How bad is caffiene for you?I do all right with my diet, and I really don't drink. I'd say my biggest vice is red bull and tea. Any input?
You'll hear conflicting reports on this, but as long as you're not nearing the 1000mg/day mark it won't be too much of a problem for you.
1000 is a lot. The real question is does it affect performance? I don't seem to have any problems with it, but I usually have some kind of caffiene intake throughout the day (mornings are a bitch). Just wondering if I can kick the habit(yeah right), will my game improve or will I feel better on the mat?
Red bull also has Taurine, so that may be a separate question/answer.
But I have drank a Red Bull before training, and I have drank an Starbucks chilled espresso (from my local convenience store, in the same "energy drink rack" as Red Bull). And the Starbucks works better for me.
Also, I drink at least one 16-oz. coffer per day (probably 10 per week) and my cardio is pretty good. For example, last night I did a 45-minute kickboxing class and then jumped on the treadmills for ten 1-minute sprints (45-second rests in between) with an elevation of anywhere from 2-to-5.
So I can drink caffeine and still have good cardio. The question really is, would my cardio BE BETTER if I cut out caffeine. If it would be, I'd stop drinking coffee today (but there is no evidence to suggest this - at best there may be some data that helps people form an opinion).
I'd love for you (not me; I love my coffee) to take a caffeine break for about a month and then report the results.
MattBenwa, AlwaysInjured, thank you for your input. I think I will take a 30 day hiatus (god it's gonna be tough) and let you know how I feel. I'm on the mat 6-7 days a week so if there are any results, I should see them pretty quickly.
I was only kidding about the break, but if you do it please post your results.
I will definatly let you guys know how it works out. I made a major change in my diet (I still splurge every now and then) a few months ago, and I saw excellent results. So why not try the caffeine thing too. I guess it's worth a shot.
OK, alwaysinjured. Drunk is the past participle of the verb to drink and you only use an when the noun starts with a vowel
Lot more to consider as well. Caffeine is a stimulant. If you're trying to cut weight it can help because of this, but it also makes it harder to gain muscle.
Also, be prepared to feel like crap for the first few days to a week after you quit depending on how much you normally intake.
I am addicted to caffiene. You have to take this into consideration concerning the cardio aspect. Caffiene raises your heart rate and one of the keys to stamina is keeping your heart rate low to minimize your body's exertion. Sure, it gave me that boost of energy I need to workout hard in the beggining, but eventually it ended up making me more tired in the long run.
Most of which this answer lies upon is your personal reaction to caffiene.
I have the same experience as SD
"OK, alwaysinjured. Drunk is the past participle of the verb to drink and you only use an when the noun starts with a vowel"
What the hell is a participle? Is that the thing that dangles at the back of your mouth by your throat?
All I know how to do is manage money...people don't expect me to talk or write about it (thank God)
For me, Red Bull raises my anxiety level before training.. I'm usually
more jittery, and less focused.
Caffeine works wonders for migranes and headaches though.
SanderleilWilva - you got your wames nixed.
AlwaysInjured- What do you mean? This is my real name... :P
"jittery can't be good. You tend to gas earlier."
I've never really experienced a significant difference in stamina/
endurance. But Red Bull definitely heightens nerves before & during
training. And it also makes you very gassy. It's not cool letting out the
exhust while in full guard.
This is what I've heard and found to be true but not sure of the exact reason for the results.
I don't drink coffee, but I love Diet Coke and green tea, and I also drink redbull, rockstar, other energy drinks...
Caffeine isn't bad for you and in moderation is actually good for you. It acts as an appetite suppressent, i.e. green tea or coffee, not so much coke but coke does act as a slight suppressant not sure for the reasoning.
I've heard that it is the carbonation, not the caffeine that lowers endurance and decreases stamina. I've found that my endurance levels are at their highest when I'm not drinking cokes, I've never stopped drinking green tea but I did give up carbonated drinks for lent and my endurance increased. It could be due to the lack of carbonation, or the fact that I worked out harder, or that my diet (which is usually pretty clean) seemed to be a bit cleaner with the absence of carbonated drinks. So if anyone knows anything about this carbonation vs. caffeine, please let me know, this is just my two cents from personal experience...
Nope, that's called an Uvula from Uva the latin for grape.
Sorry, working as an english teacher at the moment and it's going to my head.
Back on topic, I thought Caffeine was supposed to be good for cardio.
I think caffiene MIGHT be good for short sprinting type workouts but anything with moderate to high duration it may have more of a counter productive effect. As far as the carbonation vs Caffiene debate I am not sure.. but I do know that caffiene raises the heart rate and that right there is not something that is necessarily good in any physically stressful situation.