Caffeine: When to Use It, When to Avoid It, and Why the 1pm Rule Matters
Caffeine is one of the most effective and most misused performance aids out there. This guide breaks down when to use caffeine for strength training and CrossFit workouts, the research-backed pre-workout caffeine dose and timing, and when caffeine is just masking poor sleep and under-recovery. We cover why a 1pm caffeine cutoff protects your deep sleep even if you fall asleep fine, how coffee, green tea, black tea, soda, and energy drinks affect your body differently, and what a Journal of the American Heart Association study found about energy drinks, blood pressure, and heart rhythm. Practical caffeine rules from a CrossFit coach in Seneca, SC.
September 29, 2026