During exercise caffeine intake attenuates performance declines ☕️
Caffeine isn't just a pre-exercise strategy.
Effects of Caffeine on Durability After a Simulated Race in Trained Cyclists: A Field-Based Cross-Over Randomized Controlled Trial
Study Details
This new study recruited 13 cyclists to a triple blind crossover study where they completed a field-based 8-min time-trial under “fresh” conditions and immediately after 2 x 90-min simulated cycling races 🚴♂️
During the latter stages of the simulated cycling races participants consumed either…
☕️ 6 mg/kg caffeine
💊 Placebo
…60-mins prior to each respective time-trial ⏰
Here is what they found ⬇️
Key Findings
Participants had a lower average power output during the TT with the placebo (352 ± 34 W)…
…compared with the fresh condition (367 ± 36 W) 📉
However, this decline was not observed in the caffeine condition (363 ± 40 W) 💪
Differences between the caffeine and placebo conditions did not reach statistical significance ❌
However, effect sizes were moderate and surpassed the estimated smallest worthwhile change (+2%) 📈
No significant differences were found for…
❌ Heart rate
❌ Rating of perceived exertion
❌ Mood states
Conclusion
Caffeine intake during the latter stages of endurance exercise can preserve power output and support performance ✅
Reference
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41248625/
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The timing aspect here is what I find most practial. Most people think of caffeine as a pre workout thing, but using it strategically during longer efforts makes a lot of sense for endurace events.