Energy drinks really do work!

[AJtothemax]

By the way, Dangermouse, on a serious note about knocking one out before training. I can see the benefits there as you'll recieve a spike in testosterone - this is the genetic advantage males have. Like a survival thing.

I wouldn't recommend you do it all the time though as you'll end up lowering your white blood cell count which leaves you more open to thing's like colds etc.

[jammin87]

As we're on the topic of energy drinks, this is one you should all find absurd.
My mate works as a PT in a pretty upmarket gym in the city here in Melbourne. The company just made a deal with powerade, who have bought out a new range of drinks. As people walk into the gym, they give them two of these, one to prep you for a workout and one for recovery. The prep has LOADS of caffeine in it, and 30g sugar, whilst the recovery one has a pitiful 7g protein with 30g of sugar. On the whole these are suits from the city trying to lose that belly etc, not training for more advanced athletic purposes.
As I'm sure you can imagine, and would do yourself, he tells them to bin these drinks once he's with them and hit the water up.

[del_boi]

Red Bull - only good for waking up a bit more for work in the morning after a heavy night out! STUPID for exercise. It will just fill your gut with gas and dehydrate you.

Lucozade - yes please. Just like most other energy drinks it give's you a glucose spike in your blood stream which helps aid performance and it does make a difference. Like anything, everybody react's differently, it will be more potent in others. I only feel a temporary effect from it and I find it worth it if I'm feeling a little more fatigued than usual. While some other people who I know bounce off the wall's after drinking one bottle of it.

Water - no energy from this, just hydration. That's all the body needs. It craves it all day long. Water is so vital because you cannot live without it. You can go for a good while without food, but water on the other hand - no. Keep hydrated lads and you'll feel alot better. Dehydration is far worse for you than having a less amount of food or nutrients in your gut to metabolise for energy. Never ignore water intake

very true

[misterpurple]

Lucozade - yes please. Just like most other energy drinks it give's you a glucose spike in your blood stream which helps aid performance and it does make a difference. Like anything, everybody react's differently, it will be more potent in others. I only feel a temporary effect from it and I find it worth it if I'm feeling a little more fatigued than usual. While some other people who I know bounce off the wall's after drinking one bottle of it.

Would disagree with this bit. Caffeine and taurine and all that act as stimulants which have been shown to increase athletic performance when taken appropriately. However, big hits of glucose, causing a massive rise in blood sugar and an insulin spike straight after are a farce. Apart from the risks of type 2 diabetes and general tooth rot, the "sugar rush" is very temporary. The flood of insulin that follows it leaves you lethargic and fatigued in the hours after as your pancreas struggles to process all the excess insulin (or something like that, this is going back to GCSE biology ).

I find that a lot of my PBs have been made when I'm proper job up for it. I've got my ear phones in, the weather's good and I know exactly what I want to get out of this run. I find myself in a stride I like, and I just open up. It's got nothing to do with supplements, as long as you're properly hydrated it's all in your head.

[just_me]

PB is Personal Best right?

[Joe-T]

PB is Personal Best right?

Correct.

[just_me]

Good Good just checking

[tomharto30]

Lucozade gives me a stitch for some reason. . You can never beat water or pussers limers, I reckon that all those different ingredients in those energy drinks probably de-hydrate you.

[just_me]

I don't know about anyone else but if I drink energy drnk at all, I tend to drink it after excercise, so I have enough energy to get on with the rest of the day! It might just be me, but the worst thing to have whilst doing excercise is the feeling of liquid rolling around it my stomach (plus it makes your breath stink! )

[AJtothemax]

Lucozade - yes please. Just like most other energy drinks it give's you a glucose spike in your blood stream which helps aid performance and it does make a difference. Like anything, everybody react's differently, it will be more potent in others. I only feel a temporary effect from it and I find it worth it if I'm feeling a little more fatigued than usual. While some other people who I know bounce off the wall's after drinking one bottle of it.

Would disagree with this bit. Caffeine and taurine and all that act as stimulants which have been shown to increase athletic performance when taken appropriately. However, big hits of glucose, causing a massive rise in blood sugar and an insulin spike straight after are a farce. Apart from the risks of type 2 diabetes and general tooth rot, the "sugar rush" is very temporary. The flood of insulin that follows it leaves you lethargic and fatigued in the hours after as your pancreas struggles to process all the excess insulin (or something like that, this is going back to GCSE biology ).

