Caffeine is one of those great things that work well for most people and have contributed to much success in many people's lives. Unfortunately it has been beaten down by many of our media friends for everything from it's supposed association with everything from heart attacks to cancer. That fact is that caffeine when used properly is very safe, and we will go into a couple of myths and questions pertaining to caffeine and it's uses.
Caffeine is an alkaloid found in certain plants that act as a powerful central nervous system stimulant. The main effect of caffeine is increased alertness and focus, which is precisely why it's an important component in so many people's early morning meals and drinks. That is the most common definition of caffeine. What many people do not know is about the other effects associated with caffeine. Contricted blood vessels which are good for pain and headache treatment in some people, forcing fat deposits to release fat cells into the bloodstream which is great for pre-workout supplementation, and the boosting of one's metabolism so he or she will burn more calories and fat are all great effects provided from the use of caffeine.
More and more studies showing the positive effects of caffeine are being reported. We will speak about the negative spin being put on caffeine by various media outlets later in this article. As I was saying, Caffeine is being proven to be useful in many aspects of one's life, including fitness and weight lifting. In-fact, caffeine possesses many workout-boosting capabilities when taken prior to training. As we spoke about previously, caffeine causes fat storage to release fat cells into the bloodstream, where they can be burned by the body. This is great for those trying to lose weight. caffeine is also great for endurance athletes due to it's ability to have the body tap into it's fat stores for energy prior to it's glycogen stores in the muscles. This equates to more energy and more time to exercise before fatigue sets in. Scientists at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln presented a study at the 2005 NSCA national meetingthat found that trained subjects could do more reps with the same weight (80% of their iRM) after taking caffeine one hour prior to working out. Obviously the more reps you can do with a heavier weight, the stronger and bigger you will get.
Caffeinewas also shown to be helpful in your post workout recovery. Studies at the School of Sport and Exercise Sciences at the University of Birmingham, England found that cyclists who took caffeinated sports drinks before training significantly increased their carbohydrate metabolism. After you workout you want those carbs as fast as possible to boost insulin levels, stop cortisol, and restore muscle glycogen levels.
Now on to the supposed negative effects of caffeine consumption. Now assuming you are not sensative to stimulants because of medicines or natural illness, we state the following directed to healthy individuals whom have spoken to their physician prior to taking and upon taking caffeine, use it as directed. So how has the media and the like given caffeine a bad rap? Well, it has been stated that caffeine drinks cause obesity. Well let's look at the supposed caffeine laced drinks. Many of these drinks contain a large amount of sugar in them. As many of you know sugar leads to fat. It is not the caffeine, but the high amounts of sugar in Red Bull, Espresso Coffees, and Soda Pops.
Another myth about caffeine suggests that it may dehydrate you. While it is true that caffeine can cause the kidneys to increase urine volume, the effects are very mild and not enough to affect your health or workouts. A study published in the International Journal of Sports Medicine in 1997 compared the effects of caffeinated and caffeine-free sports drinks during exercise, and the conclusions found that consuming caffeine while working out doesn't significantly affect hydration.
So how much and when should you take your caffeine? Getting your daily does from mocha lattes, big gulp sodas, or sugar-laced energy drinks is not the way to go. Many of the ingredients in these drinks will ultimately undo the good that you get from the caffeine and antioxidants from them. The amount of caffeine you take in can vary from product to product because of the type of caffeine (coffee or grean tea) , how it was brewed or roased, how much you drink, among others. Caffeine supplements are a much better and convenient way to get your daily dose with exact amounts. Taking your caffeine pills one hour or so prior to your workout should help the training session. The amount of caffeine per serving can range from 100-300mg depending on the individual and the directions on the bottle. Taking caffeine pills later in the day can cause you to not sleep, taking your caffeine dose earlier is better.
With the pending ephedra ban, caffeine supplements and energy pills contain caffeine are becoming great ephedra alternatives.
Caffeine is an alkaloid found in certain plants that act as a powerful central nervous system stimulant. The main effect of caffeine is increased alertness and focus, which is precisely why it's an important component in so many people's early morning meals and drinks. That is the most common definition of caffeine. What many people do not know is about the other effects associated with caffeine. Contricted blood vessels which are good for pain and headache treatment in some people, forcing fat deposits to release fat cells into the bloodstream which is great for pre-workout supplementation, and the boosting of one's metabolism so he or she will burn more calories and fat are all great effects provided from the use of caffeine.
More and more studies showing the positive effects of caffeine are being reported. We will speak about the negative spin being put on caffeine by various media outlets later in this article. As I was saying, Caffeine is being proven to be useful in many aspects of one's life, including fitness and weight lifting. In-fact, caffeine possesses many workout-boosting capabilities when taken prior to training. As we spoke about previously, caffeine causes fat storage to release fat cells into the bloodstream, where they can be burned by the body. This is great for those trying to lose weight. caffeine is also great for endurance athletes due to it's ability to have the body tap into it's fat stores for energy prior to it's glycogen stores in the muscles. This equates to more energy and more time to exercise before fatigue sets in. Scientists at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln presented a study at the 2005 NSCA national meetingthat found that trained subjects could do more reps with the same weight (80% of their iRM) after taking caffeine one hour prior to working out. Obviously the more reps you can do with a heavier weight, the stronger and bigger you will get.
Caffeinewas also shown to be helpful in your post workout recovery. Studies at the School of Sport and Exercise Sciences at the University of Birmingham, England found that cyclists who took caffeinated sports drinks before training significantly increased their carbohydrate metabolism. After you workout you want those carbs as fast as possible to boost insulin levels, stop cortisol, and restore muscle glycogen levels.
Now on to the supposed negative effects of caffeine consumption. Now assuming you are not sensative to stimulants because of medicines or natural illness, we state the following directed to healthy individuals whom have spoken to their physician prior to taking and upon taking caffeine, use it as directed. So how has the media and the like given caffeine a bad rap? Well, it has been stated that caffeine drinks cause obesity. Well let's look at the supposed caffeine laced drinks. Many of these drinks contain a large amount of sugar in them. As many of you know sugar leads to fat. It is not the caffeine, but the high amounts of sugar in Red Bull, Espresso Coffees, and Soda Pops.
Another myth about caffeine suggests that it may dehydrate you. While it is true that caffeine can cause the kidneys to increase urine volume, the effects are very mild and not enough to affect your health or workouts. A study published in the International Journal of Sports Medicine in 1997 compared the effects of caffeinated and caffeine-free sports drinks during exercise, and the conclusions found that consuming caffeine while working out doesn't significantly affect hydration.
So how much and when should you take your caffeine? Getting your daily does from mocha lattes, big gulp sodas, or sugar-laced energy drinks is not the way to go. Many of the ingredients in these drinks will ultimately undo the good that you get from the caffeine and antioxidants from them. The amount of caffeine you take in can vary from product to product because of the type of caffeine (coffee or grean tea) , how it was brewed or roased, how much you drink, among others. Caffeine supplements are a much better and convenient way to get your daily dose with exact amounts. Taking your caffeine pills one hour or so prior to your workout should help the training session. The amount of caffeine per serving can range from 100-300mg depending on the individual and the directions on the bottle. Taking caffeine pills later in the day can cause you to not sleep, taking your caffeine dose earlier is better.
With the pending ephedra ban, caffeine supplements and energy pills contain caffeine are becoming great ephedra alternatives.
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