Research
Mixed
Coingestion of caffeine (2 mg · kg–1 · hr–1) with carbohydrate (1.0 g · kg–1 · hr–1) accelerates postexercise muscle glycogen synthesis rates.
If you need to replenish glycogen very quickly (e.g., two sessions in one day), adding 2 mg/kg/hr of caffeine to your carbohydrate drink may speed up glycogen storage by 66%. However, consider the risk of sleep disruption if your next session is far in the future.
ModerateSupportsMEDIUM confidence
They showed a 66% greater increase in muscle glycogen-synthesis rate (58 vs. 38 mmol · kg dw –1 · hr–1; p < .05) over 4 hr of postexercise recovery when 2 mg · kg–1 · hr–2 caffeine was coingested with 1.0 g · kg–1 · hr–1 CHO.
Why this rating
Based on a single study (Pedersen et al., 2008) cited in the review, with conflicting prior evidence (Battram et al., 2004).
Source
Nutritional Strategies to Promote Postexercise Recovery
Milou Beelen et al. · International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism · 2010
DOI 10.1123/ijsnem.20.6.515
narrative_reviewCited 230×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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