Sodium Bicarbonate, get rid of the Burn!

This is the first of a number of blogs that will be focused on supplementation. There are a number of supplements that can aid in one’s performance that are either not known or neglected, which we would like to shed some light on, and help you better your individual performances. This week Sodium Bicarbonate is under the spot light.

During high intensity bouts of exercise, such as a BMX race or Kayak sprints, your muscle’s produce lactic acid from carbohydrates in order to keep up with the energy demand that is required to partake in such an event at maximal level. The build up of lactic acid in the muscle is one cause responsible for fatigue (the burning sensation felt in the muscle). By reducing or buffering the lactic acid build up in the muscle, the effects and symptoms of fatigue should be reduced therefore allowing the athlete to push harder for longer.

Sodium Bicarbonate has been used as a way to combat indigestion for many years, but not many people know about its ability to neutralize the effects of lactic acid. You may remember an experiment in school, were Sodium Bicarbonate was used to neutralize (pH.7) Hydrochloric acid. Well, the same process is occurring in the muscles, sodium bicarbonate increases the extracellular pH of the blood which then increases the transport of lactic acid out of the muscle. As a result the H ions which cause the acidity in the muscle are reduced (neutralizing the pH level in the muscle), and the effects and symptoms of fatigue are reduced, and improving the performance of athletes’ involved in high intensity anaerobic sports.

Dosage is crucial in “bicarbonate loading”, if done insufficiently little to no benefits may be seen. And if over done, gastrointestinal disorders such as diarrhoea, cramping, and bloating can be experienced. Long term use of “bicarbonate loading” can also cause more permanent damage to the gastrointestinal tract if over done. Sodium Citrate is a substance that has the same benefits as sodium bicarbonate, but does not have the negative effects the sodium bicarbonate has. Research on Sodium Citrate is minimal, but does show that it takes longer for the effects to kick in; therefore earlier loading of the substance is needed.

Research shows that the correct dosage for “Bicarbonate loading” and “Citrate loading” should be 0.3-0.4g per kg of body weight (eg. 70kg person should take 21g), taken with 0.5L-1.5L of water. In most studies undertaken athletes ingested the substance 60-90 minutes before activity.

The full benefits of “Bicarbonate loading” have been seen in a study by D.L.Costill et al, 1984, “Acid-Base balance during repeated bouts of exercise: Influence of HCO3”. In the study cyclists performed five all-out sprint cycling bouts each lasting 1 minute, before and after ingesting sodium bicarbonate. Results showed a 42% improvement in performance after ingesting sodium bicarbonate. This shows the potential of the underrated substance.
So try it in training and see if it works for you.
Daniel (Sport Scientist)

The Core of Surfing: Part One

This is a three part series aimed at improving your surfing performance through training done out side the surf.

Surfing over the past few years has be come more recognized as a sport and a professional sport than a recreational past time as it was viewed in the past.
A recent study conducted on surfers by David Bishop (Physiological Aspects of Surfboard Riding Performance) has shown that 40 -50 % of the total time spent surfing is spent paddling and only 4 -5 % is actually wave ridding, which re-enforces the idea that surfers need to partake in some type of cross training if they wish to perform at the top of their game.

Surfing as a sport is both Aerobic (long paddles back to the take off zone.) and anaerobic (the actual wave riding and short explosive bursts of paddling to catch the waves.) So the type of training a surfer should be doing can be broken down into various areas:

1. Aerobic /cardio Training
2. Anaerobic /explosive training
3. Core Training
4. Flexibility

These areas will be covered over the next three weeks.

1.) Aerobic /cardio Training
This type of training would be your general cardio vascular training; to increase your all round fitness, making those long paddles up the point or back to the take off zone as well as paddling out in bigger surf easier. Cardio vascular training increases your aerobic fitness which increase the amount of oxygen being delivered to you exercising muscles as well as you major organs , which results in a greater resistance to fatigue , which means you will be out in the water for longer.

Some examples of this type of training:

Swimming- an excellent form of cross training for surfing as it’s a similar action to actual paddling and similar muscle groups are used (in the pool or sea). Swimming training as a means of cross training could be done by swimming 1km (40 lengths) but not monotonous length after length , but rather by doing , just arms and just legs incorporating the kicker board as well as an individual medley's, one arm strokes and treading .Or by simply breaking it up in to more manageable bouts ,e.g 10 lengths with a rest in between. The exercise intensity should be 60-80%.

Running & Cycling- great for your cardio fitness and increasing your oxygen efficiency .prescribed amount of this type of cardio would be approximately 20 - 30 minutes.

Equipment in the gym that could be used : Treadmill , exercise bike ,orbitrek (air walker) and rowing machine.

This training should be combined with you general training program and done 3-5 times a week for optimal results.

Next week’s focus is on anaerobic and core training.

Wade

Sport Scientist

and international surfing judge

The Authors

We have all recently graduated with a degree in Bachelor Of Sport Science and are currently persuing our Honours in Exercise science , this blog is aimed at informing the general public with new research , latest finding and training methods in the alternate sporting codes. Feel free to ask questions and comment on our posts. Watch this space!