Science In Sport – SiS Overnight Protein and Caffeine Shots – Opinion

Science In Sport kindly sent me some free product in return for my thoughts on 2x new products. Here they are:

1. GO CAFFEINE SHOT

I used to take Red Bull shots for caffeine but they are now no longer available. So, for me this is a welcome replacement.

First up – YOU should be taking caffeine to aid performance. It is proven to work.

Whilst the two flavours COLA and TROPICAL are not great they have a massive benefit if taken after BEET-IT. ie they TOTALLY disguise the taste of the beetroot 🙂

The method of delivery – a ‘shot’ – is a personal thing. I like it, others won’t. Clearly this makes it more expensive than a Proplus caffeine tablet from your local supermarket.

HOWEVER

• tablets get stuck in my throat even with water. So I prefer a shot.
• the dosage of 150mg caffeine is just about perfect for a 70kg athlete. my understanding is that over-supplementation of caffeine makes no difference and that caffeine loading strategies over several days make no difference. Caffeine also has a half life (it wears off throughout your race) and longer races CERTAINLY require additional re-supplementation. A shot is a handy delivery mechanism mid-Ironman compared to a tablet BUT many gels also contain caffeine.
• the shots contain B12 which is used in energy production systems. I don’t know if taking it in shot format before a race or training session will deliver performance benefits in a relatively immediate timeframe.
• also contain magnesium which may have cramp-improving and other benefits.
• the shots comprise additional bits – Citruline Malate, B2, B9 and salt. Again, I don’t know of any benefits with those. There’s probably some research somewhere that I’m oblivious to

SUMMARY: I’d definitely use them

2. OVERNIGHT PROTEIN

The OVERNIGHT PROTEIN is a high quality casein protein. it’s a slow-release protein and is NOT suitable for immediate post-workout usage. You would use WHEY PROTEIN ISOLATE for that. The Casein is more for slow, overnight protein release (it contains whey as well).

It seems like a good idea and is probably a nice alternative to a milky bedtime drink. It’s nearly 140kcal for a single serving and I find stops my desire for supper-cereals (aka lots of sugar…admittedly with milk)

I had COOKIES AND CREAM flavour which is pleasant enough. I had it cold with milk although yo are meant to have it warm with water. Water, apparently, aids absorption.

If you were seriously looking at muscle building/repair through protein supplementation then this would be a good route to take. The first thing you’d do is the post-workout WHEY protein though. This product is more of the ‘icing on the cake’ (probably).

Consider also if you are an Age Group athlete. If you are over 40 years old then muscle maintenance, let alone enhancement, should be an issue for you. Anything you can do to keep your hard-earned muscles should be snapped at and you should be considering regular quality protein intake throughout the day (no I don’t either).

SUMMARY: Nice but probably not my thing.

Overall Benefits of SiS Products – They are properly triple-tested and are suitable for professional athletes in regards to being free of illegal sports drugs. Quality products.