Basically, I want to know how bad having a single energy drink would be to my gains. I have seen a lot of videos talking about how they are and are not bad but I can't really find a straight answer. When I say energy drinks, I mean things like Rockstar or Monster but not things like Redbull as Redbull is known to be extremely bad in comparison to them.

Bad for gains ? Energy drinks wont do anything to your gains but it will screw with your heart. There is a ton of sugar, caffeine and taurine in those drinks that will disrupt the normal heart rythm. Its is essence not good for the body at all and contains nothing of true value.

William is right.. There isn't wrong with energy drinks in moderation.. but esepcially if you are just getting the normal ones filled with sugar it won't be doing you any good put it that way. If you're going to drink them, at least go for the sugar free ones, and maybe don't smash one back every day lol.

The one thing I will say is what makes you think Redbull is so much worse than any other energy drink? Most of the are the same.. so having Rockstar or Monster isn't really any better than having Redbull.

I concur with the others above - they serve no useful purpose.

Work out what you actually want. If you want the caffeine, have some tea or coffee. If it's summer, boil your tea and then ice it.

If you want the sugar, work out if you're short on carbs and work better carbs into your diet two hours prior to whatever time of day you'll be short on them.

If you want the taste, well, that's harder to substitute, but I found a neat trick. One of my pain meds kills off my cravings. While I'd not suggest Targin as a craving killer, it's not the pain ingredient (Oxycodone), but it's probably the other active ingredient (Naloxone) that I believe helps me. If I end up going off the diet rails, I seem to stay off them until I end up in pain for some unrelated reason and take a Targin. The Naloxone plugs up your opioid receptors and you don't get high off food (or illegal drugs) for a few days. Without the high, you lose interest in food (or sugary drinks or whatever it is).

Remember: The body you'll have next year will be a reflection of the good (or bad) habits you maintain this year.

I have always been told that Redbull is a complete no go because it apparently has really bad effects compared to the other energy drinks. That is all really.

Thank you though for letting me know. It is good to finally have a more straight-to-the-point answer. I will probably stay clear of energy drinks anyways. Thanks for the help.

Here is my take which expands upon what William and Scott have already said - energy drinks will not affect muscle gains directly. However, muscle gain is dependent on the whole body and many body systems. What energy drinks do - regardless of age - is drastically increase blood pressure, heart rate, and stress the body during their effective time window. When the body is stressed, stress hormones like Cortisol (which is catabolic) are released. Energy drinks also cause overactivity of excitatory neuro-transmitters like Epinepherine and Glutamine in the brain. This is why energy drinks make you feel like you can workout, cut the lawn, walk the dog, solve calculus problems, all at once and not run out of energy or focus. This is also how additives like MSG can cause severe migraines and brain or liver damage to those susceptible to excess Glutamine.

Over long-term usage, they affect the circulatory and nervous system in detrimental ways. You also train your metabolism and brain to rely on a caffeine boost to perform your best rather than train your metabolism to create energy-on-demand. Energy drinks are also not regulated and often contain illegal, dangerous, and banned substances that have lead to liver failure and death. While this is more the exception than the rule, I feel energy drinks are not worth the time, money, and risk and they are a crutch for metabolically weak people who can't endure the stresses of training on their own. Just my opinion........

John

Oh OK, fair enough. I have never heard that Red Bull is worse than others.. it's probably just come from someone who doesn't like Red Bull as much as other energy drinks haha.

Happy to help man! Like I say.. in moderation it's OK.. even I will have an energy drink every now and then.. but not every day 😊 Best to stick to sugar-free if you are going to have them occasionally as well.

John gave you some pretty important insights above too!

Yeah, thanks to all of you for the cool information. I learn more from this site than most other places and it really helps with my progress, so cheers for that. 😀 

That's what the site is for so glad to hear it! 😁