- Today's drink market is crowded with sugar laden drinks and energy drinks, and those drinks can give a good energy boost for lifting. Green tea, the most powerful antioxidant on earth, has numerous health benefits and is natural, so put away your expensive energy drinks!
Three main substances in green tea that deliver the goods are EGCG, the most powerful antioxidant on earth (equivalent to 1000x times that of vegetables), caffiene, and theanine. Theanine produces a relaxing effect on the brain and gives a great buzz that takes the edge off the caffiene.
The combination of caffeine and theanine produce a superior buzz, and is a better energy drink, and much cheaper, delivering numerous health benefits along with the energy rush. Research, especially in Japan, shows astonishing number of properties, from anti-tumor, anti-cancer, anti-bacterial, fat burning. For those of us that weightlift, its a much cheaper route and healthier to use green tea, especially when its available in every grocery store.
The main tea I use is Lipton Lemon Ginseng green tea, its cheap and easily available and provides a good buzz. The effects can be felt fully within 20-30 minutes after drinking. The theanine in green tea provides clarity and zen-like state, which athletes feel when they are 'in the zone'.
Green tea gives a great energy boost for lifting, and its easy to carry around tea bags to flavor your water during the day and at the gym for lifting, and its cheaper than Red Bull. Explore some of the links below to read about the health and performance benefits.
Drink it cold!
Lipton's site provides a nice breakdown on tea and performance
Lipton: tea and performance Wikipedia: theanine Wikipedia: health benefits of tea google: sci.med.nutrition 'green tea' Where to get it
Lipton can be found at major grocery stores and Wal-Mart, etc. for the more adventurous, try your local chinese grocer, you can find bulk raw teas, and bags usually jasmine green tea - you can even take raw green tea and grind them up in fruit smoothies 1/2 tea (1 drink) - 1 teaspoon (2 drinks) for a raw buzz
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