Caffeine's effects on Testosterone and Cortisol

[Donut62]

Ignore the T:C findings. Caffiene is a CNS stimulant. If you don't think that is a good thing prior to heavy lifting, you are just being retarded.

 

[MikeMartial]

Ignore the T:C findings. Caffiene is a CNS stimulant. If you don't think that is a good thing prior to heavy lifting, you are just being retarded.

 

[bubbleboyjones]

The LD for caffeine is through the fucking roof. Although 800mg may make some people feel like exploding, it's completely safe.

I remember reading something like 2,000 mg would be the minimum amount for a lethal dose and that would be rare.

 

[David Barr]

What doses are most of your clients taking?

It varies depending on the desired effect, but this client in particular topped out at 4mg/kg. I need to write a book about him someday.

 

[Rowan11088]

Ignore the T:C findings. Caffiene is a CNS stimulant. If you don't think that is a good thing prior to heavy lifting, you are just being retarded.

A good warm up is a CNS stimulant too. Break out some evidence, or I'll assume you're just BSing here. Caffeine mainly affects the way muscles utilize fuel, so it affects long distance cardio and slightly increases fat burning. How exactly will that help you lift more weight?

 

[physicaltherapy]

wow... that's a LOT of caffeine even for a speed freak like me... seriously... 10 cups of coffee before working out? cortisol would be the least of my concerns...

yeah heart palpitations

 

[thethirddiaz]

A good warm up is a CNS stimulant too. Break out some evidence, or I'll assume you're just BSing here. Caffeine mainly affects the way muscles utilize fuel, so it affects long distance cardio and slightly increases fat burning. How exactly will that help you lift more weight?

Why do you hate caffeine so much? I can understand if you don't like to use it before lifting, but a lot of people do (in fact I have heard people argue for using harsher stimulants instead). But you just seem to be arguing that it shouldn't be used with no reason or proof.

No one here is saying that caffeine is going to up your big 3 by 50 pounds, but according to this study, it produces more test. Also, it helps some people get ready for lifting. Yes a warm up does that too, but when you are short on sleep, lifting 3 days/week and training for a combat sport, sometimes a warm up isn't enough. So, once again, what is your beef with caffeine?

 

[Donut62]

A good warm up is a CNS stimulant too. Break out some evidence, or I'll assume you're just BSing here. Caffeine mainly affects the way muscles utilize fuel, so it affects long distance cardio and slightly increases fat burning. How exactly will that help you lift more weight?

Firstly, anyone who lifts heavy and used caffeine has felt the benefits. I'll take my personal anecdotal evidence and the evidence of the people I lift with over anything. But if you are too lazy to do some digging, 5 seconds on google found this which showed significant increase in bench press volume achieved by those who used caffiene prior to testing repetitions to failure in the bench press:


Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise - Fulltext: Volume 39(5) May 2007 p S43 Effect Of Acute Caffeine Ingestion On One-Repetition Maximum Muscular Strength: 699: May 31 1:15 PM 1:30 PM.

 

[Monger]

A good warm up is a CNS stimulant too. Break out some evidence, or I'll assume you're just BSing here. Caffeine mainly affects the way muscles utilize fuel, so it affects long distance cardio and slightly increases fat burning. How exactly will that help you lift more weight?

There is more than enough evidence to prove that caffeine can improve nearly every aspect of physical performance. That includes, power, anaerobic ability, aerobic ability, strength endurance, etc. The fact that it is a CNS stimulant should be common knowledge. I'll never understand why guys like you come on to forums and act like authorities on shit they know nothing about.

Even Wikipedia, which you linked as a source of your information says...

In humans, caffeine is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant

Caffeine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

It's in the third paragraph, first sentace.

: Eur J Appl Physiol Occup Physiol. 1992;65(2):188-91.Links
Caffeine increases maximal anaerobic power and blood lactate concentration.Anselme F, Collomp K, Mercier B, Ahma

 

[Monger]

More...

: J Sports Sci. 2004 Jan;22(1):127-41.Links
Nutritional strategies to influence adaptations to training.Spriet LL, Gibala MJ.
Department of Human Biology and Nutritional Sciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario N1G 2W1, Canada. [email protected]

This article highlights new nutritional concerns or practices that may influence the adaptation to training. The discussion is based on the assumption that the adaptation to repeated bouts of training occurs during recovery periods and that if one can train harder, the adaptation will be greater. The goal is to maximize with nutrition the recovery/adaptation that occurs in all rest periods, such that recovery before the next training session is complete. Four issues have been identified where recent scientific information will force sports nutritionists to embrace new issues and reassess old issues and, ultimately, alter the nutritional recommendations they give to athletes. These are: (1) caffeine ingestion; (2) creatine ingestion; (3) the use of intramuscular triacylglycerol (IMTG) as a fuel during exercise and the nutritional effects on IMTG repletion following exercise; and (4) the role nutrition may play in regulating the expression of genes during and after exercise training sessions. Recent findings suggest that low doses of caffeine exert significant ergogenic effects by directly affecting the central nervous system during exercise. Caffeine can cross the blood-brain barrier and antagonize the effects of adenosine, resulting in higher concentrations of stimulatory neurotransmitters. These new data strengthen the case for using low doses of caffeine during training. On the other hand, the data on the role that supplemental creatine ingestion plays in augmenting the increase in skeletal muscle mass and strength during resistance training remain equivocal. Some studies are able to demonstrate increases in muscle fibre size with creatine ingestion and some are not. The final two nutritional topics are new and have not progressed to the point that we can specifically identify strategies to enhance the adaptation to training. However, it is likely that nutritional strategies will be needed to replenish the IMTG that is used during endurance exercise. It is not presently clear whether the IMTG store is chronically reduced when engaging in daily sessions of endurance training or if this impacts negatively on the ability to train. It is also likely that the increased interest in gene and protein expression measurements will lead to nutritional strategies to optimize the adaptations that occur in skeletal muscle during and after exercise training sessions. Research in these areas in the coming years will lead to strategies designed to improve the adaptive response to training.

