Sodium Bicarbonate And Training

[Maki Riddington]

I've read both sides and it seems that some studies have said it will enhance short term preformance while other studies say it doesn't. So emperically speaking, has anyone used sodium bicarbonate during their anaerobic training phase, and did it help?
When I say anaerobic I mean HIIT and 15's.

[MrWebb78]

ive read how it can help as well, but i read as a common side effect was side cramps and "explosive diarrhea".

the last thing i want is "explosive poops", ill stick to my food for workout fuel.

[PowerManDL]

I've heard some of the same thing, about it acting as a buffer for lactate in the blood.

I can't say I've seen any controlled studies to back it up though.

[Maki Riddington]

Sodium bicarbonate ingestion and its effects on anaerobic exercise of various durations.

McNaughton LR.

Centre for Physical Education, University of Tasmania, Australia.

Four groups of male subjects participated in anaerobic testing on a Repco EX10 cycle ergometer to determine the effectiveness of sodium bicarbonate (0.3 g kg-1 body mass) as an ergogenic aid during exercise of 10, 30, 120 and 240 s duration. Blood was collected 90 min prior to ingestion of sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3), after ingestion of NaHCO3 and immediately post-exercise from a heated (43-46 degrees C) fingertip and analysed immediately post-collection for pH, base excess, bicarbonate and lactate. The total work undertaken (kJ) and peak power achieved during the tests were also obtained via a Repco Work Monitor Unit. Blood bicarbonate levels were again increased above the control and placebo conditions (P < 0.001) and blood lactate levels were also increased following the bicarbonate trials. The pH levels fell significantly (P < 0.05) below the control and placebo conditions in all trials. The results indicate that NaHCO3 at this dosage has no ergogenic benefit for work of either 10 or 30 s duration, even though blood bicarbonate levels were significantly increased (P < 0.05) following ingestion of NaHCO3. For work periods of 120 and 240 s, performance was significantly increased (P < 0.05) above the control and placebo conditions following NaHCO3 ingestion.

[Maki Riddington]

However this claims the opposite.

Influence of sodium bicarbonate on sprint performance: relationship to dosage.

Horswill CA, Costill DL, Fink WJ, Flynn MG, Kirwan JP, Mitchell JB, Houmard JA.

Human Performance Laboratory, Ball State University, Muncie, IN 47306.

The purpose of this investigation was to determine the minimum oral dosage of bicarbonate needed to significantly elevate blood bicarbonate and the influence of induced alkalosis on performance in high-intensity, short-duration exercise. Nine endurance-trained cyclists performed four 2-min sprints on separate occasions using an isokinetic cycle ergometer (Fitron, Cybex, Inc.). One hour before each test, the cyclists consumed either a placebo (A), a solution of 0.10 g NaHCO3.kg-1 body weight (B), a solution of 0.15 g NaHCO3.kg-1 body weight (C), or a solution of 0.20 g NaHCO3.kg-1 body weight (D) in random order. Arterialized venous blood was taken before (PRE) and after (POST) ingestion, and 1, 3, 5, 10, and 15 min following the 2-min bike sprint. The results showed a significant increase in POST blood bicarbonate, and the elevation was incrementally related to the dosage. There was, however, no significant improvement in performance. Total work (mean +/- SE) for each treatment (N.m per 2 min) were: A, 47,267 (+/- 2,472); B, 47,004 (+/- 3,094); C, 46,312 (+/- 2,964); and D, 47,190 (+/- 2,621). The results of this study show that incremental doses of NaHCO3 of 0.20 g.kg-1 and below produce incremental elevations in blood bicarbonate but do not produce improvements in performance for a sprint bout lasting 2 min.

[Maki Riddington]

I guess that it's worth a try since I'm doing HIIT and 15's. If anyone has any input I'd like to hear it.

[PowerManDL]

Dunno Mak.....both of those basically say it increased blood levels of bicarbonate, but had no effect on short-term performance.....

It looked like the performance kick in the first study started up at about 120-240 seconds....so its probably not worth a damn for anything short-term.

[Maki Riddington]

Looks to be a good read.

http://www.mgwater.com/bicarb.shtml