Background The benefits of caffeine to physical performance have been extensively demonstrated, however, it has recently been speculated that there is an effect of the administration route on its effectiveness. Purpose The current study investigated the effect of caffeine mouth rinse in isolation or combined with ingestion on performance in a 30-minute constant-load exercise followed by a 10-km cycling time trial. Methods Ten physically active men performed a 30-minute constant-load exercise at 50% of the graded test Wmax, followed by a 10-km cycling time trial. Before and at the middle points of the constant-load exercise and 10-km cycling time trial, the following conditions were administered: PLA (cellulose ingestion plus mouth rinsing with magnesium sulfate), ING (5 mg.kg-1 of caffeine ingestion plus mouth rinsing with magnesium sulfate), MR (cellulose ingestion plus mouth rinsing with 1.2% caffeine), and COMB (5 mg.kg-1 of caffeine ingestion plus mouth rinsing with 1.2% caffeine). Results During the 30-minute constant-load exercise, COMB presented a lower rating of perceived exertion (RPE) than MR (p = .04). For the 10-km time trial, the COMB was faster than MR (MR = 1363 ± 345 vs. COMB = 1291 ± 308s, ?% = 5.57, p = .05). Mean power output was higher in COMB than PLA, ING, and MR (234 ± 15 vs. 169 ± 29, 148 ± 11, and 145 ± 12 W, respectively). There were no differences between conditions for heart rate and RPE during the 10-km time trial. Conclusion In summary, caffeine mouth rinsing potentiated the effects of caffeine ingestion during the 10-km time trial compared to caffeine mouth rinsing alone.
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