Research: Caffeine and Rowing Performance

Caffeine is one of the few ergogenic aids that actually seems to work. Most of the time. However, just as some people aren't kept awake by a night-time cup of coffee, some people apparently experience negligible athletic performance benefit.

There are many studies of caffeine and athletic performance and they generally show some benefit for a wide variety of sports, particularly endurance events lasting as little as 60 seconds and up to two hours (source). Typical doses are between 3 and 6mg per kilogram of body weight.

I am aware of just three studies of caffeine and rowing performance. In Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2000 Nov;32(11):1958-63. Bruce CR, Anderson ME, et al tested eight male competitive rowers in a double-blind cross-over with placebo study with three test conditions: 3mg of caffeine/kilogram of bodyweight, 6mg of caffeine/kilogram of body weight, and a placebo. They performed 2000m time trials on the rowing ergometer one hour after ingesting the caffeine or placebo. While there were differences between the 3mg and 6mg conditions (urinary caffeine concentration among the 6mg group was almost twice that of the 3mg group), performance time decreased by a mean of 1.2% for both caffeine groups and mean power increased 2.7%. In other words, it didn't matter whether you had 3mg or 6mg per kilogram of body weight; you still enjoyed performance benefits. The researchers noted some significant individual differences.

Here's some context. If you rowed a seven-minute 2000m piece, a 2.7% increase in power would translate into almost 4 seconds improvement in time. If you weigh 73 kilograms (about 161 lbs), 3mg of caffeine per kilogram translates into 219mg of caffeine. 6mg of caffeine per kilogram translates into 438mg of caffeine. For reference, a typical 16-oz "Grande" Starbucks coffee contains 330mg of caffeine is about half way in between the two study conditions' specified caffeine amount for a 161-lb person.

By the way, these results (2.7% increase in power) are similar to those achieved by former rower, Mike Perry, in a "double-blind" placebo study he conducted on himself!

In Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2000 Dec;10(4):464-75., Bruce CR, Anderson ME, et al, tested eight women rowers with 2000m tests and 6mg and 9mg caffeine/per kilogram. This study differs from the above one in several ways, but most notably in the 72-hour caffeine abstinence prior to testing. Performance time improved only .7% for the 6mg group and 2% for the 9mg group. The researchers noted that the improvement came mostly in the first 500 meters.

Finally, in a just-released study (Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2009 Nov 23. [Epub ahead of print]), Skinner TL, Jenkins DG, et al, also had ten competitive male rowers perform a 2000m time trial with groups of 2, 4, and 6mg/kilogram caffeine doses (in addition to placebo). They found little difference among the different dose groups and placebo in this randomized, double-blind crossover study. In other words, caffeine was of little benefit. The researchers noted, however, that:

"The large inter-individual response to the caffeine doses suggests that individual characteristics need to be considered when administering caffeine for performance enhancement."

Does it matter whether you are already a coffee drinker?
A seemingly obvious question is: does it matter whether you are already a caffeine consumer? Research has found that you are more likely to get a benefit from caffeine if you have not been "using". In J Appl Physiol. 2002 Oct;93(4):1227-34. Bell DG and McLellan TM found that "both the duration and magnitude of the ergogenic effect that followed a 5 mg/kg dose of caffeine were greater in the nonusers compared with the users." Other researchers disagree with that conclusion. In Sports Med. 2001;31(11):785-807., researcher TL Graham states: "The limited information available suggests that caffeine non-users and users respond similarly and that withdrawal from caffeine may not be important."

Coffee vs more regulated sources of caffeine
If you decide to take caffeine as an ergogenic aid, should you then take it in pill form so you actually know what kind of dose you're getting? This seems logical, but starts to feel uncomfortably like doping. Indeed, in Sports Med. 2001;31(11):785-807., researcher TL Graham agrees on both counts: "The ingestion of caffeine as coffee appears to be ineffective compared to doping with pure caffeine" [italics are mine].

Strictly speaking, caffeine is a drug. You can be addicted to it. You become tolerant of it (it has less effect, the longer you've been using). You crave it. You can suffer withdrawal symptoms. It just happens to be a legal drug. The International Olympic Committee removed caffeine from the list of banned substances in 2005. Caffeine is not prohibited in rowing.

An interesting side note is that after the ban on certain levels of urinary caffeine was lifted, athletes apparently decided that caffeine wasn't that big a performance boost after all. In a study of athletes during the ban and after the lifting of the ban the "average caffeine concentrations decreased after the withdrawal of caffeine from the list of prohibited substances." 

Right now, I'm starting my mornings with a mile-swim and a large "flat white", that's a big cup here "down under".  Works for me.