Caffeine?

PoisonIvy088

Does caffiene (or coffee) really help you perform better at exercise or is it just another myth?

segacs

It helps me not punch out anyone I encounter in the mornings. So if that's what you mean by "perform" better, then yeah, I suppose.

Other than that? The jury's still out. Leaving aside bro-science or fad science or "Jimmy's website", most research seems to suggest that caffeine might have a potential benefit for endurance athletes and probably little to negative effects for high intensity short-burst exercise. But the links are unproven.

Worth noting: The IOC and other international competitive sport associations set upper limits for caffeine and test for athletes trying to take excess amounts, on the theory that it may enhance performance.

tl;dr: For the casual gym-goer, I doubt it makes much difference. Have your morning coffee if you enjoy it; don't if you don't. Up to you.

PoisonIvy088

segacs wrote: »

It helps me not punch out anyone I encounter in the mornings. So if that's what you mean by "perform" better, then yeah, I suppose.

Other than that? The jury's still out. Leaving aside bro-science or fad science or "Jimmy's website", most research seems to suggest that caffeine might have a potential benefit for endurance athletes and probably little to negative effects for high intensity short-burst exercise. But the links are unproven.

Worth noting: The IOC and other international competitive sport associations set upper limits for caffeine and test for athletes trying to take excess amounts, on the theory that it may enhance performance.

tl;dr: For the casual gym-goer, I doubt it makes much difference. Have your morning coffee if you enjoy it; don't if you don't. Up to you.

So, it DOESN'T help me lift heavier ??

Darnit. Haha

shadow2soul

I don't know about the exercise thing, but I'm the same as segacs. If I don't have my morning caffeine fix it's best just to stay far far, very very far away from me. Once my youngest starts sleeping through the night, I won't need caffeine in the morning, but right now I'm lucky if I get 3 hrs of sleep.

PoisonIvy088

shadow2soul wrote: »

I don't know about the exercise thing, but I'm the same as segacs. If I don't have my morning caffeine fix it's best just to stay far far, very very far away from me. Once my youngest starts sleeping through the night, I won't need caffeine in the morning, but right now I'm lucky if I get 3 hrs of sleep.

I'm not sure if caffeine actually has any effect on me. I sometimes drink coffee before bed and then I sleep quite soundly. So, not sure how and if it will help my workout.

dougpconnell219

I don't drink coffee. Never have.

I used to guzzle soda all day. Probably 200-300 oz a day.

I've cut that completely out.

So now, the only caffeine I consume is my preworkout (c4).

Being the only caffeine I consume, it Jacks me up pretty good. Definately makes me much more excited and into my workout.

Does it actually do all that crap about helping my muscles push harder and longer? I highly doubt it. I'm sure a triple shot of espresso would do much the same.

aam117

PoisonIvy088 wrote: »

I'm not sure if caffeine actually has any effect on me. I sometimes drink coffee before bed and then I sleep quite soundly. So, not sure how and if it will help my workout.

i'm kind of the same way, although i probably am crankier without my coffee fix. i've tried a couple of pre-workouts that have a fair amount of caffeine and i'm not sure they really do much for me either, however, the beta alanine in the first one made me feel weird and i stopped using it.

ninjasmith1986

I feel like I train better when I consume caffeine. A pre-workout (I use C-4) will definetly help you train harder, gives you more energy. At least it does for me! I've read that caffeine is one of the most natural stimulants out there, a natural fat burner and it gets a bad rap....mostly because people abuse it and don't know how to use it effectively.

segacs

Careful, now. Your morning coffee or a soda or two won't give you excess amounts of caffeine. But some of those pre-workout products really have way too much caffeine and can be dangerous.

Look at what you're consuming and make sure you do your research. Pretty packaging and marketing is just that.