PastorJim

I have always had battles with fatigue...it's gotten better, but is a genetic thing which can't be changed. So often before a ride I use caffeine and Beta Alanine. I sometimes use C4 Ripped and/or Amino Energy Optimum Nutrition. I use them to help give me energy to go out on my rides. They seem to help. But I hear people saying no prework powder is necessary or beneficial in cycling. What are your thoughts on Preworkout drinks before or during workout? What would you recommend?

Thanks,
Jim M.

PastorJim

I have always had battles with fatigue...it's gotten better, but is a genetic thing which can't be changed. So often before a ride I use caffeine and Beta Alanine. I sometimes use C4 Ripped (not crazy about all the ingredients) and/or Amino Energy Optimum Nutrition. I use them to help give me energy to go out on my rides. They seem to help. But I hear people saying no preworkout powder is necessary or beneficial in cycling. What are your thoughts on Preworkout drinks before or during workout? What would you recommend?

Thanks,
Jim M.

10 Wheels

Have you ever tried Armour Thyroid?

PastorJim

Mine is not a thyroid issue.

canklecat

Ditto, the fatigue thing -- mostly due to Hashimoto's thyroiditis. I'm a slow starter in the morning so I usually have a couple of mugs of coffee, yogurt with cereal and a banana to get me going before a bike ride.

At 59 I have to allow myself more time to warm up. Usually I feel anywhere from blah to miserable the first 20-30 minutes of a ride, and it takes me an hour just to really warm up. After that, if all goes well, I'm good for more riding time and miles.

The main problem I experience with overdoing stimulants is erratic heartbeat and high blood pressure. Usually my BP is under control without meds, but if I take Sudafed for sinus congestion and headache I need to watch my BP, especially if I'm drinking more than a cup of coffee. This past week I needed to take a few days off from riding due to spikes in BP along with erratic heart beat. I felt great for Monday and Tuesday rides. Then took a Sudafed Tuesday evening and by Wednesday my BP was 160/90, unusually high for me, and my heart was skipping erratically. Between that and rain I've taken a few days off.

Haven't tried amino acid supplements, no opinion. I've tried many other types of supplements folks have recommended for joint health, etc., -- glucosamine, chondroitin, shark cartilage, blah-blah-blah -- and never could tell any difference. I take a multi-B vitamin supplement, low dose aspirin and fish oil, but that's all. I'm about to quit the fish oil because it also seems like hokum based on little or no scientific evidence. I only tried it because someone else bought it for me.

PastorJim

No thyroid issues here. A genetic issue no treatment. Though eating healthy and exercise (cycling) has helped. So I eat healthy and take caffeine :-( I am slow to get going in the morning my rides are late afternoon to early evening after work. I fortunately do not have high BP or erratic heart beat. Thanks for sharing.

Sy Reene

Cup of coffee or 2 about 1-2 hours in advance of ride. Not as much for the caffeine, but it kickstarts the digestive system (aka helps me ensure I can take care of business in the bathroom before riding). This and a bowl of oatmeal with some fruit thrown in.

You didn't ask, but during the ride I also get some caffeine.. not a lot. Nuun Energy tab is usually in one of my water bottles, or a clif gel mocha (good stuff!) in my pocket.

Fett2oo5

Yes.
*** Clinically Tested Nitraflex, Testosterone Enhancing Pre Workout, Watermelon, 300 Gram
If it is too much, or you are weary (of this or others) just take a fraction of the normal serving. Half, or Quarter.
But never exceed recommended serving.

redlude97

caffeine has a proven ergogenic(performance enhancing) effect for cycling. I always have it before riding, both for moving the digestion along before the start of the ride, and for the alertness boost.

700

Coffee before riding and beer afterwards. Should be a rule.

rgconner

Yes to caffeine. Coffee if I can turn on the espresso machine without waking up the house or generic 5 hr energy drink from Costco, or sometimes tylenol migraine pill. (I keep one in the saddlebag)

No caffeine in the morning + increased blood pressure from workout can trigger a migraine.

caloso

Beta alanine before hard intervals, coffee always.

GeneO 

Java before riding into work, Caffeinated gels for longer rides (like 40 mi on trails/paths today). I have hypothyroidism too but it is under control with drugs.

HTupolev

Yes caffeine... because coffee pairs well with a bike ride.

Scarbo

Herr Vater, seid doch nicht so scharf!
Wenn ich des Tages nicht dreimal
Mein Schälchen Coffee trinken darf,
So werd ich ja zu meiner Qual
Wie ein verdorrtes Ziegenbrätchen.

J. S. Bach (BWV 211)

So, yes, coffee always.

Wildwood 

Coffee is at the top of the food pyramid.

Machka 

I drink a cup of coffee before a ride and try to drink lots of water during the ride.

Something that seems to make me feel more tired is dehydration in general. I find that a tall glass of water in the middle of the afternoon is more beneficial than a cup of coffee. If you're feeling fatigued all the time, you might think about how much you're drinking in a day.

FeltF2Tarmac

Good point, had not thought of it this way. I'm going to give it a go. The water in the afternoon that is. I drink lots of water riding.

f4rrest

Also, a CoQ10 supplement noticeably helps my energy levels when I'm really pushing the training load.

Coffee for breakfast, then ride.

Dave Cutter

+1

I have a similar routine. My best days start with 2 mugs of coffee, a light breakfast, a trip to the toilet... and a bicycle ride.

I often stop at a favorite coffee-café on the way home too. But no powers/mixes/pills or additives.

Sometimes.... I just don't seem to have it in me for a ride (or a chore). On those days.... I get up and get moving anyway. Many times I literally forced myself to go for a bicycle ride. NEVER.... have I ever regretted a ride.

wipekitty

I usually have two cups of coffee every morning, followed by nature time. If I'm riding in the morning, then there will be coffee before the ride. If it's later in the day...then no. I usually drink a 16 oz glass of water before heading out, two if it's over about 80F.

I've never been a fan of caffeine during a ride, but I'm also prone to anxiety issues if I throw off the coffee balance. On a recent longer ride, though, I had a Mexican Coke (the kind with sugar, not corn syrup) and that was a nice energy source.

raceboy

I gave up the booze so coffee has become my go-to reward drink at the end of a ride. I'll sometimes stop for a cup mid-ride if I am doing a lot of climbing because it definitely gives me a boost. Even the end-of-ride reward coffee will usually give me a second wind and I'll roll an extra 10 miles than I originally planned.

ypsetihw

200mg pill-form caffeine 30 mins before rides of over 2 hours, lots of sugar based foods, usually 100-300 calories of pre-workout food with 1-200 calories per hour of calories suspended in water, usually dextrose and fructose in various forms. coffee freely as I choose. other supplements as normal as they are cycled (fat burners, stimulants, diuretics, tons of water, some salt, lots of carbs, some fat, some protein).

I eat a lot before and during rides, especially hard efforts over 2 hours.

Lakerat

I am very caffeine sensitive, so I dose myself carefully with it when needed. It helps for long drives, cycling max efforts, and 80 hour canoe races.

fietsbob

Having coffee, now, may ride the bike later, after breakfast.