Energy drinks before the game.

[Ives]

The thought never come across in my mind until now. Do you guys think it's a bad idea to consume energy drink (like Red Bull) before the game?

[Kumo]

yeah..

[brandonislegend]

thats so fkn dumb to do.

[Zak]

DON"T DO IT! Have you ever tried to run or play sports after drinking a soda, trying that with red bull will even be worse. Plus, energy drinks are horrible I've only drinken one in my whole life.

[3.2.1.]

yup...

[H2whoa]

unless your rip hamilton..

[KeylessEntry]

doesnt work for me at all.

[Mordecai11]

I tried it... it helped for the first like 10 minutes in a pickup game then..... BOOM
In the middle of the game I just completely crashed and I felt terrible... don't do it
I also talked to a dietitian about it and she said it's bad for you so the answer is yes it's bad for you

[Huey Freeman]

If you didn't get enough sleep it might be better initially, but I wouldn't suggest it.

[Fallguy20]

What is contained in an energy drink that is usefull to a basketball player? The only carbs are all very quick burning suger. Protein? Fats? Forget about it.

Stay away from any supplement that is meant to get you a rush.

[kap]

ill add a little to everyone else.

im not a scientist or anything, but i read some research papers about this. anything that alters the body system(alcohol, medicine, energy drinks etc) generally dehydrate the body. so that's why drinking alcohol with redbull is considered dangerous because you will get extremely dehydrated without you knowing, and in some situations can be very dangerous.

so with that said, the same thing goes with working out/playing sports. playing in a competitive basketball game is really going to dehydrate the body, and if you add to that with redbull or something, it's really hard on your heart. im not saying you will get a heartattack or anything, but if you make this a frequent habit, eventually down the line, it's POSSIBLE that it may cause you problems.

my advice: try it during practice if you want, but don't make it a frequent habit. might not be good for ya

[ABPrints]

Please don't. We have an epidemic now at our school with the football players taking all tpes of 5 hour energy and the same. Cramps, dehydration, irritability, poor performance, etc. Simple not worth it. Get a good dietary day in the day before and proper nutrition pregame and you;ll be fine.

[raffster2]

it will make you THIRSTY as hell. i wouldn't advise it

[Igwe_LDN]

No No NOOOOO!!!!

Just drink water or juice (and I mean JUICE, not Juice DRINKS). Most products that say Juice DRINK are just sugar basically. And just eat alot of fruits as well.

I tried all that energy wahala and all it did was make me more fatigued. I only stopped it recently and as hard as it seems to me, I dont get easily fatigued anymore.

And sugar aint good for the joints either so stay away from it.

[Riker]

I drink Leaparade. It makes you leap to insane height after few sips of that potion.

I also drink Clutchorade, something that many prominent NBA stars today dont seem to be drinking.

And also, Andoneorade. To make fans ooh and aah after I pull my insane dribbles at center court until the sun goes down and ball park gets empty.

LOL

But seriously, drink Water. You should be good.

[hayden695]

i find it leaves my spit all thick from sugar and whatnot so its harder to breath and i am constantly spitting (outside only of course) and i really dont even notice im alert more like agitated and shoot when the shot clock is at 20 type of thing. and you crash 5 minutes in

[the.powerhouse]

Yea, as most mentioned here energy drinks will only give you a short-term boost. Water alone is ok, but if you want to improve your performance you can actually mix together your own sport drink! This will sound random, but a lot of athletes from long distance sports (who know how to take care of their bodies... ) use it.

Take a 1 or 1 1/2 litter bottle and fill it half with water and the other half apple juice. If you play pick up games for longer than 2 hours you can also add 1 to 2 grams of salt. The salt helps water absorption, and the apple juice contains dextrose, which as a carbohydrate takes longer to process than sport drinks like red bull, which are at the top of the Glycemic index scale. In English this means it will take your body longer to convert the carbs into energy, and therefore being a more economic fuel source!

[BreakthePress]

i would just go wit water...and some music to get you amped up!

[the.powerhouse]

i would just go wit water...and some music to get you amped up!

