Caffeine on heart rate

[weeritnz21]

Caffeine, in theory is uesd as a supplement by sports people, in order to get that kick of energy. But, since it affects heart rate, how does a person then make use of a heart rate monitor to good effect? Serious question, does a person have to consider that the heart rate showing is too high, or is not high enough from the workout, or does the latter not matter really? This may be more a question for the personal trainers or any doctors on the forum.

[P0N]

I'm not sure I fully understand the question. Are you asking if you get your heart rate up to cardiovascular range while exercising and using caffeine does it count as cardio?

[stevesmi]

let me explain this to you using 2 examples using the same exact person

day 1: person drinks 2 coffees (stimulant) and does cardio. his max heart rate hits 155 and averages 135 during the workout

day 2: same person has no coffee and does the same cardio: his max heart rate hits only 145 and averages just 125 during the workout

why is that? the stimulant revved up his heart rate and made his workout less efficient. you can test this out yourself with a heart rate monitor during your workouts with and without stimulants

the solution here? never use stimulants before a workout! otherwise you are simply making things harder for your heart

stimulant use actually suppresses adrenaline. that 'kick of energy' you want is adrenaline and when you train fasted and without stimulants your body will reward you with much more adrenaline so your workouts will be much better