If you regularly consume caffeine in the low to moderate range of ~1-2 mg/kg/day (50-150 mg for most women, 75-200 mg for most men, or 1-3 cups of coffee), you will likely get the majority of ergogenic effects from consuming at least a moderate size dose of caffeine pre-training (3 mg/kg+) for both aerobic and resistance training.
If you habitually consume high amounts of caffeine (3 mg/kg/day+ or 4+ cups of coffee), a large dose of caffeine in the range of 5-6 mg/kg will still provide some ergogenic effect, but probably not as much as if you consumed less caffeine habitually.
Tolerance – A Deal Breaker?
Tolerance likely reduces the ergogenic effect of caffeine for aerobic training more so than resistance training. Thus, habitual caffeine users can probably avoid large pre-training caffeine doses, which can have unpleasant side effects (elevated heart rate, anxiety, insomnia, GI distress), while still enjoying ergogenic benefits supplementing in the 3-5 mg/kg range.
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Sources:
Dispelling the myth that habitual caffeine consumption influences the performance response to acute caffeine supplementation. doi: 10.1152/japplphysiol.00260.2017.