Water is fine, but if you play for more than an hour you will need carbs, which it unfortunately doesn't have.

[ILballa]

Energy drinks are bad for you.

[ABPrints]

Water is fine, but if you play for more than an hour you will need carbs, which it unfortunately doesn't have.


I prefer to water our athletes Gatorade or the like down a bit. That way they are not getting full power gatorade which tends to upset some stomachs. I do the same for myself on the court or on the ice playing hockey.

[mhg88]

Eat around 300g of carbs from something like brown rice and apples about 2-3 hours before playing. Trust me, I've been through the energy drink stage and nothing gives you better, more sustained energy than just eating complex carbs a few hours before playing. Huge difference in performance because you won't feel bloated, get the crash effect, etc.

[Igwe_LDN]

Yea, as most mentioned here energy drinks will only give you a short-term boost. Water alone is ok, but if you want to improve your performance you can actually mix together your own sport drink! This will sound random, but a lot of athletes from long distance sports (who know how to take care of their bodies... ) use it.

Take a 1 or 1 1/2 litter bottle and fill it half with water and the other half apple juice. If you play pick up games for longer than 2 hours you can also add 1 to 2 grams of salt. The salt helps water absorption, and the apple juice contains dextrose, which as a carbohydrate takes longer to process than sport drinks like red bull, which are at the top of the Glycemic index scale. In English this means it will take your body longer to convert the carbs into energy, and therefore being a more economic fuel source!

How long have you been doing that for? Does it actually work and help lower fatigue?

[the.powerhouse]

How long have you been doing that for? Does it actually work and help lower fatigue?

If it didn

[Igwe_LDN]

[QUOTE=the.powerhouse]If it didn

[MJ(Mean John)]

Yea i tried it yesterday. I played for like 2 3 hours and I dunno, cant really tell whether it worked, I'll try again today.

I added like a 1/4 of apple juice and less than a teaspoon of salt (was that too much)? But it didnt hurt me lol. But my concern is if anything, salt aint good for your heart so why is it recommended. Thats why I added the tiniest bit of salt.

LOL..

That redbull stuff just ****s you up.

I tried it like twice and I noticed that into a few minutes all I could think about was "Okay? when is this sh!t going to work already? When am I going to start spuer ballin'?" Then a few minutes into playing, I notice that I'm playing like crap. Then I think to myself "Wheres that boost? I feel drained"
And then later on I realized that it was a crash that I was going through.lol


So What I try to do is before a game eat something an hour or two before (something small like a 1/2 sandwich or a full one)

Then drink a bottle of water right before and drink a little bit of Gatorade right before you play..

Then I'm usually good for about 2 hours.. then I'll feel a bit drained, and what gets me back up to speed is when we are about to lose or someone is trash talkin, the adrenaline gets me pumped

[the.powerhouse]

I added like a 1/4 of apple juice and less than a teaspoon of salt (was that too much)? But it didnt hurt me lol. But my concern is if anything, salt aint good for your heart so why is it recommended. Thats why I added the tiniest bit of salt.

Yea, a lot of what people say about salt isn’t true. If you are an inactive person who just sits at a desk all day, who then goes home to sit in front of the TV, then yea, to much salt isn’t the best idea in the world.

You however are quite active by the sounds of it! Your body needs some salt. For you (and anyone who is physically active) salt helps the body’s water absorption (which in extreme cases can even prevent a water poisoning!). Your heart will be fine. Some people also like adding it to this drink for some extra taste.

As with all things it’s just a question of common sense. To much salt is bad for you, but you do need a certain amount. Most people’s salt needs are already covered without them adding any extra to their meals. If you are active you can add a little as you need more. You seem to be dosing it just fine, so no need to worry.

Also, bit off subject here, but if you ever think your salt levels might be too low you can do a simple test. Put some salt in a glass of water and drink it. If you can taste the salt your salt levels are fine. If however you drink it and it just tastes like pure water you are probably suffering from a salt deficiency! If that is the case you can raise your salt level by slowly drinking water with salt in it. Stop drinking as soon as you start tasting the salt!


