This Powder is 2X Stronger than Creatine for Performance (and cheaper)

Summary

Key Points

• During high-intensity exercise, muscles produce hydrogen ions that lower pH and interfere with muscle contraction, causing the familiar 'burn.' 2:55
• Sodium bicarbonate works by increasing bicarbonate concentration in the blood and extracellular fluid, creating a steeper gradient for hydrogen ions to move out of the muscle cell and be cleared faster. 3:11
• Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) is a cheap and effective supplement, formally recognized by the International Society of Sports Nutrition, that improves performance in activities relying on anaerobic metabolism. 3:28
• The effective dose for baking soda is 0.2-0.5g per kilogram of body weight, taken 60-180 minutes before exercise, or loaded over several days to build buffering capacity and potentially reduce GI discomfort. 3:43
• Beta-alanine, another inexpensive powder, acts as an intracellular pH buffer by increasing carnosine levels in muscles, serving as the first line of defense against acid build-up inside the muscle cell. 5:18
• Supplementing with 4-6g of beta-alanine daily for four weeks can increase muscle carnosine concentrations by 40-60%, improving performance in efforts lasting 1-4 minutes, particularly in fast-twitch muscle fibers. 5:32
• This combined approach effectively covers both sides of the acid management system: carnosine buffering hydrogen ions inside the muscle cell, and bicarbonate buffering them outside. 6:48
• While beta-alanine alone shows a modest performance improvement, a meta-analysis found that combining it with sodium bicarbonate more than doubled the effect size on performance to 0.43, making it the largest effect found in the analysis. 7:38
• The recommended application is 0.3g/kg body weight of sodium bicarbonate 1-2 hours before training, and 4-6g/day of beta-alanine (split doses to reduce tingling), as they work on different systems and do not compete for absorption. 7:45
• The lack of widespread discussion about these highly effective and cheap supplements is likely due to the absence of financial incentive for their promotion. 8:31