Jan 30, 2011
The Effects of Sodium Bicarbonate on Repeated Anaerobic Performance
- Craig Bellew
Obviously, when in a race, the ability to produce high rates of power outputs and maybe sprint at high velocities is essential to performance. As a percentage it is hard to say how much is spent sprinting but I’m sure that there are many aggressive races where the number of bursts and sprints is a very regular occurrence.
Riders must be able to recover rapidly between sprints because if not the next move could be the race winning break and you would not be in it or you may not be able to help team mates get across the gap or compete in the sprint for the placing’s at the end of the race. There is an increased physiological demand during multiple sprints as opposed to single sprints. Between each of these sprints muscle pH, phosphocreatine and subsequently adenosine triphosphate (ATP) must be resynthesized. If phosphocreatine levels are reduced to low it shall impair the ability to perform sprints. This is because the resynthesis of ATP will be poor. Sodium bicarbonate has been believed to help with these processes.
Sodium Bicarbonate is an ergogenic aid and is widely used in all/most sports to help enhance performance. It is mainly used by athletes while training as it gives the ability to improve the quality and quantity of their training meaning bigger increases in maximal performance and a better performance when taking part in competition.
It has been scientifically proven that the ingestion of sodium bicarbonate enhances time to fatigue during high intensity exercise following repeated sprint bouts. Although the evidence out there suggests that the improvements can be seen, once analysed and placed into an SPSS file it is found that the improvements seen are not significant. The results of an experiment that was carried out showed that the results of a placebo group and a control group were not significantly different. The participants taking the sodium bicarbonate also reported side effects such as vomiting, nausea and diarrhoea.
So, to conclude, sodium bicarbonate will help your performance in a minimal way, but with side effects. You better of getting your “significant other” to make your drinks and get her to tell you that she made it with the substance.
Caffeine on the other hand does help to improve the time it takes to fatigue. It attaches itself to the adenosine receptors (pain cells) and blockades them. This means it acts as a pain masker making you feel slightly better that you may be normally!! J
But that’s another subject. Until next time…. Ciao!!!
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