ClinicalTrials.gg
Not yet recruitingNCT07924020Rhocaf2Updated Nov 9, 2026

Acute Effects of Rhodiola Rosea and Caffeine on Mean Propulsive Velocity Loss in Resistance Training

An interventional study of Rhodiola Rosea Capsules and Caffeine in Muscle Fatigue (C23.888.592.612.612), sponsored by MARINA MEDINA CORRALES. Not yet recruiting at 1 site in Mexico. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 35 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-11-09.

Sponsored by MARINA MEDINA CORRALES · Not applicable, Interventional, and Basic science

Updated Nov 9, 2026Newly registeredGo to Updates ↓
Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
20
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years to 35 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate if combined acute supplementation with Rhodiola rosea and caffeine is superior to single-ingredient intake or placebo in attenuating neuromuscular fatigue in advanced resistance-trained subjects.

The main questions it aims to answer are:

Does combined supplementation attenuate mean propulsive velocity loss during heavy resistance exercise? Does combined supplementation reduce ratings of perceived exertion and increase repetitions performed to failure?

Researchers will compare four experimental conditions (placebo, caffeine alone, Rhodiola rosea alone, and combined supplementation) in a randomized crossover design to see if co-ingestion provides superior anti-fatigue benefits.

Participants will:

Complete a familiarization session to establish individual strength baselines. Attend 4 testing visits separated by a 72-hour washout period. Ingest the assigned treatment before testing. Perform a back squat fatigue protocol (3 sets at 70% 1RM) and complete perceptual evaluations.The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate if combined acute supplementation with Rhodiola rosea and caffeine is superior to single-ingredient intake or placebo in attenuating neuromuscular fatigue in advanced resistance-trained subjects.

The main questions it aims to answer are:

Does combined supplementation attenuate mean propulsive velocity loss during heavy resistance exercise? Does combined supplementation reduce ratings of perceived exertion and increase repetitions performed to failure?

Researchers will compare four experimental conditions (placebo, caffeine alone, Rhodiola rosea alone, and combined supplementation) in a randomized crossover design to see if co-ingestion provides superior anti-fatigue benefits.

Participants will:

Complete a familiarization session to establish individual strength baselines. Attend 4 testing visits separated by a 72-hour washout period. Ingest the assigned treatment before testing. Perform a back squat fatigue protocol (3 sets at 70% 1RM) and complete perceptual evaluations.

Read the detailed description

This study is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, four-arm crossover trial designed to investigate the acute neuromuscular and ergogenic effects of single and combined supplementation with Rhodiola rosea (1,000 mg) and caffeine (3 mg/kg) in advanced resistance-trained subjects.

Neuromuscular fatigue during heavy resistance training impairs movement velocity, power output, and overall volume performance. While caffeine is a central nervous system stimulant that enhances motor unit recruitment and reduces perceived exertion, Rhodiola rosea is an adaptogen proposed to modulate central monoamines and attenuate fatigue during high-intensity effort. This protocol evaluates whether co-ingestion provides a synergistic advantage over isolated administration or placebo in maintaining movement execution quality and accelerating acute recovery.

Study Procedures:

Familiarization Session: Prior to the experimental trials, participants complete a familiarization session to establish baseline measurements and estimate 1-repetition maximum (1RM) in the barbell back squat using a two-point load-velocity method (using loads corresponding to \~1.0 m/s and \~0.5 m/s) with a linear position transducer.

Experimental Trials (4 Visits): Participants complete four experimental testing visits in a randomized, counterbalanced order, separated by a 72-hour washout period.

During each of the 4 experimental visits, participants complete the following sequence:

Supplement Ingestion: Double-blind administration of the assigned treatment:

Rhodiola placebo consists of opaque cornstarch capsules. Caffeine placebo consists of a 60 mL liquid solution containing sweetener, 3 g of sugar, and 1 g of citric acid.

Active conditions consist of 1,000 mg of Rhodiola rosea and/or 3 mg/kg of caffeine.

Pre-Exercise Evaluation: Completion of baseline perceptual questionnaires. Velocity Determination: Identification of the exact load corresponding to a Mean Propulsive Velocity (MPV) of 1.0 ± 0.03 m/s in the back squat.

