What if you had a secret weapon in your kitchen cabinet that could boost your exercise performance? Sounds like a pipe dream, doesn’t it? But it’s not as far-fetched as you think. It’s not the latest overpriced protein powder or a supplement you buy at your local health food store. It’s inexpensive and, chances are, you already have a stash of it in your kitchen cabinet. It’s baking soda! The same, finely ground white powder you use to bake cookies and whiten your teeth, could give your workout a boost. Let’s dig deeper.
The Science Behind Baking Soda
Baking soda is a salt composed of sodium and bicarbonate. If you place this powdery substance on your tongue, you will find it has a salty and bitter taste. And when you use it for cooking, it helps your cookies, cakes or other baked goods rise in the oven. The question is how can it benefit your workouts?
The Science Behind the Fizz
If you drink water with baking soda in it, the concentration of bicarbonate will increase in your bloodstream. This would make your blood more alkaline, or further to the basic or alkaline end of the spectrum. It’s this alkalinity that works in your favor when you exercise.
When you do a high-intensity workout where you exercise beyond your aerobic threshold, metabolic changes take place that cause fatigue and slow you down. As you increase the intensity of your workout, you tap into anaerobic energy systems where you break down glucose without oxygen. This causes lactate to build up in your bloodstream, as you start to accumulate lactate faster than your body can clear it.
In this situation, baking soda with its alkalinity helps you counter the negative effects of lactic acid and other acids. By creating a more alkaline environment in your bloodstream, it creates a steeper pH gradient between the alkalinity of your bloodstream and the acidity of your lactic acid-laden muscles. This helps your muscles send excess acidity (in the form of hydrogen ions) out of your muscles and back into your bloodstream. As you remove the hydrogen ions, your muscles become less acidic and are better able to function and resist fatigue. With less fatigue, you can exercise longer without pooping out.
What does science say? Studies confirm these findings. One meta-analysis of 158 studies found that athletes who supplemented with sodium bicarbonate showed modest, but significant, improvements in their exercise performance. But there’s a catch. The benefits correlate with the intensity and duration of exercise. For ultra-short duration exercise of less than 45 seconds, the benefits are minimal or non-existent. It’s when you do intense exercise that lasts at least 45 seconds and up to 8 minutes that the rewards become more apparent.
And you even get benefits when you increase the duration of exercise to longer than 8 minutes. An example would be doing high-intensity bursts of exercise during a longer endurance session. For example, sprinting during a longer-distance run.
Studies even show sodium bicarbonate in baking soda boosts performance in combat sports, like karate, judo, boxing, and wrestling. For example, with baking soda on board, boxers can throw more punches when they spar. The difference isn’t massive, but still enough to make a difference in a competition.
How Much Baking Soda Do You Need?
If you’re considering using baking soda to boost your performance during intense exercise, talk to your doctor first. Although baking soda is safe for most people, it contains sodium. The high sodium content may be problematic if you take certain medications or have certain health conditions.
How much do you need? The dosage experts recommend is 0.2 to 0.4 grams of baking soda per kilogram of body weight. Before consuming it, mix it with a liter of fluid. Timing matters too. The best time to consume baking soda is 3 to 6 hours before a workout or competition. Since baking soda is a little bitter, you might want to take it with a meal. Some athletes also use sodium bicarbonate capsules as a substitute for baking soda. Sometimes they’re marketed as antacids too.
Are There Risks or Side Effects of Taking Sodium Bicarbonate Supplements?
Although sodium bicarbonate or baking soda is safe for most healthy people, you could have side effects, especially the first time you use it. The most common are digestive issues, including nausea and diarrhea. Everyone has a different tolerance, so start with a small amount, half the recommended dose, and see how you respond. You can always increase to the full dose once you know you can tolerate it. Don’t use it before a competition unless you know how your body reacts to baking soda.
Beyond Performance: Other Potential Benefits of Baking Soda
There’s another performance benefit that sodium bicarbonate may give you. Some research finds that it modestly helps with delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMs), the achy muscles you get after a workout that challenge your muscles more than they’re accustomed to.
Conclusion
So now you know how a common kitchen item could boost your exercise performance. It won’t take you from a novice to an athletic champ, but it could help you fight fatigue during high-intensity workouts. Be aware that we all respond differently to interventions. So, pay attention to how your body reacts to sodium bicarbonate. Begin with a loose dose and increase it to the recommended dose if you don’t experience significant side effects.
As always, it’s best to consult with a sports nutritionist or healthcare professional before adding a new supplement to your regimen. The take-home message? The next time you’re looking for a performance edge, check your pantry. It’s heartening that something as simple as baking soda can be a game-changer for your workouts.
References:
- Grgic J, Grgic I, Del Coso J, Schoenfeld BJ, Pedisic Z. Effects of sodium bicarbonate supplementation on exercise performance: an umbrella review. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2021 Nov 18;18(1):71. doi: 10.1186/s12970-021-00469-7. PMID: 34794476; PMCID: PMC8600864.
- “Sodium Bicarbonate Supplements and Exercise Performance – Healthline.” 21 Oct. 2021, https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/baking-soda-and-performance.
- “Sodium Bicarbonate (aka baking soda): Role in Fitness Performance – NASM.” https://blog.nasm.org/training-benefits/sodium-bicarbonate-aka-baking-soda-role-in-fitness-performance.
- Hadzic M, Eckstein ML, Schugardt M. The Impact of Sodium Bicarbonate on Performance in Response to Exercise Duration in Athletes: A Systematic Review. J Sports Sci Med. 2019 Jun 1;18(2):271-281. PMID: 31191097; PMCID: PMC6544001.
- “22 Benefits and Uses of Baking Soda – Healthline.” 07 Feb. 2023, https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/baking-soda-benefits-uses.
