so recently, i've been reading various nutritional articles relating to cycling, and also a number of first hand accounts from cyclists regarding their own nutrition plans. i have noticed that a number of them have mentioned entirely cutting out caffeine. i, personally, don't ingest coffee before riding because it bothers my stomach, but i drink a fair amount the rest of the day. so, my question is, why no caffeine in the diets of so many riders? is it just a digestive thing or is there some other detrimental nutritional factor?
The benefits/negatives of caffeine depend on which way the wind is blowing.....it's been like that for years. No one really knows, or if they do their knowledge will be outdated when the next study comes out.
the best summary about the negatives of regular daily coffee / caffeine that I've seen: "it's like poking your adrenal gland with a stick all day"
so it's pretty easy to realize that the adrenal system is important in hard efforts. if you've ever had too much coffee in the morning and feel strung out later... that's not a good way to do a great performance.
so I try to lay off a few days before important races... just my .02 as I go to get my 2nd cup.
Everyone reacts differently. I've been having a cup of coffee (at home) and a cappuccino (at cafe) every morning for about 3 decades. A couple of years ago I gave it up for a few months with no noticeable change positive or negative. However, I've a few friends who've given it up and said that once they got past the dependency (couple of weeks?) they found that overall they had more energy and felt more awake. They won't get near the stuff now.
If you spend any time in Girona you'll find a bunch of guys sitting around tables outside a cafe every morning. They're all wearing funny spandex shorts and drinking their cappuccino's while their previous model-year carbon bikes rest against the side wall waiting on them.
I find that when I drink more than a cup or two of coffee any day that I do vigorous cardio stuff, be it hockey, biking, whatever, that I feel slow and sluggish during that activity. That, and I get really jittery after the fact.
But, that's just me...YMMV.
Caffiene has a well known positive effect on endurance sports performance. This effect may be increased in habitual caffiene consumers by reducing of elimintaing caffiene intake other than during competition.
That is the science side of it. Everyone or most everyone responds differently. That is one aspect of sports nutrition and/or nutrition recomendations in general which makes them hard to give as "fact". We can only speak in likelihoods. Some are more concrete and universal than others.
I abandoned caffeine entirely about 15 years ago. I went years with zero caffeine.
I was a complete addict then. Less then five mugs in the morning and I had a splitting headache all day. A busy nationwide travel schedule made getting morning caffeine even more difficult - my entire morning routine was centered around getting coffee.
Fast forward and I now am largely caffeine free. This summer I started adding 1/3 to my three or four cups of decaff brewed in the morning (I still like the taste) but only after a strenuous and early morning ride/workout as without it I feel sleepy a good part of the day.
About three days a week I'll have a diet Coke in the afternoons, that has caffeine in it. I have occasionally substituted that with a 45 minute workout around 2:00 PM but that is hard for me to fit in every day even when working from home.
Now that I am off of it I feel zero need for it on non-workout mornings. I feel better now, too.
I drink 16oz black coffee in the morning and a small espresso after my lunch run/ride. Sometimes I think about stopping, but I like the taste and it makes me feel good.
It's acidic for one. The only other reason I have cut it out is so that when I do drink coffee or ingest caffeine (say from gel) it has a much stronger effect.
The benefits/negatives of caffeine depend on which way the wind is blowing.....it's been like that for years. No one really knows, or if they do their knowledge will be outdated when the next study comes out.
the best summary about the negatives of regular daily coffee / caffeine that I've seen: "it's like poking your adrenal gland with a stick all day"
so it's pretty easy to realize that the adrenal system is important in hard efforts. if you've ever had too much coffee in the morning and feel strung out later... that's not a good way to do a great performance.
so I try to lay off a few days before important races... just my .02 as I go to get my 2nd cup.
Everyone reacts differently. I've been having a cup of coffee (at home) and a cappuccino (at cafe) every morning for about 3 decades. A couple of years ago I gave it up for a few months with no noticeable change positive or negative. However, I've a few friends who've given it up and said that once they got past the dependency (couple of weeks?) they found that overall they had more energy and felt more awake. They won't get near the stuff now.
If you spend any time in Girona you'll find a bunch of guys sitting around tables outside a cafe every morning. They're all wearing funny spandex shorts and drinking their cappuccino's while their previous model-year carbon bikes rest against the side wall waiting on them.
I find that when I drink more than a cup or two of coffee any day that I do vigorous cardio stuff, be it hockey, biking, whatever, that I feel slow and sluggish during that activity. That, and I get really jittery after the fact.
But, that's just me...YMMV.
I abandoned caffeine entirely about 15 years ago. I went years with zero caffeine.
I was a complete addict then. Less then five mugs in the morning and I had a splitting headache all day. A busy nationwide travel schedule made getting morning caffeine even more difficult - my entire morning routine was centered around getting coffee.
Fast forward and I now am largely caffeine free. This summer I started adding 1/3 to my three or four cups of decaff brewed in the morning (I still like the taste) but only after a strenuous and early morning ride/workout as without it I feel sleepy a good part of the day.
About three days a week I'll have a diet Coke in the afternoons, that has caffeine in it. I have occasionally substituted that with a 45 minute workout around 2:00 PM but that is hard for me to fit in every day even when working from home.
Now that I am off of it I feel zero need for it on non-workout mornings. I feel better now, too.
It's acidic for one. The only other reason I have cut it out is so that when I do drink coffee or ingest caffeine (say from gel) it has a much stronger effect.
During the warmer months I don't drink much coffee simply because I don't like drinking warm things when it's warm/hot outside, though cold-brewed iced coffee can be amazingly refreshing on a hot day.
During the winter months, though, I'll go through 2 or 3 of the portable coffee mugs (16oz I think) in a day if it's not too cold. 3-4 if it's really cold.
Any differences in the way I feel are only transitional. Usually when I go from almost no coffee during the warm months to 2-4 a day during the colder months. Usually lasts about a week before I get accustomed to the regular caffeine intake, but going back to no coffee when it gets warm again usually doesn't yield any off sensations.
I think the Coke has more to do with just a change of pace in what you're eating. Everyone gets sick of bars, gels, and all that stuff, so a Coke is a nice way to have a cold, sweet, refreshing drink. Of course, the high amount of sugar in it provides some much needed energy and a little caffeine, but I would hesitate to say that they drink it purely for the energy benefits. But you didn't say that either, so i'm just rambling.
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