Use of anhydrous caffeine is an established and widely used ergogenic method. In sprinting events, optimum performance is highly dependent on the simultaneous peak functioning of a host of physiological systems. Therefore, caffeine supplementation protocols need to be perfectly timed in order to achieve culmination in sprint performance parameters within a narrow time window. Typically, caffeine capsules are ingested approximately 1-hour before exercise, but absorption rates may be highly variable. An alternative mode of ingestion is through caffeinated gum where caffeine is rapidly absorbed through the buccal mucosa. Our aim was to investigate the acute effects of two distinct modes of caffeine ingestion on sprint performance. Following ethics approval, eight trained male sprinters aged 20±1 y took part in a screening and familiarisation session before they completed four trials (3x40 m sprints with 4 min recovery between runs) a week apart. A double-blind randomized crossover design was adopted where, during the trials, participants received: 1) Caffeine gum (CAFG, 6 mg.kg-1 of body weight), 2) CAFG placebo (CAFGP), 3) Caffeine capsules (CAFC, mg.kg-1 of body weight), 4) CAFC placebo (CAFCP). General and sport-specific warm-up commenced 15 minutes before sprint one. Capsules were given 45 minutes and chewing gums 15 minutes before sprint one. The gums were chewed for 5 minutes. Blood lactate and glucose concentration, heart rate, arousal and feeling levels were recorded at baseline and different time points during testing. Mean times to complete the three sprints were 5.00±0.23, 5.03±0.17, 5.10±0.15, and 5.10±0.14 s for the CAFG, CAFC, CAFGP and CAFCP conditions respectively. Participants ran faster (P<0.05) during the caffeine than the placebo conditions. Additionally, sprint two in the CAFG (2.25±0.45 % faster than CAFGP) was faster (P=0.022) than in the CAFC (1.40±0.32 % faster than CAFCP). Blood glucose and arousal levels were also higher during the caffeine trials. Our data confirm that caffeine is an effective ergogenic strategy for sprinters. Furthermore, the greater performance gains in sprint two suggest that caffeinated gum may be a more efficacious mode of ingestion than traditional methods of caffeine ingestion.
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