Energy Stimulants/supplements

[Field]

- cut up veggies (requires clean hands to eat)

lol ill be cleaning my gun or loading ammo and handling bullets and ill just grab a big hunk of brokly out of that fridge and chomp that sucker. all that poison sticks to the brokly and goes into my stomach.

[want2race]

I can't believe there are really that many "healthy" eaters on here. Really? Man, where's the "last nights pizza and a diet Mt.Dew" people?

Sometimes the local matches don't generate the same jacked up mental status as the big matches for me. I used to boost my metabolism (energy drink) before locals, now I can do it all in my head. I shoot better just short of hyperventilating from adrenalin. At least it's more fun that way.

I take a decongestant on occasion depending on my sinus status. The Ephedra you can get at gas stations is about the same is the the behind the counter nose faucet pills, just WAY more expensive.

[Paul Santiago]

no stimulants when i shoot. I tried them once and it didnt work for me. A good nights rest, then warmup and stretching before I leave.

Bananas, cut up apples, almonds, walnuts, raisins, during the match. and water....

[John Thompson]

Recent studies show that 300mg of caffiene an hour before working out or a mental/physical performance can lead to an optimal result. I use caffiene pills which cost about 25 cents for 400mgs. You need to get over 1 gram in an hour to get toxic and caffeine tolerance can be reset with just a few days of abstinance so if 100, 200 , 300 or whatever stops having the effect you want you can just go cold turkey for three days or so or taper off for a week and it will keep things from getting out of hand and counterproductive.

Caffeine is like anything else in that too much isn't good. 5hr energy for me is more like 5hr nausea and ephedra makes me want to jump off a bridge b/c I mood swing on it so bad.

Edited July 24, 2010 by John Thompson

[Field]

I can't believe there are really that many "healthy" eaters on here. Really? Man, where's the "last nights pizza and a diet Mt.Dew" people?

i dont get it. Is it kool to eat crappy food or something? what did i miss?

[PINMAN44]

Cornbread and chicken

[Field]

Caffeine is like anything else in that too much isn't good. 5hr energy for me is more like 5hr nausea and ephedra makes me want to jump off a bridge b/c I mood swing on it so bad.

i find i feel the need for less caffiene when it gets hotter out cause your extremities are working better anyways

5 hour energy doesnt really do a whole lot for me personally.

I will feel a real boost from 400mg of caffiene. sometimes 400mg is a bit too much, it is appropriate for when i am going to do a hard workout or do a bunch of sprints or something. i dont like to have quite as much when at a shooting match because you need that partial relaxation factor in there.

usually ill brew up some coffee, put it in a bottle and then space out consumption throughout the course of a match so im not crashing partway through.

Edited July 26, 2010 by Field

[Gordian]

Double espresso

[John Thompson]

Really want to crank up the caffiene effect? Take it with aspirin.

[FranDoc]

Really want to crank up the caffiene effect? Take it with aspirin.

Making it 2/3 of the former "APC" (yanked from the consumer market in 1983 due to toxicity of the "P" component, see here). Don't be surprised if the aspirin + caffeine combo gives you a fast rush, an equally dramatic crash, and some serious stomach pain.

[Dwain C. Baer]

Really want to crank up the caffiene effect? Take it with aspirin.

Making it 2/3 of the former "APC" (yanked from the consumer market in 1983 due to toxicity of the "P" component, see here). Don't be surprised if the aspirin + caffeine combo gives you a fast rush, an equally dramatic crash, and some serious stomach pain.

Hmmm, you sound like just a doctor...

[John Thompson]

There is no crash b/c your body can only metabolize 100mgs or less of caffiene an hour. Psychological tolerance withstanding there isn't a crash and you can top off the tank so to speak as you go about your workout. Eventually you have to come down. I've never had stomach effects, at least not any worse than any perscribed medication I've been on. The alternating motrin/alieve I've been perscribed for arthritis will take the tenifer off a glock. Not to mention the liver profile I have to get done every six months.

