Clinical trial NCT06891469: Effects of an Acute Dose of Caffeine on the Performance of CrossFit Athletes
Official title: Effects of an Acute High Dose of Caffeine on Physiological Responses and Performance During a Strength-Focused CrossFit® Workout: a Randomized, Double - Blinded, Crossover Study
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Healthy, Young Adults
Athletic Performance
Keywords: caffeine
rating of perceived exertion
lactate
performance
high intensity functional training
CrossFit®
Lead sponsor: Democritus University of Thrace
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2025-03-24
Enrollment: 12
Sex: MALE
Minimum age (years): 18
Maximum age (years): 40
Standard ages: ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: CROSSOVER
Primary purpose: OTHER

Brief summary: The goal of this clinical trial was to investigate the effect of an acute dose of caffeine on CrossFit performance in young, healthy male CrossFit athletes. The main questions it aimed to answer were whether an acute dose of caffeine, compared to placebo:

* Can improve performance in a specific CrossFit workout
* Leads to a reduction in the Rating of Perceived Exertion
* Leads to an increase in blood lactate concentration at the end of the workout

Participants had to:

* Complete two sessions of a specific CrossFit training program (four rounds of five exercises, 50 seconds of exercise/10 seconds of rest), 60 minutes after consuming either anhydrous caffeine (7.1 ± 0.7 mg/kg of body mass) or an equivalent amount of placebo, aiming to perform as many repetitions as possible.
* Report subjective perception of fatigue using the Borg scale at the end of each round.

Detailed description: Preliminary measurements The preliminary measurements included anthropometry, body composition estimation, dietary and habitual caffeine consumption assessment. To assess habitual caffeine consumption, the volunteers were asked to answer a questionnaire through an interview, which investigated the typical consumption of specific caffeine-containing foods and beverages over the past month. Additionally, medical history information was collected through personal interviews.

Main tests Aerobic fitness and maximum heart rate were assessed using the 20-meter shuttle run at an indoor gymnasium. For each main session, the volunteers arrived at the gym having followed specific preparation instructions. Specifically, they were instructed to avoid intense exercise for 24 hours before the test, be hydrated, eat a carbohydrate-rich meal 3-4 hours earlier, avoid alcohol for 24 hours before the test, and refrain from energy drinks, supplements, or caffeine on the test day.

The two main tests were conducted at the same time of day and under similar environmental conditions for each volunteer. After being weighed, the volunteers took either caffeine or biotin capsules, and, 40 minutes later, they began warming up so that the training session would start 60 minutes after taking the supplement. Before the warm-up, blood lactate concentration was measured using the Lactate Scout 4 automatic lactate analyzer.

The volunteers executed five exercises (50 seconds on, 10 seconds off) for four rounds, aiming to perform as many repetitions as possible with the correct technique. The five exercises were push-ups, power cleans, front squats, sit-ups, and deadlifts. The power clean, front squat, and deadlift were performed with an external load of approximately 40%, 50%, and 60% of body weight, respectively.

Performance was defined as the total number of repetitions per round (i.e. the sum of repetitions in all exercises per round), as well as the number of repetitions performed in each exercise per round.

At the end of each round, the rating of perceived exertion (RPE) was recorded using the 6-to-20 Borg scale, and, one minute after the end of the workout, blood lactate concentration was measured again.

HR was monitored using a HR monitor (Polar H10) throughout the workout and averaged over each round.

Additionally, after completing the training sessions, the volunteers provided information about possible side effects (tachycardia, palpitations, feelings of anxiety/discomfort, headache, dizziness).

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Men
* Aged 18-40
* At least 2 years of experience with CrossFit programs
* Free of any medical condition that prevents the participant from performing the exercises of the training program at maximum capacity

Exclusion Criteria:

* Consumption of caffeine and guarana supplements, unless were discontinued for at least two weeks before participating in the study

Primary outcomes:
measure: Performance During CrossFit® Workout
timeFrame: After 5, 10, 15 and 20 minutes of exercise
measure: Rating of Perceived Exertion during the CrossFit program
timeFrame: during the last 10 s of the 5th, 10th, 15th and 20th minute of exercise
measure: Blood lactate concentration
timeFrame: 1st measurement before the warm up and 2nd measurement one minute after the end of workout (i.e. after 20 min of exercise)
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Heart Rate
timeFrame: Heart rate was measured every 1 second of exercise. For analysis, heart rate was averaged over the following time ranges: 1-5 , 6-10 , 11-15 and 16-20 minutes of exercise
measure: Aerobic fitness assessment
timeFrame: baseline (during the 2nd visit)
measure: Maximum heart rate measurement
timeFrame: Heart rate was continuously recorded during the test (every 1 s), until exhaustion. The highest heart rate at the time of exhaustion was recorded.
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Athens
country: Greece
facility: Stefanos Karalis Indoors Facilities
state: Byron
Study officials:
affiliation: Democritus University of Thrace
name: ILIAS SMILIOS, Professor
role: STUDY_DIRECTOR
affiliation: Aristotle University Of Thessaloniki
name: VASSILIS MOUGIOS, Professor
role: STUDY_DIRECTOR
affiliation: Gregory C. Bogdanis National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, School of Physical Education and Sport Science
name: GREGORY C. BOGDANIS, Professor
role: STUDY_CHAIR
References:
citation: Pickering C, Grgic J. Caffeine and Exercise: What Next? Sports Med. 2019 Jul;49(7):1007-1030. doi: 10.1007/s40279-019-01101-0.
citation: Guest NS, VanDusseldorp TA, Nelson MT, Grgic J, Schoenfeld BJ, Jenkins NDM, Arent SM, Antonio J, Stout JR, Trexler ET, Smith-Ryan AE, Goldstein ER, Kalman DS, Campbell BI. International society of sports nutrition position stand: caffeine and exercise performance. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2021 Jan 2;18(1):1. doi: 10.1186/s12970-020-00383-4.
citation: Claudino JG, Gabbett TJ, Bourgeois F, Souza HS, Miranda RC, Mezencio B, Soncin R, Cardoso Filho CA, Bottaro M, Hernandez AJ, Amadio AC, Serrao JC. CrossFit Overview: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Sports Med Open. 2018 Feb 26;4(1):11. doi: 10.1186/s40798-018-0124-5.