Energy drinks

[Hoffer 0]

My question is do you guys drink them at all? If so do you drink them before or during hockey games / tournaments? I have in the past but am questioning them now since I have read the article in the most recent USA hockey magazine.

[DamnLocust 0]

I'll have one before a game if I've had a long day, just to get me started and awake. Once I get a few shifts in, the adrenaline starts pumping and I'm fine by the time the energy drink wears off.

[oldtrainerguy28 478]

My question is do you guys drink them at all? If so do you drink them before or during hockey games / tournaments? I have in the past but am questioning them now since I have read the article in the most recent USA hockey magazine.

I think you need to clarify like the article did about the 2 diffrent styles of drinks....some people might read that the wrong way thinking for instance that Gatorade is an Energy Drink when it is in fact a not it is a Sports drink with no caffine. Put a link to the article there so there is no confusion but it is a great thread. Good find.

I used to do just that drink a coke before hand now I see how bad it is....

[Hoffer 0]

Here is a link to the article.

http://www.usahockeymagazine.com/story.php...ight_nav=normal

[DamnLocust 0]

No other generation of young athletes has ever witnessed such a cavalier attitude about using stimulants as the youth we are working with right now.

This is a viewpoint that I never really thought of previously, but when you think about it, energy drinks are just that- stimulants and can be just a slippery slope away from using other substances. I know people who drink red bull or full throttle as if they were water. A good friend of mine pretty much lives off coffee, red bull, and cigarettes. With so many energy drinks on the market, it's easy to regard them as the same as other drinks (sodas, etc.) but they're really not.

I'll probably still use a cup of coffee or energy drink to wake me up before a game here and there when im really tired, but I'll be sure to supplement it with a sports drink or even just water. On the bench I only drink water or watered down gatorade anyway (it's too sweet and makes me more thirsty or give me a dry mouth if I don't water it down.)

[jbyun04 7]

I always drink them before games, I bought a flat of beaver buzz and it works like a charm. What works even better is Big Buzz which is I think 235g caffine in a can but it's more beaver buzz than big buzz

[sabre09923 0]

No. The last time I had Red Bull around 30 minutes before the game I had a huge letdown with 6 minutes left in the third period; my legs and arms were shaking and I felt extremely spent. That's just me though.

[hockeymom 2]

I won't touch them for a couple of reasons.

We don't think of it as a drug and it is. It is really easy to become addicted to caffiene and only takes a relatively low amount before it gets to toxic levels in your system. I believe it is around 300 mg of caffiene where it actually hits toxic levels - at that point, it no longer stimulates you but sends your body into crash mode.

Regular use of caffiene requres that you increase your dosage in order to get the same stimulant effect. So regular use of coffee or one of the energy drinks actually begins to work against you. And if you are a regular user and miss your "fix" you get withdrawal symptoms - headaches, shakes, crash - stuff like that. Need your "fix" just to get you back to "normal" - it doesn't take you "higher" or "further" than that.

Finally, as the article pointed out, it is a diuretic... makes it even easier to become dehydrated during sports or activity.

Why is it we think of reaching for a stimulant instead of working on getting fit?

[SWP27 0]

Works well for me when you absolutely need it. During playoffs/tournaments I use it but for regular games/practice, its a waste .. I find it only works when you use it sparingly

[DamnLocust 0]

Why is it we think of reaching for a stimulant instead of working on getting fit?

I know you're in Canada, hockeymom, but it's the american way: we want what we want right now and don't care what the effects are. It's a quick fix that you dont really have to do anything for, as opposed to hard work and discipline. no wonder we're all so obese. (myself included)

[srv2miker 0]

We play at midnight most weekends, so I drink a Red Bull about 30mins before just to wake me up. It's not about supplying my body energy; I've built that in conditioning. It's all about getting my mind sharp at that late hour.

[#96 0]

There's a new drink out in the NYC area called "Cocaine" that I'm dying to try. Twice the listed caffeine of Red Bull! But all the liberals and over-possessive parents are complaining that the name is wrong to use, so it might be called something else soon.

[sabre09923 0]

Why is it we think of reaching for a stimulant instead of working on getting fit?

