VoltraCaffeine before a workout: how much, and is pre-workout safe?
Caffeine improves exercise performance at 3 to 6 mg per kg of body weight, most often taken 60 minutes before training [1][2]. The smallest dose that works may be as low as 2 mg per kg, and very high doses, around 9 mg per kg, bring more side effects without being needed [1].
Over a whole day, up to 400 mg raises no safety concerns for healthy adults who aren't pregnant, and up to 200 mg in pregnancy [3]. Saudi Arabia's National Nutrition Committee sets the same 400 mg limit for adults [5].
Your dose, by body weight
| Body weight | 2 mg/kg | 3 mg/kg | 6 mg/kg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60 kg | 120 mg | 180 mg | 360 mg |
| 70 kg | 140 mg | 210 mg | 420 mg |
| 80 kg | 160 mg | 240 mg | 480 mg |
| 90 kg | 180 mg | 270 mg | 540 mg |
The amounts are calculated from the ISSN's range [1]. The top of it goes past the 400 mg a day considered safe for adults [3], so if you also drink coffee or tea, the lower end leaves room for them. A single dose of up to 200 mg, about 3 mg per kg for a 70 kg adult, raises no safety concerns even within 2 hours of hard exercise; EFSA assessed that for normal environmental conditions [3].
How much caffeine is in your drink
| Drink | Caffeine |
|---|---|
| Black coffee, a 250 ml cup | About 130 mg (calculated: 3 cups make 400 mg) [5] |
| Coffee, a cup (size not given) | About 100 mg (calculated: 4 cups make 400 mg) [6] |
| Arabic coffee, a 50 ml finjan | About 27 mg (calculated: 15 finjans make 400 mg) [5] |
| Energy drink | Up to 32 mg per 100 ml under the Gulf standard GSO 1926/2009, as reviewed by the SFDA in 2014 [7] |
| Pre-workout, one serving (Saudi Arabia) | No more than 200 mg, under the SFDA's 2022 requirements [8] |
So 5 finjans of Arabic coffee hold about as much caffeine as one 250 ml cup of black coffee (calculated). For the calories in karak and Arabic coffee, see our karak guide.
Pre-workout supplements
The ISSN says energy drinks and pre-workout supplements that contain caffeine improve both anaerobic and aerobic performance [1]. In Saudi Arabia, the SFDA's 2022 requirements, as summarised by the US Department of Agriculture, cap caffeine at 200 mg a serving in sports products such as pre-workouts and protein powders, and require the label to give a maximum daily amount of no more than 400 mg of caffeine [8]. Count your coffee and energy drinks on the same day toward that 400 mg.
Energy drinks
A review cited by the SFDA's drug and poison information centre concluded that one can during a single training session is safe for most healthy people, but that too much, or mixing with other caffeinated drinks or alcohol, may cause harm [7]. Saudi cans carry a mandatory warning: the drink has no health benefit, more than two cans a day may harm your health, and it isn't for pregnant or breastfeeding women, under-16s, people with heart disease, high blood pressure or diabetes, people sensitive to caffeine, or athletes while exercising [9]. The National Nutrition Committee also links energy drinks with higher blood pressure and advises limiting them [5].
Side effects and sleep
The most commonly reported side effects are a fast heartbeat and palpitations, anxiety, headaches, and poor sleep, and they rise with the dose [1]. Even 100 mg may affect sleep in some adults, especially close to bedtime [4], so for an evening workout, less caffeine, or none, protects your sleep.
Who should have less
- Pregnancy: up to 200 mg a day [3]. The Saudi National Nutrition Committee's announcement gives 300 mg in its opening lines but 200 mg for pregnant and breastfeeding women in its recommendations [5]; we use 200 mg.
- Breastfeeding: up to 200 mg [3].
- Children and teenagers: EFSA found too little information to set a safe intake [3]; the National Nutrition Committee says no more than 2.5 mg per kg of body weight a day [5].
- Energy drinks: not for pregnant or breastfeeding women, children, or people sensitive to caffeine [5].
Caffeine with creatine
Sources differ on whether caffeine blunts creatine; our creatine guide gives both sides.
In Voltra
Log coffee, karak, energy drinks and pre-workout on the Eat tab. Voltra estimates the caffeine from what you log, and if your sleep is in Apple Health, the Caffeine · Sleep card compares your sleep on nights with more and less caffeine still active at bedtime. That's a correlation, not proof.
Frequently asked
How much caffeine should I take before a workout?
3 to 6 mg per kg of body weight, most often 60 minutes before, and as little as 2 mg per kg may work. For a 70 kg person that's 210 to 420 mg (calculated), but keep the day's total under 400 mg.
How many cups of coffee is 400 mg of caffeine?
Saudi Arabia's National Nutrition Committee puts it at 3 cups of black coffee of 250 ml, or 15 finjans of Arabic coffee of 50 ml.
Is pre-workout safe?
Caffeinated pre-workouts do improve performance. In Saudi Arabia a serving may contain no more than 200 mg of caffeine; check the label, and count your coffee and energy drinks toward the 400 mg daily limit.
Can I drink an energy drink before training?
Saudi cans must warn that they aren't for athletes while exercising. A review cited by the SFDA found one can in a session safe for most healthy people, but not with other caffeinated drinks or alcohol.
Sources
- Guest NS, VanDusseldorp TA, Nelson MT, et al. (2021). International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: caffeine and exercise performance. J Int Soc Sports Nutr 18:1. Position points 3, 4 and 11, pp. 1–2; side effects p. 14.
- Maughan RJ, Burke LM, Dvorak J, et al. (2018). IOC consensus statement: dietary supplements and the high-performance athlete. Br J Sports Med 52(7):439–455. Caffeine pp. 444–445.
- EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies (2015). Scientific Opinion on the safety of caffeine. EFSA Journal 13(5):4102. Abstract.
- European Food Safety Authority (2015). EFSA explains risk assessment: caffeine. p. 3.
- وكالة الأنباء السعودية (واس) (٢٠٢١). اللجنة الوطنية للتغذية: الاستهلاك اليومي للكافيين يجب ألا يتجاوز 400 مليغرام للبالغين. In Arabic. The Saudi Food and Drug Authority's National Nutrition Committee.
- وزارة الصحة، المملكة العربية السعودية (٢٠١٧). (الصحة) تحذر من الإفراط في تناول الكافيين واستهلاكه. In Arabic.
- Saudi Food and Drug Authority, National Drug and Poison Information Center (2014). Review of Energy Drinks (filed with the WTO). Printed pp. 1–2 and 8.
- USDA Foreign Agricultural Service (2023). Saudi Arabia: FAIRS Annual Country Report (GAIN report SA2023-0004). pp. 8–9, summarising the SFDA's 2022 requirements for high-caffeine products.
- وكالة الأنباء السعودية (واس) (٢٠١٤). «الغذاء والدواء» تؤكد ضرورة الالتزام بقرار مجلس الوزراء بشأن العبارات التحذيرية من مشروبات الطاقة. In Arabic. The mandatory energy-drink warning.
Sources checked on 30 September 2026.
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