Exercise and Stimulants

Exercise And Stimulants

Stimulants, such as caffeine, ephedrine/Ma Huang, amphetamine, methamphetamine, and cocaine, are commonly believed to grant users increased physical strength and endurance, and resistance to pain. These substances, however, may cause serious health problems.

A study of amphetamine showed "significant increases in knee extension strength". This effect is mediated by norepinephrine increasing the calcium uptake and therefore greater force production in the muscle. This mechanism is the same activated by naturally released epinephrine (adrenaline) and norepinephrine during periods of stress.

By increasing levels of dopamine and adrenaline/noradrenaline, stimulants increase endurance and subjective strength, meaning that the person does not feel like he is exerting as much effort despite higher performance.

Some stimulants, such as methamphetamine and cocaine, produce varying degrees of euphoric sensations, mediated by an increase in extra-cellular dopamine levels in the ventral striatum . Together with norepinephrine, these stimulants increase pain tolerance, which allows the user to continue using muscles that would ordinarily be sending crippling messages of pain - the muscle may not be stronger, but working them to failure becomes easier. The nervous system effects also cause an increased ability to concentrate, and a focus on continuing a workout, exercise, or feat of strength past usual thresholds of pain becomes far easier as well. In addition, the stimulant effects increase metabolism and motor activity, which makes more energy available to muscles and permit greater endurance and longer workouts. Taken together, these effects can easily cause complications, some life-threatening. It is also important to keep in mind that studies have proven weightlifting shows better results with rests between sets, so regardless of pharmaceutical fatigue suppression this should be observed.