Drink baking soda for recovery?!?!

jarrettd

Ok...just when I thought I'd heard it all. I'm new to lifting, so I asked at my job "how long after a workout do you typically expect to have jelly-arms?". Several answers, all different (no surprise, there.) But one got my attention: "Just drink a glass of baking soda in water, like you would for heartburn. Best recovery drink, ever."

Anyone ever heard of this?

12skipafew99100

Never heard of it, sounds gross.
So you tried it and it workd?

Irene8509

Agree with 47by47. You can be the guinea pig and let us know if it works:bigsmile:

kendrafallon

Heartburn cure I'd heard of, just Google'd this:

http://www.ehow.com/how_5616960_drink-bicarbonate-soda-health.html

seems to back what you've heard...try it *shrug* if you've tried it for heartburn with no ill-effects then there's no harm in trying it for something else.

Just to add, here's an article from the Times online:
Is bicarbonate of soda a performance-enhancing drug? http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/body_and_soul/article4539000.ece

CarolynB38

That's one I've not heard before. It kind of makes sense in some ways. If the feeling in your muscles is due to a build up of lactic acid I suppose the alkalinity of the bicarbonate of soda would neutralise it, like it neutralises excess stomach acid. I'll have to remember to try that next time :-)

jkleman79

The only one I heard of from the guy I work out with that does the tough man contests. Is epson salt diluted out into some water. I dont know the exact amounts so I am not even going to try to tell you that much. Epson salt is all magnesium which is what your body needs to heal muscles. Just my tid bit.

jarrettd

So, it's not totally out in left field, then, huh? Not sure I'm up for being a test-study, but it depends on how sore I get! Good to know he wasn't just having a little fun at my expense, though.

Thanks for the replies!!

millionsofpeaches

That sounds disgusting.

songbyrdsweet

That's one I've not heard before. It kind of makes sense in some ways. If the feeling in your muscles is due to a build up of lactic acid I suppose the alkalinity of the bicarbonate of soda would neutralise it, like it neutralises excess stomach acid. I'll have to remember to try that next time :-)

The lactic acid actually doesn't build up and stay there...if it did, the burn would never stop and the acidity would continually denature enzymes making muscle contraction impossible (that is why lactic acid causes fatigue). Muscle soreness is due to micro-tears and osmotic pressure changes in muscle fibers, not lactic acid buildup. The baking soda has no function to my knowledge.

dls06

I think it's because of the sodium. My neighbor is an Athletic trainor and told me if you have nothing else for muscle cramps, drink Pickle juice, because of the sodium.

DixiedoesMFP

The only one I heard of from the guy I work out with that does the tough man contests. Is epson salt diluted out into some water. I dont know the exact amounts so I am not even going to try to tell you that much. Epson salt is all magnesium which is what your body needs to heal muscles. Just my tid bit.

Epsom salt is also a laxative....so that could be a little scary

dancer4275

Hmmmm. Baking soda and warm water is actually what some people drink to induce vomitting. I would know.

jkleman79

The only one I heard of from the guy I work out with that does the tough man contests. Is epson salt diluted out into some water. I dont know the exact amounts so I am not even going to try to tell you that much. Epson salt is all magnesium which is what your body needs to heal muscles. Just my tid bit.

Epsom salt is also a laxative....so that could be a little scary

It is at higher doses. This is just to get the magnesium from it. They sell magnesium water for around $30 dollars and its diluted epsom salt. So you have to look up the dilution level...i am not trying to tell anyone I know the amounts.. so you may want to look it up. This guy has a 12% body fat with an extra 100 pounds of muscle and pulls tour buses up hill.