebo-controlled study of its thermogenic, metabolic, and cardiovascular effects in healthy volunteers”; Am J Clin Nutr; 51(5):759-67; 1990; https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2333832
5. How Caffeine Improves Exercise Performance (healthline.com)
6. Guest, N. S., VanDusseldorp, T. A., Nelson, M. T., Grgic, J., Schoenfeld, B. J., Jenkins, N. D. M., Arent, S. M., Antonio, J., Stout, J. R., Trexler, E. T., Smith-Ryan, A. E., Goldstein, E. R., Kalman, D. S., & Campbell, B. I. (2021). International society of sports nutrition position stand: caffeine and exercise performance. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 18(1), 1. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12970-020-00383-4
7. Grgic, J., Trexler, E. T., Lazinica, B., & Pedisic, Z. (2018). Effects of caffeine intake on muscle strength and power: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 15, 11. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12970-018-0216-0
8. Creative Compounds
9. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/caffeine/art-20049372
10. Awwad, S., Issa, R., Alnsour, L., Albals, D., & Al-Momani, I. (2021). Quantification of Caffeine and Chlorogenic Acid in Green and Roasted Coffee Samples Using HPLC-DAD and Evaluation of the Effect of Degree of Roasting on Their Levels. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland), 26(24), 7502. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26247502
11. https://nutriscienceusa.com/product/innovatea/#:~:text=InnovaTea%C2%AE%20High%20Purity%20Natural,to%20help%20reduce%20environmental%20impact.