The effects of ibuprofen on muscle performance, workload and plasma creatine kinase during a strength training session

Introduction: Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are the most often used substances by athletes. Objective: To determine the effect of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug ibuprofen administration before a resistance exercise bout in the total training volume performed as well as in the acute plasmatic levels of creatine kinase. Methods: Twelve strength-trained males (22.8 [+ or -] 3.2 years) performed a strength training bout twice: taking 1.2 g of ibuprofen and placebo one hour before the exercise session. Blood levels of creatine kinase (CK) were measured at four times: before (C [K.sub.pre]), immediately after (C [K.sub.post]), and 24h (C [K.sub.24]) and 48h (C [K.sub.48]) after the strength training sessions. In addition, the total volume performed was evaluated to verify possible differences in the training performance. Results: There was no significant difference between the use of ibuprofen or placebo in total strength training volume. Furthermore, no differences were observed between ibuprofen or placebo condition in the C [K.sub.pre] (18.7 [+ or -] 8.6 vs. 15.3 [+ or -] 3.5), CK post (37.9 [+ or -] 19.6 vs. 32.1 [+ or -] 16.7), CK24 (16.4 [+ or -] 6.4 vs. 16.9 [+ or -] 7.0) and C [K.sub.48] (12.8 [+ or -] 4.5 vs. 12.0 [+ or -] 5.0) (P > 0.05). There was a significant increase in the CK immediately after (C [K.sub.post]), as well 48 hours after (C [K.sub.48]) in both exercise conditions (placebo and ibuprofen) (P = 0.002). Conclusion: The use of ibuprofen does not affect the total strength training volume in a single exercise bout, as well as has no effect in the acute CK responses to this exercise bout. Key words: ibuprofen, creatine kinase, strength training, performance