Effects of coffee and caffeine anhydrous on strength and sprint performance

Abstract

Caffeine and coffee are widely used among active individuals to enhance performance. The purpose of the current study was to compare the effects of acute coffee (COF) and caffeine anhydrous (CAF) intake on strength and sprint performance. Fifty-four resistance-trained males completed strength testing, consisting of one-rep max (1RM) and repetitions to fatigue (RTF) at 80% of 1RM for leg press (LP) and bench press (BP). Participants then completed five, ten-second cycle ergometer sprints separated by one minute of rest. Peak power (PP) and total work (TW) were recorded for each sprint. At least 48 hours later, participants returned and ingested a beverage containing CAF (300 mg flat dose; yielding 3–5 mg/kg bodyweight), COF (8.9 g; 303 mg caffeine), or placebo (PLA; 3.8 g noncaloric flavoring) 30 minutes before testing. LP 1RM was improved more by COF than CAF (p=0.04), but not PLA (p=0.99). Significant interactions were not observed for BP 1RM, BP RTF, or LP RTF (p>0.05). There were no sprint × treatment interactions for PP or TW (p>0.05). 95% confidence intervals revealed a significant improvement in sprint 1 TW for CAF, but not COF or PLA. For PLA, significant reductions were observed in sprint 4 PP, sprint 2 TW, sprint 4 TW, and average TW; significant reductions were not observed with CAF or COF. Neither COF nor CAF improved strength outcomes more than PLA, while both groups attenuated sprint power reductions to a similar degree. Coffee and caffeine anhydrous may be considered suitable pre-exercise caffeine sources for high-intensity exercise.

Coffee and Caffeine Ingestion Have Little Effect on Repeated Sprint Cycling in Relatively Untrained Males

“…Peak power output and mean power output were not significantly different during the trials in which caffeine or coffee was consumed when compared to the placebo and control trials. In contrast, Trexler et al [ 22 ] reported that caffeine and coffee ingestion improved sprint performance; however, a dose of 300 mg caffeine was ingested in this study and therefore participants will have consumed differing amounts of caffeine relative to their body mass. Similarly, Hodgson, Randell and Jeukendrup [ 21 ] observed that coffee and caffeine ingestion improved exercise performance by comparable magnitudes.…”

“…Crowe, Leicht and Spinks [ 35 ] suggest that the training status of participants has a substantial effect on short-term high-intensity performance. Therefore, it could be suggested that caffeine enhances performance in studies involving trained participants only, which has been observed by Schneiker et al [ 26 ] and others [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 22 ]. Collomp et al [ 36 ] suggested that specific training may be required to elicit ergogenic benefits from caffeine; improved performance in trained 100 m swimmers was observed following caffeine supplementation, but this improvement was not seen in untrained swimmers.…”

“…More recently, Hodgson, Randell and Jeukendrup [ 21 ] reported that during a cycling time trial, dose matched coffee and caffeine ingestion were beneficial to exercise performance by similar magnitudes. Furthermore, Trexler et al [ 22 ] concluded that coffee is a suitable source of caffeine to improve repeated sprint performance. The inconsistency in performance outcomes of coffee between studies may be due to brands of coffee used as there has been shown to be significant variances in chlorogenic acid content [ 23 ], as well as exercise modality [ 24 ], caffeine solution strengths within the coffee, and participant training status [ 25 ].…”

The Acute Effects of Low-Dose Coffee Consumption on Anaerobic Performance in Adolescent Female Handball Players

“…Kahve veya susuz tüketilen kuru kahvenin anaerobik aktivitelerdeki etkileri submaksimal egzersizlerdeki etkileri kadar net ortaya konulmamış olmasına rağmen kahve tüketiminin (0,09 g/kg) antrenmanlı erişkin erkeklerde 1,6 km koşu performansında artış sağladığı, kuvvet antrenmanlı erişkin erkeklerde kahve tüketiminin (8,9 g çözünebilir kahve yaklaşık 303 mg kafein) tekrarlı anaerobik performansı artırdığı ve bu amaçla uygun bir kafein kaynağı olabileceği önerilmiştir. 24,65,67 Bunun aksine aktif erişkin erkeklerde çözünebilir kahve tüketiminin anaerobik güç çıktısına ve 800 m koşu performansına etkisi olmadığını gösteren çalışmalar da vardır. 68,69 Farklı formlarda hazırlanmış kahvenin performansa etkilerinin araştırıldığı çalışma örneklerinde Türk usulü hazırlanan kahvenin (3 mg/kg) 5 km performansında artış sağladığı, bunun aksine ise 2 haftalık düzenli Türk kahvesi tüketiminin (474 mg kafein), 50 km bisiklet performansına etkisinin olmadığı da belirtilmiştir.…”

Caffeine and Exercise: What Next?

“…Hodgson et al [ 151 ] reported that both caffeine and coffee, standardized to deliver a caffeine dose of 5 mg/kg, were similarly efficacious in enhancing performance above placebo in a cycle ergometer test. Two studies [ 164 , 165 ] compared the use of coffee and caffeine anhydrous for their ergogenic effects on strength and sprint performance, reporting similar ergogenic effects for both modalities. These results suggest a similar ergogenic effect of both caffeine and coffee, provided the caffeine dose is matched.…”