It’s generally accepted that green tea is great for weight loss – among other benefits. It can of course be drunk at any time. But how effective is green tea before a workout?
To get an understanding of the right times to drink green tea, reading this article should help you. Let’s start with a quick summary to get you a fast answer.
Drink a cup of green tea 90 minutes before a workout to benefit from the boost in energy from the caffeine and L-theanine content. It also increases fat burning due to increased fat oxidation. Anti-inflammatory properties help prevent muscles from becoming sore and limits muscle damage.
You may want to read Tea Before a Workout: 6 Teas to Get the Best Results and Why
Green tea is one of the most popular pre-workout drinks. People usually take it before the workout and in the morning. Here’s when you should drink green tea based on which activities you’re doing each day.,
It has several benefits for exercise, training, and weight routines, as well as other health benefits. You might also want to see milk tea before a workout to see what benefits that brings.
First, we’ll go through the benefits that green tea provides directly related to your workout, then we’ll cover the other benefits. If you’re thinking of drinking green tea after a workout, then you can do that too. See my article on green tea after a workout.
Benefits of green tea before a workout
Here are the green tea benefits that help with weight loss, muscle soreness, and combating fatigue.
Helps in weight loss
For weight loss, you need to enhance your metabolic rate. This can be facilitated by the combination of catechin and caffeine found in green tea.
Green tea is already popular as a remedy for weight loss. Green tea can help you to lose weight when you drink it regularly.
After numerous studies, the results are that green tea can increase the rate of fat-burning and boosts your metabolism.
Reduces inflammation and muscles soreness
Green tea contains excellent compositions to aid inflamed muscles and soreness. Here’s a breakdown of the components of green tea.
Antioxidant catechin called epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) protects the body’s cells from damage and even helps them to recover.
These substances help to reduce inflammation levels and improve your overall health, not just from a muscle inflammatory standpoint, but for inflammation that can occur throughout the body.
Green tea also relaxes muscles after a workout and reduces muscle soreness. It helps to lower cholesterol and improves brain functioning.
A greater antioxidant level could give you better health in the long run.
Excellent fat-burning properties
Green tea is well known as an aid for burning greater quantities of fat than you would otherwise achieve.
Its highly regarded as helping to shed unwanted fat, especially belly fat. However, this can only be achieved as part of an overall health regime and with regular consumption and exercise.
A study has shown that it can increase the rate up to 17%. Maybe that’s not enough, but this is a compound effect, so you should see a noticeable difference over time.
Alternative teas for weight loss
What green tea gives you is an enhancement to your overall workout routine. It will help with burning fat. But, green tea isn’t the first choice to opt for if you’re simply looking to lose weight rather than increase muscle tone and energy.
For those looking purely for weight-loss teas, then there are a few that are more dedicated to weight loss. Check out my articles below on weight loss teas.
When to drink green tea before a workout
Green tea has a composition that provides you with greater attention, focus, and alertness. I also dive into more teas that provide energy and focus here.
Green tea contains antioxidants (catechin), caffeine, and L-theanine, which help in fat burning and reduces muscle damage.
As mentioned earlier, the epigallocatechin (EGCG) combined with caffeine and is excellent for training. This helps in increasing fat oxidation rate and boosting metabolism.
The best time to drink green tea is 30-90 minutes before hitting the gym. This can improve your performance and focus during the workout.
See my article on when to drink green tea – which includes when to take it prior to, or following a workout …and how much.
Green tea during your workout
Sometimes you may need extra energy for the workout; green tea could be an excellent choice for you.
You could consume green tea during a workout, but this is unlikely to be necessary if you’ve drunk green tea prior to your workout, or afterward. Although green tea is hydrating, simply drinking water during your workout will likely offer more hydration benefits.
If you drink green tea before training, it will help you a lot during an exercise without the need to keep consuming it during your exercise routine.
Epigallocatechin Gallate (EGCG) helps to increase metabolism and burn a lot more calories during the workout. So the green tea you consume before the workout will likely be sufficient for this.
Caffeine taken in green tea prior to working out will make you alert and energetic during exercise. It also improves the performance and results. Here are more teas that people drink to increase energy,
Caffeine is considered safe when used in moderation. According to the FDA, 400 milligrams per day is a safe amount for healthy adults. Here’s how much caffeine is in green tea.
A cup of green tea after a workout relaxes your muscles and also slows down your heart rate. See more on green tea after a workout.
Green tea before a workout: bodybuilding
Green Tea is the powerhouse of antioxidants that can reduce muscle damage caused by an intense workout.
Studies have shown that the high amount of catechin in green tea helps in decreasing muscle soreness.
Although Green Tea does not help directly in bodybuilding, it does help indirectly to recover muscle.
Consumption of green tea lessens muscle loss and enhances muscle function. It contains polyphenols that prevent oxidative stress, muscle breakdown, and improve muscular strength.
Green Tea helps protect your muscles from any muscle damage. Drinking green tea also raises the protein level in the body called glutathione oxidative stress to reduce damage from free radicals.
Green Tea is a major beneficial beverage …not only physically but mentally too.
