Coffee before a workout: when, how much and with what

Time for an upgrade

Coffee before the gym is practically a ritual: cup, keys, gym bag, out the door. Love that. And if that cup is already part of your routine, why stop at caffeine?

SmartyCoffee isn't a pre-workout supplement in the sports-nutrition sense, and it won't promise you a new PR. What it does promise: you'll know exactly what's in your cup. So here's what's in it.

100 mg, every single time

The coffee is Arabica — smooth on the palate, medium on strength. So we top it up with pure caffeine until the cup hits 100 mg. That's strong-espresso territory, except it's the same every time, with no guessing how strong today's brew came out.

Riding along with the caffeine are L-theanine and taurine. And the B vitamins help reduce tiredness and fatigue and support normal energy metabolism — which, at 6:30 a.m. with a barbell waiting, is no small thing.

Cocoa in the cup

The recipe uses alkalized cocoa — darker and mellower than natural cocoa, and the reason you get that rich chocolate note from the very first sip. Choco Fudge gets more of it, plus a little chocolate powder, which pushes it firmly into dessert territory.

MCT, chromium and choline

The MCT comes from coconut oil — just C8 and C10, the medium-chain fats — turned into a powder that dissolves without leaving a greasy ring in your mug. Alongside them: L-carnitine and green coffee extract, which is the same bean, just never roasted.

On the metabolism front, chromium helps keep the metabolism of fats, carbs and protein normal and helps maintain normal blood sugar. Choline does its part for normal fat metabolism.

And a touch of luxury

There's hydrolyzed collagen in there too — it dissolves so completely you'd never know — plus coenzyme Q10, the one people usually buy in a separate bottle. Here, it's simply in the cup.

And with about 1.7 g of protein per serving, it even counts as a source of protein. Not a shake, but not just coffee either: a functional drink in the simplest sense.

Dissolves in seconds

The powder is spray-dried, so it dissolves in seconds — hot water, cold water or a shaker full of ice — with no clumps waiting at the bottom. No machine, no grounds.

When and how much

• 30 to 60 minutes before training — at home, not in the locker room.
• Up to about 200 mg of caffeine at a time. That's considered the right amount. One cup of SmartyCoffee is 100 mg.
• Training in the evening? Take your bedtime and subtract eight hours. If the gym comes after that, skip the caffeine.
• If your stomach doesn't love coffee on its own, have a small snack with it.

If you're pregnant, have a heart condition or take medication, check with your doctor before combining caffeine and hard exercise. This is general information, not medical advice.