Red Bull gives u wings, but will it....

visual_infinity

let you train effectivly like the other energy drinks do? could it at all be bad for you?? Is the caffeine really something that will make you urinate faster than you can drink it (coffee?). anyone here train with it?

J

visual_infinity

33 views but no replies. I am suprised, I would have expected comment on such a hugely popular stimulant drink, gives the energy and stimulation to dance all night (one day in the paper, I read amphetamine usage in nightclubs was down, and the next I read this drink usage was up, though no other reader or indeed editor managed to see the link lol)

Ssushi

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3122319.stm

Theyve proven now that caffine helps your body to burn fat over carbs...

Lasalles

Theyve now got the Sugar free Red Bull in the light blue can though it tastes like $^it compared to the normal Red Bull.But the normal Red Bull has heaps of sugar.I wouldnt imagine using it for cycling unless you were tired before you went out for a ride. Caffeine tabs like No Doze would do the same thing and not leave you busting for a p!$$ afew Ks down the road.

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Martystan

RedBull like any other energy drink is OK, caffeine dehydrates you though,maybe a mix of RedBull and 'Sponsor' in your bottle combined with a Pwergel is good for the last 10km of a race. This works for me doing the Thailand XC mtb circuit.

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Marty

ric_stern/RST

caffeine *doesn't* have a diuretic effect during exercise, or with people who are well habituated to it.

I've no idea on the CHO content of red bull, or whether it has any electrolytes (these are the two most important parts of a sports drink). It also only appears to be a small drink (I've only seen small cans of it) -- so it wouldn't keep you hydrated.

Ssushi: it's *long* be known that caffeine has a glycogen sparing effect, which would therefore require more energy to come from fats. However, this makes little difference as it's total energy expenditure that causes weight loss (not what the fuel substrate is). For the caffiene to be effective, you'd have to train for longer than if you didn't have caffeine.

Ric

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Lasalles

I had a Red Bull before i went Mountain Biking the other day and found that after 1/2 hr of medium to hard exerson all i was doing was burping up the taste of the Red Bull. Thus i wouldnt recomend taking it if your planning on a hard ride.

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zippy

I drink one sugarfree Red Bull before each ride 1-3 hours it seems to be ok for me . It dosent make me sick and from drinking it when I dont ride I know about 30 minutes after drinking a can I get pretty juiced up so its doing the same thing when I ride but with the activity I just dont feel it. I say thumbs up before a ride

su22

dancing or not dancing, i dont think red bull has any effect on me. as a drink it tastes ok. i think it's all pyschological.

but that's just me-- im a pretty bubbly cheery person anyway.

in triathlon the adrenalin is enough to make me hyper

hey dont tennis players drink flat Coke? so maybe you could try flat red bull (i couldnt imagine how crap that'd taste though!!!)

dwj444

I think the two issues with RedBull have to do with sugar and caffeine. Depending on what your riding level is, what your training load is, and what your goals are, you are going to have different ideas about what makes for a good or bad beverage.

I think in terms of sugar, RB is not a great choice for someone who is into serious training. Actually, I don't think it's a great choice for people who are concenred about taking good care of their bodies. All of the sports drinks on the market contain sugar. RB, however, strikes me as belonging much more to a soft-drink market than to the sports drink category. As a carbonated drink, it has the downside of making you belch (as noted by the MTB above). It lacks the electrolyte replacement technology that makes sports drinks good choices for endurance athletes. It just doesn't measure up; its design just doesn't reach the same level of sophistication and therefore, isn't similarly compatable with endurance exercise.

The caffeine in RB is also an issue. My understanding is that caffeine in any form acts as a diuretic (sp?). I don't think that there's a major difference between taking a pill or drinking a RB (save that a pill lacks the 10 oz. of liquid that a RB provides). At such a small size, RB for hydration makes very little sense.

If you're getting a jump from RB, it may be that your body is more sensitive to caffeine than some others' are, or that you are having some more psychological response to it.

If you need, want, or like that jump, then it has to be your decision as to whether or not you want to deal with the overly-high, ill-targeted sugar delivery, or the urination issues. Personally, I think that there are better products out there, that are more carefully engineered for athletes. I would leave the RB for the club scene.

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Time to make the doughnuts.

FatRoadie

LOL, cant comment on its Excercise effectiveness......but for your next get together here is a good use for Red bull....

Take one can of red bull and pour into a pint glass...

Take a shot glass and mix one part 151, one part Crown Royal, one part chambourd (sp?) and one part peach schanpps equally into the shot glass...

Drop the shot glass into the pint glass with the Red Bull......when it starts to fizzzz........shoot the entire contents........

Its called...........Rock Star's Revenge.......

Bruce