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Sodium Bicarbonate
Ordinary baking soda as a buffer for hard, sustained efforts — effective, but famous for wrecking your gut.
A buffer that raises blood bicarbonate, helping to neutralise the acidity that builds during intense effort and forces you to slow down.
Genuinely improves performance in high-intensity efforts lasting roughly 1–7 minutes — repeated sprints, rowing, middle-distance. The problem is tolerance: the classic dose causes serious stomach upset in many people, which can be worse than the benefit.
- !GI distress is common — always trial it in training, never first on race day.
- !High sodium load; not for those on a sodium-restricted diet or with related conditions.
Note:General information, not medical advice. Supplements interact with medications and conditions — check with your doctor before starting anything, especially if you're pregnant, nursing or managing a health condition.