aw3 wrote:
I don't know what you mean (or even if you know what you mean) by "changing body chemistry". Basically everything you do changes your body chemistry, mostly short-term reversible effects, caffeine included.
I think the ergogenic effects of it on race day are indisputable though and one thing that is almost universally overlooked is habituation. As someone that works in medical research, it's
so frustrating to see people cherry-pick arguments from papers that support their cause without acknowledging the conditions and limitations of the testing procedure. Most of the peer-reviewed studies that people are throwing around here will have their subjects abstain from caffeine for a period before studying the effect of
reintroducing it. If you don't regularly consume caffeine, your body will respond very differently to a race-day dose than that of a 4-6 cup-a-day drinker. In that regard alone, I'd say it could be beneficial (performance-wise) to cut out coffee and
use it as an ergogenic training/racing supplement. Long term health benefits and general wellbeing are a completely different subject matter though.
I don't suppose many people will appreciate this though. As the mainstream media prove time and time again, it's easier just to cherry-pick arguments that support your bias than to actually take an objective standpoint.
Yes that is exactly the clinic protocol. To reboot, Christina's discussion around my food log was firstly
Q what level do I want to implement?
A "give me the gold standard". Then she began to break it down, leading to: No coffee, no coke. However for race day she was very specific on when to introduce caffeine etc. After a discussion about decaf (
no) and she was rolling out the plan to wean off - I stopped her and said "OK forget all that we go cold turkey as of now, and really I don't need caffeine on "race day" - for me what's the point? Kind of like when I stopped any alcohol consumption years ago, when I stop, I'm stopping for good.
Chemically - I noticed a change in my skin, urine, intestines, my head, and now further on - in my joints. I don't think you can hydrate your way out of a coffee induced diuretic situation. Coming up on one week in, my joints feel spectacular. I've been on the bike 2 hours everyday this week, in addition to 1 hour in the pool and some light running or walking afterward. I'm sleeping
less but sleeping
more. Yeah I had some withdrawal symptoms for sure, dopiness at times and I would also classify as blues or depression, but things are starting to line out.
It's weird but the wall clock seems to have slowed down, which is drag when you are working!
But yeah it's OK I'm all cool with it. Although I was very impressed by the swimmers at the worlds (your gold standard right there) I did not book the appt to swim faster. That 's bonkers, I don't care my swimming has been off the chain this summer anyway. fast enough.
I didn't know what to expect, I just knew I could not go this one alone. At the end of the day I'm a bear with his nose in the garbage can.
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