Fantastic video! Started taking a beta alanine/caffeine/Citrulline combo and saw a noticeable difference in energy during intense workouts. Curious about your recommendation on caffeine dossage..at my weight that would mean I could take up to 500+mg a day but I've read articles stating that anything over 400g might be dangerous?
The it is generally recommended not to exceed 400mg of caffiene per day. In divided dosages not all at once. However it is just a guide and not a one size fits all. Some people can't handle one cup of coffee(100mg caffiene roughly) they can get the "jitters" and feel overwhelming wired however this isn't the case for most people, if that person decided to start taking 400mg per day it would probably have a negative effect because they have such a low tolerance. But some people have a high tolerance for caffiene usually because of long-term use but they might naturally be able to tolerate high doses of caffiene. If I were you I would just take 2 weeks off from caffiene to reset my tolerance, you will find you need significantly less caffiene to achieve the desired effect. And your energy might be more steady thought the day. It really depends on the person. Personally I think it is a little bit too high. If you have an elevated HR I would definitely cut down. I would just Chech my HR a few times a day for 5 days while consuming the same amount of caffiene to get an average resting HR so you have an idea of how it effects you. The reason why I say to do it for 5 days multiple times a day is because hr can vary depending upon the time of day and the environment/situation you are in in that moment. It only takes 30seconds to do and 2 fingers and the stopwatch on your phone Basically I think you should just take 2 weeks off (there will be some withdrawal but it's not that bad.) And then you won't need so much caffiene. And check resting BPM
I have lost a long-term endurance since I raced triathlons 10 years ago I’ve been taking magnesium to stop cramping and that seems to help about 3 g today I also take him a protein drink
Just found your channel. I though all your info was totally spot on and I have done many hours of research on this topic obsessively!!! I would add that for a runner a decent multivitamin with good zinc and iron is always a good thing plus a vitamin D or D3 ideally as well as an omega 3 as a daily standard. Cheers subbed!!!
Hey Bud thanks so much for the liking of the video! All the items youve suggested I would put more in the general health supplement as they're not actual performance aids. But D3, omega-3 and iron (sometimes) for endurance are for sure good. Zinc depends on the situation too and multivit is more about covering bases but if you think it helps sure
Caffeine is a dieuretic but will not increase dehydration. Mineral loss no but can reduce the abpsoprtion of certain minerals if you take it alongside. It will of course increase HR
Will, two questions. I've heard that if you are taking caffeine, it will negate any nitrates in your bloodstream (i.e., beetroot juice). Is this true? Also, you said that with Beta-Alanine, you want to pre-load and then continue with 3g daily. With Sodium Bicarbonate, do you need to continue taking it to see its benefits, or do you only take it before harder workouts/races? Thanks for the great vlog!
I haven't read any research to suggest nitrates are negated when taken with caffeine but would be happy to read anything to support that. Sodium bicarb is only taken just before the event/race you don't load it And my pleasure man
Does taking Beta Alanine during threshold training (intervals) hinders the body’s natural ability to adapt to lactic acid build up in muscles. I mean in training (especially lactic threshold training) you flood the muscles with lactic acid so that the body will become more efficient in processing the lactic acid, but if you take Beta Alanine during training you reduce this effect? because beta Alanine will buffer the lactic acid on behalf of body’s natural buffering process. I hope my logic is clear to you? Let me know if you agree or disagree
I assume lactic acid will still build up but because beta alanine is clearing out the hydrogen ions faster you'll be able to go harder before reaching your threshold therefore should help the muscle adapt.
@@yappydabbad9323 Late to the party here but I would agree generally but with one be aware of statement... I do Long 13+ mile threshold runs because yes I'm an obsessive marathoner. I once had a hairline fracture simply because my bone density didn't match up with what the body muscle could push. Point is to beware of how the body responds to this as that lactic acid threshold is natures little "take it easy sparky" switch for when we push a bit too hard for too long.
2g Taurine may also help. What about Trimethylglycine/Betaine Anhydrous? My biggest concern with caffeine is tolerance, so I only take caffeine every 3 days. Could Teacrine be a good alternative to caffeine? The idea is taking caffeine the first day, teacrine the second, dynamine the third, and then caffeine again the forth day to avoid tolerance.
400mg of nitrate is a huge dose, isn't it? In the setting of chest pain where glyceryl trinatrate is used to dilate blood vessels and threrfore reduce cardiac workload and oxygen demand the oral dose is 300-600mcg per dose. That amount can drop blood pressure substantially.
