Exercise Performance And Perception Of Breathlessness After Caffeine Ingestion In Cyclists

Caffeine (CAF) is commonly ingested as an ergogenic aid among cyclists, in part, due to its effect on pain perception. CAF may improve performance by altering the perceptions related to ventilatory work and dyspnea. The purpose of this study was to evaluate exercise performance and breathlessness in cyclists during a fixed-work time trial (TT) after the ingestion of caffeine. Nine male cyclists completed pulmonary function testing and a peak aerobic capacity test (V?O2peak: 60.8±5.7 ml·kg-1·min-1). During visit two, cyclists completed a fixed-work familiarization TT equivalent to a distance of 20-km. Subsequently, subjects completed in a randomized, counterbalanced order, TTs with ingestion of a placebo (TTPLA) or caffeine (TTCAF; 5 mg·kg-1). Elapsed time was significantly reduced during TTCAF compared with TTPLA (33.5±2.8 vs. 35.5±2.7 min, p < 0.01). RPB did not differ between TTCAF and TTPLA at any interval (p = 0.755). A main effect was observed in ventilation during TTCAF when compared with TTPLA (p = 0.019). A main effect was observed in integrated inspiratory mouth pressure during TTCAF when compared with TTPLA (p = 0.040). These results demonstrate that consuming a moderate dose of caffeine enhances exercise performance and increases ventilatory work without altering RPB.