Comparative Effects of Pre-Exercise and Mid-Exercise Caffeine Ingestion Combined with Pranayama on Cardiorespiratory Endurance and Physical Fitness in Runners
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.68279/en3r1153Keywords:
Caffeine; Pranayama; Runners; Cardiorespiratory Endurance; Physical Fitness; Exercise PerformanceAbstract
Background: Caffeine supplementation and pranayama are used to support exercise performance; however, the influence of caffeine-ingestion timing during combined interventions remains uncertain. Objective: To compare pre-exercise and mid-exercise caffeine ingestion combined with pranayama on cardiorespiratory endurance and physical fitness among runners. Methods: A two-arm randomized clinical trial involved 36 healthy male runners aged 18–35 years recruited from three fitness centers. Participants were allocated equally to pre-exercise caffeine (Group A) or mid-exercise caffeine (Group B), with both groups receiving supervised pranayama and standardized running exercise. Outcomes included the Plank Test, Hexagon Agility Test, 20-Meter Sprint Test, and Cooper 12-Minute Run Test. Paired-samples t-tests assessed within-group changes, while unadjusted independent-samples comparisons evaluated between-group differences. Results: Both groups demonstrated improvements across all outcomes (reported p < 0.05). Post-intervention comparisons favored Group A for plank endurance (mean difference: 8.17 s; 95% CI: 1.07–15.27; p = 0.0255), agility (−0.80 s; 95% CI: −1.27 to −0.33; p = 0.0015), sprint performance (−0.10 s; p = 0.0174), and Cooper running distance (75.00 m; p = 0.0418). After exploratory multiplicity adjustment, only the agility comparison remained statistically significant. Conclusion: Pre-exercise caffeine combined with pranayama was associated with more favorable post-intervention performance, particularly agility, although unadjusted analyses and the small sample limit definitive conclusions about superiority
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Copyright (c) 2026 Mazhar Iqbal, Aamir Gul Memon, Muhammad Naveed Babur, Faiz Javed, Laiba Maryam, Aliza Iqbal (Author)
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