Jacked up on Energy Drinks Part III

    In the final installment of this series, (Part 1 &  Part 2)  I want to bring to light an alternative to energy drinks that will help get you focused and in gear, ready to attack some weights. While in the previous posts I mentioned some of the negatives caffeine can possess, it is important to note that it isn't the devil. The key is to use it sparingly to avoid the disrupted sleep patterns, dehydration, headaches, etc.

     What I suggest as opposed to the typical energy drink is a combination of caffeine and the amino acid L-Tyrosine. Caffeine as you know is a central nervous system stimulant, a catalyst to increased free fatty acid mobilization, and can potentially allow for sustained muscular contractions.  L-Tyrosine is an amino acid which, when ingested, stimulates the release of adrenaline, dopamine, and norepinephrine. This serve to increase energy and mood. L-Tyrosine also increases the "mind-muscle" connection, allowing for the increase of the number of motor units called upon during exercise increasing strength.

    Along with all of that, the two seem to have a synergistic relationship with each other, in that, when taken together, they serve to elevate the effects of the other.

    So what is the recommend way to supplement the two? Used sparingly, one should take 150-200mg of caffeine with 1500-3000mg of L-Tyrosine.

No Nonsense Supplementation,

Kyle Bohannon, CSCS

Owner/Head Trainer

kyle@trainstrive.com

www.trainstrive.com