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Study aim
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This study will compare the temporal patterns of caffeine supplementation on resistance training adaptations and caffeine responsiveness in caffeine-naïve young men.
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Design
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A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, phase 3 study on 90 young men. The RAND function of Excel will be used for randomization.
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Settings and conduct
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Ninety caffeine-naïve, recreationally resistance-trained men will be randomly assigned to PLA, CAFCD, or CAFTDO. Following a free-caffeine week, participants will complete 12 weeks of supervised resistance training (3 sessions/week; 70–85% 1RM). The study will be conducted in Ankara, Turkey.
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Participants/Inclusion and exclusion criteria
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Inclusion criteria: recreationally resistance-trained men with 6 to 12 months of experience; aged between 18 and 25 years; naïve-caffeine consumers. Exclusion criteria: suffering from pathology or injury, utilizing medications, supplements, or ergogenic aids, and missing > 5% of the training trials.
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Intervention groups
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Intervention group 1) Constant daily caffeine (CAFCD) group: intake of 4 mg/kg/day caffeine;
Intervention group 2) Training-day-only caffeine (CAFTDO) group: intake of 4 mg/kg caffeine on training days and 300 mg microcrystalline cellulose on non-training days;
Control group, Placebo (PLA) : intake of 300 mg/day microcrystalline cellulose.
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Main outcome variables
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Maximal strength; muscular endurance; neuromuscular function; muscle thickness; lean mass; muscle mass; acute exercise performance response to caffeine; exercise-induced catecholamine response to caffeine.