Jumping for Joy... or Not? Examining the Effects of NCAA-Regulated Caffeine Dose on Vertical Jump Performance

Authors

Roy Shohat, Barry UniversityFollow
Maya Caon, Barry UniversityFollow
Samuel Vilmeau, Barry UniversityFollow
Samuel Norwood, Florida International UniversityFollow
Vinicius Ribeiro, Barry UniversityFollow
Claire Egret, Barry UniversityFollow
Tal Amasay, Barry UniversityFollow
Vassilios Panoutsakopoulos, Aristotle University of ThessalonikiFollow
Zacharias Papadakis, Barry UniversityFollow

Abstract

Caffeine is a popular ergogenic aid, potentially enhancing performance in high-intensity power movements like jumping. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) removed caffeine from its banned list, but the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) restricts caffeine intake (5 mg/kg). Past research has examined the effects of caffeine supplementation on vertical jumping performance, since comprises reliable physical fitness test, but mixed results were reported. PURPOSE: This study examined the effects of caffeine at the NCAA limit on vertical jump performance in real-world training conditions. METHODS: Forty collegiate Division II athletes (Male = 22) from sports like basketball, volleyball, soccer, tennis, cross country, and softball during real-life training conditions participated in a single-blind, randomized, crossover design. They consumed either caffeine (5 mg/kg) or placebo, followed by 60-minute waiting period and a standardized warm-up. Three squat (SJ) and 3 countermovement jumps (CMJ) were performed on a Noraxon AMTI force platform. Jump height (m) was calculated using the fight time method. The average of the 3 respective jumps was used for statistical analysis. Normality of the data was evaluated by Kolmogorov-Smirnov and a paired t-test in Jamovi vs 2.4.14 (p < .05) was used to compare the differences in SJ and CMJ between placebo and caffeine conditions. RESULTS: In comparison with placebo (μ_placebo – μ_caffeine ≠ 0), caffeine consumption did not improve SJ (t₃₉ = -.32, p = .75, μ_diff = -.01 95%CI [-.01, .01], d = -.05, 95%CI [-.36, .26]) nor CMJ (t₃₉ = -1.32, p = .20, μ_diff = -.01 95%CI [-.02, .00], d = -.21, 95%CI [-.52, .11]) vertical jump performance. CONCLUSION: Consuming caffeine at the NCAA limit did not enhance vertical jump performance in a large sample of Division II athletes during real-life training. These findings may inform the NCAA to consider revising its caffeine regulations to align with evidence-based WADA guidelines.

Recommended Citation

Shohat, Roy; Caon, Maya; Vilmeau, Samuel; Norwood, Samuel; Ribeiro, Vinicius; Egret, Claire; Amasay, Tal; Panoutsakopoulos, Vassilios; and Papadakis, Zacharias (2024) "Jumping for Joy... or Not? Examining the Effects of NCAA-Regulated Caffeine Dose on Vertical Jump Performance," International Journal of Exercise Science: Conference Proceedings: Vol. 15: Iss. 4, Article 12.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/ijesab/vol15/iss4/12