Caffeine for Sports Performance Print CE Course

Course components are delivered as printed products:

• Caffeine for Sports Performance book

• Study guide

• Continuing education exam

Caffeine is the most widely used drug in the world, regularly consumed by most adults for its effect on fatigue. It is also a popular ergogenic aid used by athletes. The World Anti-Doping Agency removed caffeine from their list of prohibited substances in 2004; caffeine is still legal for use today. According to the National Collegiate Athletic Association, caffeine is also considered a regulated but not banned substance.

The Caffeine for Sports Performance course covers all issues related to caffeine and sport performance and includes practical guidance for coaches, trainers, and athletes seeking to use caffeine to bolster athletic performance. Offering a commonsense discussion on the benefits and risks of caffeine use for a range of sports, the course delves into the health implications of caffeine use and explains how to choose the right supplement. Readers will also gain access to tips and stories from leading athletes, coaches, and researchers who explain how to safely use caffeine to enhance sport performance.

The study guide contains a course syllabus, chapter activities, and end-of-chapter learning activities to prepare you for the 55-question continuing education exam at the conclusion of the course.

Louise Burke, PhD, is a sport dietitian with nearly 30 years of experience in the counseling and education of elite athletes. Since 1990 she has served as the head of sports nutrition at the Australian Institute of Sport and served as the team dietitian for the Australian Olympic team for five Summer Olympics from 1996 to 2012. Burke is also director of the International Olympic Committee diploma in sports nutrition and is part of the Nutrition Working Group of the IOC. Her research and education interests in sport supplements have included work on caffeine and sport performance. Louise hates coffee and has never tried an energy drink; to her husband’s chagrin, her daily caffeine intake consists of half cups of weak black tea. She is committed to practicing her (also very modest) sporting ability. Toward the end of her annual marathon she consumes caffeinated cola drinks or sport confectionary, which get her to the finish line with a smile on her face.

Ben Desbrow, PhD, is a sport dietitian and senior lecturer at Griffith University in Queensland, Australia. In 1999, Desbrow was awarded the first Nestlé Fellowship in Sports Nutrition at the Australian Institute of Sport. Since that time he has worked with many sporting groups, including the 2000 British Olympic team and the Australian Institute of Sport Cricket Centre of Excellence. Desbrow has coauthored numerous articles on caffeine use by athletes and the general population for scientific nutrition journals. Desbrow is currently conducting new studies investigating caffeine’s ability to influence exercise performance. Ben has an addiction to iced coffee, which usually manifests as confusion around lunch time on most workdays. He completed his PhD investigating the effects of cola beverages on endurance performance—an achievement fueled entirely by caffeine.

Lawrence L. Spriet, PhD, is a professor in the department of human health and nutritional sciences at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada. Dr. Spriet received his bachelor's degree in kinesiology at the University of Waterloo, his master's degree in exercise physiology from York University in Toronto, and his doctoral degree in medical sciences from McMaster University. He was a postdoctoral fellow at Huddinge Hospital, Karolinska Institute, in Stockholm, Sweden, and a visiting scientist in the School of Health Sciences, Deakin University, Melbourne, Australia. His research output appears in numerous scientific journals, including Journal of Physiology, American Journal of Physiology, and Journal of Applied Physiology. Dr. Spriet is a member of the editorial board for the International Journal of Sports Medicine and the U.S.-based Sports Medicine Review Board of the Gatorade Sports Science Institute. He is also the chair of the Canadian Gatorade Sports Science Institute. Lawrence is a committed caffeine user. He first experienced the benefits of coffee use while completing his MSc degree many years ago. Coffee now starts his every day, except when he's volunteering for a caffeine withdrawal study. Just having the cup on the desk is a positive influence on the many tasks he needs to complete.