Performance
A novel new study may provide the answer and a glimpse into the future of bicarbonate supplement science.
Cor Vos, Kristof Ramon, Ronan Mc Laughlin
Bicarbonate is one of the rare supplements that consistently lives up to its billing. Used correctly, it can help delay the burn in high-intensity efforts and improve performance for many athletes.
The sticking points for many, though, are bicarb’s potential side effects. Yes, it can improve performance, but the price of getting it wrong is race-ending gastrointestinal distress, including cramps, bloating, or – worse – a panicked dash to the nearest toilet. Not to mention the foul taste that can easily turn a stomach.
That’s why transdermal bicarbonate creams offered so much promise when they entered the picture a few years ago. Applied directly to the skin, where the brands claimed the bicarb is absorbed into the bloodstream, they were said to deliver similar gains while eliminating the side effects.
How, when, and why to use sodium bicarbonate for performance
A guide to using this cheap and effective training aid, including benefits, protocols, and pitfalls.
We’ve already covered the science of bicarbonate in detail (link above) – how it works, when it helps, and the potential pitfalls of using it – so we won’t go over the same ground again here. The same applies to beta-alanine, a supplement that boosts muscle carnosine levels and helps buffer the hydrogen ions that lower muscle pH during high-intensity efforts. And supplement makers also pitch carnosine creams as another performance product.
Carnosine is a dipeptide found in muscle, made from beta-alanine and histidine. Like bicarbonate, it helps buffer hydrogen ions during hard efforts, but it works inside the muscle rather than in the blood. Because taking beta-alanine increases muscle carnosine, beta-alanine supplements are a practical way to target this pathway. Carnosine lotions aim to bypass that step, boosting carnosine levels with direct dermal application.
Do these creams actually work?
Cool. So lather up with one of these lotions and off you go? Not quite.
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