The best supplement that is in your pantry

         In a previous post I wrote about how creatine is the best supplement that you are not using. Creatine maximizes the benefits and no adverse effects have been reported using creatine. Dosing is easy to follow and if taken in more than recommended dosage then no biggie. 

    This next supplement does have value, but the adverse effects may outweigh the benefits. One of the positive values is the fact that it is in nearly every pantry on the planet. Sodium Bicarbonate or better known as baking soda can be used as an ergogenic aid for training.

 Wait....hold up.... baking soda? The item you use in baking!

Yup.

Lemme explain   

        As your exercise anaerobically your muscles get their energy from ATP. That ATP is either stored in the muscle tissue or derived from the Cori cycle. The Cori cycle in a nutshell is a chemical reaction in the body that produces ATP without using oxygen. When you exercise anaerobically your body produces a chemical reaction that produces lactate (glucose-pyruvate-lactate). Lactate can be recycled back into the body through the Cori cycle which provides the body ATP. When too much lactate forms within the cells that the body cannot cycle out then muscles become acidic. FYI this is not Latic acid.... nor is it the cause of muscle fatigue. Latic is lactate and acid pertain to PH levels. The added element of hydrogen that makes muscles acidic. Think about the last time you did some hard running-at one point you became tired and had to either stop or slow down. After a min or two you were able to run at that pace again. That was your body not being able to recycle lactate in enough time. Once the intensity dropped the body was able to clear lactate and you were able to run at the pace again. The bodies' ability to clear lactate can be trained. Through intervals, tempo runs and HIIT training we can push our threshold or lactate threshold to the right. This means we can exercise at a higher intensity for a longer duration.

    So, what does this have to do with baking soda? hang on I'm getting there. Baking soda has anti-acid properties What does anaerobic exercise at a high enough intensity produce? Acid. If I take an anti-acid before training, I can raise the pH levels within muscle cells to hold off on the acidic build up. See why I had to go off on that tangent about the Cori Cycle?

    Taking baking soda as an ergogenic aid does have certain dosage requirements that should be followed in complete detail. Too little does nothing and too much will cause GI issues. The dosage is as follows: .3kg per kilogram of body weight taken 60-90 minutes before exercise. .3kg per kilogram of body weight. No more-no less. In retrospect .3kg for an 86kg person is 26.8g which is .9oz. You not taking a whole lot of baking soda, but it has been proven to assist with high intensity exercise. If you are going to try baking soda, I would strongly recommend practicing with it first before trying it before a big training day or a competition.