Carbohydrate mouth rinse increases total repetitions in intermittent upper-body endurance test for combat sports athletes: a randomized crossover trial

This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial investigated whether carbohydrate (CHO) mouth rinsing enhances upper-body strength endurance during a sport-specific intermittent test in grappling combat athletes. Fourteen elite male judo and Brazilian jiu-jitsu athletes (age 24.2 ± 3.5 years) performed three bouts of a judogi grip test, separated by 3 min rest intervals, under two conditions: CHO rinse (6.4% maltodextrin) or placebo. Solutions (25 mL) were administered pre-warm-up and before each bout. Primary outcomes included total repetitions and bout-specific performance; secondary measures were rating of perceived exertion (RPE) and maximal handgrip strength. CHO rinsing significantly increased total repetitions by 12.3% (17.35 ± 9.85 vs. 15.21 ± 8.53; p = 0.03, with no condition × bout interaction (p = 0.75), indicating uniform improvement across bouts. RPE increased progressively throughout exercise (p p = 0.14), and handgrip strength remained unchanged (p = 0.52). Repeated CHO mouth rinsing significantly improves intermittent upper-body endurance performance in grappling athletes without altering RPE. These findings support the use of CHO rinsing as a practical, non-caloric ergogenic aid for sustaining sport-specific performance during repeated high-intensity efforts. Trial registration: RBR-52bbrn8.