View Full Version : You know those five hour energy shots...
ShelterLeopard
06-10-2009, 22:32
Well, if you have a really hard day of hiking ahead, or you're just tired and you decide to take a five hour energy shot, just this once, will you book it and then crash, or what? (One NoBo I was talking to said you take, beast out thirty miles and wake up in some ditch with no idea how you got there. Is that true?)
Pacific Tortuga
06-10-2009, 22:39
Just take a little three times a day in your water and it will give you all the boost you'll need. I like Emergen-C in my water but this works well too.
ShelterLeopard
06-10-2009, 22:40
Good idea- I didn't think of spacing it out.
appalachianjosh
06-10-2009, 22:43
I tell ya, I don't know how it was possible but I took one of those things and it absolutely drained me of any and all energy- felt like **** immediately after. I tend to stay away from those things.
RITBlake
06-10-2009, 23:26
One NoBo I was talking to said you take, beast out thirty miles and wake up in some ditch with no idea how you got there.
That's the dumbest thing I've ever read. It's mostly B Vitamins so to answer your question...NO nobody has ever woken in a ditch after taking 5 hour energy.
dart7383
06-11-2009, 05:05
A B vitamin supplement is cheaper and lighter per dose. I would try that out and see where it gets you. I promise you won't end up in a ditch. I use the 5 hour energy in regular life, and love it. It is a godsend for us insomniacs out there.
World-Wide
06-11-2009, 06:12
A B vitamin supplement is cheaper and lighter per dose. I would try that out and see where it gets you. I promise you won't end up in a ditch. I use the 5 hour energy in regular life, and love it. It is a godsend for us insomniacs out there.
Agree w/D7383...I usually take it in the early afternoon (1400-1500) to give an extra push for my evening work-outs or an evening class. No crashes in my experience. Perhaps some initial flushing which higher doses of Vit B are known for!
That's the dumbest thing I've ever read. It's mostly B Vitamins so to answer your question...NO nobody has ever woken in a ditch after taking 5 hour energy.
The 5 hour energy drink is mostly caffeine, which is fine.
Lone Wolf
06-11-2009, 07:38
i tried those drinks during a 50 mile race. they had no effect
I took that crap one time and it made me feel like I was gonna have a heart attack...
It is like drinking cherry coolaid to me. No effect. I'd get better results just eating my money, at least then I might get something out of it.
I took that crap one time and it made me feel like I was gonna have a heart attack...
Me too. You should do it like the Indians did and just drink a bunch of water. Banannas are full of sugars and potassium too.
I take it sometimes at work, I work a 24 hr shift, & as opposed to something like "No-Doze" Or RedBull I get an energy boost but not the crazy rush from the high caffeen stuff, it lasts about 5 hrs (funny huh?) with a slow "let down".
I took one mixed in my 1L water botle first day of my last 2 wk trip, & I feel it helped me get as far as I did. I'll do that again next trip, may even carry one for day 2.
Red bull and vodka! Gets you going and slows you down at the same time.
The Scribe
06-11-2009, 08:59
Three of us had a long ride back from Trail Days. Like 15 hours back to Maine. I bought one and tried it. First time. We were in W. VA. I had been up since seven AM and bought it like 5 p.m. I drove, with the exception of a couple hours, all the way from W VA home. Got back to Portland like 3 am. I didn't feel any different. It either worked or it just played a mind game on me and I stayed awake known I should because I took it.
Fiddleback
06-11-2009, 09:12
Is this the stuff that advertises zero calories and an energy boost? How's that possible? Sloppy word choice/duplicitous marketing, maybe?
FB
Caffeine, Taurine, and B Vitamins. Its not burning calories, its a stimulant.
Red bull and vodka! Gets you going and slows you down at the same time.
I had too many of those one night, my body didn't know WHAT the hell was going on lol....
NO nobody has ever woken in a ditch after taking 5 hour energy.
Except for the guy who chased it with a dozen Jaeger Bombs. You KNOW there are plenty of "professional" clubbers out there.
I prefer a GU gel if I'm dragging, but I admit, I've used Layfield Energy or Stacker 2 shot right after a long day of teaching before I hit the gym. They helped, and I don't think I would have worked out those days without them.
timhines
06-11-2009, 11:24
they make caffeine free ones too.
I like using the bottles to put fuel in for overnight trips. It's not much, but can help with fires in rain!
I wouldn't touch the stuff. Its mostly chemicals.
martini159
06-11-2009, 14:30
Maybe it's just me - but as anyone else taken one of those and felt extremely... flush? My face turned beet red and I felt extremely hot all of a sudden.
Take it easy,
Martin
vonfrick
06-11-2009, 14:31
Well, if you have a really hard day of hiking ahead, or you're just tired and you decide to take a five hour energy shot, just this once, will you book it and then crash, or what? (One NoBo I was talking to said you take, beast out thirty miles and wake up in some ditch with no idea how you got there. Is that true?)
this happened to my ex when he sobo'd in '89. except he ate a 2 lb bag of peanut m and m's for breakfast. :D
I have woken up in strang places but never after taking Vit B, in my case it was Vit jack daniels
they make caffeine free ones too.
