Caffeine is Good?

Over the last few months, one of my sisters has gotten very involved in triathlons (pictures to follow - don't be mad, Kristin). And despite the fact that this requires exercising hours on end (even on weekends:), she has really enjoyed it! I mean, the spandex alone are reason enough to love them! Through my research on nutrition and triathletes, there has been one aspect that has greatly grabbed my attention...caffeine. The idea that athletes are using caffeine to boost their performance, and IT'S WORKING, amazes me! My first experiences with caffeine included me chugging ungodly amounts of coffee to get through 6 hour study sessions in college - jittering like a crack head on the 3rd floor of the library. (Times were simpler back then.) Now, I have to drink coffee every morning if I'm even going to pretend to work!

Anyway, I've been looking into the athletic advantages that caffeine can give someone either in actual competition or just for training sessions. Caffeine affects the Central Nervous System and affects three things within the athlete's body. 1. perceived exertion, 2. neural activation of muscle contractions leading possibly to longer, stronger muscle contractions (This also involves the calcium/potassium balance in the blood - but we won't go into that right now:) Anywho, 3. metabolically, caffeine might also help release free fatty acids earlier during exercise, sparing glycogen that would normally be exhausted first from the muscles (meaning you won't burn out as fast).

So what does all this mean? Well, 1. perceived exertion is when your mind tells you are tired. So, since caffeine increases alertness and potentially focus, this means that caffeine will help your mind not exhaust as quickly. 2. better muscle contractions means better results both in endurance events and sprint events - this just means that what your body has to do in order for it to perform effectively (contract its muscles) is being done...well, better. 3. sparing glycogen is like sparing oxygen. The more effectively you use the oxygen you have, the better and the longer you are able to breath. Similarly, the more effective you are at using the glycogen (the energy source) in your muscles, the better and the longer you are going to perform.

But how much caffeine should you take in? It is currently recommended to take in 3-6mg/kg of body weight one hour prior to performance. For example - if you weigh 135 lbs: 135/ 2.2 = 61.36 kg x 3mg caffeine = 184g caffeine = about 1.6 cups of coffee.

Remember, that caffeine does have a slight diuretic effect, so if you do use this performance enhancer, then make sure to stay hydrated!!! AND KICK BUTT!!!!

Rev3 Triathlon in Knoxville, TN

http://www.rev3tri.com/knoxvilleComingSoon.htm

Next up! - August 1st in Indianapolis, IN (Tri Indi Triathlon & Duathlon)

http://www.trifind.com/re_11829/TriIndyTriathlonDuathlon.html

GOOD LUCK, Kristin!!!