registered usar

I drink two everyday to pick me up. i don't drink soda but i'm addicted to this stuff. is the caffeine and other ingredients detrimental to my cycling performance.

Enthalpic

Caffeine before exercise increases performance. Excessive consumption the rest of the time, however, will desensitize you to the effect and may disrupt your recovery/sleep.

Two everyday is too much.

CastIron

It's not healthy, but likely harmless in the short term.

SSP

The caffeine probably won't kill you, but with 100 calories per 8 oz, you may have trouble keeping your weight under control.

aikigreg

Those are usually 2-3 servings poer can, so if you drink two you're drinking 4-6 servings. I ride with a lot of randonneurs and a RAAM competitor, and they're of the opinion that if you ween yourself off caffeine, judicious use of it at the right time can really speed you through your sticking points. I've started to de-caffeinate myself over the last month, only drinking it when I need it - so far I've found them to be right.

I also noticed that my sleep quality has improved dramatically, btw.

timmhaan

beware of anything you become addicted too. seriously. if you feel like you can't get through the day without it, then something is wrong already.

bac

Yup, that can add up quickly! Let's say that both cans together equal 500 calories of sugar. That adds up to about 1 pound of pure fat increase/week - all things being equal.

... Brad

aikigreg

I really wasn't even considering the calories, since when I drink these things I always get the sugar free version. If you're drinking the full sugar ones you're a dunce. If you're performance oriented, you just don't put empty calories in your body. They should always be going towards protein uptake and ababolism, or rebuilding glycogen stores.

The caffeine alone is just too much though.

grebletie

If you want a real caffeine boost, drink your coffee.

Good that you are drinking the sugar free. But the amount of caffeine is pretty minimal, compared to other drinks. Plus, without the sugar, you are loosing the most potent part of the drink, which is not really the caffeine, but the sugar. Also, the amount of caffeine is carbonated beverages such as energy drinks is regulated by law to be no greater than 65 mg per 12 fl oz.

Enthalpic

A monster has 160mg of caffeine, brewed coffee has 80-135mg.

Interestingly one study found that taking caffeine by drinking coffee did not have as strong of a performance enhancing effect as an equal amount of caffeine from isolated supplements. Some other, yet unknown, compound in the coffee interferes.

slowandsteady

Purely anecdotal, but for me caffeine in the form of pills, tea, or beverages other than coffee make me nauseous and jittery.

grebletie

Depends on the brewing method. I can tell you the stuff I make in my french press has more caffeine than that. On average, 16oz of Starbucks coffee will have 320 milligrams of caffeine, with upwards of 500 mg in some brews.

Handy chart: https://www.cspinet.org/nah/caffeine/caffeine_corner.htm

aikigreg

No coffee. Rots and discolors the teeth, plus it tastes like ass.

slowandsteady

substructure

And how do we know what ass tastes like? HHhhmmmm?

Good coffee is hard to find. But once you do, there is no ass in the world that is comparable.

substructure

Oh back on the subject.

Diet Rockstar is my choice of energy drink. But never before a ride.

bac

Yup, my homegrown has a real kick also!

... Brad

aikigreg

Not even Vida Guerra?

EJ123

I drank a monster energy XXL about oh 10 months ago and wow, I cannot begin to tell you ho wmuch it helped me. But then I got worried my blood pressure was too hihg after drinking them for 2 years, so I quit in last november.

Snuffleupagus

Zinn-X

2 of those things a day is too much. I'm kind of a caffeine junky and I steer clear of the Monsters because they tweak me so badly.

OMG have you seen those big 24 ounce cans tho? That's like hypertension in a can right there!

As for performance? If you're not drinking 2 a day and desensitized to the caffeine, they can give you a lot better performance... assuming you can drink H2O enough to counterbalance the diuretic effects of caffeine.

But since you are drinking 2 a day, you're probably just a junkie and unable to function normally without them. You should ween yourself off because those will start to affect your sanity after awhile, no joke.

BTW I hope you're drinking the Sugar Free ones. They're almost as good and they don't make you fat from all the sugar.

55-11

Keep in mind, the mass consumption of caffeine in any form will also interfere with the processing of Vitamin C and the like which is imperative to allow your body to recover and rebuild... which is also multiplied due to the interference with a normal sleep cycle (which some say is a large contributor to one's level of irritation). That said...

"DAMN IT WOMAN... I SAID I TAKE MY ETHIOPIAN WITH NO CREAM - AND LOTS...OF...SUGAR!!!!!!!!!"

JR97

I used to drink Red Bull before hockey. On double header nights, it was one before each game. Then it was 2 before each game. The worst was when I did 3 before a game. I was so jittery. I was taking a face off and had the shakes so bad the ref held up dropping the puck and suggested I get to the bench and drink a beer or two to calm the nerves.

I ended up going cold turkey when I started having weird heart palpatations on the ice.

slim_77

..thought you were complaining about the taste?

I loves my coffee...Though I enjoy it so much I still take week or two vacations every now and again (sometimes more)...keeps the stuff peppy, and discourages tolerance. Once your eye starts to twitch...it's vacation time...