The Effects of Caffeine on Physical Performance of Ice Hockey Players

The Effects of Caffeine on Physical Performance of Ice Hockey Players: A Cross-over Randomized Controlled Trial

To date, only one study has evaluated the effect of caffeine supplementation on athletic performance in ice hockey players finding a lack of ergogenic effect. This lack of effect is surprising as caffeine has been suggested to be an effective and safe nutritional supplement to improve physical performance in both trained and untrained individuals. Therefore, the aim of the present study is to evaluate the effect of acute caffeine ingestion (3mg/kg body mass). Thirteen elite adult ice-hockey male players will perform specific ice hockey performance tests in two separate days. On both occasions players will ingest 330 ml of water with lemon powertabs isostar® (86 kcal / 19g of carbohydrates) tablets, which will include in one of these days 3 mg/kg body mass of anhydrous caffeine. Players will perform a 35-m sprint, an agility test (Weave agility - slalom with puck), and a reaction test.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Over 18 years,
• Male
• Play in the Spanish ice hockey first division.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Participants taking drugs containing ephedrine or antibiotics.
• Having suffered a musculoskeletal injury in the 3 months prior to the tests.