Wednesday, October 28th, 2009

Using Caffeine as a Bodybuilding Supplement

Can caffeine be used safely in bodybuilding supplements?  Do you stay away from any supplement that has caffeine as a major ingredient?  It is not necessary.  When we look at the reactions caffeine causes in the body, it is easier to see that it is a legitimate supplement.

Your body creates a compound called Adenosine to help you sleep.  Adenosine attaches to receptors in the brain that cause blood cells to expand and nerve cell activity to decrease making you sleepy.  Caffeine and Adenosine look the same to the brain receptors, but caffeine is used differently.  Caffeine hooks to the same receptors, but it makes the nerve cells go faster and causes increased neuron firing in the brain.

When the neuron firing increases, adrenaline is released by the pituitary gland.  The “buzz” affect you sometimes feel when you’ve had a lot of coffee is a result of the rapid neuron firing and the adrenaline combined.  Adrenaline is the same hormone that starts working when your body thinks it is in danger, and it causes many reactions in the body including the following:

Your breathing tubes expand to help you admit more oxygen so your muscles work more effectively.

 

Heart rate increases to move that oxygen rich to the muscles.

 

Blood vessels closer to the skin contract, increasing blood flow to the muscles.

 

Blood flow to the stomach decreases.

 

The liver releases sugar into the blood for more energy.

 

Muscles tighten getting ready for action.

It is easy to see how each of these physical reactions can ramp up your workout.  Look at this article on building biceps to see how you can combine this supplement with good form to get big biceps.

Caffeine can really be one of the best bodybuilding supplements, so don’t avoid it.

   Take caffeine as a supplement before your workout to help you train longer and harder – most people can safely take about 500 mg a day.  You do not have to drink 8 cups of coffee prior to your workout to get the caffeine you need, nor do you have to buy expensive name-brand supplements.  This is what you do to get the best, least expensive body building supplement out there:

At your local drug store, find the generic brand of “No-Doze” or “Stay-Alert”.  Make sure the generic has the exact same ingredients as the name brand by checking the active ingredients label.  Tablets that are not coated are better because they are more easily crushed.  These pills usually have about 200 mg. of caffeine – about the same as in 2.5 cups of coffee.

Crush a pill to powder about 15 minutes before your workout.  Drink the powder in juice or coffee.  Caffeine effects fade after about an hour and are not permanent.  Look at this article about getting big biceps or this one about getting a six pack to see how to best use the extra boost you get from caffeine. 

Some research suggest that using caffeine can boost memory and may reduce the chances of developing Parkinson’s disease.  So stop avoiding caffeine, use it to build big muscles.

 

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