Acute Fatigue Protocol: Execution of 3 sets at 70% estimated 1RM in the back squat performed to muscular failure, recording total repetitions and velocity loss across sets.

Post-Fatigue Velocity Recovery: Re-assessment of MPV using the pre-determined 1.0 m/s load at exactly 1 minute and 2 minutes post-fatigue protocol to evaluate acute neuromuscular fatigue and velocity recovery.

Perceptual Evaluation: Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) recorded post-exercise.

02

Conditions studied

  • Muscle Fatigue (C23.888.592.612.612)

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Keywords

  • Rhodiola rosea
  • Caffeine
  • Neuromuscular Fatigue
  • Velocity Loss
  • Resistance Training
03

In context

Fatigue

2,229 studies on the registry are indexed under Fatigue; 426 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 20 is below the median of 54 across 1,757 interventional studies indexed under Fatigue.

Browse Fatigue studies →

Lead sponsor

This is the only study on the registry with MARINA MEDINA CORRALES as lead sponsor.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 35 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
Yes

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

  • Healthy males and females.
  • Advanced resistance training experience (as defined by Santos et al., 2021): 1 to 3 years of consistent resistance training experience, demonstrating proper barbell back squat technique.
  • Relative maximum strength (estimated 1RM back squat): Minimum of 150% of body mass for men, and 130% of body mass for women.
  • Habitual caffeine consumers (e.g., daily intake via coffee, tea, sports gels, or energy drinks).
  • Commitment to maintaining current nutritional habits and training routines throughout the study period.
  • Ensured stable consumption of dietary supplements with cumulative effects (e.g., creatine, beta-alanine, nitrates, citrulline, betaine) for at least one month prior to and throughout the experimental protocol, with a commitment to not alter the dosage. Intake will be recorded and standardized.
  • Availability to attend all scheduled evaluations.
  • Provision of written validating full understanding of the study protocols.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Presence of cardiovascular diseases (e.g., arterial hypertension, arrhythmias) or metabolic disorders (e.g., type 1 or type 2 diabetes mellitus).
  • At least one affirmative response on the Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire for Everyone (PAR-Q+).
  • History of anabolic steroid use (less than 4 years) or use of World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) prohibited performance-enhancing substances.
  • Consumption of supplements with acute ergogenic effects (e.g., coffee, energy drinks, pre-workout supplements) within 12 hours prior to testing sessions, or failure to comply with a minimum 4-hour fasting period prior to the experimental session. (Note: Subjects violating these criteria will have their session rescheduled).
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(1)

Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.

Informed consent

Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.

You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.

05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Basic science
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Crossover assignment
Masking
Double (Participant, Investigator)
Enrollment
20 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Placebo comparator
    Placebo

    Placebo condition consisting of opaque cornstarch capsules and a 60 mL placebo liquid solution.

    Other: Rhodiola Placebo · Other: Caffeine Placebo

  • Experimental
    Caffeine

    Single administration of caffeine alongside placebo capsules.

    Dietary Supplement: Caffeine · Other: Rhodiola Placebo

  • Experimental
    Rhodiola rosea

    Single administration of Rhodiola rosea alongside placebo liquid solution.

    Dietary Supplement: Rhodiola Rosea Capsules · Other: Caffeine Placebo

  • Experimental
    Rhodiola rosea + Caffeine

    Combined administration of Rhodiola rosea and caffeine.

    Dietary Supplement: Rhodiola Rosea Capsules · Dietary Supplement: Caffeine

Interventions

  • Dietary supplementRhodiola Rosea Capsules

    1,000 mg of Rhodiola rosea administered in opaque capsules.

  • Dietary supplementCaffeine

    3 mg/kg of caffeine administered in a 60 mL liquid solution.

  • OtherRhodiola Placebo

    Opaque cornstarch capsules matching the active Rhodiola capsules.

  • OtherCaffeine Placebo

    60 mL liquid solution containing sweetener, 3 g of sugar, and 1 g of citric acid.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Percentage Loss in Mean Propulsive Velocity (MPV)

    Percentage loss in mean propulsive velocity (MPV) following the fatiguing protocol. MPV is assessed during the barbell back squat using an individualized load corresponding to an initial velocity of 1.0 ± 0.03 m/s, recorded via a linear position transducer. Percentage loss is calculated relative to pre-fatigue baseline as: \[(baseline MPV - post-fatigue MPV) / baseline MPV\] × 100. The fatiguing protocol consists of 3 sets to failure at 70% 1RM.