Edited July 28, 2010 by John Thompson

[Jeff22]

Will Brink has an interesting article on his blog called "What you need to know about caffeine"

www.brinkzone.com/articles/what-you-need-to-know-about-caffeine

The conclusion is that No Doz or Vivarin may be a better source of caffeine than tea or coffee, due to some of the other compounds found in tea and coffee that affect how the caffeine is absorbed.

Caffeine is the drug of productivity. A little bit is a good thing and too much is a bad thing.

Sometimes I shoot a match after working all night. In which case, I crank on the caffeine at work beginning about 0530. Before a match I try to eat a high protein breakfast, and in hot weather it's critical to pre-hydrate and then to stay hydrated. Gatorade works as an electrolyte replacement. Vitalyte or CeraSport might work better.

Edited July 23, 2011 by Jeff22

[desmark6]

I do but would prefer not too, but working graves on Friday night, getting off at 7 am and heading out for an all day Saturday match, I usually need a little kick in the pants!

Edited November 19, 2011 by desmark6

[DocMedic]

I've been known to have at least 2 cups of coffee (large) before I even get to the range, and if its not to hot, I'd usually have 2 Monsters through out the match. I only really drink water if the sun is going to be on my back with temps above 80.

[seanmc]

I would recommend avoiding caffiene before a match. It's a CNS stimulant as others have said here. And the impact it has on your shooting will be very real - and negative. That said, the desire to be at the top of your game when you go practice or compete is very real. And the best way to do that is to make sure your nutrition is optimized. Specifically, by making sure that your blood sugar is not dropping when you need that energy. So the biggest piece of advice I can give on this one is to just go easyon the caffiene and instead, focus on what you are eating...and when you are eating it.

Sean McCauley, CSCS, CISSN

[Smo11]

Water with Gatorade in-between I tried an energy drink that my wife drinks 5 hr energy and did not like how it felt

[calvary45]

Bacon, Bacon grease the ultimate dressing, 2eggs and 1tsp of fishoil then rocked locked cocked and ready to rumble

[kylehb]

Coffee and NO-shotgun. Ive tried a lot of things but I have yet to find anything better.

[Shawn Knight]

I have quit MONSTER in favor of Optimum Amino Energy.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/opt/essential-amino-energy.html

[Jaycwebb]

I usually pop a 5 hour energy at the start of a match and stay hydrated with a lot of G2.

[L3324temp]

Did a little google work Top 10 harmful side effects of caffeine

1. Caffeine makes your heart beat abnormally fast which is very harmful for people who have high blood pressure or a history of heart disease.

2. Caffeine constricts the blood vessels in your brain causing many people in get massive headaches.

3. Caffeine is a strong diuretic causing your body to become dehydrated and the #1 symptom of dehydration is fatigue.

4. Some people experience tremors after drinking caffeine. Thats thought to be due to over-activation of the central nervous system.

5. One recent report from the US revealed that women who drink in excess of one cup of coffee every day are only half as likely to be able to get pregnant as those who drink no coffee at all.

The odds are considerably worse if women drink more than two cups a day. Then they are nearly 5 times less likely to be able to get pregnant as women who drink no coffee at all.

6. Caffeine can cause tension or stiffness in your neck, shoulders, jaw, hands, legs or stomach.

7. Caffeine can cause mood swings or periods of depression during the day.

8. Caffeine can cause coldness in the extremities, especially in your hands and feet because it restricts circulation. This is very common side effect in women.

10. Caffeine can cause you to wake up feeling tired because it inhibits your bodies ability to sleep properly and get into REM sleep. Caffeine may also cause insomnia.

If coffee caused those problems for me I wouldn't drink it. But that is a list of things that only might happen for certain people and probably only when consuming unreasonable amounts.

[Vanniek71]

I use AdvoCare Spark - it's got 21 vitamins and minerals energy and mental focus. And it's sugar free and doesn't cause crazy shaky energy.

[Vanniek71]

Double post, stupid glitchy internet

Edited June 12, 2014 by Vanniek71

[pkm]

A bowl of cheerios (unless CHA-LEE's wife brings burritos ) before the match and water all day long.... I couldn't afford to shoot if I spent as much money as you guys do on "uppers"