Effects of different dosages of caffeine administration on wrestling performance during a simulated tournament

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of different forms of caffeine administration on physical performance during a simulated wrestling tournament. In a double-blind and randomized experiment, twelve male freestyle wrestlers competed in a simulated wrestling tournament (5 wrestling matches consisting of 2 × 3-min wrestling rounds) following the ingestion of: a placebo, a high-dose of caffeine (10 mg/kg), a moderate-dose caffeine (4 mg/kg), a repeated-dose caffeine (2 mg/kg before each match to a total of 10 mg/kg) or a selective caffeine administration based on performance decrement previously measured (6.16 ± 1.58 mg/kg). The Pittsburgh Wrestling Performance Test (PWPT) was measured before each match to assess physical performance. In comparison to the placebo, the high dose of caffeine only reduced PWPT time before the first match (56.8 ± 2.0 vs. 52.9 ± 1.8 s; p < .05). The moderate dose of caffeine did not affect PWPT performance during the tournament. Both, the repeated dose and the selective administration of caffeine reduced PWPT time with respect to the placebo in the third (66.7 ± 1.8 vs. 63.1 ± 1.4 s; p < .05) and fourth matches (72.3 ± 2.4 vs. 65.9 ± 1.3 s; p < .05). However, only the selective dose of caffeine reduced PWPT time before the fifth match (62.7 ± 3.0 vs. 56.3 ± 2.0; p < .05). The dosage and administration of caffeine affect the ergogenic effects obtained following the ingestion of this substance. An individualized protocol to provide caffeine when physical performance is expected to be reduced might improve wrestling performance during the latter stages of a tournament.

Keywords:

• Competition
• performance
• coaching
• recovery

Acknowledgements

We are most thankful all individuals who participated in the study.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Supplemental data

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed at https://doi.org/10.1080/17461391.2018.1534990

ORCID

Raoof Negaresh http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4902-5781

Juan Del Coso http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5785-984X

Motahare Mokhtarzade http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7845-6935

Adriano Eduardo Lima-Silva http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0613-5104

Julien S. Baker http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7550-8616

Mark E. T. Willems http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4385-8739

Mostafa Khodadoost http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7899-0831

Farid Farhani http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7933-7014

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported by the Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz and Abadan branch of Islamic Azad University.