I like using the bottles to put fuel in for overnight trips. It's not much, but can help with fires in rain!
thats what i do-i love those little bottles-great for fuel, liquid soap ,alittle oil etc...i started drinking for the bottles:)
El Toro '94
06-16-2009, 03:34
I've done the 5 beers an hour for 5 hours energy boost, and then woke up in a ditch. Don't remember hiking no 30 miles though. Or much of anything else for that matter.
I wouldn't touch the stuff. Its mostly chemicals.
So are you!
garlic08
06-17-2009, 10:27
I'd never heard of this stuff before this thread. I had to look it up. I can't believe there are people who will pay over $2 for a 2 oz bottle of juice. (But then again, I still can't believe people will pay $3 for a plastic bottle of "Smoky Mountain Spring Water" in Gatlinburg. And many of those people, if they see the actual spring, would put chemicals in it before drinking the water.:-?) It's all marketing genius, I guess.
What ever happened to good old food? Ever try a handful of raisins when you're tired?
Just some ranting from a retro-grouch.
So are you!
This is true but they are still not good for you. Also, that flushing feeling is from all the vitamin B12 its the blood rushing to the skin.
ShelterLeopard
11-03-2009, 17:41
Those things don't make me feel very good- a bit shaky, but the bottles are perfect for carrying liquids and fire starter- just don't confuse the two!
bigcranky
11-03-2009, 18:24
Chocolate covered espresso beans have the desired effect, taste a lot better, and are lighter weight.
I think my "ultimate gorp" would be chocolate covered espresso beans and Advil tablets.:eek:
Jester2000
11-03-2009, 18:37
My only reaction to 5 Hour Energy after drinking one was, "wow. That tasted like crap."
brian039
11-03-2009, 19:32
I took that crap one time and it made me feel like I was gonna have a heart attack...
It can actually throw your heart out of rhythm especially if you do strenous exercise (ie hiking) while taking it.
Last summer I made sure I was caffeine free before I started hiking. Then when I needed a boost, the chocolate espresso beans or the ordinary cup of coffee had a strong effect. I could really pound out some quick miles with a spring in my step.
At a gas station I bought some energy gummy bears. They had Guarana in them. I flew up a whole series of 500 foot up, 500 foot down mountains. You should have seen me power up these steep switchbacks on one of them. People and their dogs stepped aside when they saw me coming.
By the end of the day, I felt like normal. Tired, sore feet, and yet another 30 miler completed as always. So did they have an effect? Yeah. But the end result was pretty much the same as without them.
I was prepping for a 15 - 20 hour hike a few months ago, so i chugged 3 to 4 of those 5 hour energy drinks before heading out the door. I didn't realize that they didn't work like that...
[quote}I think my "ultimate gorp" would be chocolate covered espresso beans and Advil tablets.:eek:[/quote]
That might be the funniest thing i have ever seen
ShelterLeopard
11-04-2009, 11:18
I was prepping for a 15 - 20 hour hike a few months ago, so i chugged 3 to 4 of those 5 hour energy drinks before heading out the door. I didn't realize that they didn't work like that...
Ooo, that must've made you feel sick. Those things make me too shaky- and 3 or 4 of them? Ugh. Did you really?
I don't make it a regular practice to use caffeine or energy drinks/products because when I do need them, I'd like them to work as effectively as possible.
That being said, 5-Hour Energy is one of my go-to "suppliments". It's mostly a b-vitamin complex with some caffeine and taurine thrown in for good measure. I've never had a bad experience with it, but then again it is about 2000% of the RDA of b-vitamins your supposed to get in a day so YMMV. Sensitive people may get a niacin flush from it, but I've never experienced it. I've not used this product while hiking.
What I do typically take with me hiking is either GU gel (pretty gross tasting) or Honey Stinger energy gel (great taste, b-vitamin complex in honey) or the Honey Stinger Organic Energy Chews, which taste amazing. All of these seem to have good pick me up qualities, not like caffeine, more like an increase in stamina. I only take them when I'm beat for the day, but need to go another couple of miles.
junkyward_wolf
11-11-2009, 15:35
I used to take the 5 hour shots before work, and they never once worked for me. And I usually never drink anything for energry (though I do eat clif bars, but they work differently)
Wise Old Owl
11-11-2009, 19:30
Chocolate covered espresso beans have the desired effect, taste a lot better, and are lighter weight.
I think my "ultimate gorp" would be chocolate covered espresso beans and Advil tablets.:eek:
hmmm, you are onto something here-----How about chocolate covered Advil?:-?
Mongoose2
11-11-2009, 20:33
[quote}I think my "ultimate gorp" would be chocolate covered espresso beans and Advil tablets.:eek:
That might be the funniest thing i have ever seen[/quote]
It's still funny, but not as much when you're close to 50 and actually think hey, maybe it would work!!