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Post by andytheblacksmith on Apr 23, 2014 7:02:22 GMT -7
I climb and train with a lot of coffee fanatics. We're not talking frilly chocolate-mocha-frappy-happy-dippy beverages; think black, dark, and potent. Jet fuel, basically. There's a lot of interesting literature out there about the benefits, side-effects, downsides, and myths surrounding coffee. I personally see coffee as essential to life (and climbing). I'm curious how other climbers view this ubiquitous drink.
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Post by Chris W on Apr 24, 2014 2:30:23 GMT -7
Andy, coffee is a sign that God loves you and wants you to be happy. I can say with confidence that caffeine has been well studied and has been around since the dawn of time. It is a fully legal and safe (in regular doses) performance enhancing drug. Caffeine has been shown time and again to improve both mental and physical performance.
Your average 8 ounce cup of coffee has about 100 mg of caffeine in it, while most "travel" mugs hold close to 16 oz of coffee. A dose of 200 mg of caffeine, for most people, ingested 30 minutes prior to a workout, will help with performance without giving you the jitters.
Coffee itself, interestingly, has LESS caffeine the DARKER it is. The roasting process caramelizes the sugars in the coffee beans and cooks out the caffeine (which is a purine, I think). The darker the roast, the less the individual flavors of the beans are retained (like when you cook a really nice steak well done, you can't tell the difference between it and a crummy cut of meat). Contrary to popular belief, a lighter roast will have more caffeine in it, which is why most of your morning coffee blends tend to be lighter. To get the most out of your coffee, keep your beans in an air tight container, grind them fresh every time you make it, and make your coffee in a French press. It takes a couple of extra minutes to do it this way, but it's worth it (like the difference between whole milk and skim milk).
Beware the bowel stimulant effects and diuretic properties of coffee.
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Post by kerwinl on Apr 24, 2014 15:20:27 GMT -7
Drink coffee everyday, extra on climbing days. I have yet to find consistent literature that shows any downsides. I am lucky enough that I do not get withdrawls if I dont have any for a day or two. Drink up!
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Post by Michael Hall on Apr 24, 2014 19:47:39 GMT -7
Coffee is an essential element of my mornings (~24oz daily) and I have found it to be helpful to "dose up" a bit on training days and have also found it to be really helpful for my long runs. Good beta on the light roast - had never heard that.
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Post by Mike Anderson on Jun 21, 2014 14:38:05 GMT -7
I personally don't drink coffee, but lots of climbers and other athletes do, and caffeine is well-known as a performance enhancing drug, so it doesn't hurt. If it makes you jittery, cut back.
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Post by Greying on Granite on Jun 26, 2014 9:41:00 GMT -7
I think you accidentally mistitled this thread. I assume you meant to call it "Coffee: What kinds to use or not use."
Anyway, clicked expecting devotional excuses why we should be drinking coffee and was not disappointed.
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Post by dillonthomassee on Jul 2, 2014 22:53:41 GMT -7
I have used caffeine for distance runs. Never tried it with climbing but it is known that it helps with muscular endurance.
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Post by Greying on Granite on Jul 3, 2014 13:12:35 GMT -7
To be honest I think coffee sometimes adds a layer of anxiety if I'm over-caffeinated when I'm climbing.
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Post by MMMM_Coffee on Jul 12, 2014 9:55:52 GMT -7
Coffee is great! However, there are some studies floating around that suggest consuming more than 28 cups of coffee a week has a significant effect (note that is not necessarily a large effect) on increasing the probability that a person will suffer from several health issues. My wife (a doctor, boo!) made me cut out my daily pot of coffee. I'm down to two cups!
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Post by MarkAnderson on Jul 15, 2014 12:50:09 GMT -7
Coffee is great! However, there are some studies floating around that suggest consuming more than 28 cups of coffee a week has a significant effect (note that is not necessarily a large effect) on increasing the probability that a person will suffer from several health issues. My wife (a doctor, boo!) made me cut out my daily pot of coffee. I'm down to two cups! "28 cups" is a bit ambiguous. I assume caffeine is the offending chemical. Do you have that figure in mg of caffeine? Anyway, that seems like a ridiculous amount of coffee to me, but I suppose plenty of people exceed it. |
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Post by jdgilberg on Jul 15, 2014 14:01:44 GMT -7
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Post by Michael Hall on Jul 16, 2014 6:12:11 GMT -7
i'm around 24/wk assuming 6oz cups, so i suppose i'm safe ;-) phew!
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Post by ernirulez on Nov 2, 2014 4:41:48 GMT -7
Ok, I´m gonna give my opinion so you have at least one against coffee, since all the other comments are pro-coffee.
I like coffee, and would really like to continue drinking it. I think it all depends on the person, but in my case, if I drink coffee before climbing it gives me more energy for the first 2 or 3 routes and then I get really tired, and I cannot push on more difficult routes. It also makes me anxious so I cannot concentrate and be calmed while climbing and that makes me fail. And the last thing, and more important to me, is that after injuring my finger, I noticed that my finger was better (less pain) if I didn´t drink coffee. Maybe it´s psychological, but I had that impression.
Also coffee makes you dehydrate faster, and I don´t mind what studies say about this, this is completely true in my case.
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Post by RobF on Oct 19, 2018 16:07:38 GMT -7
Has proven benefits in the realm of sporting performance (improved fat oxidation / nerve transmission / vasodilation).
I would think of it as a morning drink so as to not upset regular circadian rhythms. Like most aspects of training periodising should be a consideration. The dehydration can be associated with loss of minerals such as calcium (needed for muscle contraction) and B vitamins (energy) so not all good news...
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Post by jetjackson on Oct 22, 2018 3:28:44 GMT -7
I find coffee helps me regulate my bowel movements so I don't need to worry about that at the crag.
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