Effects of progressive versus consistent dose of caffeine ingestion on volleyball players’ exercise performance adaptations following plyometric jump training
BackgroundThe consumption of caffeine (CAF) to enhance adaptations in athletes has been documented in prior studies; however, the identification of an optimal approach for CAF supplementation during short-term interventions remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate how different caffeine (CAF...
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| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Nutrition |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnut.2025.1629950/full |
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| Summary: | BackgroundThe consumption of caffeine (CAF) to enhance adaptations in athletes has been documented in prior studies; however, the identification of an optimal approach for CAF supplementation during short-term interventions remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate how different caffeine (CAF) dosage strategies consumed 1 h before plyometric jump training (PJT) affect exercise performance adaptations in male volleyball athletes.MethodsA total of thirty-two young volleyball players volunteered for the study and were randomly divided into four groups: 3 mg/kg of caffeine (CAF-3, n = 8), 6 mg/kg of caffeine (CAF-6, n = 8), progressively increases from 3 to 6 mg/kg of caffeine (CAF-3 to 6, n = 8), and placebo (PL, n = 8). All athletes engaged in a 4-week PJT intervention, three times a week, and ingested their CAF or PL in a double-blind manner 1 hour prior to the PJT sessions. Countermovement vertical jump (CMVJ), spike jump (SPJ), block jump (BLJ), 10-m sprint, T-test change of direction speed (T-CODS), maximal strength, and Wingate anaerobic power test were assessed both before and after the training intervention.ResultsThe CAF-3 to 6 and CAF-6 groups showed more gains (p < 0.05) than the CAF-3 and PL groups in the CMVJ (7.6 and 6.9% vs. 4.3 and 4.1%), SPJ (2.5 and 2.3% vs. 1.4 and 1.4%), BLJ (1.1 and 1.0% vs. 0.7 and 0.7%), 10-m sprint (−7.5% and −7.4% vs. −5.2% and −5.0%), T-CODS (−5.4% and −5.2% vs. −3.8% and −3.5%), 1RM strength (5.2 and 5.3% vs. 2.5 and 2.4%), peak power (10.1 and 9.4% vs. 6.2 and 6.0%) and mean power (8.7 and 8.2% vs. 5.1 and 4.9%), respectively, following the training period. However, no significant (p > 0.05) differences were observed between the CAF-3 to 6 versus CAF-6 in the magnitude of adaptations in the performance of players after training period.ConclusionIn summary, elevated caffeine intake serves as an ergogenic aid to enhance exercise performance adaptations in volleyball athletes. Furthermore, a progressive CAF loading strategy appears to be as effective as maintaining a consistent dosage throughout a 4-week PJT program. This approach presents a viable option for CAF supplementation, potentially attenuating total CAF usage while eliciting similar training benefits. |
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| ISSN: | 2296-861X |