Baking soda, work out longer without muscle burn?

chrisjathompson
chrisjathompson Posts: 227 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I read this on livestrong, before I test this out, has anyone else?


Add a teaspoon of baking soda to your drinking water before cycling to potentially boost your anaerobic performance. In a study published in 2008, scientists at Loughborough University found that athletes who ingested sodium bicarbonate before exercising worked out longer without getting muscle burn. Although not conclusive, the study postulates that baking soda may lower acidity in blood composition. You glean greater aerobic benefits from doing speed intervals during your workout rather than cycling at the same pace throughout.

Replies

  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
    There have been studies of this type done for 30 years. It's an attractive thesis, but it has never found its way into sustained use. One problem is that the results of different studies have been mixed, and even when there seems to be a positive effect, it is unclear how much of that was due to sodium bicarb.

    This review was done 20 years ago--as you can see, there were a lot of studies done by then. It's an abstract, but I think it provides an idea of the challenges involved.

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8388767
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    My father joked about me trying this when I had a physical test where I was required to run as far as I could in 12 minutes. He was into horse racing and told me people use to give horses baking soda for this reason (I don't think it was "legal") I never tried it. Lol.
  • jaz050465
    jaz050465 Posts: 3,508 Member
    At least you won't get cystitis!!!!
  • kwagganin
    kwagganin Posts: 34
    I've heard you can drink baking soda and an aspririn after a workout to avoid cramping. It works wonders for heartburn aswell. My husband uses it for heartburn. Ill try it and let you know if it works. :)
  • IronSmasher
    IronSmasher Posts: 3,908 Member
    Bi carb buffering does indeed work http://www.jissn.com/content/7/1/7 but I think you're misunderstanding the type of exercise it is effective for. It's more like 400m sprints that is effective for.

    The main issue (other than the unpleasant affair of trying to actually consume it) is that it causes gastrointestinal distress. I wouldn't really bother unless we're actually talking about the chance of making the difference of winning/losing an important event.
  • chrisjathompson
    chrisjathompson Posts: 227 Member
    Bi carb buffering does indeed work http://www.jissn.com/content/7/1/7 but I think you're misunderstanding the type of exercise it is effective for. It's more like 400m sprints that is effective for.

    The main issue (other than the unpleasant affair of trying to actually consume it) is that it causes gastrointestinal distress. I wouldn't really bother unless we're actually talking about the chance of making the difference of winning/losing an important event.

    Thanks!

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