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*Insert hundreds of Caffeine for survival memes here*
Ahhh Caffeine… we can’t live without it. About 85% of the US population consumes it, and for good reason: it fights fatigue, and handles our sleep-deprived selves pretty well before work… the crash just sucks after.
In the Fitness Industry, it is emphasized more than ever before with pre-workouts and fat burners. Not to mention the Energy Drink industry, where over 300mg of Caffeine is a regular thing.
The challenge with this is the over-reliance on stimulants to provide us energy. This can have a negative effect on us after the stimulant diminishes, or even through overconsumption. In fact, there was research done on caffeine-related deaths in 2018, and the FDA has jumped at caffeine powders for that reason.
I can tell you from experience: I have overdosed on caffeine and it’s not pretty!
With that being said, this blog post is dedicated to caffeine lovers. As always, discuss with your physician or doctor before consuming supplements or stimulants. What may be common for some might have negative effects on others. Please be aware!
Now: let’s dive deeper into caffeine!
Caffeine is a stimulant used to fight fatigue, enhance focus, and manage mood. “Don’t talk to me if I don’t have my caffeine” is understandable. It can be found in many products we consume: Tea, Coffee, Sodas, Chocolate, and more.
In medical cases, caffeine has been used to treat things like Alzheimer’s, breathing problems in infants, etc. It has also been shown to improve the effects of some OTC drugs like Aspirin.
Now when it comes to athletes, caffeine consumption is used to increase performance and endurance. Aerobic and anaerobic activities can be improved slightly when athletes consume caffeine an hour before training.
When it comes to caffeine, moderation has always been the decision-maker between benefits and consequences. Consuming a little extra can lead to negative effects like being too wired, increased anxiety, and more.
The key to effective caffeine consumption is dosage and timing. So in this section, we are going to discuss the two!
Caffeine recommendation: There is not really a direct guideline on caffeine consumption, however, based on studies*, around 1.85mg/lb (3mg/kg) of body weight is a good guideline to keep you energized and focused for the day. Caffeine may have more negative effects past that, so it’s not recommended to go any further beyond that.
As a simple guideline, 400mg of caffeine should be the limit for an average person daily.
To optimize caffeine consumption/timing: Timing is really important when it comes to caffeine. I would recommend consuming it in the morning, or 4-8 hours before bed. Although caffeine diminishes, the effects last for hours.
Don’t be that person who drinks Starbucks at 8pm and wonders why they can’t get sleep. ;)
Caffeine is great to supplement with, but sleep deprivation is difficult and will ALWAYS affect your performance in life AND the gym. Always consume your caffeine WAY before bed.
“The dose makes the poison.” This means that caffeine consumption in the right amounts is beneficial, but any more can come with negative effects.
As I mentioned in the previous section: the dose makes the poison. Being aware of this, we can discuss common issues with overconsumption of caffeine.
Heart Problems: While caffeine DOES affect heart rate and blood pressure, it is not harmful in small amounts. Avoid overconsumption so that you may not deal with heart issues, especially through elevated cardiovascular exercise.
Caffeine Overdose: Although not talked about AT ALL, caffeine overdoses are real. While working at my old job years ago, I consumed over a gram of caffeine in a span of a few hours. The following happened:
I was lucky in that instance... others have not been, as reported by the FDA.
Mild Diuretic: people tend to overreact on the mild diuretic effects of caffeine. It makes you use the bathroom, but it doesn’t dehydrate you in small consumption.
Here’s a secret that people don’t know about caffeine: it can work synergistically with nootropics, which is why we use them in Impulse.
For example, if you supplement caffeine with an amino acid, like L-Theanine (which can be found in small amounts in Green Tea), you can reduce the intensity of the caffeine crash.
Remember: the dose makes the poison. Do not consume tons of caffeine thinking you can consume L-Theanine to "balance" it out. It's NOT going to work.
So as you can see here, there is a lot we can cover when it comes to caffeine. On the plus side, caffeine consumed in the right amounts can actually improve your health. Too much of it will harm it. Balance is key.
Awareness of ingredients, chemicals, and supplements is something that we always preach. A lot of supplements include caffeine: taking fat burners and pre-workouts together might be a bad time for you.
Reading this, my hope is that the knowledge of caffeine and its effects can set you up for a long and healthy life.
Based on our research and my passion for caffeine, supplements, and all things nootropics, we have made it our duty to continue crafting supplements and doing additional research that will help our users/customers experience the best.
As of currently, we have found quite a few amino acids and other chemicals that work synergistically with caffeine, and we are excited to start working with professionals to craft formulations.
We are done with caffeine… for now.
Thanks for reading everyone! If you have any questions or insights, please feel free to comment below. Let's discuss!
Until next time legion!
As my brother has a passion for powerlifting and gaming, one of the biggest challenges he has faced is getting proper nutrition in his daily diet.
While you might not think it, poor nutrition has a negative impact on mood, energy, focus, and more. Now it won't make you better at a gaming session, but it most definitely will allow you to perform your best.
Pro gamers have nutrition regiments and training programs to abide by. This allows them to perform their best when the time comes.
In this post, we are going to dive into our recommended supplements for gamers.
When I started working out at 17 years old, it was all about how good I looked. I would chase the six-pack abs because I believed that was a measurement of success.
As it was my goal, I would fail consistently to keep them for a long period of time. I would develop temporary binge eating disorders because I would restrict my calories too much.
Eventually, I realized that when I changed my mindset... my abs would eventually chase me.
In our latest post, I wanted to give you my own training framework - a Reforged one. This post will be an introduction to a systematic approach to creating a healthy lifestyle for yourself.
If you look at many great individuals in history (from inventors to athletes and to leaders), you will see each one of them had various unique rituals.
In following a routine that improves the mind, body, and soul, you can focus more of your energy towards the more complex tasks in life.
At Reforged, we believe if you can control your morning ritual and evening ritual, you can seize your destiny.
In this article, we are going to go over our framework in creating our own rituals.
