Has anyone tried buffering lactic acid through ingestion of sodium bicarbonate or another alkaline salt?
It appears sport climbing falls into the prime category of activity <6min that responds to lowering blood pH. Because about half of the studies have revealed positive results, the other half no improvement, and no studies have found a decrease in performance, logic suggests bi-carb soda may be helpful to some individuals if used properly. Since bi-carb induces a metabolic alkalosis, it would make sense that people who perform activities that produce dramatic drops in pH would benefit from its ingestion. Soda loading works best as an ergogenic aid only at high doses (300mg/kg bodyweight) and only for short, almost maximal exercise (30 seconds to 6 minutes). This would include anaerobic activities such as the 400 or 800 metre run, and if the type of weight training you do involves high volume, low weight, high reps, and short intervals, then performance could be enhanced. There is no longer any doubt that in short events, sodium bicarbonate can provide a winning edge. Bi-carb would appea
