Caffeine and Sport Climbing Performance (Climbing&CAF)

Caffeine Ingestion at Acute and Moderate Doses Does Not Improve Sport Climbing Performance: Results From a Randomized Controlled Trial.

To determine the effects of ingesting caffeine at a dose of 3 mg/kg body mass on pull-up performance and handgrip-related measures in trained climbers.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Caffeine; Climbing
• Intervention / Treatment: Dietary supplement: Placebo; Dietary supplement: Acute and moderate dose of caffeine (3 mg/kg body mass)

Detailed Description

Introduction: Caffeine is widely recognized as a performance-enhancing substance across numerous athletic disciplines; however, its role in sport climbing has received comparatively limited scientific attention. Because climbing performance relies heavily on grip force, explosive upper-body strength, and localized muscular endurance, this investigation evaluated the short-term impact of a low caffeine dose on climbing-relevant performance outcomes.

Objective: To determine the effects of ingesting caffeine at a dose of 3 mg/kg body mass on pull-up performance and handgrip-related measures in trained climbers.

Methods: Thirteen trained young male climbers participated in a triple-blind, randomized, crossover study design, completing two experimental conditions (caffeine and placebo). Performance assessments included a pull-up one-repetition maximum (1RM), a pull-up power test conducted at multiple external loads, a pull-up endurance test, and several grip performance evaluations, namely maximal dead-hang duration, maximal dead-hang force, and rate of force development (RFD).

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 13
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Spain
  • Madrid
    • Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain, 28805
      • Facultad de Medicina y Ciencias de la Salud. Universidad de Alcalá

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion criteria:

• Healthy individuals
• Age between 18 and 40 years
• At least three months of continuous climbing practice
• Ability to hang for at least 5 seconds from an 18-mm edge
• Ability to perform at least one strict body-weight pull-up

Exclusion criteria:

• Any musculoskeletal or medical condition preventing completion of the experimental protocol
• Participation in less than three training sessions per week or a total training volume <150 min/week
• Use of medications or dietary supplements known to affect caffeine metabolism

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Crossover Assignment
• Masking: Triple

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Placebo Comparator: Placebo; 0 mg/kg of caffeine	Dietary supplement: Placebo; Placebo supplementation was provide to young male climbers.
Experimental: Caffeine; 3 mg/kg of caffeine	Dietary supplement: Acute and moderate dose of caffeine (3 mg/kg body mass); Caffeine supplementation was provide to young male climbers.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Pull-up 1RM		Through study completion, an average of 4 weeks
Pull-up strength and power test 1	Mean and peak velocity will be recorded at 60%, 80%, 90%, 95% and 100% 1RM.	Through study completion, an average of 4 weeks
Pull-up strength and power test 2	Mean and peak power will be recorded at 60%, 80%, 90%, 95% and 100%1RM.	Through study completion, an average of 4 weeks
Pull-up muscular endurance test	Using body mass and perform one set of many repetitions as possible until task failure. The total number of repetitions, Vmean, Vpeak, Wmean and Wpeak were recorded.	Through study completion, an average of 4 weeks
Grip endurance in dead-hang.	Maximum hanging time (MHT) test at an 18-mm edge depth with each hand	Through study completion, an average of 4 weeks
Maximum grip strength in dead-hang	using the Strength Test (ST), which measures the maximal external load a participant can sustain for 5 seconds while hanging from an 18-mm edge	Through study completion, an average of 4 weeks
Grip rate of force development (RFD).	measuring the maximal one-hand pull (voluntary contraction) at an 18 mm edge with a force sensor	Through study completion, an average of 4 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Body composition	Using bioelectrical impedance	Through study completion, an average of 4 weeks
Dietary habits	24 h dietary recall	Through study completion, an average of 4 weeks
Mood states	Using the Profile of Mood States (POMS) on a 0-4 scale.	Through study completion, an average of 4 weeks
Physical activity habits	International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). Report the unabbreviated scale title. Scores are typically expressed as MET-minutes/week or by activity categories (low, moderate, high), depending on the scoring protocol used. There is no fixed universal minimum or maximum score for MET-minutes/week, as scores depend on reported activity levels. Higher scores indicate better outcomes (greater physical activity).	Through study completion, an average of 4 weeks
Rate of perceived exertion	Using Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE). Category Ratio 10 (CR10) Scale: minimum 0, maximum 10 (or 11 if including "maximal"). Higher scores indicate worse outcomes (greater perceived exertion).	Through study completion, an average of 4 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Alcala
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Alberto Pérez López, PhD, University of Alcala

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): January 8, 2025
• Primary Completion (Actual): March 30, 2025
• Study Completion (Actual): October 30, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: December 15, 2025
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 31, 2025
• First Posted (Actual): January 12, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): May 6, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 30, 2026
• Last Verified: December 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: caffeine; sport performance; grip strength; sport climbing; pull up strength
• Other Study ID Numbers: CEIP/2024/5/117 (Other Identifier: CEIP/2024/5/117)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: YES

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No