: J Strength Cond Res. 2006 Aug;20(3):506-10.Links
The acute effects of a caffeine-containing supplement on strength, muscular endurance, and anaerobic capabilities.Beck TW, Housh TJ, Schmidt RJ, Johnson GO, Housh DJ, Coburn JW, Malek MH.
Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences, Human Performance Laboratory, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588, USA. [email protected]

The purpose of this study was to examine the acute effects of a caffeine-containing supplement on upper- and lower-body strength and muscular endurance as well as anaerobic capabilities. Thirty-seven resistance-trained men (mean +/- SD, age: 21 +/- 2 years) volunteered to participate in this study. On the first laboratory visit, the subjects performed 2 Wingate Anaerobic Tests (WAnTs) to determine peak power (PP) and mean power (MP), as well as tests for 1 repetition maximum (1RM), dynamic constant external resistance strength, and muscular endurance (TOTV; total volume of weight lifted during an endurance test with 80% of the 1RM) on the bilateral leg extension (LE) and free-weight bench press (BP) exercises. Following a minimum of 48 hours of rest, the subjects returned to the laboratory for the second testing session and were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 groups: a supplement group (SUPP; n = 17), which ingested a caffeine-containing supplement, or a placebo group (PLAC; n = 20), which ingested a cellulose placebo. One hour after ingesting either the caffeine-containing supplement or the placebo, the subjects performed 2 WAnTs and were tested for 1RM strength and muscular endurance on the LE and BP exercises. The results indicated that there was a significant (p < 0.05) increase in BP 1RM for the SUPP group, but not for the PLAC group. The caffeine-containing supplement had no effect, however, on LE 1RM, LE TOTV, BP TOTV, PP, and MP. Thus, the caffeine-containing supplement may be an effective supplement for increasing upper-body strength and, therefore, could be useful for competitive and recreational athletes who perform resistance training.

J Strength Cond Res. 2008 Apr 15. [Epub ahead of print]Links
Effect of a Pre-Exercise Energy Supplement on the Acute Hormonal Response to Resistance Exercise.Hoffman JR, Ratamess NA, Ross R, Shanklin M, Kang J, Faigenbaum AD.
Department of Health and Exercise Science, College of New Jersey, Ewing, New Jersey.

The effect of a pre-exercise energy sport drink on the acute hormonal response to resistance exercise was examined in eight experienced resistance trained men. Subjects were randomly provided either a placebo (P: maltodextrin) or the supplement (S: combination of branched chain amino acids, creatine, taurine, caffeine, and glucuronolactone). Subjects performed 6 sets of no more than 10 repetitions of the squat exercise at 75% of their 1 repetition maximum (1RM) with 2 minutes of rest between sets. Blood draws occurred at baseline pre-exercise, immediately post- (IP), 15 minutes post- (15P), and 30-minutes post (30P) exercise for measurement of serum growth hormone, total and free testosterone, cortisol, and insulin concentrations. Although significant differences were seen only at set 5, the total number of repetitions and training volume tended (p = 0.08) to be higher with S compared to P. Serum growth hormone and insulin concentrations were significantly higher at 15P and IP, respectively, in S compared to P. Results suggest that a pre-exercise energy S consumed 10 minutes before resistance exercise can enhance acute exercise performance by increasing the number of repetitions performed and the total volume of exercise. The enhanced exercise performance resulted in a significantly greater increase in both growth hormone and insulin concentrations, indicating an augmented anabolic hormone response to this pre-exercise S.

 

[Donut62]

You're much more dedicated than me Monger, lol. The fact that we are presenting an argument for the effectiveness of probably the most researched and proven performance enhancer is kind of ridiculous.

 

[Monger]

Ya, but what's really sad is that it only took me a couple of mins to get that info. :icon_chee Like you say, it's so highly researched that you don't have to look hard... which pisses me off even more.

 

[riotfish]

Cool study.

Regarding lifting, I have to think that the performance enhancement >> transient decline in T:C ratio.

My most successful client used a BIG dose of caffeine before lifting and the results were... impressive.
800mg though? Wow.

i think id have a heart attack if i took that much haha 200mg is usually enough for me

 

[JinKazama]

most ive taken pre lift is 2 caps of vivarin, which is about 400mg

but somedays i just need it, especially when our workin long hours, sleeping next to nil, and still haveb to read when u get home after liftin

pass the freakin double shot .