AIS shopCareers

How and when do I use it?

  • Current ingestion recommendations are to consume between 200 to 400 mg/kg BM with a small, carbohydrate dense meal (~1.5 g/kg BM CHO) approximately 120 to 150 min prior to exercise.7
    • Broad ingestion recommendations should only serve as a starting point, as several practical issues associated with sodium bicarbonate may influence the efficacy of this supplement such as ingestion timing, individual tolerability and/or susceptibility to GI distress, and the potential co-ingestion of other supplements.10,11,12 Where practicable, monitoring of blood bicarbonate concentrations and pH in response to sodium bicarbonate ingestion, warm-up and event are also strongly encouraged. Experience at the AIS has shown that this frequently uncovers issues that can be manipulated to enhance outcomes for the individual athlete.
    • There is some preliminary evidence that timing an individual’s ingestion protocol in order to commence competition at their individualized peak blood buffering capacity may improve performance. However, this requires periodically measuring blood bicarbonate changes over multiple testing sequences.10
    • If individualizing the ingestion strategy is not feasible, ingestion at the higher end of the recommended doses (e.g. 300 to 400 mg/kg BM) 2 to 3 hours pre-competition should significantly elevate blood buffering capacity to levels presumed to be ergogenic (~ 5 – 6 mmol/L increase) with effects lasting for 3 to 4 hours. Co-ingestion with a small high carbohydrate meal supports blood alkalosis while reducing the occurrence of GI symptoms. This method of delivery would allow more time for those athletes susceptible to GI distress (which typically peaks 90 min post-ingestion) to resolve any potential issues before competition.
  • There is good evidence for the use of bicarbonate by athletes competing in high-intensity activity lasting from 1 to 7 minutes – for example, swimming, rowing and middle-distance running events.4
    • It should be recognized that in many events of this type, competition may require the athlete to undertake several events within a relatively short timeframe, or to compete later the same day. This competition schedule may require an adjustment of sodium bicarbonate loading protocols to account for repeated events. In this example, “split” strategies of loading may be incorporated around time constraints, or alternatively using a “top-up” approach with smaller amounts (e.g. 100 mg/kg BM) consumed once or twice over the remainder of the competition timeframe.7 As there is no published data on the efficacy of split- or top-up approaches, this would need to be trialed in training.
    • Alternatively, a bicarbonate supplementation protocol involving multiple divided doses over several days before competition may be appropriate. This involves a higher daily bicarbonate dose (500mg/kg BM) in several even doses (e.g., 100mg/ kg BM with 3 main meals and 2 snacks) up to 5 days before competition, as well as the day of competition.13
  • Over the past decade, there have been a few studies reporting benefits in physical performance improvements in skill-based sports requiring prolonged, repeated high-intensity efforts (e.g. team, racquet and combat sports).
    • Given this evidence, high-intensity events of up to an hour which are conducted at work rates just below an individual’s anaerobic/lactate threshold may also be relevant for sodium bicarbonate supplementation. In this instance, the additional buffering capacity may support the athlete’s ability to increase their pace/work output for strategic periods (e.g. surges, sprint finishes).
  • There is a growing body of evidence that suggests increases in aerobic adaptability (e.g. increased oxidative and mitochondrial function) are augmented with sodium bicarbonate supplementation during blocks of interval training sessions.14,15
    • There is also evidence supporting fatigue attenuation after acute sodium bicarbonate supplementation in measures of explosive power (e.g. rate of force development).16,17
  • There have been studies investigating the efficacy of co-ingestion with other supplements (e.g. caffeine, creatine, beta-alanine, ketone bodies), however presently the evidence is equivocal (with the exception of sodium bicarbonate appearing to counteract the acidity induced by ketosis).

Back to top