Have you ever experienced a burning sensation in your muscles when you are exercising? This sensation, as well as muscle fatigue, comes from increased hydrogen ions (H+) in the muscle cell, which inhibits the rate of muscle contraction and decreases performance. Sodium bicarbonate (SB) acts as a natural buffering agent to reduce H+ which delays fatigue and improves aerobic performance. Purpose: Determine whether SB has a positive correlation on sustained aerobic performance.
Hypothesis: Ingesting sodium bicarbonate 1-hour prior to the FTP cycling test will decrease sustained power output and increase distance covered. Conclusion: There is no statistical significant difference between SB ingestion and sustained power output, however, recreational athletes looking to improve aerobic performance may utilize SB to improve power output and delay fatigue.
