Caffeine and sprinting

What do the ISSN and IOC recommend?

The International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN) published its caffeine position stand in 2021. It found caffeine consistently improves performance at 3–6 mg per kilogram of body mass, said the minimum effective dose is unclear and may be as low as 2 mg/kg, and found that very high doses such as 9 mg/kg bring a high rate of side effects without being needed for the benefit. Caffeine helped both trained and untrained people, and the ISSN found no consistent difference in the acute effect between habitual and non-habitual users.

The 2018 IOC consensus on supplements lists caffeine among the few with good evidence. Its protocol is 3–6 mg/kg of anhydrous caffeine (a pill or powder) about 60 minutes before exercise. It adds that doses of 9 mg/kg or more do not seem to add benefit, and that you should trial doses and timing in training before you use them in competition.

Caffeine dose by bodyweight

The table multiplies bodyweight by the 3–6 mg/kg range, plus the 2 mg/kg figure the ISSN gives as a possible minimum. It is a calculation from those guidelines and not a personal prescription.

For scale, the 2023 sleep meta-analysis used 107 mg for a 250 mL coffee and 217.5 mg for a standard serve of pre-workout supplement. Real products vary, so read the label. EFSA's 2015 opinion found single doses up to 200 mg (about 3 mg/kg for a 70 kg adult) raise no safety concern for healthy adults, even before intense exercise, and up to 400 mg a day in total. From 70 kg up, a single 6 mg/kg dose passes that daily figure on its own. Starting at 3 mg/kg or below keeps you inside it.

When to take caffeine before a sprint

The ISSN notes that 60 minutes before exercise is the most common timing in the research, chosen because blood levels are thought to peak around then. The best timing depends on the source. In a study the ISSN cites, salivary caffeine peaked 42 minutes after coffee, 39 minutes after sugar-free cola and 67 minutes after capsules. Caffeinated gum may need less waiting time than capsules.

Caffeine has an average half-life of 4–6 hours, according to the ISSN, though it varies between people. On a day with morning heats and an afternoon final, part of the first dose will still be in your system when you race again. Write your plan down after you test it in training, and pair it with the warm-up in the sprint warm-up guide.

Does caffeine make you sprint faster?

A little. A meta-analysis of 34 team-sport studies using 3–6 mg/kg found small improvements in single sprint speed and in jump height. A separate meta-analysis found small gains in strength and in power measured by vertical jump. An umbrella review of 21 meta-analyses concluded caffeine helps across a wide range of tasks, with the effect generally larger for endurance than for short, all-out efforts, and noted that most of the studies were in young men.

Repeated sprints are less clear. The ISSN calls the evidence there inconsistent, and a 2019 meta-analysis found no effect of caffeine on repeated-sprint total work or best sprint. Most of the sprint research used cycling tests and team-sport drills rather than timed track races, so treat the size of any change in your 100m as unknown. Getting faster comes from the training in speed training, and the 100m times page shows where you stand now.

Side effects

The IOC consensus lists nausea, anxiety, a faster heart rate, insomnia and restlessness, and says these become more common at 9 mg/kg and above. The ISSN adds heart palpitations and headaches, and notes that genetic differences in how people process caffeine help explain why some feel anxious or sleep badly at doses others tolerate. The IOC notes that maximal benefits usually come at 3–6 mg/kg. The IOC also describes two laboratory incidents in which volunteers given very large doses (up to 30 g) had severe, potentially fatal reactions.

What does caffeine do to sleep after evening training?

It costs you sleep. A 2023 meta-analysis of 24 studies found caffeine reduced total sleep time by 45 minutes and cut deep sleep. Its authors estimated that coffee (107 mg) should be drunk at least 8.8 hours before bed, and a standard pre-workout serve (217.5 mg) at least 13.2 hours before, to avoid losing sleep. The ISSN also cites a study in which caffeine before an evening rugby match delayed sleep onset and shortened sleep that night.

Run the numbers on a 6 pm session. A pre-workout at 5 pm would need you in bed after 6 am to clear the 13.2-hour mark. For most evening sessions, leaving the caffeine out is the safer choice for your sleep.

Caffeine for sprinters under 18

The doses in this guide come from research on adults. The American Academy of Pediatrics concluded that caffeine and the other stimulants in energy drinks have no place in the diet of children and adolescents. EFSA proposed a conservative safety level of 3 mg/kg a day for habitual caffeine intake in children and adolescents, which covers every source you take in a day. If you are a high school sprinter, put your effort into sleep and training, and talk to a doctor before you use caffeine for sport.

Common mistakes

Trying it for the first time at a meet

The IOC advises testing dose and timing in training first. A new stimulant on race day can mean nausea or jitters in the call room.

Dosing by the scoop

Work out your dose from your bodyweight and the label, starting at 3 mg/kg or below.

Stacking sources

Coffee and pre-workout add up. Count everything you take in a day against the 400 mg adult figure.

Caffeine before night sessions

The sleep cost can outlast the benefit. Save caffeine for morning and early-afternoon sessions.