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Old 01-15-08, 08:51 AM
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Carbonfiberboy 
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It's like this. Your body makes NO in response to exercise. It's the exercise that's important, BTW, not the NO. But in any case, I'll betcha that the amount of NO which your body makes is just the right amount. And my guess is that the chemicals in this stuff don't actually cause your body to make more. The other thing this stuff has in it is creatine. It is very possible that, for vegetarians and vegans, a little creatine helps recovery after a workout. There is absolutely no evidence the pre-workout ingestion of creatine helps a cyclist at all, and it may be a hindrance.

But the main effect of this stuff, and the effect on which posters have commented, is that it contains a powerful stimulant. There is good reason to believe that taking stimulants before a workout decreases performance because the effect of stimulants decreases with usage. So when you want to really go, like during a race, or an overnight ride, or just a killer group ride, the stimulant effect of caffeine won't be there for you. You sort of used it up doing stupid workouts in the gym.

I used to drink coffee before a hard workout, especially if I didn't feel motivated. I quit that. It's counterproductive. If you don't feel motivated, what you need to do is rest. If you don't feel motivated after resting, perhaps cycling isn't your sport. You gotta love it and want it. If you want it, you'll do it. Stimulants . . . So you take a stimulant to get motivated before you do something with your S.O? See what I mean?

What you can do that really works, and is proven to work, is to drink a post-workout recovery drink. Put a little more protein in it after weights, and a little more carbo in it after a long ride. No fancy chemicals.
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