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MX / Mx racers and cross country racers: do you use caffeine?
« on: April 09, 2015, 02:08:24 PM »
OK - I have been following this thread & was really curious as to every one's personal opinion on this subject matter. I have been really fortunate to have been able to race quads & 3 wheelers in a wide variety of different types of racing(MX, TT, Scrambles & various lengths of Desert Endurance races) over the last 4 years. Without going into a lot of details, let me just say that I have a bit of an educational back ground in the health industry(both books & hands on) and have enjoyed experimenting with different endurance/strength theories as they pertain to exercise & supplements especially as it relates to my hobby - RACING. I first want to say that no two people are a like and that there are millions of different theories out there. All this being said, I personally try to stay away from caffeine in my own personal daily life, not because I believe it to be a terrible thing but because I can quickly get immune to its effects - I choose to want to get it's effect when I need it most(RACING). I do believe that caffeine can & will dehydrate most of us but those dehydrating effects usually take about 45 minutes to start taking effect. However the rush(caffeine high) that most of us feel after caffeine enters our system usually takes effect in only about 10-15 minutes - at least that is when I tend to start feeling "amped up". Now if I know that a race that I am about to participate in is going to last less than 20 minutes I like to take a caffeine supplement a few minutes prior to the start because I like the extra energy and focus that I feel. If I know that a race is going to last more than 30 minutes I will not bother with taking caffeine prior to the race because I believe that its dehydrating properties will take effect during the race. Getting dehydrated during a race is one of the worst things that one can do to his or her performance. It sucks trust me!
To sum it all up, Short Races I choose to take caffeine and long races I stay away from caffeine. Either way, more importantly drink lots of water before, after and some times even during a race. FYI- In my opinion there are way healthier/better things than caffeine that a person can take prior to a race especially when compared to the main stream energy drinks - but that is a completely different conversation! From one racer to others that is my opinion take it or leave it.
To sum it all up, Short Races I choose to take caffeine and long races I stay away from caffeine. Either way, more importantly drink lots of water before, after and some times even during a race. FYI- In my opinion there are way healthier/better things than caffeine that a person can take prior to a race especially when compared to the main stream energy drinks - but that is a completely different conversation! From one racer to others that is my opinion take it or leave it.
