Want to up the effectiveness of any pre-workout?

[genthoseffect]

...Add 1-2 tsp of baking soda. Been shown to decrease fatigue and increase total power output. But WORK UP to that dose because it can definitely mess with some people's gut. I also like to use it in my intraworkout to control the pH a bit with all the amino acids in there. I find that it helps keep my stomach feeling good compared to when I don't have it in my intra.

Using soduim bicarbonate has been around for a while, but less and less people seem to know about it these days

 

[kboxer7]

...Add 1-2 tsp of baking soda. Been shown to decrease fatigue and increase total power output. But WORK UP to that dose because it can definitely mess with some people's gut. I also like to use it in my intraworkout to control the pH a bit with all the amino acids in there. I find that it helps keep my stomach feeling good compared to when I don't have it in my intra.

Using soduim bicarbonate has been around for a while, but less and less people seem to know about it these days

This is true. Though it may not taste the best haha.

Check it out crew:

A. 4% increase in total volume (leg press I believe)
Carr BM, Webster MJ, Boyd JC, Hudson GM, Scheett TP. Sodium bicarbonate supplementation improves hypertrophy-type resistance exercise performance. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2012 Sep 4.

B. Improved sprinting capacity by 13%
11.5% increase in sprint performance
Price M, Moss P, Rance S. Effects of sodium bicarbonate ingestion on prolonged intermittent exercise. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2003 Aug;35(8):1303-8.

 

[AntM1564]

I'm curious, what does it do to the taste?

 

[kboxer7]

I'm curious, what does it do to the taste?

I'd say a bitter salt taste. Try a tad on your tongue if you have any baking soda laying around. It's not absolutely intolerable or anything but its not the best either.

 

[cubsfan815]

I've tasted worse

 

[thu_hobbit]

Would you just mix it into a pre workout drink and thats it? Ive never heard of that before...why is it that it increases lifts and sprints?

 

[cubsfan815]

Has to do with pH balance and absorption rate I believe.

 

[kboxer7]

Has to do with pH balance and absorption rate I believe.

Yes sir...

Hydrogen ions > buffering effect on acidity in the blood. Minimizing blood lactate levels (or rather stabilizing them to an extent).

It should be noted that you WILL still feel the burn from lactate acid but it should be manageable to push thru it whilst supplementing with bicarbonate.

 

[yates84]

Subbed

 

[alwaysfirst]

Interesting!

 

[Synapsin]

Make sure you *really* work your way up unless you enjoy ****ting your pants all day

 

[kboxer7]

Synapsin

It can certainly cause some GI issues at the doses needed to be effective (30-50grams....yes GRAMS).

So pre-loading may be better suited for some, and has shown to yield similar benefits. For those that wish to pre-load, the protocol that was looked at was splitting that 30-50g dose up evenly between 3 days. So 10-20g three days in a row.

It should also be noted that max benefits were seen in strenuous exercise that lasted between 1-7min (high intensity).

Driller MW, Gregory JR, Williams AD, Fell JW. The Effects of Serial and Acute NaHCO3 Loading in Well-Trained Cyclists. J Strength Cond Res. 2012 Oct;26(10):2791-7.

 

[Nyrin]

1-2 tsp? I'm sure that helps, but most of the studies showing the really impressive ergogenic benefits of bicarbonate use more like 1-2 tbsp. See "Sodium bicarbonate can be used as an ergogenic aid in high-intensity, competitive cycle ergometry of 1 h duration", for instance, where 300mg/kg was used (~24g for a 180lb individual).

You absolutely need to work up slowly to mega doses like that, though; GI side effects of baking soda are profound, to say the least It's also a lot of sodium acutely, which isn't inherently a big deal but needs to be kept track of if you're already pushing BP up.

 

[thu_hobbit]

Make sure you *really* work your way up unless you enjoy ****ting your pants all day

Ya never know...maybe i do jk. But seriously i cant believe i never heard of this so i will have to try it out and cross my fingers i while doing legs day

 

[genthoseffect]

1-2 tsp? I'm sure that helps, but most of the studies showing the really impressive ergogenic benefits of bicarbonate use more like 1-2 tbsp. See "Sodium bicarbonate can be used as an ergogenic aid in high-intensity, competitive cycle ergometry of 1 h duration", for instance, where 300mg/kg was used (~24g for a 180lb individual).

You absolutely need to work up slowly to mega doses like that, though; GI side effects of baking soda are profound, to say the least It's also a lot of sodium acutely, which isn't inherently a big deal but needs to be kept track of if you're already pushing BP up.

I was referring to a "heaping" tsp like they used to suggest for the old creative mono. Which would be about 10g each. But good catch brotha. I didn't communicate that very well

 

[Nyrin]

Ya never know...maybe i do jk. But seriously i cant believe i never heard of this so i will have to try it out and cross my fingers i while doing legs day

Brings a whole new meaning to "explosive squats."