Effects of Four Weeks of In-Season Pre-Workout Supplementation on Performance, Body Composition, Muscle Damage, and Health-Related Markers in Basketball Players: A Randomized Controlled Study

• Published in: Journal of functional morphology and kinesiology Vol. 9; no. 2; p. 85
• Main Authors: Douligeris, Athanasios, Methenitis, Spyridon, Stavropoulos-Kalinoglou, Antonios, Panayiotou, George, Vogazianos, Paris, Lazou, Antonia, Feidantsis, Konstantinos, Giaginis, Constantinos, Papanikolaou, Konstantinos, Arnaoutis, Giannis, Manios, Yannis, Jamurtas, Athanasios Z, Papadopoulou, Sousana K
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 10.05.2024; MDPI
• Subjects: aerobic performance; agility; Amino acids; anaerobic performance; Athletic recruitment; Basketball; Basketball players; Blood pressure; Body composition; Caffeine; countermovement jump; Dietary supplements; Exercise; Heart rate; Ingredients; Investigations; long-term effect; Medical screening; Motor ability; Nutrition; Performance evaluation; Physical fitness; Physiological aspects; pre-workout; Questionnaires; Strength training; Vital signs; Warm up (exercise); Greece; Austria; Japan; aerobic performance; human participants; metabolic health; countermovement jump; nutritional supplementation; anaerobic performance; long-term effect; agility; pre-workout; speed
• ISSN: 2411-5142; 2411-5142
• DOI: 10.3390/jfmk9020085

This randomized, double-blinded, experimental study investigated the effects of a four-week daily pre-workout supplementation (200 mg caffeine, 3.3 g creatine monohydrate, 3.2 g β-alanine, 6 g citrulline malate, and 5 g BCAA) vs. placebo (isocaloric maltodextrin) on anaerobic (jumping, sprinting, agility, and the running-based anaerobic sprint test: RAST) and aerobic (Yo-Yo intermittent recovery test level 1) performance, as well as on body composition and selective muscle damage/health-related blood markers in well-trained basketball players during the in-season period. Eighteen basketball players (age: 24.4 ± 6.3 years, height: 185.7 ± 8.0 cm, weight: 85.7 ± 12.8 kg, body fat: 16.5 ± 4.2%) were randomly assigned into two groups: pre-workout supplement (PWS, = 10) or placebo (PL, = 8). PWS consumption increased aerobic performance (PWS: 8 ± 6%; PL: -2 ± 6%; = 0.004) compared to PL. A significant decrease was observed in peak (F = 7.0; = 0.017), average (F = 10.7; = 0.005), and minimum power (F = 5.1; = 0.039) following 4 weeks of supplementation in both groups. No other significant changes were observed between groups ( > 0.05). In conclusion, the consumption of the current PWS over a four-week period appears to positively influence the aerobic performance of well-trained basketball players during the in-season period. However, it does not appear to mitigate the observed decline in anaerobic power, nor does it affect performance in jumping, sprinting, and agility, or alter body composition or selective muscle damage/health-related blood markers.