Soda player buffering6/14/2023 You can perform intervals during many forms of exercise, such as running, cycling, rowing, swimming, Olympic weightlifting, and CrossFit. Interval training is when you alternate between intense and less-intense exercise during a single session. Sodium bicarbonate may be beneficial in enhancing muscular endurance, especially during high intensity exercise and in the later stages of endurance workouts. They may also depend on the type of activity and a person’s sex, personal tolerance, and training level ( 8, 9, 10). However, the benefits can vary from person to person. The results are similar for cycling, sprinting, swimming, and team sports ( 13, 14, 15, 16, 17). Because many races are won by just seconds, this can be a significant boost in performance ( 12). It’s especially beneficial during single and repeated bouts of high intensity exercise that last between 1 and 7 minutes ( 6, 8, 9, 11).Īdditionally, many of its benefits appear to occur near the end of an endurance workout, which may help a person with the final “push” of the exercise.įor example, one study observed a 1.5-second performance improvement in the last 1,000 meters of a 2,000-meter (1.24-mile) rowing event. One review of studies found that supplementing with sodium bicarbonate significantly increases muscular endurance and performance in both small and large muscle groups ( 10). In particular, sodium bicarbonate appears to be beneficial for muscular endurance. Supplementing with sodium bicarbonate may enhance performance measurements such as speed, power, work capacity, and time to failure ( 5, 8, 9). Scientists have examined how sodium bicarbonate affects exercise performance for more than 80 years ( 8). How does sodium bicarbonate affect sports performance? It’s thought that bicarbonate supplementation may aid this process. During exercise, it helps clear acid out of muscle cells to restore optimal pH. Summaryīicarbonate is a natural buffer that is part of your body’s acid-base balance, which maintains proper pH levels. Thus, it’s theorized that supplementing with sodium bicarbonate may aid in this process, allowing the muscle to maintain longer bouts of exercise ( 5, 8). It’s one of the main buffering substrates in your body because it can accept a hydrogen ion, which increases its pH to make it less acidic ( 5, 6, 7, 8).ĭuring exercise, bicarbonate and other buffering agents work to pull hydrogen out of the working muscle and into the bloodstream, allowing the muscle to return to a less acidic state ( 5, 6, 7, 8). Interestingly, your kidneys produce bicarbonate (HCO3) to help your body maintain proper pH levels. Sodium bicarbonate has an alkaline pH of 8.4 and may play a role in buffering excess hydrogen during anaerobic exercise ( 4). In fact, lactate may help reduce hydrogen molecules in muscle ( 2, 3). This leads to the unwanted “burning” sensation we’ve all felt during anaerobic exercises such as sprints and resistance training ( 2, 3).Ĭontrary to popular belief, most research no longer points to lactic acid or lactate as the main cause of burning or muscle fatigue. Too much hydrogen in the working muscles decreases the pH of your muscles, creating an acidic environment. While researchers don’t yet fully understand this process, they have determined that a major byproduct of the anaerobic pathway is hydrogen (H+). Instead, they must switch to a different pathway - the anaerobic pathway - to produce ATP. As a result, your muscles cannot rely on oxygen to produce adenosine triphosphate (ATP), your body’s cellular energy source ( 2, 3). One of these factors is high intensity exercise, also known as anaerobic exercise.ĭuring anaerobic exercise, your body’s demand for oxygen exceeds the available supply. However, certain health conditions and external factors can disrupt this balance. This regulation is referred to as the acid-base balance and is controlled mainly by our kidneys and lungs ( 1). Interestingly, the pH of our bodies is tightly regulated, which ensures that they function properly. For example, our blood has a pH of about 7.4, while stomach acid is highly acidic, with a pH of 1–3 ( 1). The pH level of the human body varies depending on the part of the body. Anything lower than 7.0 is acidic, and anything above 7.0 is alkaline ( 1). In chemistry, pH is a scale used to grade how acidic or alkaline (basic) a solution is.Ī pH of 7.0 is considered neutral (pure water has a pH of 7.0). To understand how sodium bicarbonate works, it’s helpful to first understand the concept of pH.
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