I generally use caffeine for workouts on a couple of occasions…
Just wondered, who else uses caffeine as a stimulant for their workouts and how you take it.
A member on this forum once said “caffeine = cadence”. And I’ve found that to be true. I’ve used coffee as a stimulant (rather than just a drink I enjoy) ever since.
Here’s some more discussion on the topic:
For Training and Long endurance events. 200mg Caffeine in the morning. 1hour before training. I large glass (350ml) of Beetroot Juice and BetaAlanine 2.250g.
I have tried these over months of different training. VO2 max stuff and Sweet spot. They do make a difference. Takes a few days for the affects to build up. I do notice that when i take a break from using these that workouts do feel a bit harder, heart rate also a bit higher. All of the above i gleamed from Michael Hutch’s book Faster.
I use it as both a pre- and post-workout drink…
I don’t know if its right or not but it psychologically works for me but I keep the caffeine boost back for when I need it pre events. I might have a morning wakeup coffee pre work and sometimes a 2nd at lunch but most of my sessions are in the evening and I don’t think the caffeine will be a significant impact for me.
Yep. Lately I have been using Maurten with caffeine (got it on a good sale). Caffeine Bullet works well, especially when I don’t want the extra fluids in my bladder. Still have a couple of cups of coffee in the morning, but that’s a few hours before my workout/ride.
I’ll use it for occasional hard workouts but never for tests. Feels like if I use an ergogenic to test then I’m locked into using that same dose of ergogenic for all hard workouts to achieve the same level of fitness.
The taste of caffeine is very unpleasant to me so I usually take it in pill/capsule form or I’ll take a caffeinated water ‘flavor enhancer’. Usually 100mg-200mg 30-40 minutes prior to a hard work set. It’s hard to take caffeinated gels during workouts because if the work rate is really hard I tend to cramp up whenever caffeine touches my tongue.
My custom mix from Infinit has caffeine in it. I only use it for 1.5 hour SS and harder / longer workouts. Otherwise I try to go with just water or Gatorade.
I use it as both a pre- and post-workout drink
Same…
I use it for any ride that will have substantial Threshold/SS/VO2max or sprints as the core workout goal. For the same effort, it really helps things hurt way less, which increases my headroom.
I don’t use it for Z2 training, at least not intentionally. Most mornings I tend to have a cup or espresso in the morning anyway, but I won’t top up or seek caffeine if I didn’t have it.
I don’t understand the question. 
Just jumping on to see if anyone else uses Yerba Mate as opposed to coffee? I’m a daily coffee drinker but have a pretty firm, 12 noon at the latest consumption time. Sometimes I’ll make an afternoon tea and I’ve been using Mate Factor, which is a fresh green variety (I do not care for the smoked versions), it’s pretty effective for that mid-afternoon boost and (at least for me) doesn’t seem to effect sleep as much.
I’ve noticed that when I drink Mate, particularly before an afternoon or evening ride it significantly lowers RPE and just generally makes me feel really good on the bike. So much so that I’ve almost completely stopped bothering with beet juice before workouts as I prefer this Mate effect. It seems that beet juice, while offering some benefits also comes with significant drawbacks, the most of which is almost always having to find a toilet about 30 minutes after ingesting it. Sometimes I can overdo the caffeine intake whether it’s coffee or mate and the biggest negative effect seems to be a sour stomach.
I teach in the UK …if you don’t drink stacks of coffee you are considered an alien! - so I don’t actively add it for workouts but since I drink about 6-8 cups a day I suppose it is always in the system…I still can’t stay awake in the evenings - if I cut it out I would be sleeping like a door mouse!
if you consider a 7am Monday morning work meeting that lasts for 3 hours a workout, then yes, I’m totally dependent on caffeine and it requires 3 or 4 cups for the desired effect 
I don’t know how you do it. I usually drink white tea before bench and squats because it has a pretty normal amount of caffeine in it. If I go with coffee before squats I will shit in my pants.
I sometimes have a coffee before a workout and occasionally have a carb drink which has caffeine (if it’s the cheapest, lol) but I don’t specifically target caffeine intake pre workout. I save that for a race. I tried caffeine tablets before TTs last season but my fastest TT came when I forgot so I’m not 100% convince as its effect on me 
I definitely have coffee before I have a hard interval workout or race.
This thread could (should) be renamed “Caffeine - Who uses it for their daily life?”
OMG – I could not get through a walk to the mailbox without an espresso, let alone a workout on the bike!
Caffeine has become essential for me on rides over one hour long. I mix Nuun Sport + Caffeine with SIS BetaFuel for rides 3+ hours. It turns into a syrupy brew that keeps me going for several hours. A double espresso after three hours really ups the enjoyment.
I suspect a good chunk of us here are dependent on caffeine in general. I don’t go to work without it let alone a workout. I have changed the frequency of my intake and have a pretty strict nothing after 12pm rule. As far as using it as a training aid, I have to take large doses 150mg at minimum to feel a positive effect on RPE.