It sharpens your brain and helps in focusing the right way. Green tea rarely has a negative effect and brings major benefits for the body and for your workout.
How much exercise after drinking green tea?
It’s a good plan to exercise after drinking green tea. The only thing you need to remember is to drink green tea an hour or 90 minutes before starting your exercise session.
You should remember though, that drinking green tea does not make you superhuman. You should gauge your workout routine by how much you’re reasonably able to manage – regardless of the consumption of green tea or not.
Green tea should not change your routine, it should form part of an ideal exercise routine and a healthy diet that’s right for you.
This article is not designed as medical advice. If you’re unsure of the amount of drink, how much exercise to undertake, or any other aspects that may affect your health, then you should consult your doctor.
Overall though, green tea can enhance your workout. In 2018, a study on 13 women showed that serving green tea around 2 hours before a workout was beneficial and increased fat burning while exercising.
Does drinking green tea before exercise burn more calories?
Drinking green tea has a significant impact on your body before exercise. It supplements the extra energy you may need during training.
Consuming green tea in moderation could help you to burn an extra 75-100 calories a day.
Furthermore, a study has shown that consuming 2-3 cups of green tea and caffeine for 12 weeks can lose an average of 2.9 pounds (1.3kg).
Sencha before a workout
Sencha tea or matcha tea are great varieties of green tea to drink before a workout. Take a regular portion of 1/4 – to – 1 tsp / 8 oz water. Add any sweetener and shake it well until fully mixed. It’s advisable to drink alongside additional water to help digest the powder content
Green tea in hot or cold water?
Hot green tea or iced green tea depends largely on individual preference. Green tea brewed in cold water provides minor enhancements of benefits over and above hot green tea.
Green tea brewed with cold water extracts the catechins without diminishing their properties. So benefits such as anti-aging, anti-inflammatory, and anti-oxidant properties remain intact and optimized. But green tea in hot water also provides many benefits.
But mostly, it depends on preference, some people prefer iced tea during summer and vice versa.
Green tea in cold water can be more effective as it does not damage the extract inside the green leaves. When you brew it in cold water, it enhances its anti-aging and disease-guarding properties.
Regarding weight loss, when you prepare green tea with hot water, it lowers the calorie count by 2-3 calories. You should not use boiling water for green tea.
Green tea or coffee before a workout-
Should you opt for green tea or coffee before a workout? The answer is both contain energy-boosting caffeine which enhances alertness and energy.
Trainers suggest having a caffeine-boosting drink before a workout as well as help in fat burning.
Coffee – contains more caffeine than tea. Coffee can instantly give you a burst of energy. A cup of coffee can trigger hormones like adrenaline and dopamine …also known as “feel-good hormone”, although for a short term. But it’s a shorter-term boost than tea.
Green tea – Has caffeine but less than coffee. It contains L-theanine, which has a relaxing effect and even reduces jitters from the crash experienced by coffee. Green tea has a smoother effect on your energy and won’t disturb your sleeping cycle.
A cup of green tea before a workout can be ideal for you. It soothes your body and is a constant supplier of energy to the body during exercise.
Other benefits of green tea beyond your workout
Green tea is great before or after your workout, but it’s worth noting that there are effects that go beyond this to help many areas of the body and your health. Here are a few key benefits.
Keeps your brain alert
Green tea is loaded with powerful nutrients that offer numerous health benefits to your body that means you could drink it whether you’re on a workout regime or not
One benefit is that it could lower the risk of age-related brain disorders such as dementia, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s.
Even green tea extract may reduce certain minerals that could lead to mental decline.
In studies, it is often understood that green tea may lessen copper and iron as they could damage brain cells.
Reduces bad breath
Besides massive benefits, Green Tea is also excellent for oral health. Green tea has some antibacterial properties that fight against the natural germs occurring in the mouth.
A study specified that antioxidants present in green tea reduce bad breath. Green tea keeps your breath fresh. This is certainly helpful while exercising.
Lower the risk of severe diseases
Green tea contains healthy bioactive compounds that serve several benefits. The surprising use of Green Tea alongside your workout regime can lower the risk of severe diseases like type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular (heart) diseases.
Inflammation gives rise to many diseases, cancer, or diabetes and affects the principal organs of the body like the heart, kidney, or liver.
As green tea reduces inflammation, it ultimately helps in preventing these diseases.
Good for skin
Green tea is also very effective for your skin. Anti-inflammatory properties help in resolving some skin problems like skin irritation, skin redness, and swelling.
Also, green tea is skin soothing if you apply it to your skin. Studies have found that topical green tea can be a valuable remedy for many dermatologist issues.
Green tea contains vitamin E and vitamin B2. Both keep skin looking young and nourish skin cells. It can be responsible for softer and glowing skin, as well as soothing minor cuts and sunburn.
More tea help
I hope this has thoroughly answered the questions about drinking green tea before a workout. Be sure to check out drinking green tea after a workout. Here’s how to make green tea. I have other helpful articles on how to make green tea stronger, and what to do if your green tea is bitter.
Also, if you like green tea, then you’ll love my tea course. It’s designed to get you fast-tracked to become the tea connoisseur within your circle of family or friends. Check it out below…
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