We all drink coffee, and those of you who don’t, well, you may as well stop reading because I can’t help you past this point.
For centuries, coffee has been consumed world wide and is now grown in over 70 countries, with Brazil leading the way, growing 1/3 of the worlds coffee. Brazil grew and produced 3.05 million metric tons of coffee in the 2017/18 growing year….. which goes a long way to helping the world consume roughly 2.25 billion cups of coffee PER DAY!
There is no secret as to why we drink the stuff, but for a lot of cultures, coffee goes beyond the morning pick me up. Coffee is celebrated and enjoyed on a number of occasions, bringing us together. Coffee is also used in healing processes to cleanse the body, and detoxify cells.
Coffee is widely known as a stimulant, and the way it works is that it help us speed up our processing capabilities and helps us linearise our thoughts so we can focus in more detail on specific tasks. Hence why a lot of people feel they need to drink it before they can start their day.
For a large percentage of coffee drinkers, and even those who don’t drink it, the industry, and the way we drink it, is changing. Less than 10 years ago, maybe even 5, nobody was selling cold drip/brew coffee. This less bitter alternative uses only cold extracting methods to make the coffee, removing a lot of the bitterness that comes when the beans are heated in traditional brewing methods. When the coffee beans are heated, the bitter oils are extracted, which is the “bitterness” that a lot of people describe, hence why everyone wants to add milk and/or sweeteners, so they can make it more palatable.
Coffee is a great stimulant for those who are not sensitive to the highs it may give off under certain doses. It allows you to live at an accelerated rate, getting more minutes into an hour, allowing you to get more done. Abuse that though, and you’re in for a follow on effect of crashing, digestive issues plus an increase in potential anxiety etc. So respect it and don’t ignore the symptoms.
As a pre-workout, there isn’t much better! Combined with some good carbs, protein rich foods (shake etc.), and some vaso dilating goodies (pomegranate juice, dark chocolate), you’ll be in for quite the workout now!
For those of you are looking for that edge on your training, add in a short black prior to training. If you want to up it even more on your heavy lifting days, make sure you’re getting some carbs in prior to training and also post training. Throw in some protein pre and post too to ensure the right muscle growth begins to occur.
Drink your coffee black! You’ll cut out so many calories it’s not funny! Not to mention the lack of bloating and pain caused in your digestive system.
Now I’m off to enjoy my 2nd cup on this beautiful Sunday morning.
Peace out!
Stay healthy,
Coach Liam