While I'm not a dcotor I would hazard a guess that glyceryl trinatrate is substantially stronger and/or does this in a slightly differen't way or to a greater degree. Nitrates in this dosage has been proven to be safe and effective. But if you're taking other medication that causes vaso-dillation I would check to see if it warns of other nitrate consumption as could cause blood pressure to further lower
What are your thoughts on L-Citrulline or Citrulline Malate for performance? Will taking beta-alanine at 3 grams per day eventually meet the necessary loading, albeit at a slower rate? I have been taking beta alanine for several months, and found my endurance was better swimming even after not swimming for two months.
Yeah it's a good question - there isn't significant evidence for Citrulline at the moment BUT it works slightly differently to beta alanine, so if you have the money and are happy for marginal gains you could invest in it. Ways to take it you can either load citrulline for a specific event or take a lower dose daily.
Hi will. Just found your you tube channel after watching Francis cades video. When working I normally train at 7 o clock at night. Normally 60-90 mins but usually high intensity. I usually have a shake and my dinner straight after. What do you recommend to eat in the hour leading up to the session (if anything is required). Lots of different suggestions on you tube but you seem to know a lot more. Thanks for the great videos 😀👍
Hey bud so i would say you dont need the shake on top of the meal if your dinner is following it closely (within 2 hours of shake) and the dinner has adequate protein. In the lead up to it I would have something 2-4 hours before at around 0.8-1.2g/kg/bw of carbs and then if its going to be a big session or your famished and that meal was more towards 4 hours ago something 5-20mins before would be ideal... banana... fruit juice slice of bread with jam or honey. Obviously these should take into account your total days calories so youre not going over
Hey Richard, so L-Carnitine seems to minorly effect muscle damage and doms but from what I saw didn't look at follow up performance, and we've seen doms doens't outright dimish performance in the following day. Most of the research has been in fat loss. Most of the research as been in obese individuals though and can't say it would help much unless you're in that critera. Overall I would say your money could be put to better use elsewhere - hope that helps
Sadly I couldn't tell you - its about the nitrate concentration. So you can achieve it from that extract but you might need more. I can say though, if you just regularly consume it you will eventually saturate the muscle and will get those improvements
I have a question about caffeine in training. I was wondering if caffeine reduced the amount of performance gained over time? I was thinking about this and I'm not sure. On one side you have the fact that it blocks pain so maybe the body doesn't adapt as much thank to the lack of pain but on the other hand the body is still doing the work and providing the muscle stress to cause a gain in fitness. Thanks in advance
Hey Cucumber - So it wouldn't reduce the effectiveness/adaption of the session as it doesn't reduce inflammtion. To my knowledge mainly items that reduce inflammation and blunt adaption to exercise but enhance recovery. It is altering your perception of effort rather than reducing the load ont muscle and in turn reducing adaption
Probably not Pedro. You would need about a litre of normal beetroot juice. BUT you could Google "High nitrate foods" and just continuously have them in your diet to help
Yeah you will find most pre-workout suppelements offer caffeine, beta alanine and creatine. The issue being though that the amount of beta alanine won't be enough and requires daily useage so you will end up having massive amounts of caffeine for no reason somtimes. Recommened getting them seperate I think you will find them cheaper that way too
I've had cordyceps and lions mane and l'theanine and caffeine and creatine as my "normal" with beet it shot (before race only) and I found the combination to be fantastic and I was PB'ing all distances prior to lockdown as a 40 year old beating my PB'S set as a 20 odd year old!!!
Yeah BCAAS during long duration training like 3/4hours or longer is fine. At least 3g of Leucine would be needed though and I would suggest using EAAs over BCAAs
How would you recommend using caffeine during an event like an Ironman (10hrs +) or Ironman 70.3 (4hrs +) when your out there for so long? Would you have caffeine before the event then just topping up throughout with smaller doses? Thanks
So I would take 3-6mg/kg/bw 45-60mins before you start the swim, then 100-200mg caffeine about hour 3 of the bike on either full or 70.3 and then in the full have one in your transition bag to grab. So that would be 2 extra intakes in a full iron.
Hi, Will. I'm a runner at US college but I've never taken any supplements to increase endurance. I'm a mid-distance and distance runner. I reached solid results at the age of 25, then I stagnated and I didn't improve at all. I have anxiety disorder and avoid taking caffeine. What are your suggestions for me regarding taking supplements? I'm 31 yo. Thanks.
