Bicarb for Sprints and Middle Distance: The Science⚡

That brutal burn in the closing stages of a 400 m, 800 m, or the final kick of a 1500 m brings rising acidity inside the muscles, often referred to as the lactic burn. It’s not pleasant, and it slows you down. Because of this, athletes have been looking for ways to hold off the burn for decades. We're sharing research from 2004 showing bicarb is an effective tool for improving time to exhaustion in these short, but intense, activities.

In a double-blind, crossover study, trained runners were able to run for longer at maximal sprint middle-distance pace after ingesting bicarbonate (bicarb).

Ingeesting bicarb increases the body’s extracellular buffering capacity. This helps move hydrogen ions out of the muscle, slowing the drop in pH to more acidic levels, and thereby allowing athletes to tolerate high-intensity efforts for longer when it matters most. This process is often referred to as lactic buffering.

The Study Results

Runners completed a treadmill run to exhaustion after ingesting different buffering agents. This is how long they lasted:

  • Bicarb: 82.3 seconds
  • Citrate: 78.2 seconds
  • Placebo: 77.4 seconds

The results showed that bicarb led to an average performance improvement of 2.7% versus placebo. At 400 m to 800 m race intensity, that margin is often the difference between hanging on and tying up.

Bicarb was more effective than the other agents tested, and a significant improvement over placebo.

Why this matters

When efforts last roughly 45 seconds to 2 minutes, muscle acidosis is a key limiter of performance. Delaying this process by increasing buffering capacity can translate to:

  • A stronger last lap
  • Greater tolerance of the final 100 m without tying up
  • The ability to stay consistent and repeat high-intensity efforts in training

BICARRB is designed to deliver this proven buffering effect without the gut issues traditionally associated with bicarb loading. Our BICARRB provides a low-volume, flavoured format to help you go faster when it counts.

Check out the study here:

Van Montfoort et al. (2004). Effects of Ingestion of Bicarbonate, Citrate, Lactate, and Chloride on Sprint Running. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise.

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