The Effects of Pre/Post Dietary Supplementation on Power Output in Collegiate Female Soccer Players

Introduction: Creatine and leucine have been extensively studied with recommended dosages showing significant benefits on athletic performance. The timing of these supplements has been less researched. The purpose of this study is to determine if the timing of creatine and leucine supplementation effects strength and power output in collegiate female soccer players. Methods: 17 Female NCAA soccer players were randomly assigned to two groups. (Pre-supplementation and Post-supplementation) Training lasted nine weeks with two testing weeks (one pre, one post). Subjects trained four times per week and were tested on various strength, power and speed variables. During each visit each subject received one scoop of Muscle Pharm ReCon containing five grams of creatine monohydrate and three grams of leucine. Results: Both pre and post supplementation groups saw significant changes (p<0.05) in the Bench Press, Back Squat, Deadlift, Total, pound for pound ratio, Wingate peak power and the t-test. The pre-group saw significant changes in vertical jump as opposed to the post group. On the other end the post group saw significant changes (p<0.05) in weight change whereas the pre group did not. Neither group significantly changed their pro-agility time from pre to post testing. Conclusion: Using recommended dosages from previous literature this study was to determine if nutrient timing had any effect on power output. Results showed that both groups benefitted significantly over the course of nine weeks of off-season strength and conditioning training. It would appear that dosaging plays more of a role in performance enhancement than timing. Further research should experiment with different dosages as well as timing to determine the optimal dose and time of supplementation.