I know you're in Canada, hockeymom, but it's the american way: we want what we want right now and don't care what the effects are. It's a quick fix that you dont really have to do anything for, as opposed to hard work and discipline. no wonder we're all so obese. (myself included)

A lot of people on this forum have said this before on the topic of stimulants, vitamins, etc., and nearly everybody will take the quick way out, because they don't want to put the time and effort into what will go into the "long road". Like Chadd said here...

People are looking for a shortcut. Look at the people who believe a new stick will make them shoot harder or new skates will make them faster. It's not about hard work or putting in time to make something happen.

Perfect quote for this. It's America. Everyone's in a rush, and they need what they want right when they want it, apperently. It's all about quantity over quality, it seems.

[All Torhs Team 0]

Two words: Stomach Ache :(

[swede 52]

yep! Before every powerlifting/hockey practice and game.. 1 Can Brazilian Guarana (by Stacker2), 500ml water, 10g Creatine, 50g Maltodextrin powder.. The perfect Pre Workout coctail.

During the game/practice i use carbo gel together with water to keep my bloodsugar levels high troughout the whole practice/game..

[Meathead 0]

Energy drinks suck.

[pantherfan 0]

Since when were you an energy drink?

[gotdangles16 0]

VITAMIN WATER FTW

[GoalMaster 0]

i use amp and sobe adreniline rush or wut ev right befor the state tourney

[hockechamp14 0]

caffeine isn't a shortcut like some people make it out to be. It has actually been shown to improve performance in test subjects. The fact is the drinks are crappy with tons of sugar and HFCS and then some caffeine. It's not the caffeine that's the problem in the drinks, it is the other stuff.

Besides, I hear this new energy drink on the market that has 0 calories, so no sugars or anything in it, plus a minimal dose of caffeine together with B12, tyrosine, and yohimbine. They're calling it the "ipod" of energy drinks.

http://ifitandhealthy.com/spike-shooter-energy-drink/

Is it a diruetic? Fine, then drink more water...

[--notorious 0]

caffeine isn't a shortcut like some people make it out to be. It has actually been shown to improve performance in test subjects. The fact is the drinks are crappy with tons of sugar and HFCS and then some caffeine. It's not the caffeine that's the problem in the drinks, it is the other stuff.

Besides, I hear this new energy drink on the market that has 0 calories, so no sugars or anything in it, plus a minimal dose of caffeine together with B12, tyrosine, and yohimbine. They're calling it the "ipod" of energy drinks.

http://ifitandhealthy.com/spike-shooter-energy-drink/

Is it a diruetic? Fine, then drink more water...

Sounds pretty shady to me.

[cobrAA 0]

what is taurine exactly?? currenctly i'm drinking tab energy drink.

[hockeymom 2]

The performance improvements in research studies I've read about dealt with Mental clarity in test subjects. I haven't seen studies on physical improvement in sport. Know of any? I'd be interested in reading them.

This Spike Shooter thing reads like it is an ad. Is it? One of the ways companies are using the internet is to do "non-ad" sounding ads. And then there is "viral marketing" where usually you advertise with an ad that sounds like opinion and then hope it gets linked all over the internet as people tell each other about the product.

And here we go again with no carbs - yet carbs are the fuel - the energy - your muscles use in sport.

[EBondo 242]

Monster...yummmm

I love that stuff. Only energy drink I'll drink.

[#96 0]

caffeine isn't a shortcut like some people make it out to be. It has actually been shown to improve performance in test subjects. The fact is the drinks are crappy with tons of sugar and HFCS and then some caffeine. It's not the caffeine that's the problem in the drinks, it is the other stuff.

Besides, I hear this new energy drink on the market that has 0 calories, so no sugars or anything in it, plus a minimal dose of caffeine together with B12, tyrosine, and yohimbine. They're calling it the "ipod" of energy drinks.

http://ifitandhealthy.com/spike-shooter-energy-drink/

Is it a diruetic? Fine, then drink more water...

I've seen the pill form of that stuff at GNC, called the same thing. Spiked. Yellow pill.