Taking pre workouts too long over rated?

R1balla

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I know we all try to take breaks from pre workouts and stims...etc but today, i had a random thought and thought i would share. everyday, millions of americans consume a few cups of coffee each day. i know our pre workouts have other ingredients in them other than caffeine, but is it really that worse? im not saying "do not take a stim break". im just saying, maybe the 1 tub on 1 tub off is a bit much. i havent seen any studies or anything on this, so im open to discussion/debate. always trying to learn! thoughts?
 

th3futur3

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I know we all try to take breaks from pre workouts and stims...etc but today, i had a random thought and thought i would share. everyday, millions of americans consume a few cups of coffee each day. i know our pre workouts have other ingredients in them other than caffeine, but is it really that worse? im not saying "do not take a stim break". im just saying, maybe the 1 tub on 1 tub off is a bit much. i havent seen any studies or anything on this, so im open to discussion/debate. always trying to learn! thoughts?
I just think that the multitude of different stims along with the caffeine really puts a lot of strain on your bodies natural ability to produce natural adrenaline.
 
R1balla

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I just think that the multitude of different stims along with the caffeine really puts a lot of strain on your bodies natural ability to produce natural adrenaline.
i agree. im just coming from the perspective of that i dont drink any coffee at all...so for someone like me, i think its a bit over rated.
 

Clickster

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I think both sides of the argument are correct to a certain point.

My issue is.... I am a terrible person to be around without my caffeine. :tired:
 

mr.cooper69

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Do you want to be like millions of Americans with unstable energy levels throughout the day and dependency on coffee to get through their day?
 
StackedCop

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Do you want to be like millions of Americans with unstable energy levels throughout the day and dependency on coffee to get through their day?
No, I like being different so I carry around a bucket of caffeine tabs.
 
poison

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Do you want to be like millions of Americans with unstable energy levels throughout the day and dependency on coffee to get through their day?
Oh please. The issue is 1) not enough sleep, 2) not enough exercise, 3) ****ty diets, and 4) after all that, relying on coffee to perk themselves up.

In other words, it ain't the coffee. ;)
 
JudoJosh

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Do you want to be like millions of Americans with unstable energy levels throughout the day and dependency on coffee to get through their day?
May be important to differentiate between coffee and caffeine intake as they are not exactly the same. Ever notice that caffeine by itself has more pure stimulatory than an equal amount of caffeine from coffee? Or notice that coffee has more of an antidepressant effect compared to pure caffeine? It is because coffee has beta-carbolines with MAO-a and MAO-b inhibiting actions. This is why quitting coffee usually has an impact on a persons mood. The same really cant be said about quitting pure caffeine since pure caffeine doesnt have the same effect that coffee does on a persons mood. It is also why pure caffeine is a better pre-workout stim compared to coffee.

That said, this who rule about month on month off on preworkouts is more of a "bro rule" and not an actual rule. Sort of like time off equals time on + pct. both are just rules the bros make up BUT caffeine tolerance is real it just as simple as month on month off. So yes you can take a pre workout for longer periods of time if the rest of your day caffeine intake is minimal. I would imagine that someone who doesnt drink coffee or soda or those energy drinks and their only caffeine intake in their pre workout can stay using it for quit some time before building a tolerance. Most people only workout 3-4 times a week so maybe not taking your preworkout one of those days will help from developing a tolerance to caffeine. Or another thing to try is to alternate stimulants. Caffeine for 2 weeks and then switch to a different stimulant for 2 weeks and back to caffeine for 2 weeks and so forth.

Also taurine might be beneficial to take post workout to help reduce the effects of caffeine. This way you limit your exposure to caffeines stimulating effects. Possibly taurine and theanine post workout? Or using it with a precursor like tyrosine?

Overall I wouldnt stress it too much. Your tolerance threshold is goingto be different than someone elses so no a general broad rule doesnt have to apply to you. It isnt hard to feel when you are becoming more dependent on caffeine and when a tolerance is developing and when that happens just cut back or take some time off.
 

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Lots of people are living on coffee, red bull, 5 hour energy, etc. to get themselves back up to baseline performance due to big time dependency. Since we're always trying to get ABOVE baseline performance, we don't want our dependence to reach that level.
 
rms80

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I think both sides of the argument are correct to a certain point.

My issue is.... I am a terrible person to be around without my caffeine. :tired:
Unfortunately, I am as well....interesting points

I think a break from stims would be really beneficial, but due to the fact that I function very poorly without them (lethargy/no motivation), they will remain a part of my supplement regime. I think the key is to finding what agrees with your body chemistry, and sticking with it- if you don't feel good, or have to keep constantly upping the dosage, you may need to do some adjusting....

All this aside, diet (blood sugar levels), rest, and fitness play a huge role in this as well- these factors "wag the dog" when it comes to stimulants, not the other way around, at least for me. Take this week for example- I have had wall-to-wall meetings and conference calls since Monday- my day starts at 5 am, in the gym by 6:30 or 7, at the facility by 8:30-9, and out of here by 6 or 6:30, and in bed by 9. I do the 6 small meals throughout the day, and I eat clean, which really helps. But this month has been multiple business meetings and conference calls during and after hours, plus lunch meetings, so my diet hasn't been so hot. Plus, some of the business dinners have lasted until 11, which definitely makes it harder to get up at 5. This is where the increased stims come in, unfortunately. It isn't always like this, and long term this probably isn't a good thing- but things have the tendency to calm down, to where I can get back into my normal routine...
 

mr.cooper69

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Oh please. The issue is 1) not enough sleep, 2) not enough exercise, 3) ****ty diets, and 4) after all that, relying on coffee to perk themselves up. In other words, it ain't the coffee. ;)
Poison, you and I very well know that most people are not coffee connoisseurs...sure, people enjoy the taste, but you can't argue that the chapest roast off Dunkin's menu is being purchased because people savor the flavor :D.
 

mr.cooper69

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Josh, it really comes down to the fact that if you are training 4 days a week, that means you aren't using any preworkout for the other 3 days. This works out roughly to time on = time off, so people don't run into issues. The issue is when peoples' desire for MORE gets the best of them and they pile on scoop after scoop.

