Caffeine, do you take it pre-workout?

Darth Pooh

Darth Pooh

New member
This study seems to show it can be bad... I however take it with a grain of salt.



So, does anyone in here take caffeine in some form pre-workout? Red-bull type bev (I think sugar-free is only 10 calories), pill form, or even good old fashioned coffee or espresso?

I find that it can give me a post in the gym on "off" days... when I don't feel motivated enough. It doesn't make me lift more, just gets me in there. I could see someone getting amp'd up enough to actually hurt themselves by lifting too much.
 
My trainer would always accuse me of having coffee before a workout if I pooped out half way through. I probably drank coffee 50% of the time before a work out and he was wrong about 50% of the time - or exactly the odds for random chance. Life is too complicated to tell what ONE thing causes you to exhaust earlier in my opinion.

The article also points out it's own contradictions with other studies. Not enough controls I'd say.
 
I find that when I drink some coffee before running, I have more energy throughout the run. Seems kind of simple, actually. Maybe it's different for resistance workouts. I don't usually have any coffee before lifting.
 
Yeah, I def feel "better" during my interval training with some caffeine pumping through me. Ironically, I felt the same way on my EC stack but it wore off after 2 weeks. It's also much easier to get into my HR zone when using caffeine, and then tends to stay elevated for a short period longer than normal. Within 5 - 10 minutes my HR can get back to normal after a cardio session, which I've researched to be considered very healthy. What sucks... is that I don't always feel healthy when I look at myself... whoa off topic.

At any rate, my HR stays up there a tad longer than 5-10 mins, I'd say maybe closer to 15. Not a huge increase, but noticeable. Kind of like how the EC stack isn't a miracle setup... it might add about 5% improved metabolism for most people.
 
I usually drink Diet Dr. Pepper every morning before I work out. It's a bad habit I know, but I'm addicted. I know it has caffeine, just not sure how much.
 
What's EC stack? Have you looked at how your heart rate changes normally, meaning at rest, with caffeine?
 
Trops said:
What's EC stack? Have you looked at how your heart rate changes normally, meaning at rest, with caffeine?
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Ephedra Caffeine taken in combination for weight loss purposes. Pretty much banned by the FDA but it can still be taken in other forms.
 
Trops said:
Ah, I don't take anything for performance help. Just love my coffee. :drool5:
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It doesn't make you stronger or faster or any of that. Simply elevates the metabolism so it basically makes what you do right even better (i.e. getting into a caloric deficit)
 
I honestly think it's mostly mental. To me caffeine is sort of a subconscious way of telling myself i'm about to start doing something, be it start my day, go to work or go work out. It's like the act of having my morning coffee or afternoon diet coke just gets me in the right mindset. I don't know if the actual intake of it really makes a difference.
 
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