Bell, D. G., McLellan, T. M., & Sabiston, C. M. (2000). Effect of caffeine and ephedrine ingestion on 10 km run. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 32(5), Supplement abstract 463.

This study investigated the effects of acute ingestion of caffeine (4 mg/kg), ephedrine (0.8 mg/kg), and their combination on 10-km run times. Ss (M = 10; F = 2) performed a treadmill run wearing the equivalent of a light fighting order backpack 1.5 hours after ingesting one of the treatments or a placebo. Trials were conducted one week apart.

Ephedrine and caffeine plus ephedrine significantly improved the run time over that of the placebo condition. Heart rate and rating of perceived exertion increased throughout each run but there was no difference between treatments.

Implication. Ephedrine has an ergogenic effect upon endurance performance.

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