The Effects of Pre-Workout Supplementation on Anaerobic Power and Maintenance of Power in College Students

This study examined the effects of Assault™ pre-workout supplementation on peak power output (PP), mean power output (MP), and percent decline in power output (% decline) during repeated, Wingate anaerobic tests. Thirteen healthy, physically active participants (7 male, 6 female) completed the randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover design with two conditions, supplement and placebo. The participants visited the laboratory for a total of three visits, 2-7 days apart. During visit 1, the participants completed a 4-minute familiarization warm-up on the Monark cycle ergometer and performed one baseline, 30-second Wingate cycle ergometry test. During visits 2 and 3, the participants consumed either the pre-workout supplement or placebo flavored maltodextrin (randomized by a third party) and waited 20 minutes before beginning the test protocol. Each participant then completed a 4- minute warm-up on the Monark cycle ergometer followed by four, 30-second Wingate tests, with a 5-minute rest between each Wingate. There were no significant two-way condition x Wingate trial interactions for PP (F=0.713, p=0.566), MP (F=0.669, p-value=0.590), or % decline (F=0.398 p=0.540). There was a significant main effect for the Wingate trial for both PP (F=10.632, p=0.002) and MP (F=11.781, p =0.001), but there was no main effect for the Wingate trial for % decline. There were no main effects for condition for any of the variables. The pre-workout supplement examined in this study did not elicit ergogenic effects on anaerobic power output (PP or MP) or the maintenance (% decline) during multiple Wingate tests.