Work

The Effects of Acute Caffeine Supplementation in Combination with Postactivation Performance Enhancement on Performance and Fatigue in High-Level Male Volleyball Athletes

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Purpose Enhancing performance and delaying fatigue are pivotal goals in competitive sports. This study assessed the impact of the Post-activation performance enhancement (PAPE) method and caffeine supplementation on central and peripheral fatigue following a fatigue-inducing protocol in elite male volleyball athletes. Methods The study employed a convenience sampling method to recruit 40 voluntary participants (18-30 years), who were then divided into four groups: PAPE group (N=10), Caffeine group (CAF, N=10), PAPE + Caffeine group (CAF+ PAPE, N=10), and Control group (CG, N=10). The caffeine group received a caffeine supplement of 6 mg/kg of body mass 20 minutes before the warming-up for 10 min, while the PAPE group performed 2 sets of back squats at 80% of 1RM (4 reps/set) 2 minutes before the protocol. Results Between-group comparisons revealed that the PAPE+CAF group demonstrated a significant improvement the performance variables, including time to exhaustion, number of rounds, and serum dopamine levels, compared to all other groups (p<0.05), while serum ammonia, serotonin, and prolactin levels decreased significantly compared to all other groups (p<0.05). The CAF group also showed higher values in these performance and biochemical measures than the CG and PAPE groups, but these were lower than those in the CAF+PAPE group (p<0.05). No significant differences were found for RPE or uric acid (p>0.05). Conclusion This study confirms caffeine's primary role in enhancing performance and reducing fatigue. The combined CAF+PAPE intervention provided a distinct advantage only for the number of rounds completed, but showed no significant benefit over caffeine alone for time to exhaustion or most biochemical markers.

Source: Current Developments in Nutrition

DOI: 10.1016/j.cdnut.2025.107601

Authors: Marjan Shidai, Hamid Rajabi, Neda Khaledi, Aref Basereh, Somayeh Ahmadabadi

Institutions: Kharazmi University, Farhangian University

Language: English

Topic: Sports Performance and Training

Subfield: Orthopedics and Sports Medicine

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $5,000