Effects of a Pre-workout Energy Drink Supplement on Upper Body Muscular Endurance Performance

The use of pre-workout beverages is becoming an increasingly common method of improving performance during exercise in athletic and recreationally active populations. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a commercially available energy drink on exercise performance. Thirty-one healthy males (n=23) and females (n=8) participated in this study and were separated into two groups: supplement (SU; n=16) or placebo (PL; n=15). Subjects visited the laboratory on 2 occasions separated by no more than 7 days. The first visit consisted of completing a push up to fatigue protocol (PUFP) without ingesting the pre-workout energy drink supplement (PWEDS). The second visit consisted of ingesting either a placebo or the PWEDS 30 minutes prior to completing the PUFP. Rate of perceived exertion (RPE) was recorded following each set of pushups on both testing days. Also, participant’s height, weight, and body composition were collected. There was no significant differences at baseline in any variable between groups (p = >.05). After the second testing session, both groups significantly improved total push-ups (PL Pre: 133.3 ±39.4, PL Post: 155.3 ± 54.1; SU Pre: 139.3 ± 58.5, SU Post: 161.3 ± 79.4; p=<.001), and push-ups completed in each of the 3 sets (p=<.001), when compared to baseline. Post-testing revealed no significant difference between groups in total push-ups completed or RPE at any time point, when compared to baseline. In conclusion, the commercially available PWEDS offered no additional ergogenic effects when compared to the placebo.