Considering that you have other considerations you must take those into account I would suggest all the supplements I've put here possibly minus caffeine due to your anxiety. If you're fit and healthy and have no known reasons otherwise. But nothing will beat starting the race hydrated and with adequate carbohydrate status
@@WillGirling That would be cool, but will all the disclaimers on health and not-recommended grounds! Could even look at similar blood boosting foods: iron (+pairing with vit C), B6, B12, folate, zinc, copper rich foods for example... and how ineffective they are ergogenically compared to rEPO!
I'm sorry you felt nauseated off of Beta Alanine, but the science is very much in support of using this product with little to no side effects across most populations. Though you may be an exception, but could have been compounding items alongside. I have taken it, and all the supplements here at the proper doses. The research on all of these is highly reputable and reliable. Thanks for the comment though
So if you just took it over 6 months and didn't get it everyday it would still eventually saturate but will just take longer- tingling you can avoid with smaller doses 1.5-2g and taking it with a meal should help too
Fantastic video! Started taking a beta alanine/caffeine/Citrulline combo and saw a noticeable difference in energy during intense workouts. Curious about your recommendation on caffeine dossage..at my weight that would mean I could take up to 500+mg a day but I've read articles stating that anything over 400g might be dangerous?
The it is generally recommended not to exceed 400mg of caffiene per day. In divided dosages not all at once.
However it is just a guide and not a one size fits all. Some people can't handle one cup of coffee(100mg caffiene roughly) they can get the "jitters" and feel overwhelming wired however this isn't the case for most people, if that person decided to start taking 400mg per day it would probably have a negative effect because they have such a low tolerance.
But some people have a high tolerance for caffiene usually because of long-term use but they might naturally be able to tolerate high doses of caffiene.
If I were you I would just take 2 weeks off from caffiene to reset my tolerance, you will find you need significantly less caffiene to achieve the desired effect. And your energy might be more steady thought the day.
It really depends on the person. Personally I think it is a little bit too high.
If you have an elevated HR I would definitely cut down. I would just Chech my HR a few times a day for 5 days while consuming the same amount of caffiene to get an average resting HR so you have an idea of how it effects you. The reason why I say to do it for 5 days multiple times a day is because hr can vary depending upon the time of day and the environment/situation you are in in that moment. It only takes 30seconds to do and 2 fingers and the stopwatch on your phone
Basically I think you should just take 2 weeks off (there will be some withdrawal but it's not that bad.)
And then you won't need so much caffiene.
And check resting BPM
I have lost a long-term endurance since I raced triathlons 10 years ago I’ve been taking magnesium to stop cramping and that seems to help about 3 g today I also take him a protein drink
Just found your channel. I though all your info was totally spot on and I have done many hours of research on this topic obsessively!!! I would add that for a runner a decent multivitamin with good zinc and iron is always a good thing plus a vitamin D or D3 ideally as well as an omega 3 as a daily standard. Cheers subbed!!!
Hey Bud thanks so much for the liking of the video! All the items youve suggested I would put more in the general health supplement as they're not actual performance aids. But D3, omega-3 and iron (sometimes) for endurance are for sure good. Zinc depends on the situation too and multivit is more about covering bases but if you think it helps sure
@@WillGirling yup. Spot on again about general health Vs running specific supplements as well.
I also read a lot of contradicting information on caffeine increasing heart rate, dehydration and mineral loss.
I am not sure what to think.
Caffeine is a dieuretic but will not increase dehydration. Mineral loss no but can reduce the abpsoprtion of certain minerals if you take it alongside. It will of course increase HR
Thank you for the answer.
Isnt increasing heart rate something that will stress the body and that I would want to avoid, at least in training ?
Will, two questions. I've heard that if you are taking caffeine, it will negate any nitrates in your bloodstream (i.e., beetroot juice). Is this true? Also, you said that with Beta-Alanine, you want to pre-load and then continue with 3g daily. With Sodium Bicarbonate, do you need to continue taking it to see its benefits, or do you only take it before harder workouts/races? Thanks for the great vlog!
I haven't read any research to suggest nitrates are negated when taken with caffeine but would be happy to read anything to support that.
Sodium bicarb is only taken just before the event/race you don't load it
And my pleasure man
Does taking Beta Alanine during threshold training (intervals) hinders the body’s natural ability to adapt to lactic acid build up in muscles. I mean in training (especially lactic threshold training) you flood the muscles with lactic acid so that the body will become more efficient in processing the lactic acid, but if you take Beta Alanine during training you reduce this effect? because beta Alanine will buffer the lactic acid on behalf of body’s natural buffering process.
I hope my logic is clear to you? Let me know if you agree or disagree
I had the same question on mind for long time.
I assume lactic acid will still build up but because beta alanine is clearing out the hydrogen ions faster you'll be able to go harder before reaching your threshold therefore should help the muscle adapt.
