Athletes shouldn't use energy drinks 90% of the time because they mask poor sleep and nutrition while loading up on sugar and chemicals. Caffeine can help with endurance sports, but only when sleep and diet are already dialed in. The dose: 3-6 mg per kilogram of body weight, taken an hour before competition, and tested in practice first.
Are energy drinks okay for athletes? And if so, when should you be using them? 90% of the time I'm going to say no because they are used as a Band-Aid for a lack of sleep or a lack of food for athletes. And also, most energy drinks are loaded with lots of other chemicals and sugar and substances that I do not want my athletes touching. However, if you have your food and your sleep dialed, caffeine can be an awesome supplement, especially for endurance sports, when used in the dosage of 3 milligrams to 6 milligrams per kilogram of body weight. So you take your body in kilograms, times it by 3, and that will you the minimum amount of caffeine that you need to ingest 1 hour before your game or your race to be able to see the actual benefits that caffeine gives. I would recommend that you test this at practice before you ever do it during a competition or a game to make sure it sits well with you. Sometimes it can make people jittery and actually not help, but if you're an endurance athlete, this could be awesome for you.
