Everything has its place. Caffeine is certainly not the worst thing you can put in your body when you need the boost. This subject has come up on this board before - the latest research suggests that caffeine has a positive effect on performance in endurance sports
without diuresis or other "harmful changes in fluid balance that would negatively affect performance" (from
here). That link is a PubMed abstract, but you can get the full paper from the linked site - worth a read, if you're interested. For example, The paper (and references within) suggest that caffeine plays a role in "enhancing lipolysis and decreasing reliance on glycogen utilization" - you burn fat more effectively and rely less on glycogen for energy after consuming caffeine. So you don't use up all of your glycogen at the beginning of your activity. So actually, this outcome:
ColdRiverRun said:
I think the problem would be that for about 3/4 the way up you'd be fine..then you would fall apart in the final quarter to the summit.
is not supported by the lit.
Lots of other useful stuff, but I won't bore you all with the details.
I don't think there is any substitute for proper nutrition. But as a 2 a.m. pick-me-up during a Rainier bid or during Reach the Beach, sure, why not.
And you're right, calling them "energy strips" is misleading since they don't actually contain very much energy, but if they help mobilize other sources of energy, perhaps it's not quite so much of a misnomer.