@@yappydabbad9323 Late to the party here but I would agree generally but with one be aware of statement... I do Long 13+ mile threshold runs because yes I'm an obsessive marathoner. I once had a hairline fracture simply because my bone density didn't match up with what the body muscle could push. Point is to beware of how the body responds to this as that lactic acid threshold is natures little "take it easy sparky" switch for when we push a bit too hard for too long.
2g Taurine may also help. What about Trimethylglycine/Betaine Anhydrous? My biggest concern with caffeine is tolerance, so I only take caffeine every 3 days. Could Teacrine be a good alternative to caffeine? The idea is taking caffeine the first day, teacrine the second, dynamine the third, and then caffeine again the forth day to avoid tolerance.
400mg of nitrate is a huge dose, isn't it? In the setting of chest pain where glyceryl trinatrate is used to dilate blood vessels and threrfore reduce cardiac workload and oxygen demand the oral dose is 300-600mcg per dose. That amount can drop blood pressure substantially.
While I'm not a dcotor I would hazard a guess that glyceryl trinatrate is substantially stronger and/or does this in a slightly differen't way or to a greater degree. Nitrates in this dosage has been proven to be safe and effective. But if you're taking other medication that causes vaso-dillation I would check to see if it warns of other nitrate consumption as could cause blood pressure to further lower
Hi Will, thank you for the video. Very informative. I am planning to take Creatine along with Beta Alanine. Would this be ok or not recommended?
Yeah they work well together for sure! No problems there
Great explanation!
Another really insightful video. Also excellent comment replies. Spot on Will.
Thanks so much derek! Appreciate the comment and glad youre liking the content.
What are your thoughts on L-Citrulline or Citrulline Malate for performance? Will taking beta-alanine at 3 grams per day eventually meet the necessary loading, albeit at a slower rate? I have been taking beta alanine for several months, and found my endurance was better swimming even after not swimming for two months.
Yeah it's a good question - there isn't significant evidence for Citrulline at the moment BUT it works slightly differently to beta alanine, so if you have the money and are happy for marginal gains you could invest in it. Ways to take it you can either load citrulline for a specific event or take a lower dose daily.
Hi will. Just found your you tube channel after watching Francis cades video. When working I normally train at 7 o clock at night. Normally 60-90 mins but usually high intensity. I usually have a shake and my dinner straight after. What do you recommend to eat in the hour leading up to the session (if anything is required). Lots of different suggestions on you tube but you seem to know a lot more. Thanks for the great videos 😀👍
Hey bud so i would say you dont need the shake on top of the meal if your dinner is following it closely (within 2 hours of shake) and the dinner has adequate protein.
In the lead up to it I would have something 2-4 hours before at around 0.8-1.2g/kg/bw of carbs and then if its going to be a big session or your famished and that meal was more towards 4 hours ago something 5-20mins before would be ideal... banana... fruit juice slice of bread with jam or honey.
Obviously these should take into account your total days calories so youre not going over
Are there any benefits to using Acetyl L-Carnitine for endurance sport ie cycling? Thanks.
Hey Richard, so L-Carnitine seems to minorly effect muscle damage and doms but from what I saw didn't look at follow up performance, and we've seen doms doens't outright dimish performance in the following day.
Most of the research has been in fat loss. Most of the research as been in obese individuals though and can't say it would help much unless you're in that critera.
Overall I would say your money could be put to better use elsewhere - hope that helps
@@WillGirling Thanks Will, From what I have read it has limited benefits. Thank you for your reply, much appreciated as always.
Using bodytech critical aminos XT for competitive swimming. Thoughts m8?
I mean if you want to but nothing in that should improve performance above the 5 I've put here
Wanted to give this a big like anyway, but also bc it was on 666
What are ur thoughts on adderall?
Organic Beet Root Extract Powder is this the same thing?
Sadly I couldn't tell you - its about the nitrate concentration. So you can achieve it from that extract but you might need more. I can say though, if you just regularly consume it you will eventually saturate the muscle and will get those improvements
I have a question about caffeine in training. I was wondering if caffeine reduced the amount of performance gained over time? I was thinking about this and I'm not sure. On one side you have the fact that it blocks pain so maybe the body doesn't adapt as much thank to the lack of pain but on the other hand the body is still doing the work and providing the muscle stress to cause a gain in fitness.
Thanks in advance
Hey Cucumber - So it wouldn't reduce the effectiveness/adaption of the session as it doesn't reduce inflammtion. To my knowledge mainly items that reduce inflammation and blunt adaption to exercise but enhance recovery.
