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Everyone knows that caffeine provides an energy boost. It helps you wake up in the morning and it helps you work out longer by fighting exercise fatigue.

A new study is also suggesting that caffeine relieves some of the pain and soreness caused by exercise. And it doesn't matter if you already drink caffeine habitually or not - the pain relief benefits are the same for everyone.


Caffeine works on the areas of the brain and spinal cord responsible for processing pain. The study monitored 25 cyclists (half were regular caffeine drinkers and half were not) who were given caffeine pills before one workout and placebos before another. All cyclists experienced less quadricep soreness after taking the caffeine pill.

In addition to proving that caffeine diminishes exercise pain, the study also showed the same amount of caffeine worked for everyone whether they regularly drank coffee or not. In other words, tolerance is not an issue.

Scientists are now wondering if caffeine could be used as a performance enhancer - or to simply help people stick with an exercise routine.

"One of the things that may be a practical application, is if you go to the gym and you exercise and it hurts, you may be prone to stop doing that because pain is an aversive stimulus that tells you to withdraw," University of Illinois kinesiology and community health professor Robert Motl said in this article. "So if we could give people a little caffeine and reduce the amount of pain they're experiencing, maybe that would help them stick with that exercise."

To get the most benefit, drink a cup of coffee or tea 15 - 30 minutes before your workout. Remember, though, to enjoy caffeine in moderation. Too much caffeine can leave you addicted and facing withdrawal symptoms if you try to quit or cut back.