In the online version of the Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, the unpublished results of a study on the effects of coffee on muscle soreness were published.
Impact of Coffee on Muscle Soreness
Researchers from the Human Performance Laboratory at the University of Rhode Island were curious about the effects of coffee on Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS), the delayed muscle soreness that follows training. This soreness typically peaks around 24 to 72 hours after exercise (often with the “peak” on the second day). However, the researchers went further and measured DOMS at 24, 48, 72, 96, and 120 hours after training.
They divided 9 men, who were typically low consumers of coffee with an average age of 20, into two groups. One group received coffee one hour before training, while the other group received a placebo. The training itself consisted of bicep curls. They performed 4 sets of ten repetitions on a preacher bench, followed by a fifth set to muscle failure (as many repetitions as they could). They measured the pain beforehand by applying pressure to the biceps. The perceived pain was rated on a scale of 0-10. They then reassessed the pain score 24, 48, 72, 96, and 120 hours after training. This was followed by a seven-day “washout” period, during which the effects of the initial test should dissipate. In this case, seven days to allow caffeine to leave the system. After this, the groups were reversed, and the test was repeated.
Caffeine intake resulted in less pain on the second and third days after training. During training itself, caffeine intake allowed for more repetitions in the fifth set. They conclude:
This study demonstrates that caffeine ingestion immediately before an upper-body resistance training out enhances performance. A further beneficial effect of sustained caffeine ingestion in the days following the exercise bout is an attenuation of delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS ). This decreased perception of soreness in the days following a strenuous resistance training workout may allow individuals to increase the number of training sessions in a given time period.
– Caitlin F. Hurley, Human Performance Laboratory, University of Rhode Island
Reduced muscle soreness may allow for more frequent training. However, reduced soreness does not necessarily indicate anything about muscle damage and recovery. It is unfortunate that this was not measured. As a bodybuilder and strength athlete, you don’t skip a workout because you’re sore, but because it’s an indication that the muscle group is not yet fully recovered. If you still train, you limit this recovery and thus muscle growth. In fact, many bodybuilders welcome this muscle soreness as an indication of a good workout.
So, if it’s only about the perception of pain, it seems to me to be only of added value for sports where the emphasis is on the technical aspect. In those cases, you can choose to train even when a muscle is not fully recovered, in order to train the motor memory (the control of the muscles from the brain). However, overtraining can also lead to injuries. In an article about stretching, I mentioned that one of the dangers of stretching is that the muscle and its attachments are numbed, reducing signals that warn of a possible impending injury.
Therefore, we await research that not only looks at the pain score but also examines the recovery of the muscle itself to see if it improves.
By the way, this is a nice incentive to expand the series “Sex, Beer, Weed, and Muscles” with an article on the effects of caffeine on training and performance in general. Coming soon.
References
- Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research: POST ACCEPTANCE, 3 September 2013. doi: 10.1097/JSC.0000000000000220