It is altering your perception of effort rather than reducing the load ont muscle and in turn reducing adaption
@@WillGirling Thank you for the response I am grateful.
What about PED’s?
And what if you eat beetroot itself, not the juice? Will be the same improvement?
Probably not Pedro. You would need about a litre of normal beetroot juice. BUT you could Google "High nitrate foods" and just continuously have them in your diet to help
are there any products that contain more than one of the mentioned supplements?
Yeah you will find most pre-workout suppelements offer caffeine, beta alanine and creatine. The issue being though that the amount of beta alanine won't be enough and requires daily useage so you will end up having massive amounts of caffeine for no reason somtimes. Recommened getting them seperate I think you will find them cheaper that way too
Hello,
Thoughts on Cordyceps ?
I haven't done any particular research in this but have on lots of other herbal remedies. Thoughts on what about them in specific though?
About it as a supplement to improve endurance performance
I've had cordyceps and lions mane and l'theanine and caffeine and creatine as my "normal" with beet it shot (before race only) and I found the combination to be fantastic and I was PB'ing all distances prior to lockdown as a 40 year old beating my PB'S set as a 20 odd year old!!!
Is the creatine load necessary? Or can I just start 3-5g/day ?
Ni you can just start at the 3g - 5g a day. Will take a couple of weeks to saturate the muscle but will reduce any potential gi effects
Hi Will ! Do you know safe brands to buy beetroot shot ?
Yeah just "Beet it" or "Active Edge" are reliable sources.
Beet it do both a "concentrate shot" and a 500ml carton. The shot is great about half an hour before the start of a race.
What about BCAAs?pre.During or after cycling workout?
Yeah BCAAS during long duration training like 3/4hours or longer is fine. At least 3g of Leucine would be needed though and I would suggest using EAAs over BCAAs
What about adding keton esters to this stack?
Nit proven and very expensive
im using bcaa supplements is it worth it to take?
How would you recommend using caffeine during an event like an Ironman (10hrs +) or Ironman 70.3 (4hrs +) when your out there for so long? Would you have caffeine before the event then just topping up throughout with smaller doses? Thanks
So I would take 3-6mg/kg/bw 45-60mins before you start the swim, then 100-200mg caffeine about hour 3 of the bike on either full or 70.3 and then in the full have one in your transition bag to grab. So that would be 2 extra intakes in a full iron.
Great. Thanks Will
"A guy callad Garnio et al!?" You know what 'et al' means, right???
Et Al means "and others" referring to the other authors of the paper
Hi, Will. I'm a runner at US college but I've never taken any supplements to increase endurance. I'm a mid-distance and distance runner. I reached solid results at the age of 25, then I stagnated and I didn't improve at all. I have anxiety disorder and avoid taking caffeine. What are your suggestions for me regarding taking supplements? I'm 31 yo. Thanks.
Considering that you have other considerations you must take those into account I would suggest all the supplements I've put here possibly minus caffeine due to your anxiety. If you're fit and healthy and have no known reasons otherwise. But nothing will beat starting the race hydrated and with adequate carbohydrate status
@@WillGirling Thanks man!
I heard creatine loading is a myth
It's not a myth, not isn't essential. It's just speeds up the speed at which you saturate the muscle but can cause some people stomach upset if done.
I want to order epo online to try w running. A video on the topic would be very interesting.
HAHA yeah a video on EPO?
@@WillGirling That would be cool, but will all the disclaimers on health and not-recommended grounds! Could even look at similar blood boosting foods: iron (+pairing with vit C), B6, B12, folate, zinc, copper rich foods for example... and how ineffective they are ergogenically compared to rEPO!
If I drink 3 espressos I will be shaking like a fish!!! Hahah
HAHAHAHA! It's pretty strong but the science really backs it up
Synthetic EPO>
Dude you're a joke those thing WILL NOT increase endurance!
And your ability to prove they don't?
beta alanine - in practice sucks, very nauseating at low doses, skip this one. please dont promote something that you have never taken
I'm sorry you felt nauseated off of Beta Alanine, but the science is very much in support of using this product with little to no side effects across most populations. Though you may be an exception, but could have been compounding items alongside.
I have taken it, and all the supplements here at the proper doses.
The research on all of these is highly reputable and reliable. Thanks for the comment though
I feel fine taking it ?
beta alanine👎🏽
unless your taking it every day and getting the saturation dose your never getting performance benifits besides buthole itches
So if you just took it over 6 months and didn't get it everyday it would still eventually saturate but will just take longer- tingling you can avoid with smaller doses 1.5-2g and taking it with a meal should help too