If you’re like me you like a cup of joe every once in awhile. If you’re like a good friend of mine you like yours every morning injected straight into your veins. Either way, given how many Starbucks there are out there it’s a fair assumption that most people appreciate their cup of coffee, and that they’re drinking it for fun. How about drinking it for your health, however? Not that most people need permission to down a cup or two, but what if doing so could really help you lose weight and exercise better? Seriously now, I’m not joking.

Coffee has been regarded by weightlifters as a basic component of their workout supplements for some time. Now, that doesn’t mean they hit the local Starbucks and buy a 3,000 calorie frappucino; no, what we’re talking about here is drinking an espresso without sugar about twenty minutes before their workout, knocking one back so that they can gain all the benefits of a caffeine rush just when they’re pushing themselves hardest.

Think about it: ever get hyper and jittery after a good coffee? Sure you have. Ever think: man, if I could go for a run right now, or lift some weights, or whatever – I would kick booty? Well it’s true. You would. It’s been shown in numerous studies that consuming caffeine before a workout can help you not only lift longer but also helps you burn fat. In fact, there are things out there, scary, nasty thinks called caffeine/ephedrine stacks that people take to burn fat off as if they were taking a blowtorch to it. While we don’t recommend such extremes, we do think coffee has a place in everybody’s workout regimen.

I’m drinking a cup right now, and plan to do my Insanity workout as soon as I’m done with this blog post.

So the next time you’re about to square off with a tough workout such as PX90, think about drinking a little coffee beforehand. It may just help make all the difference you need!