Interesting point on the coffee, never really looked into it.

Lastly, feeling caffeine's effects postworkout is not a bad thing. It has been demonstrated to reduce the effects of soreness through two mechanisms...the long-feared "crashes" are usually due to the addition of some other stimulant.
 
JudoJosh

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Poison, you and I very well know that most people are not coffee connoisseurs...sure, people enjoy the taste, but you can't argue that the chapest roast off Dunkin's menu is being purchased because people savor the flavor :D.
Not a coffee connoisseurs but I am a fan of the strong spanish blends of coffee.
 

mr.cooper69

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Not a coffee connoisseurs but I am a fan of the strong spanish blends of coffee.
I enjoy my coffee quite a bit as well. My point is that this is a chicken and the egg issue. Did the love of coffee consumption spark dependency on caffeine, or vice versa (again, the general populace and not connoisseurs)? I'm inclined to think the latter, but I'm really only just maknig an educated guess here as far as the US' culture is concerned. I've lived in Europe and coffee takes on a whole new meaning there.
 
JudoJosh

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I enjoy my coffee quite a bit as well. My point is that this is a chicken and the egg issue. Did the love of coffee consumption spark dependency on caffeine, or vice versa (again, the general populace and not connoisseurs)? I'm inclined to think the latter, but I'm really only just maknig an educated guess here as far as the US' culture is concerned. I've lived in Europe and coffee takes on a whole new meaning there.
Isnt it Tea > coffee over there? Or am I just stereotyping here ;)

I would like to move onto drinking more teas but it is a acquired taste which I dont have yet or maybe its just i havent tried the right brew of tea yet.

As for americans, coffee played a role in the amercian revolution and drinking tea was looked down upon almost as if it was un-American (boston tea party) but even then coffee wasnt as popular as it is today. If I were to place blame on high caffeine consumption in the states I would say soda had a bigger impact then coffee does, especially considering most kids grow up drinking coffee so by the time they are an adult coffee becomes their caffeine "fix"
 

mr.cooper69

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Agreed on the soda, and the caffeine in such products serves no role besides making you "feel good" and buy more. Scary that an 8 year old drinking at 20 fl oz bottle of mountain dew is getting half a preworkout product's worth of caffeine.

I lived in Germany for over a year, but my travels to England and Switzerland seemed to echo the same tendencies: various forms of tea (mostly black) and espressos following each meal.
 
rms80

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Josh, it really comes down to the fact that if you are training 4 days a week, that means you aren't using any preworkout for the other 3 days. This works out roughly to time on = time off, so people don't run into issues. The issue is when peoples' desire for MORE gets the best of them and they pile on scoop after scoop.

Interesting point on the coffee, never really looked into it.

Lastly, feeling caffeine's effects postworkout is not a bad thing. It has been demonstrated to reduce the effects of soreness through two mechanisms...the long-feared "crashes" are usually due to the addition of some other stimulant.
Very true on 4 on/3 off point- this definitely figures in down time
 
R1balla

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Do you want to be like millions of Americans with unstable energy levels throughout the day and dependency on coffee to get through their day?
I don't drink coffee and only take a pre workout three times a week.... That's why I wanted to hear everyone's opinion. Thanks
 
schizm

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Very true on 4 on/3 off point- this definitely figures in down time
I don't drink coffee and only take a pre workout three times a week.... That's why I wanted to hear everyone's opinion. Thanks
I also 'rarely' take a stim break ( I might have 1-2 weeks off/year due to travel)...but similarly just use a preWO 4-5 times a week (at rec dosage), no other stims at all outside of that...then usually rotate my pre's around to help avoid a tolerance to certain stims (like 1,3 dim)...but all in all has worked well for me...as far as building a tolerance and/or having to increase scoops to achieve the same stim effect...
 

mr.cooper69

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I don't drink coffee and only take a pre workout three times a week.... That's why I wanted to hear everyone's opinion. Thanks
Then I would never take a stim break if I were you. Your cycling is already "built-in."
 

th3futur3

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No, I like being different so I carry around a bucket of caffeine tabs.

Man. I have done this more times than not hahah. Had that and Yohimbine in my pockets like skittles. Num num num >.<
 

th3futur3

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Then I would never take a stim break if I were you. Your cycling is already "built-in."
Agreed. I have thought about doing 3 day splits before and figured myself, as well, that it would be a great thing when it comes to taking pre workouts.
 

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I haven't noticed a substantial addiction to pre workout drinks. Even when I have plenty of energy I still take them because they offer other things to help promote muscle building and I do notice that extra pump that it gives me when I am working out. I do feel that you should take a break every so often to keep your body from becoming relied on them and letting your body create natural adrenaline
 

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