SODIUM BIOCARBONATE
As A Sports Supplement Could also be useful for longer periods of intense exercise lasting 30-60 minutes. It can allow a delay in muscular fatigue and enable the athletes to produce more power for short periods of time. What Does The Research Say? For over 80 years, research has been done on the effects of ingesting bicarbonate on athletic performance. the most feasible way to get the recommended dosage of bicarb is likely by mixing regular bicarb soda with water. And potentially adding some flavour to mask the taste.
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How Do You Use Bicarbonate?
Dosing Bicarbonate
Current recommendations for bicarb soda are to consume 200-400 mg/kg of body weight with a small, carbohydrate-dense meal (~1.5 g/kg body weight of carbs). This is normally done 2-2.5 hours prior to exercise.
This recommendation comes from the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS). However, they also recommend that this is just a general guide. The supplementation and dosage should be individualized to each person.
Dosage may differ depending on tolerability and susceptibility to gastrointestinal distress. For some athletes, it may be required to take a smaller dose to prevent gut issues.
Timing
There is also a matter of timing. Commencing exercise at an individual’s peak blood buffering capacity may be more likely to improve performance. Although, timing the ingestion of bicarb in this way would take practice and testing blood levels to see how long it takes to peak for each individual. This is not going to be feasible for everyone.
If individualizing the ingestion strategy is not feasible, ingestion at the higher end of the recommended doses (e.g. 300 to 400 mg/kg) 2 to 3 hours pre-competition is recommended.
This will significantly elevate blood buffering capacity to levels presumed to be ergogenic (~ 5 – 6 mmol/L increase). Effects last for 3-4 hours.
