Bicarbonate (#12)

Bicarbonate is one of the supplements with significant evidence supporting its ability to enhance physical performance in humans.

Bicarbonate is sold in grocery stores as sodium bicarbonate, where it's combined with sodium (salt). If you're really into the details, the correct chemical name is sodium hydrogen carbonate, but that's not as crucial. What matters is how it affects the body concerning sports performance.

In summary, bicarbonate can offer a modest but noticeable performance boost during high-intensity training and competition, though the effect is less certain at lower intensity. To achieve the best possible effect, proper dosing and a gut-friendly approach are needed. Here, we explore how bicarbonate works in practice and how you can use it safely and effectively.

During high-intensity exercise, the pH in the muscles and blood drops as the amount of hydrogen ions in the body increases. The harder we work, the more hydrogen ions build up because the muscles sometimes demand more oxygen than the body can provide. This causes pH levels to drop and power output to decrease. The muscles try to compensate by producing lactate (often referred to as "lactic acid") as a backup energy source to maintain power output.

Lactate is produced simultaneously with the increase of hydrogen ions in the muscles. More hydrogen ions result in a more acidic environment. Earlier research showed a connection between lactate levels and participants' perceived fatigue, leading to the assumption that lactate hinders performance. Thus, lactate was wrongly blamed, even though it is actually beneficial, delivering energy to the muscle, while the real issue lies with the hydrogen ions. These ions are what we need to eliminate—and this is where bicarbonate comes in.

Bicarbonate is an alkaline substance that creates a more basic environment in the body. In the blood, a pH of 7.40 is the norm; if it drops below 7.35, we experience acidosis (acidification), and if it exceeds 7.45, we have alkalosis (a basic environment). When the pH approaches or falls below 7.35, energy production is significantly impaired.

To balance pH, the body utilizes bicarbonate, which is always present in small amounts in the blood. Other organs, like the kidneys and lungs (through breathing), also play a role, working more slowly and over the long term to balance pH. The bicarbonate in the blood has the most immediate effect and is thus crucial for athletic performance. It binds to the hydrogen ions, which acidify the muscles and blood, and creates carbonic acid. Through further chemical reactions, this carbonic acid is eventually expelled as carbon dioxide.

Research has explored various aspects of bicarbonate dosing and performance. Studies range from acute larger dosesof 0.5 g/kg body weight to lower doses of 0.2 g/kg body weight over an extended period. Different performance scenarios have also been examined, from short 400 m sprints to lengthy cycling tests lasting over an hour.

The dosage often recommended is 0.3 g/kg body weight per day for 3 days. Simply calculated, this means 21 g/day and a total of 63 g for a 70 kg person, with the intake ideally spread out throughout the day. In the body, the pH rises to about 7.5 following bicarbonate loading, enhancing our buffer against acidity. This allows us to work more intensively, with a higher pulse, for a longer duration. The last dose during loading is best taken the evening before competition day or early on the competition day if the start is later.

The body balances its pH quickly, and just 24 hours after the last intake, the pH returns to the baseline. Loading should occur just before a specific situation where peak performance is desired. A single high intake of 0.3–0.4 g/kg body weight about 60–90 minutes before the start is just as effective for buffering pH as a 3-day loading. However, the risk of stomach issues is much higher with a single high intake because you can't spread the intake over time. It's suggested to test this method before your intervals.

During short high-intensity efforts, when you're pushing at your threshold the entire time, the acute effect is most significant. Improvements in running distances of 400, 800, 1500, and 3000 meters range between 1.2–2 percent, which translates to a few seconds. For example, the measured improvement for 400 meters equated to roughly an additional 10 meters.

A newer meta-analysis from 2011, which combined results from 59 studies on bicarbonate supplementation and performance, revealed notable insights. Of these, 38 studies were well-controlled and analyzed. They demonstrated an average performance increase of 1.7% with an intake of 0.3 g/kg bodyweight (whether through loading or acute dose).

So, while the increase isn't massive, it's significant—and getting close to a 2% boost from every interval session is truly invaluable. The recommendation here is to try 0.3 g/kg bodyweight as an acute dose 90 minutes before starting. Mix it in 4–5 dl of water, let it sit for a few minutes to allow the carbonation to dissipate, then sip it in small gulps over approximately 10 minutes.

This area isn't as extensively studied. Most research shows effects on shorter high-intensity efforts, which is why studies have primarily focused on these durations. However, there is some research on longer efforts as well.

In a study, researchers had a group of 10 well-trained cyclists with a VO2 max of 67.3 ml/kg body weight complete a 60-minute cycling test on a stationary bike. With a placebo, they averaged 233 W, while with a single intake of 0.3 g/kg body weight bicarbonate before starting, their average increased to 264 W over those 60 minutes. This is a 12 percent increase, which almost sounds too good to be true, but the study was well-executed. The cyclists competed against each other in pairs in a simulated race where they either had bicarbonate or placebo in their system (they didn't know which they had).

This is a new and genuinely exciting field. A study was initially conducted on rats, and the results revealed that bicarbonate supplementation before training increased the number of mitochondria and improved their efficiency (+74% vs +39%).

Research has continued on humans (athletes), where participants took an acute dose of 0.2 g/kg body weight 60-90 minutes prior to training. Like the rats, these participants also showed increased mitochondrial signaling compared to those who received a placebo. The signaling increased by 30% more with bicarbonate consumption compared to the placebo group, which is really intriguing. It's not the same increase you get when training in a glycogen-depleted state, where signaling has been shown to be up to 70% higher in those who do "train low" compared to those who do glycogen-loaded, i.e., "train high."

But here we achieve effects similar to those you aim for when doing "train low," meaning training with low glycogen stores — without sacrificing the quality of the session. Training continuously with low glycogen reserves often results in a lower training effect and reduced session quality. If you've ever participated in an event lasting over 90 minutes in a glycogen-depleted state, you've likely noticed an increased heart rate, difficulty maintaining pace, and perhaps even "hitting the wall" at some point during the event. If not, feel free to share your story in the comments.

But can we now, theoretically, attain the effects of train low without actually training glycogen-depleted? It's like having your cake and eating it too. We gain the benefits from both approaches without the drawbacks associated with train low.

Imagine you can always run your endurance sessions at a higher speed, thereby achieving better race adaptation and greater effects from training, yet still have enhanced mitochondrial signaling. This is really starting to get exciting, and even though the research is still in its early stages, we believe this could be truly awesome.

• Fuel up with 0.4 g/kg of body weight daily for 3 days before performance
• Spread intake throughout the day
• Consume with food
• Reduce other salt intake
• Experiment during training

Keep in mind that using a bicarbonate loading regimen can have side effects. Your gut might react, so experiment to find the dosage that suits you. I can handle a single dose of 0.3 g/kg body weight with some food. However, 0.4 g/kg body weight doesn't work for me immediately — in that case, threshold sessions get delayed by a few hours.

You're consuming a notable amount of salt since it's sodium bicarbonate, with bicarbonate bound to sodium. Just over 20 g a dose also involves about 5 g of sodium, so you might forgo salting your food that day. You'll sweat out a large portion of this sodium during your workout. High salt intake can raise blood pressure and also increase the risk of developing kidney stones. If you have kidney issues, check with your doctor before trying bicarbonate. Also, drink plenty of water during the loading phase.

There's at least one study and likely others that found no performance effect from bicarbonate intake. But most research agrees there's an effect — so it's up to you to try it out.