Acute Caffeine Intake Enhances Mean Power Output and Bar Velocity during the Bench Press Throw in Athletes Habituated to Caffeine

Abstract

Background: The main objective of the current investigation was to evaluate the effects of caffeine on power output and bar velocity during an explosive bench press throw in athletes habituated to caffeine. Methods: Twelve resistance trained individuals habituated to caffeine ingestion participated in a randomized double-blind experimental design. Each participant performed three identical experimental sessions 60 min after the intake of a placebo, 3, and 6 mg/kg/b.m. of caffeine. In each experimental session, the participants performed 5 sets of 2 repetitions of the bench press throw (with a load equivalent to 30% repetition maximum (RM), measured in a familiarization trial) on a Smith machine, while bar velocity and power output were registered with a rotatory encoder. Results: In comparison to the placebo, the intake of caffeine increased mean bar velocity during 5 sets of the bench press throw (1.37 ± 0.05 vs. 1.41 ± 0.05 and 1.41 ± 0.06 m/s for placebo, 3, and 6 mg/kg/b.m., respectively; p < 0.01), as well as mean power output (545 ± 117 vs. 562 ± 118 and 560 ± 107 W; p < 0.01). However, caffeine was not effective at increasing peak velocity (p = 0.09) nor peak power output (p = 0.07) during the explosive exercise. Conclusion: The acute doses of caffeine before resistance exercise may increase mean power output and mean bar velocity during the bench press throw training session in a group of habitual caffeine users. Thus, caffeine prior to ballistic exercises enhances performance during a power-specific resistance training session.

Placebo effect of caffeine on maximal strength and strength-endurance in healthy recreationally trained women habituated to caffeine

“…Therefore, the use of a deceptive protocol to induce the placebo effect of caffeine is likely an ineffective measure to enhance muscle performance in women athletes who are habituated to caffeine. To this respect, the actual ingestion of caffeine may be recommended [7] although doses higher than the daily level of its consumption may be necessary to obtain the potential ergogenic effect of caffeine in athletes habituated to this substance [23,24].…”

“…Furthermore, urinary caffeine concentration has increased since the removal of caffeine from the list of banned substances of the World Antidoping Agency in 2004 suggesting an increasing use of this stimulant in elite sport [2]. In the last years, there has been a burst of research that supports the performance-enhancing effects of caffeine across a wide range of sporting activities including aerobic exercise [3] anaerobic-like exercise [4], and resistance exercise [5][6][7]. Overall, there is ample consensus to consider the antagonistic role of caffeine and its two metabolites, paraxanthine and theophylline, in adenosine receptors as the main mechanism behind its ergogenic effects during exercise, as caffeine can bind adenosine A 1 , A 2A and A 2B receptors in the central nervous system, reducing the fatiguing effect of adenosine [8].…”

“…However, it has to be emphasized that chronic caffeine intake may modify the acute effect of caffeine on sport performance [22], so that individuals habituated to caffeine obtain no, or lesser, bene ts from acute caffeine intake [7,[23][24][25]. Thus, the potential placebo effect of caffeine may also depend on the daily habitual consumption of caffeine of the athlete [26] as the deceptive protocol may be unsuccessful in those athletes who are well familiarized with the feelings of acute caffeine intake.…”

The effects of different doses of caffeine on maximal strength and strength-endurance in women habituated to caffeine

“…Pickering et al [38] suggested that the reduction in the ergogenic effects of CAF in habitual users can be modi ed using doses greater than the daily habitual intake, however a study by Wilk et al [1,2] showed no bene ts (except in maximal strength) from acute ingestion of CAF when the doses of CAF were above their habitual intake. In another study, Wilk et al [39] found a positive effect of CAF (3 and 6 mg/kg/b.m.) on mean power output and mean bar velocity during the bench press throw in athletes habituated to CAF, and performance enhancements were obtained even when the dose of CAF did not exceed the value of habitual consumption.…”

Inconsistency in the Ergogenic Effect of Caffeine in Athletes Who Regularly Consume Caffeine: Is It Due to the Disparity in the Criteria That Defines Habitual Caffeine Intake?

“…The threshold used to classify individuals as high caffeine consumers varied from 190 mg/day [19] to more than 600 mg/day [20]. In addition, only three studies estimated daily caffeine intake in relation to body mass [21][22][23]. In those investigations that used absolute values to assess the level of habituation to caffeine, the findings could lead to incorrect conclusions because the same absolute amount of caffeine (in mg/day) would have a different impact on subjects with different body mass.…”