One bottle of Lucozade will cause that yeah? No. Caffeine and Taurine in Red Bull are still not going to be better for you than a bottle of Lucozade or another still energy drink. By the way, you'd have to overload on that stuff to cause diabete's and tooth decay. Seriously. I'd also like to point out that my post emphasised the fact that decent hydration from water and fuel from food is always better.

I find that a lot of my PBs have been made when I'm proper job up for it. I've got my ear phones in, the weather's good and I know exactly what I want to get out of this run. I find myself in a stride I like, and I just open up. It's got nothing to do with supplements, as long as you're properly hydrated it's all in your head.

Tip top. Couldn't agree more there.

[misterpurple]

One bottle of Lucozade will cause that yeah? No. Caffeine and Taurine in Red Bull are still not going to be better for you than a bottle of Lucozade or another still energy drink. By the way, you'd have to overload on that stuff to cause diabete's and tooth decay. Seriously. I'd also like to point out that my post emphasised the fact that decent hydration from water and fuel from food is always better.

I'll agree with you there that Red Bull is a pile of w*nk (mostly because of its sugar and additives), but it's established fact that taking a hit of sugar, as people do with Lucozade et al, results in very short term benefits, with the overall effect being detrimental to training in the mid to long term (I mean, over a day or so, for example PRMC or POC). Notice how Tour De France cyclists and marathon runners will be piling down the pasta in the days running up to an event, then hitting back the bananas and carb drinks during and after. Not once will you catch a professional aerobic athlete drinking Lucozade.

You're right on the diabetes point, but if you start off drinking a bottle of Lucozade before a run or match it becomes a slippery slope before you're having a Mars bar or something whenever you feel a bit tired. I know 'cause that used to be me. Now it's just water and bananas all the way .

[Stokey_14]

find that a lot of my PBs have been made when I'm proper job up for it. I've got my ear phones in, the weather's good and I know exactly what I want to get out of this run. I find myself in a stride I like, and I just open up. It's got nothing to do with supplements, as long as you're properly hydrated it's all in your head.

I also find pressure to be a big attribute also, first time I ever hit a sub 5 minuet 1500M was my first ever county race where I ran a 4;40. or my first ever +14 score on the bleep test (14.2 yes yes show off )when I had promised my best mate I’d get a +14 score... I new there was no way I could face the ribbing I’d get if I didn't make it so I just cracked on a banged out a cracking run. No supplement in sight.

Just good old peer pressure

Stokey

[davidemmerson]

In the RM fitness guide I got from the AFCO it said that as long as you had a healthy and balanced diet, and kept yourself hydrated before and after exercise, you would be fine. That's good enough for me.

All these energy drinks and things, to be honest I think there're a bit of a waste of money. People have coped without them before, I'm sure we can now. There's no subsitute for water and what your body needs ref energy can be found in every day foods.

[AJtothemax]

One bottle of Lucozade will cause that yeah? No. Caffeine and Taurine in Red Bull are still not going to be better for you than a bottle of Lucozade or another still energy drink. By the way, you'd have to overload on that stuff to cause diabete's and tooth decay. Seriously. I'd also like to point out that my post emphasised the fact that decent hydration from water and fuel from food is always better.

I'll agree with you there that Red Bull is a pile of w*nk (mostly because of its sugar and additives), but it's established fact that taking a hit of sugar, as people do with Lucozade et al, results in very short term benefits, with the overall effect being detrimental to training in the mid to long term (I mean, over a day or so, for example PRMC or POC). Notice how Tour De France cyclists and marathon runners will be piling down the pasta in the days running up to an event, then hitting back the bananas and carb drinks during and after. Not once will you catch a professional aerobic athlete drinking Lucozade.

You're right on the diabetes point, but if you start off drinking a bottle of Lucozade before a run or match it becomes a slippery slope before you're having a Mars bar or something whenever you feel a bit tired. I know 'cause that used to be me. Now it's just water and bananas all the way .

I wasn't saying that, I was speaking from personal experience, I wasn't saying it on whole.
And if people start on that 'slippery slope' then they really aren't training smart are they. So that's their lookout, not mine. It's their personal responsibility, no one elses.

Water & Banana's is how I roll too.

[Mr Mojo Risin]

Caffeine does improve performance.

There is something called an ECA stack (ephedrine, Caffeine and asprin) which has been banned in the UK and US (anyone remember Ultimate orange? - i know i do) that improves cardio vascular and muscular performace but claimed a few lives due to heart failure.

recommend not f@#k around with caffeine.

france has banned taurine and other stimulants for a reason