    Time frame: Baseline (pre-fatigue), 1 minute, and 2 minutes post-fatiguing exercise protocol, up to 2 weeks.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Total Number of Repetitions to Failure

    Cumulative number of successful repetitions completed across 3 sets at 70% 1RM performed to momentary muscular failure during the fatiguing protocol. Data are reported as the total number of repetitions completed per experimental condition.

    Time frame: Immediately upon completion of the fatiguing exercise protocol, up to 2 weeks

  2. Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE)

    Subjective perception of effort assessed using a standardized RPE scale immediately following the fatiguing protocol to quantify internal load.

    Time frame: Immediately, 1 minute, and 2 minutes post-fatiguing exercise protocol, up to 2 weeks

07

Study locations

1 site
  • Faculty of Sports Organization, Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon
    San Nicolás, Nuevo León 66455, Mexico
08

References and documents

Individual participant data

Plan to share: Yes

Supporting information: Informed consent form, Analytic code

Time frame: Data will become available after publication of the main manuscript in a peer-reviewed journal and will remain accessible indefinitely.

Access criteria: Data and supporting materials will be publicly accessible via the Open Science Framework (OSF) repository to any researcher interested in secondary or meta-analysis.

No publications or documents are linked to this record.

09

Timeline

1 registry update since Sep 25, 2026
ElapsedEstimatedEstimated, not yet reachedSimilar studies: half by the dot; the band is the middle halfHalf of similar studies reached it by the dot; the band is the middle half, from a quarter to three quarters

Start is estimated for Oct 2026; primary completion for Nov 2026, 0 months later.

Of 936 non-industry interventional studies with no phase under Fatigue, half reached primary completion within 12 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 5 and three quarters within 27. This study's planned 0 months is below that.

Counting every sponsor, half of 989 studies reached it within 11 months; a quarter within 5 and three quarters within 27.

How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.

Registered
Sep 26, 2026
First posted
Nov 9, 2026
StartEst.
Oct 12, 2026
Primary completionEst.
Nov 6, 2026
CompletionEst.
Dec 1, 2026
Last update
Nov 9, 2026
What these dates mean
Start.
When the first participant enrolled; while estimated, when the study expects to open to recruitment.
Primary completion.
When the last participant was examined or treated to collect data for the study's main question, its primary outcome. A study that stopped early gives the date its data collection stopped.
Completion.
When the last participant's last visit took place, for every outcome, secondary ones and side effects included: the end of the study. Often later than primary completion, sometimes the same day.
Actual and Est.
Actual means the registry says the date has happened. Est. (estimated) is a date the sponsor plans or expects. It can still move, and the sponsor is expected to change it to actual once it has passed.
Registered
First appeared on the registry. No changes since
Nov 9, 2026
Show all 1 update
  1. Nov 9, 2026
    First appeared on the registry

From the registry record's own update history. This site started tracking changes on Sep 25, 2026; for anything earlier, see the record history on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT07924020
Lead sponsor
MARINA MEDINA CORRALES
Responsible party
MARINA MEDINA CORRALES (Professor and Researcher, Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon) — Sponsor-investigator
First posted
Nov 9, 2026
Start date
Oct 12, 2026 (estimated)
Primary completion
Nov 6, 2026 (estimated)
Completion
Dec 1, 2026 (estimated)
Last update
Nov 9, 2026

Study contacts

David Gomez Castillo, PhD Candidate
Contact
david.gomezcs@uanl.edu.mx
+52 2382091643
Marina Medina Corrales, PhD
Contact
marina.medinacr@uanl.edu.mx
+52 8115358121
José Raúl Hoyos Flores, PhD
study chair · Faculty of Sports Organization, Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon
Marina Medina Corrales, PhD
study director · Faculty of Sports Organization, Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon
Myriam Zaraí García Dávila, PhD
study chair · Faculty of Sports Organization, Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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Studies of the drug tested here: Caffeine

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