Caffeine

Yeah, probably best to get a full physical done.

I had the same thing, went to doctor she told me to cut the coffee right down and hey presto no more palpitations or pains.

I can't drink more than 2-3 cups a day max, I was drinking around 12 cups a day.

It is easy to find out. Just stop drinking coffee and energy drinks. If the palpitations stop then you know the culprit.

Maybe find a food to fuel your work out with.

You're drinking black coffee all day every day (or 3-4 cups a day, you're reporting two different things above), adding energy drinks on top of the coffee, and wondering why you're getting heart palpitations and chest pains? And now you want to know whether to add preworkout supplements which:

...often contain a mystery blend of ingredients ranging from caffeine to guarana to creatine...

Guarana acts as a stimulant, and contains twice the caffeine contained in coffee beans:

[guarana's] seeds contain about twice the concentration of caffeine found in coffee seeds (about 2–4.5% caffeine in guarana seeds compared to 1–2% for coffee seeds)

(Wikipedia)

How much do you like spending time in the hospital?

http://www.sciencealert.com/just-one-energy-drink-could-increase-risk-of-heart-disease-experts-warn

DeShawn602 wrote: »

I've been to the Dr. A few times in the last 5 months and they did all the xray and other tests to see what's up and they say I'm perfectly fine. They informed me on what can cause those problems and she said caffeine was one of them, but I drink 3-4 cups a day. I just don't want to do to the Dr just to ask about the preworkout because, figured someone on here may know.

An xray will not show any problems with the heart, a full scan of the heart will show some problems, an angiogram will give a 100% diagnosis of your heart condition. ADVICE stop wasting money on energy drinks use the money to get a private heart scan. Secondly nobody needs energy boosters for exercise if their diet is right.

You should cut your coffee with decaf to 3/4 caffeinated, then to 1/2 caff. Then, when you need a boost, full caff will do the trick. Works for me...I would not recommend pre-workouts.

Some of the research I saw in school suggests that 300mg's of caffeine is kind of the "bad" point in-which people, on average, can start experiencing heart palps, nervousness, and other negative side-effects. Those were all conducted on healthy populations though, so take it for what it's worth. Getting a physical can be time consuming but understanding one's health is never a bad thing. Also, start keeping better track of how much caffeine you're consuming each day. Especially if you're experiencing problems!

Most of the RockStar / Monster drinks I've had, have 160mg's of caffeine in one can (80mg's * 2 servings). I've seen some that are significantly more than that. So if you're having a couple cans, plus coffee then you might be consuming well over 300mg's per day. Not to mention there's a ton of sugar in those which could be part of your problem as well.

Re-read your PWO label, some of those have 200mg's+ in a single serving. There are non-stimulant versions of some PWO's, possibly take a look at those.

I always have a cup of coffee with half and half before a workout. Have you thought about drinking water, too? Sometimes being dehydrated contributes to feeling weak and tired.

You've gotten plenty of good advice.

It's not the first dose that causes the overdose, it's the last one.

If you need a pickup before working out, cut back on your coffee, for at least a week or 2 before adding a new caffeine source.

DeShawn602 wrote: »

Hi everyone, I got a question. I'm looking into preworkouts and am wondering if it'd be good for me. I know I should ask my Dr. But honestly I hate the visits. When I deink energy drinks such as rockstars and redbulls for an energy boost, it gives me irregular heartbeats and chest pain. I can, and do drink black coffee almost all day, everyday, so it isn't the caffeine that causes the problem. Would preworkouts do the same as energy drinks? Thanks.

The dosage in the energy drinks is probably a lot higher than a cup of coffee, and you may be consuming faster (hard to do more than slowly sip something hot like coffee).

Is there any reason you feel the need for a pre-workout?

I WOULD NOT recommend pre-workout drinks/supplements based on what you said.

As someone who has been working out for years and has tried numerous pre-workouts and knows the supplement industry, Pre-workouts are proprietary blends - meaning you don’t know the dosage of things and for the most part it will have 10+ ingredients without showing how many milligrams are in each, but MOST IMPORTANTLY they work synergistically.

If you have or even think you have an irregular heartbeat, stay away. Energy drinks have Caffiene and L-Taurine which work synergistically and then throw in 6-8 more things you don’t know how your body will handle it. I have experienced and have seen my fair share of reactions to them and that was when they were used for what they are intended for.

To put it simply, if you think pre-workouts can be used as a substitute or even on the same day as coffee/energy drinks, you could regret it.

I’d also like to add that, you’ve gotten plenty of good advice so far and if you read the label on a number of PWO, a lot of them are 1-2 scoops NO MORE, 1x in 24 HOURS