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| major energy sources for muscle cells during exercise, makes it available for the final climb or sprint in the race. |
| Two milligrams of caffeine per pound of your body weight taken about thirty to sixty minutes before exercise may provide an optimal dose before long training sessions or races. A cup of drip coffee has approximately 125 milligrams of caffeine, a cup of instant coffee has approximately 100 milligrams and soft drinks have from 30 to 60 milligrams, and one No-Doz tablet contains 100 milligrams of caffeine. Therefore, for a 170 pound athlete, about three and one-half cups of coffee or a combination of caffeinated beverages and No-Doz tablets could provide an ergogenic effect. |
| At these levels of ingestion, caffeine's diuretic effect causes increased loss of water through the urine thirty minutes to two hours following ingestion, which may dangerously compound your loss of water during long races. And once again, caffeine-induced acid secretion in the stomach may lead to heartburn. |
| Caffeine may also have other physiological benefits. For many years cyclists have been taking a small vial of espresso with ten kilometers to go in a road race and sprinters have been known to have a canister of strong coffee with them during competition on the track. Both athletes are hoping to take advantage of caffeine's effects on the central nervous system. Caffeine has been shown to help reduce the sense of physical effort one experiences during hard exercise, or that it stimulates the brain, thereby increasing alertness. In addition, another possibility is that caffeine may be linked to the release of calcium in the muscles, which is responsible for the events resulting in force development in the muscle fibers. |
| In a recent study on caffeine use and motor reactions, scientists tested three groups of subjects. The first group ingested 300 milligrams of caffeine, the second group ingested 600 milligrams and the third group served as a control and ingested no caffeine. The 300 milligram group reported the fastest reaction times. A surprise to the research team was that the 600 millligram group reacted no faster than the control group. Thus, although some caffeine may boost performance, too much may prove ineffective. |
| Finally, you habitual coffee or soft-drinkers need to know |
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