The potential performance-enhancing benefits of simple sodium bicarbonate have been well understood in sports science labs, and by a select few within elite sport, for years. But only recently has it begun to gain traction among a broader audience of cyclists, runners, and swimmers looking for a legal edge.
For most of us, sodium bicarbonate is more familiar as a kitchen cupboard baking ingredient than a performance-enhancing supplement. But used correctly, this simple, cheap, and widely available powder could be one of the most potent legal aids in your performance toolbox. Be warned, though, it tastes vile!
In this week’s episode of the Performance Process podcast, we sit down with Robert Gorgos, co-founder of nutrition company Mnstry and former head of nutrition for Bora-Hansgrohe, to unpack everything you need to know about bicarb: what it is, how it works, who it’s for, and how to use it without suffering the potentially event-ending side effects.
What is sodium bicarbonate and how does it work?
Sodium bicarbonate is better known as baking soda – the same stuff you might have in your kitchen cupboard for baking, cleaning, laundry and all manner of household uses. But inside the body, it acts like a kind of chemical sponge, mopping up excess acidity during hard efforts.
When you ride at high intensity, say in a sprint or during VO2max intervals, your muscles start to flood with hydrogen ions. These build up quickly, dropping the pH in your muscles (ie. making it a more acidic environment), which is what creates that familiar burning sensation. It’s a sign your muscles are struggling to cope with that rising acidity.
For years, athletes and coaches thought lactic acid was the stuff that made our legs burn during hard efforts. But it turns out that was a case of mistaken identity.
What’s actually happening is our bodies shift toward anaerobic metabolism to keep producing energy. One of the byproducts is lactate, which is often wrongly confused with lactic acid. Lactate itself isn’t the problem; in fact, your body can use it as a fuel.
The real culprit behind the burn is the accumulation of hydrogen ions (H⁺), which are released alongside lactate. These hydrogen ions lower your muscle pH. That drop in pH interferes with muscle contraction and contributes to fatigue. So it’s not the lactate causing trouble, it’s the accompanying acidosis.
Sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO₃) acts as a buffer, helping your body neutralise hydrogen ions that build up during high-intensity exercise. By supplementing with bicarb, we raise the body’s buffering capacity. That means you can push harder, for longer, before reaching that critical tipping point. As Gorgos explains, “It’s about going a little deeper without compromising muscle function.”
Unlike other buffering agents like beta-alanine – which requires daily supplementation for several weeks to raise muscle carnosine levels – sodium bicarbonate is effective almost immediately. That means you can take it a few hours before a race or hard session, and get all the benefit.
When to use bicarb?
I don’t recall exactly when I first came across bicarb, but it was well over a decade ago. The first time I remember using it was to tilt the odds on a power test, one our team manager was likely to use as part of the selection process for some upcoming races. It helped me smash what was, in truth, a fairly meaningless test, secure selection for races I should’ve been picked for anyway, and then go on to deliver strong performances for the team when it actually mattered.
Hacking team selections is not the typical use case for bicarb, though. It’s mostly thought of as an intervention that works best for high-intensity efforts causing a rapid buildup of acidity, typically in efforts lasting between 30 seconds and 10 minutes. That includes prologues, time trials, short climbs, track races, as well as repeated anaerobic surges like you’d find in criterium or kermis races, MTB short track, or cyclocross races.
Did we do a good job with this story?
