5 Hour Energy Shots?
 

Pros and cons?

Do they make a difference?

Any side effects?

Thanks.

http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/i...psc54sxrcr.jpg

Back when I worked retail, a lot of the out of date checkout candy/foodstuffs that was supposed to be destroyed was certainly destroyed, but destroyed by making its way through the employee's digestive systems.

These frequently wound up in those piles. For me personally, they didn't do anything, besides providing me a quarter of a year's worth of a few vitamins (seriously, look at the label :eek:). YMMV.

Woo.

Some people swear by them, for others it doesn't do anything.

For other still it makes them very... very ill.

Try it and report back.

I'll pass.

I use the Costco ones to get my sorry ass out and riding.

Normally, I just use 1/2 of one.

I will freely admit it might be placebo effect... but I am ok with that.

Used to drink a lot of the Costco version; sold by the box(48 bottles). Didn't like to drink coffee;
and this was simpler to keep and consume. No lines, cleaning coffee maker, sugar, cream, etc.
After a while of daily intake; seems to have lost it's effectiveness. Then Costco came out with a
"Extra Stregnth" version. :) I drink it once in awhile now; started having coffee everyday.

for 5 hours, think about it, do you need an energy "shot" or an actual nutritious meal? nothing like a cpl scrambled eggs w cheese & a toasted bagel w cream cheese. been known to go 1/2 a day with that in my belly

200mg of caffeine is the only thing in there that matters. extra strength as 230mg. A small coffee has like 150mg. YMMV depending on your normal caffeine consumption. On the bike I prefer clif shot blocks with caffeine

If you...

1. Are well hydrated.
2. Eat healthy foods.
3. Sleep enough.

You won't need that snake oil.

I've never tried any of those. I like caffeine, but I like it with lots of sugar. And I love good coffee, so I just drink that.

are you saying caffeine is snake oil?

No. I'm saying the Magic Elixir that claims to provide five hours of energy is snake oil.

The half life of caffeine is generally 4-6 hours, sounds like 5 hours of energy is perfectly reasonable.

:thumb: Enjoy.

But, but, does it have electrolytes? If yes, it has to be good.


#idiocracythemovie

This.

+1

A good balanced diet is all one needs. Back in the day we'd drink de-fizzed Coca Cola. Never did anything for me except make it impossible to get good sleep because of all the caffeine. I quite the Coke after a few months trying it and felt and performed better. I can't imagine taking that much caffeine in one go. Nuts.

To each their own. But I prefer to keep it closer to natural. I kinda like raisins for snack food on the bike, with some peanuts on the side. If I ever get my legs into shape enough for all day riding, I'd rather pack a thermos of coffee my caffeine fix.

I tried one ONCE, puked it back up a few minutes later and felt like crap for the rest of that day.

The pros must be doing it all wrong

Does coffee make you puke also?

No, not much of anything does. Before trying to be a bit healthier I'd drink 2-4 energy drinks a day along with a steady stream of Pepsi's and Mt Dew's. I can eat cold leftover Taco Bell for breakfast and never miss a beat.

The pros? You mean the guys, many of which, were juicing and doing blood transfusions to perform better? Tongue-in-cheek of course...

All kidding aside, it's a physiological thing with caffeine. Some riders perform better others not. I'd say most riders will do better with a moderate caffeine intake, like a cup of coffee or tea before a race. For me, the caffeine-load made me feel a little "off". I wasn't a "cyclist" back in the day I was a cross-country skier. I skied 50-55k races almost every other weekend during winter. That was back in the late 70's early 80's.


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Caffeine's use as a ergogenic aid in endurance sports is well studied