How Much Coffee to Drink for Performance

G'day mate!

Stockholm has done something to me. Not the racing, not the midnight sun that makes 9pm look like mid-afternoon. The coffee. I've been here for HYROX Worlds, hunting down the best long black in the city. Café Pascal and Stora Bageriet won, and both got me thinking about caffeine as a tool, not a ritual, something I've quietly dialled in for years.

You drink coffee. Almost everyone does. But hardly anyone doses it the way the science backs. Just using what you already drink, at the right amount and the right time, and knowing why your body responds the way it does.

In this week’s newsletter (4 min read):
☕ Why caffeine works, and what most people get wrong about the dose
⏱️ How I use coffee around training, and what the research supports
🧬 Why you metabolise caffeine differently to the person next to you

If you have a mate who lives on pre-workout and still feels flat, send them THIS link.

How Caffeine Works, and How Much to Take

Most people think caffeine gives you energy. It doesn't. It blocks adenosine, the compound that builds up through the day and makes you feel tired. Caffeine parks in those receptors, tells your brain the fatigue isn't there, and buys a window of sharper output. Nothing gets added to the tank. The tiredness signal just goes quiet for a while.

Dose matters, and more isn't better. The International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand, one of the most rigorous reviews going, found performance reliably improves at 3 to 6mg per kg of body weight. Push toward 9mg/kg and you get more side effects with no extra benefit. Plenty of pre-workouts pack 200 to 300mg flat, no nod to your size.

How I Time Coffee Around Training

I train twice a day and I've never used a pre-workout. Coffee is my pre-game, always has been:

• Long black before the first session. No stack, no countdown, just enough focus for the work.

• Espresso after lunch. Half digestive, half cultural, and it lands right before my second session.

A habit became decent timing. Peak levels hit around 45 to 60 minutes after you drink it, so both cups work when I need them.

The position stand backs this up. Aerobic endurance gets the most consistent benefit from caffeine, moderate to large across the research, and 60 minutes before exercise is the most supported window… considering my hyrox and Ironman goals, this is perfect for me :)

Why Caffeine Hits Everyone Differently

I've noticed this in myself for years. The strangest part: in Europe I can have an espresso after dinner and sleep fine. Same espresso, same hour in the US, and I'm wrecked the next morning.

For ages I blamed jet lag. There's an actual mechanism. Caffeine clears through a liver enzyme called CYP1A2, and your genetics set whether you're a fast or slow metaboliser:

• Fast metabolisers clear it quickly and handle later intake.

• Slow metabolisers hold onto it, so a 9pm espresso can still be circulating at 1am.

Smaller European doses help too. A 30ml shot has roughly half the caffeine of a long black.

Genetics may also shape how much caffeine helps you perform, with some research pointing to a bigger benefit in fast metabolisers. If it feels flat for you, that might be your genes, not your dose.

Heavy daily use builds tolerance to the buzz, though whether it dulls the performance benefit is less settled. When I've naturally dropped my intake, coming back feels sharper.

What to Actually Do

• Find your range. Body weight in kg times 3 (low) to times 6 (high), in mg. A 75kg athlete is roughly 225 to 450mg, and a long black is about 120 to 150mg.

• Count your real intake. Most people are off by a third either way.

• Time it for 45 to 60 minutes before the session that matters. On double days, one window per session, not one stacked morning hit.

• If caffeine feels flat, drop your dose for two or three days, then bring it back.

• If late caffeine wrecks your sleep, you're likely a slow metaboliser. Cut it off at least eight hours before bed.

Final thoughts

Stockholm has some of the best coffee I've had in years, and a week that confirmed what I already did on instinct. Coffee is a performance tool when you treat it like one. The difference between a habit and a protocol is awareness: your weight, your timing, how your body clears it.

While pre-workouts are needed for some people, The coffee you already drink will do the job, once you dial it in.

Eat good. Feel good.

Quick Notes

🏃HYROX World’s in Stockholm was truly legendary — so incredible to witness the mate Eric become a world champion.

🎬 New YouTube vid with Eric Hinman (the one who just became a HYROX World Champion) breaks down how he trains for longevity as an elite athlete in his 40s. Watch it HERE.

💪 Amazon Prime day is here, and you can get some epic deals on BPN products! stack up for your next training block now!

#EatGoodFeelGood

— DC