Ergogenic aid can be defined as anything that can be used to either directly enhance physiological variables associated with exercise performance or remove subjective restraints which may hinder physiological capacity. Athletes use ergogenic aids to perform better in the competitions to win over their competitors (Williams, 2010). Pharmacological is one type of aid that is mostly used by athletes, which is any kind of substance or compound under drug or hormonal classification that is usually used to improve the sport performance. Examples include Erythropoietin, -blockers, antihistamines, growth hormone, anabolic-androgenic steroids, caffeine, amphetamines, ephedrine, -hydroxy--methylbutarate (HMB), Androstenedione, Dehydroepiandrosterone among others. Caffeine is the most used pharmacological aid.…show more content… These include stimulation of cardiac muscle and nervous system, acting as a diuretic and relaxation of smooth plus bronchial muscle. Athletes do use caffeine to enhance their performance, increase mental concentration rise motor unit mobilization, and also reduce perceived energy during the exercises. It is operational in improving lengthy strength workout thorough a glycogen sparring effect and in high-intensity exercises taking a short duration of around five minutes (Kampsen, 2010). Caffeine also acts by increasing plasma fatty acids and triglycerides which in turn increases fat utilization that can be used as energy hence reducing demand of using the muscle glycogen