Yea i tried it yesterday. I played for like 2 3 hours and I dunno, cant really tell whether it worked, I'll try again today.

As for not being sure if it works, look at it this way: it’s not meant to actually give you a sugar boost like Redbull or high sugar based energy drinks. After them your body will at some point crash...

Instead this drink gives you complex carbs that help you body last for longer. That’s the kind of effect you might feel. If not don’t worry about it, you are still doing your body some good and it should help a quicker recovery after balling;-).

[young_buck]

i only eat a good meal rich of proteins and drink alot of one hour ateast before practice or just bball playing. then 20 min before i take this

http://www.proteinfabrikken.no/aspx/produkt/prdinfovnet.aspx?plid=1857

(i wasnt sure if links are allowed but if it isnt tell me and i wont do it again, dont hang me! :P )

it a spoon of pouder mixed with water.
it tastes good and theres no sugar its only karbos, and since im norwegian i don't have time to translate it all :P but yall probably get my point.

and this only gives your body what it needs to use all the power and energi your body can do to maximize your performance...and this is hood approved and proffesional approved :P

every one i have given a shake to has approved it , and theres no monkey buisness in it or any monkeys who ever did their bisness in it that i know off :P

and the most popular counter is " yeah but the effectiveness will slow down when you consume it for a longer period.


answer is offcourse...but then u just go out and jog a mile without this and til next time your playing basketball the **** will work :)

im saying this of experiense on behalf of my age group , i wouldnt know about 30 year olds and up...

[Igwe_LDN]

[QUOTE=the.powerhouse]Yea, a lot of what people say about salt isn

[LJJ]

Energy drinks are not made for athletes. Even Red Bull the company is saying it should not be used as a sport drink, and when a company says something that might hurt sales you best believe it's the truth.

[Kebab Stall]

I usually have a bottle of 1.5 to 2 litres of water and then I have a 500ml bottle of watered down Cranberry juice.

[the.powerhouse]

Oh I see, cool.

So just adding a teaspoon (but not too much of the teaspoon) of salt is fine? I actually tried that drink again on Saturday, I guess I didnt play too long (like 2 hours) so I didnt really notice much. I drank like half the drink before I played, and finished the rest after like 1 hour, so I dunno. I'll keep trying though.

But nah i dont think I have any salt deficiency cos I can definately taste salt in any glass of water. I can even taste the salt in that drink you mentioned. But tis cool though lol.

What if I decide to add something else to it, any suggestions lol?

By the way its good to see another london baller here. Where in London you based? You play pro?

Yea, about half a teaspoon of salt is fine!

I

[JustinJDW]

I never drink or eat anything right before a game. If anything, it's a small cup of water and that's it.

[Igwe_LDN]

[QUOTE=the.powerhouse]Yea, about half a teaspoon of salt is fine!

I

[the.powerhouse]

U lived around green Lanes? I bet ur a Cypriot or Turk innit lol j/k.

lol, did feel like I was the only English guy sometimes. Plus at least twice a week a car would pull up with a bunch of Russians sitting in it offering me a laptop. Nice area.


did you used to play ball though?

Just played the usual youth circuit. Birmingham Bullets mainly. What about you?

[Igwe_LDN]

lol, did feel like I was the only English guy sometimes. Plus at least twice a week a car would pull up with a bunch of Russians sitting in it offering me a laptop. Nice area.



Just played the usual youth circuit. Birmingham Bullets mainly. What about you?

Oh so you were moving alot between here and Birmingham in your younger days? Interesting.

But me I started playing at 16/17, used to play football but I realised I was getting taller and football was getting dry so I gave b-ball a try. I liked it, but I never really played a professional match, just loads and loads of pickup games, although I've trained with a few teams, including Crystal Palace and Haringey Warriors, but cos I was doing my a-levels I couldnt focus too much on it. Now I've finished uni I'm trying to take it as far as I can.
I really regret not palying too much when I was younger though

[Hoopla]

I just managed to get a crate of VPX Redline RTD through customs- best purchase of the year.

Some people react badly to it, but it beats the hell out of any other energy drink

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