Green Tea and Bodybuilding: Just How Useful is It?

We’ve seen all the massive claims made by fitness websites about super ingredient Green Tea and it’s usefulness to boost metabolism and help fight fat. But does it actually work? And are there any other benefits for bodybuilders to sip away at these brewed leaves?

When you’re hell bent on building up a thick, powerful and muscular physique, you’ll probably pretty much try anything that’ll get you an edge.

Whilst loads of bodybuilders do use substances like anabolic steroids, there are those who are all natty. And just use diet to some supplements to reach their goals.

Some ingredients can offer minor benefits though, and Green Tea seems like it could be one of them. But to see how green tea fits with bodybuilding, we need to really understand what it is.

What is Green Tea?

Green tea is tea leaves that are simply steamed, dried and cut. There’s no fermenting process like with black tea. Because of this, Green Tea holds onto a lot of it’s antioxidants and so can offer more benefits than black tea.

All teas originate from a plant called camellia sinensis.

Green tea is naturally high in b vitamins, a form of folic acid, manganese, potassium, magnesium. caffeine and catechins.

Catechins are the driving force behind some of the more substantial claims that green tea can aid in fat loss.

Can bodybuilders benefit from drinking Green Tea?

You might have written drinking and supplement green tea off as a load of horseshit that is just there to shift supplements.

But, there’s actually some merit to a lot of the claims surrounding this drink.

Fat loss

The big one. But claims that green tea can help you burn fat are actually pretty well grounded in science. It’s not going to have effects to the level of clenbuterol, thank fuck, but does have some positives when it comes to cutting.

A study done by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that green tea boosted fat oxidation by as much as 16% over a 24 hour period. And when you’re battling to shave off as much fat as weight as possible, that”s a pretty impressive number.

It does this because the main antioxidant, EGCG, can help prevent the breakdown of the hormone norepinephrine. Norepinephrine is a hormone that the body uses to signal the breakdown of fat cells for energy.

As caffeine increases metabolism, the body can then use more of the available fat quickly.

All in all this is a big positive when it comes down to green tea and losing weight. And not one to be ignored. The only issue is that it can take a lot of liquid green tea to impact your norepinephrine levels, so a supplement that combines a high amount of green tea and caffeine might be a better and easier option.

Digestive Health

Working as a digestive stimulant, green tea can help reduce intestinal gas and potentially even help with the breakdown of food.

Focus and energy

Green tea contains L-Theanine and Caffeine. Whilst these two ingredients are both stimulants, their combination can have a very useful effect for bodybuilders and athletes.

Caffeine will give you a boost when it comes to  daily activities and also workouts. However, the l-theanine, which also keeps you awake, provides a calming effect.

So you get energy from the caffeine but also stay relaxed and focused. Naturally the fitness industry has given this an exciting name, that name is ‘smart caffeine’.

How to get enough Green Tea into your diet when bodybuilding

It’s all very well us sitting here and preaching to you about the benefits of a leaf. But when it comes down to it Green tea won’t work unless you are smart about the way you incorporate it into your diet.

It can be an amazing addition for a bodybuilder, but at the end of your day it will only support your goals and isn’t something that can change your life.

#1 Supplement It

Is the main choice here. You’re going to get all the benefits of Green tea if you are using supplements to get 300mg+ into your diet every day.

This has been proven to provide some good benefits for those on a weight cut and can even work well as a softer form of pre workout.

#2 Drink it

Duh. Drinking it won’t make a huge difference to your body fat levels. However the l-theanine and caffeine can really help keep you focused and elimate some hunger pangs through the day.

Green Tea and Bodybuilding Conclusion

Green tea can be a good addition to a bodybuilders diet.  But, to get the most from it it’s far better to take it as a supplement.

It is a fact though, that Green Tea is packed full of antioxidants and has a number of massive health benefits that make it not to be sniffed at.