Nick’s Caffeine Sacrifice

Enter Nick Congdon:

For anyone who has played a sport with me, watched a sport with me, trained with me, or generally just talked with me long enough, one thing is indiscernible. I am EXTREMELY competitive. I want win, be the best I can, and I am typically willing to buckle in my discipline to achieve my goals.

This competitiveness has currently created a dilemma in my daily life. An upcoming factor is threatening one my favorite habits.

In less than a month I am competing in a regional qualifying competition. I’m in “Go Mode,” and am currently looking for every edge possible. Like most people, I am all about my morning coffee routine. I’m a big coffee fan and the caffeine is undoubtedly a bonus. But is it possible that the very thing that “fuels the machine” every morning could be eliminated in exchange for greater potential for the competition?

Do I ditch the morning bean juice?

To make this decision, I wanted to look into two things

  1. The effect caffeine has on daily training and performance

  2. What happens when caffeine is introduced into a system without tolerance

Here’s the summary of what I’ve learned and how it’s impacting the next month of my preparation.

Without diving too deep into the nerdy science - caffeine is well studied and the results are considerable - caffeine doses ranging from as low as 3 mg per kg bodyweight up to 9-13 mg/kg bodyweight have been shown to improve a wide variety of performance-based markers. These elements include increases in max strength and power output, lower perceived levels of fatigue and pain, and even improvements on cognitive recognition and reaction.

But, much of the research is done with people that are either not habitual caffeine drinkers or with people that are given a higher dose of caffeine than what they may normally be accustomed to.

Thus the question – what happens as we build a tolerance?

Does caffeine even make a difference in my daily performance if it’s something I’m using every day?

Here’s the boiled down answer: to optimize the effects of caffeine is it better to clear it out of your system and reset your tolerance.

I’m going to sacrifice my daily caffeine intake in exchange for a bigger stimulus potential on competition day.

For me, training comes down to strategic programming and intensity. Caffeine absolutely helps with my intensity. So, I have to make sure that I am able to throw myself into my training sessions with the same mental and physical effort WITHOUT it. This also means the caffeine benefits mentioned above will not be available to me for my training phase leading up to the event. 

I want to challenge myself. That’s part of the fun and that’s why I love competition in the first place.

I understand that while this granular level decision may not apply to most everyday people (nor should it), this could be a tool in my personal Competition Toolbox.

Like I said, I’m serious about my coffee routine. Eliminating it is going to test my discipline. Additionally, without a caffeine stimulus my training for the next month is going to be harder.

So here’s to the last cup of coffee until mid-July!

Don’t get this twisted, though. This is a short-term choice and I’ll be back on the bean in no time.

Stay tuned for a recap on the experience next month!

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