|   Asprin + Caffeine for races? | Kleinadian
Jan 7, 2003 11:15 AM | | Reading 'Smart Cycling' by Arnie Baker. He recommends taking asprin with caffeine before a roadie TT. Why would one do that? Also, would that help mtb, or other forms of bike racing?(road/crits/sprints/climbs/whatever)
Anyone have experience with doing this? |
| re: Asprin + Caffeine for races? | Dwayne Barry
Jan 7, 2003 12:02 PM | | I'll recommend the caffeine. I usually take a 200mg pill 10 or so minutes before a race and it really seems to help with pushing the pace. There's also a fair amount of evidence supporting caffeine as an effective ergogenic aid (and it's safe).
Aspirin, I don't know. I've seen people say they take it to "thin" the blood which could theoretically help if it actually thinned the blood. But aspirin is an anti-coagulant, it prevents clots by inhibiting one of the clotting factors in the blood (I think). It doesn't make the blood "thinner" by diluting it like some people mistakenly believe. |
| re: Asprin + Caffeine for races? | Kleinadian
Jan 7, 2003 12:59 PM | | I should mention that caffeine is not new to me. I use it before every race and training ride. It's the asprin that I'm not sure about. |
| re: Asprin + Caffeine for races? | Enzoid
Jan 7, 2003 3:16 PM | | I usually take some "uptime" which is an over the counter combination of herbs and caffeine. It seems to help a bit. I also take some advil. The thought with that is that the anti imflammatory will stave off muscle aches and pains. Not sure if this in any way enhances performance beyond a placebo effect, but it does seem to prevent me from tiring as badly. Most of the races I do are 2+ hours, so the aches and pains do tend to creep up in that time frame. |
| Don't take Ibuprofen......... | Flat top
Jan 9, 2003 7:32 AM | | If your event is a real long endurance event, don't take Ibuprofen, (Advil, Motrin..) before or during your event. It was expained to me by my doctor, (who is an Ironman), that taking ibuprofen creates a toxin in your body that your kidneys can usualy handle without any problem unless your body is really being pushed hard for a long time. You end up with a more concentrated toxin in yourself because you are dehydrated. Take Tylenol before or during the event.
Save the Ibuprofen for after the event. That's when you need it. |
| Aspirin revisited | Jeff Leppard
Jan 7, 2003 4:56 PM | | Here's some info on aspirin from a few months ago.
Kleinadian "asprin to help performance?" 8/16/02 11:35am
Caffeine has been proven to improve performance in endurance sports...just don't try it for the first time before a race. It can be a GI irritant.
cheers,
jl |
| What is GI? (nm) | clownee
Jan 7, 2003 6:03 PM | | |
| GI=Gastrointestinal..."the gut" (nm) | Jeff Leppard
Jan 7, 2003 7:53 PM | | sorry about the jargon |
| Stacks? | Kleinadian
Jan 8, 2003 5:14 AM | | I've also read about weightlifters using Asprin + Caffeine + ? and call them 'stacks'. I guess it helps them increase performance and I think also helps burn fat (which isn't an issue for me). Just wondered if there was more to it than caffeine being a stimulant, and asprin being a painkiller (and everything else Jeff mentioned on the previous post). |
| Aspirin will prolong the effects of Caffine... | DIRT BOY
Jan 8, 2003 2:09 PM | | The best stack in Ma Huang 300mg (ephedrine 25mg), caffeine 200mg and 1 aspirin (200mg?)
I also recommend Ecotrin as it is coated and easier on the stomach.
This is the BEST energy and weight loss stack there is.
I have been doing this for 8 yrs with no problems. Just start at a t smaller dosages then increase them overtime.
Any questions feel free to contact me.
Fitness matters: gmasi@giofitness.com
DIRT BOYLight-Bikes |
| re: Asprin + Caffeine for races? | Guess?
Jan 8, 2003 5:00 PM | | Just pop a stacker or ripped fuel. |
| Yeah... | MTBDOC
Jan 8, 2003 5:14 PM | | The aspirin acts on c-AMP breakdown as an intermediary in the whole process...in effect, a longer action. Also grapefruit juice inhibits one of the liver enzymes involved in breaking down caffeine. Drink grapefruit juice with it!
