Sodium Bicarbonate
Interesting Facts
- Bicarb is just a fancy name for baking soda
- Bicarb has been used to boost performance in 30-second to 10-minute exercises for decades. Now it is beginning to attract athletes in much longer efforts (even over 1 hour).
- Almost every World Tour Cyclist uses it before time trials. One recent notable example was Geraint Thomas at the 2023 Giro d’Italia on the final TT mountain stage where he finished 2nd.
- It is one of the most studied areas in sports science. Thousands of studies have shown it helps improve performance.
How it Works
That burning feeling in your muscles. We all know it.
Lactic acid? Not quite. Lactic acid has been mentioned regularly in society as the burning sensation you get during exercise.
In reality, it is the opposite. Instead, it is a byproduct of exercise that the body can later use as energy.
The real culprit is actually hydrogen ions.
In simple terms, bicarb helps buffer hydrogen ions in your muscles. Therefore dampening the burning sensation.
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Who Should Use Bicarb
If you’re an Ironman athlete or a long-distance steady pace athlete, this probably isn’t for you.
Higher-intensity sports will find the greatest benefit here.
Endurance athletes that will benefit from bicarb consumption the most include:
- Road Cyclists
- Mountain Bikers
- Short course Triathletes
- Half marathon and short-distance runners
- Rowers…
How Bora Hansgrohe Use Bicarb
When speaking with Tim Podlogar (Sports Scientist at Bora Hansgrohe) he highlighted a few key points around how cyclists are using bicarb.
- Pro cyclists are using it more and more each year.
- They are experimenting with using bicarb even in the classics (4 hours+ races).
- It is essential you take it before time trials if you are wanting to be competitive at a high level.
- If you can find any, pills are a great alternative to consuming a drink mix.
- Avoid consuming bicarb in hot weather. You will likely experience extra stomach upset.
- Consuming it with carbohydrates can help decrease stomach upset.
- IMPORTANT: You must train to consume it. Bicarb drink mixes almost always cause stomach upset. Over time your body will learn to digest it better.
How Do I Consume It?
Pills are a good option for minimal stomach upset. However, they are expensive and hard to find.
Most likely you will have to make a drink mix with baking soda and water. We recommend taking it as shots. Trust me, you don’t want to be drinking it for a long time.
How much? Quite a lot, unfortunately. And it won’t be a pleasant experience.
Dosages should be based on body weight.
For best results, you should look to consume 250 – 300mg per kg of body weight. That’s almost 21g for a 70kg athlete.
When? The current science suggests 1 – 3 hours before your event. We recommend experimenting with how you feel after consuming bicarb because an upset stomach can ruin your race.
Ensure you have it with a high carbohydrate meal at the same time to help ease discomfort.