Coffee and Cubing

[Fullforce]

Has anyone tried drinking coffee and then cubing after the caffeine has made its way through your system? I am sooo freaking hyper right now and want to know if anyone has tried iut before competitionnnnnnn

 

[rubikmaster]

When I was at a competition 3 months ago before the 2nd round of 3x3 I drank an energy drink and got a 1.7 second better average than the 1st round.

 

[cmhardw]

Yes, I've tried using coffee/energy drinks in competition. Most of the time it fails miserably for me. There is a "sweet spot" of about 10-20 minutes of hyper focus and finger dexterity that lets you speed through like a maniac, then it degrades into being too hyper and my hands getting jittery. This usually results in a spectacular display of lockups, pauses from rushing too much, and just general not-awesomeness

If you can find the right amount of caffeine to take that won't push you past the "sweet spot" into the "JiTtttTTttteeeRRrrryyy Hands phase" then you'll probably do alright. I wouldn't recommend taking caffeine to excess during a competition though.

 

[Ezy Ryder]

I usually drank coffee before going to competition, and before solving at home. But I didn't notice any difference in times. I also think that there already was a cubing and energy drinks thread, try looking for it.

 

[Achifaifa]

I don't usually drink coffee, but when I do the only thing I feel is that I'm slightly more nervous than usual. In some cases it might be unproductive IMO.

 

[PandaCuber]

My entire family is Colombian so coffee has no effect on me.

 

[Jaycee]

I'm the only one in my household who likes coffee and I have no say in what my dad buys so no coffee for me D: I only get to have it when I'm other places, like hotels or when I'm visiting my mom.

In fact, my 11.69 was my first sub-12 solve, and I set that when I was at my mom's at 4 A.M. I had 3 cups of coffee that night.... Hmmm... Coffee doesn't seem to affect how I feel at all. Like it doesn't make me have a period of hyperness. But maybe it has an effect on my cubing? :O

 

[Carson]

Caffeine is a drug, and as such, you have to understand its effects. If you consume caffeine regularly, drinking a typical amount of caffeine will only continue to maintain your body's stable functioning. In order to get any real effect, you would have to drink more caffeine than usual. On the other hand, if you do NOT typically consume caffeine, your body will suffer a "shock" effect when consuming it, therefore any potential gains would be negated. Note: I don't mean "shock" as in what happens after a traumatic event... this is just something that happens when you experience something unfamiliar. To get the most benefit from caffeine, you must consume it regularly but with limited quantities.

Personally, I drink one caffeinated drink/day on average. On days that I haven't gotten enough sleep, have to be up at an usual time for me, or when I need a little boost of energy, I will have an energy drink. I usually can tell a difference after the energy drink, but because I am used to caffeine, its not a big deal and I don't become jittery. I know people that have energy drinks daily, for them, they don't get any boost from them because they are accustomed to the effects. They can really tell when they don't get them though.

Based on this thread, I think I am going to stop and grab an energy drink on my way to rehearsal... It's just one of those days.

 

[PandaCuber]

Like my avatar? (its topic related)

 

[Sa967St]

I don't drink coffee, but I usually bring an energy drink with me to competitions. Sometimes it works like a charm, but other times it just makes my hands shake during solves. I find it works best when I'm only a bit tired, because then the energy drink makes me feel like I'm not tired at all, but when I'm really tired/sleepy, the drink keeps me awake but it makes me more hyper and nervous than I want to be.

 

[JLarsen]

At the only competition I went to I was so nervous from all the attention my hands shook really bad for the first couple of hours. The adrenaline was morreee than enough.

 

[Andreaillest]

I never really thought about how I perform after coffee. I usually drink it when I have early morning classes. I'll have to see how I perform next time I grab a Starbucks.

 

[waffle=ijm]

mmmmm Coffee, I love coffee! I don't really feel that caffeine or energy drinks do it for me. I take 5150 juice (liquid caffeine is the best description) when I pull all-nighters and even that I feel doesn't affect my cubing. Cocaine and speed on the other hand.

 

[Pixel 6]

I'm constantly cubing at coffee shops... What's weird, is I usually solve faster when I'm tired. Better and faster recognition for some strange reason.

 

[applemobile]

I cube better when I am tired too. It's like your brain shuts down and only operates on the task In hand.

 

[cubeone]

I strongly dislike coffee or any other Caffeine products.

DITTO

 

[Kirjava]

I strongly dislike coffee or any other Caffeine products.

Well you came to the right place.

 

[JohnLaurain]

I'm constantly cubing at coffee shops... What's weird, is I usually solve faster when I'm tired. Better and faster recognition for some strange reason.

That happens to me too. I think it's because your brain focuses on one thing, and your fingers are a bit slower in the morning. Both would result in better look ahead.

 

[drewsopchak]

I have a tolerance to caffeine but if i drink 300mg or more at once then i cube with unusual alertness and look-ahead.

 

[AFatTick]

Does Coffee make your solves faster?

I am on my way to a competition, I need this answered fast! Does coffee make your times slightly faster? Are there bad affects like being jittery?