The other mentioned item is ephedrine as noted elsewhere. It is a banned substance by IOC but is useful especially in the fat burning phase of training. Use all of the above at your own risk and do your own reading! |
| Potential danger | Digga D
Jan 11, 2003 7:50 PM | | I'm no expert, but know a little about pharmaceuticals - Aspirin and ANY of the aspirin-related anti-inflammatory agents (or 'non-steroidal anti-inflammatory's - NSAIDs), which include ibuprofen, naproxen sodium, ketorolac, indomethacin, voltaren etc (there are heaps of these) are known to result in constriction of the very small arteries that supply the filtering mechanisms of the kidneys. In sick people and especially the elderly, this means that too much aspirin can result in kidney failure, and a buildup of nasty body toxins/byproducts. In all of us superfit MTBers (we all are, aren't we??), this shouldn't be a problem, should it?? Well, that's where dehydration comes into it - dehydration puts the kidneys under an awful lot of strain - they are trying to concentrate the toxins to get them out of the body, and conserve water at the same time. Nonsteroidals can stuff this up somewhat, and the risk of kidney damage is therefore increased in cases of dehydration. As far as I know, aspirin is an inhibitor of cyclooxygenase, an enzyme in a metabolic pathway that creates inflammatory mediators (gee I know some big words...)which cause pain and swelling. They also are important mediators in blood clotting, as they enable the platelets (a clotting blood cell) to work. Side effects of aspirin include stomach ulcers, kidney failure, and bleeding (if you take a nasty dive). The key is, if you're taking aspirin, MAKE SURE YOU ARE WELL HYDRATED!!! I cannot stress this enough. Better still, take it after the race and let your body get you through it on its own.
Caffeine is a stimulant and another vasoconstrictor (narrows the vessels) It peps you up and has been used to treat migraine headaches also... IT IS ALSO A DIURETIC. What does this mean?? - It means that it makes you pee. Why do you want to be pouring all that precious water into your bladder?? You could become dehydrated doing that, couldn't you?? Would that not leave your lovely kidneys open to attack from the aspirin?? Some would say so... Again, I write this stuff in absolute honesty. The caffeine will indeed stimulate you, and the aspirin will ease your pain, but the combination in a setting of hard work and potential dehydration could be dangerous.. Please look up ANALGESIC NEPHROPATHY on the web to discover the millions of grannies who have knocked their kidneys off by using aspirin/caffeine/paracetamol preparations for headaches and are now on dialysis...I KID YOU NOT.
just drink lots and lots of water. I love that stuff. |
| re: Asprin + Caffeine for races? | sebring
Jan 12, 2003 5:56 PM | | Mountain Biking did an article about this and some other things to take. I have to say that with out consulting your doctor, you shouldn't do any of what that magazine said to do.
Asprin prevents the blood platlets from sticking together which will make it easier for blood to flow. I don't know that I agree with it being used for athletic purposes, I don't know that it would do all that much for you. Plus it can irritate the stomach causing ulcers. If you do take it, 2 baby asprin should be all that is needed. Thats what we give to suspected heart attack patients. I don't think Asprin will really provide any benefit.
Caution should be taken with Caffeine since too much can cause the heart to get irritaated and start producing extra electrical activity which if it happens too much can cause problems with the heart. PLus the extra heart activity can cause an irregular heart rhythm that can prevent the heart from pumping efficiently. It would take a lot of stimulant to cause that though. There are web sites to look up the heart and the effect things can have on it, I don't want to get too involved in it.
Ephedrine has been known to cause a lot of irregularities in peoples hearts, this stuff should be avoided as far as I'm concerned. |
| be careful with "the stack" | silverman
Jan 15, 2003 9:10 AM | | People have mentioned "the stack" above. The stack consists of ephedra or pseudoephedrine(from ma huang, primatene, or whatever), aspirin, caffeine, and (for most effect) grapefruit juice.
I encourage anyone taking this combination to research it seriously before beginning. The effects of taking it are not subtle. While I was taking it I was constantly drenched in sweat, and I ended up in the ER with tachycardia.
I believe everyone can make their own decisions about this stuff with the proper information. That's why whenever I see "the stack" mentioned I warn people about what they're getting into. |
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