Okay so now that my ankle is finally getting a bit better, I wanna prime myself for some max effort jumps. Does caffeine really help?
yup it definitely helps, the more the better (in terms of amping you up), but lots of caffeine can be dangerous soo...
And if so, how many minutes/hours prior to my jump session should I drink it?
take it about 1 hour prior, it kicks in pretty fast.
this will give you an idea of the amount of caffeine in various beverages:
http://www.energyfiend.com/the-caffeine-databasei would get the caffeine from coffee bean sources though, not from chemical concoctions in the form of energy drinks, those drinks have all kinds of JUNK in them.
I use 2-3 teaspoons of instant coffee mixed with whey protein (optional milk in addition) 1 hour before my important dunk sessions.. 2-3 teaspoons of instant coffee would give you around 150mg caffeine:
"According to the USDA*, 1 rounded teaspoon of instant coffee (1.8 grams in weight) contains 57 mg of caffeine. "
I would just make sure that you can handle max effort jump sessions WITHOUT caffeine just to make sure the ankle is good 100%.. with caffeine, you'll be producing even more force and have a higher work capacity for jumping (capable of more jumps), so you don't want to overload until you're careful..
eventually i'll try 4 teaspoons of instant coffee, that'll be fun.. considering 3 amps me up pretty hardcore.. you start feeling really light and aggressive
When is the best day to go for a jump session? 48 hours after my last leg/squat workout with complete rest in the between day?
depends on the workout.. if it's a workout that leaves you pretty sore the next day, then generally 72 hours will be a good number.. if you feel only slightly sore the next day and strong, 48 hours will be fine..
for example:
(MONDAY) heavy volume lower workout -> (TUESDAY) soreness the next day -> (WEDNESDAY) active-rest to promote blood flow/recovery (light work) -> (THURSDAY) jump session + lift/repeat etc
(MONDAY) low volume high intensity lower workout -> (TUESDAY) slight soreness , feel very strong, active-rest to promote blood flow/recovery (light work) -> (WEDNESDAY) jump session + lift/repeat etc
How often should I limit caffeine to not make me become reliant and cause any problems?
i'd go with 2x/week... 3x/week would be fine also but that's leaning a bit more towards the 'dependent' side of things.. 2x/week will be fine, just use it prior to those max effort jump sessions.
Caffeine/Coffee just basically helps you perform at your athletic PEAK right? Ensuring you peak performance in case of other factors such as food/lack of sleep/ etc... It's not some kind of substance that actually makes your muscles stronger temporarily or anything like that right? I know it sounds stupid but I just wanna clarify to myself that if I caffeine up and hit a PR on my jump session, I wanna know that that new PR is something my body is capable of without caffeine too.
http://www.adarq.org/forum/peer-reviewed-studies-discussion/sleep-biological-rhythms-stress-its-effect-on-performance/Caffeine (200 and 300 mg) significantly improved visual vigilance, choice reaction time, repeated acquisition, self-reported fatigue and sleepiness with the greatest effects on tests of vigilance, reaction time, and alertness. Marksmanship, a task that requires fine motor coordination and steadiness, was not affected by caffeine. The greatest effects of caffeine were present 1 h post-administration, but significant effects persisted for 8 h.
The effects of caffeine on mean performance (+/-90% confidence limits) over all 14 circuits were: sprint speeds, 0.5% (+/-1.7%) through 2.9% (+/-1.3%); first-drive power, 5.0% (+/-2.5%); second-drive power, -1.2% (+/-6.8%); and passing accuracy, 9.6% (+/-6.1%). The enhancements were mediated partly through a reduction of fatigue that developed throughout the test and partly by enhanced performance for some measures from the first circuit. Caffeine produced a 51% (+/-11%) increase in mean epinephrine concentration; correlations between individual changes in epinephrine concentration and changes in performance were mostly unclear, but there were some strong positive correlations with sprint speeds and a strong negative correlation with passing accuracy. Conclusion: Caffeine is likely to produce substantial enhancement of several aspects of high-intensity team-sport performance.
etc..
caffeine does actually make you stronger..
don't think of it as "something that your body is incapable of doing", think of it more along the lines of "it improves your body's ability to utilize what you are capable of doing".
caffeine after all, is found naturally occurring in nature, it is a biproduct of evolution and our human physiology responds very well to it, so it's not something that should be looked at in a negative light.
peace man
