"Bicarb" is sodium bicarbonate, aka baking soda. We know. Here's why it matters, who it's for, and exactly how to take it without wrecking your stomach.
Your body already makes and uses sodium bicarbonate to keep your blood pH inside a very narrow range (7.35 to 7.45). When you're working hard, pH drops below that range and your body starts shutting things down. That's the feeling of going lactic.
Taking bicarb before a hard effort raises the amount in your blood, which helps buffer that pH drop and keeps you in your working range longer. More bicarb, less lactic.
We're glad you asked. Your stomach is extremely acidic, so plain baking soda reacts the moment it lands there: in your stomach, not your bloodstream where the reaction should happen. You miss the benefit and get the stomach issues. Nobody wins.
The fix. Blank's Bicarb Mix uses slow-release pellets and an alkaline dextrose gel that shield the sodium bicarbonate from stomach acid, so it reaches your bloodstream intact.
The result. The reaction happens where it's supposed to. Just as the sports nutrition gods intended.
Short answer: any athlete pushing themselves at high intensity, no matter the distance.
Bicarb is best known in short-distance running, but its use extends far beyond that. Rory Linkletter, 2:06 marathoner and Canadian Olympian, uses it in all of his half and full marathons. Tyler Mislawchuk, three-time Olympic triathlete, uses it in every race he does. With slow-release formats now on the market, the limits of how long bicarb can make a difference keep getting pushed further.
If that's you, keep reading.
We recommend two hours before the start of your race or workout.
There's no fixed grams per serving; it depends on your body weight and what you're training for. Each Bicarb Mix Starter Kit comes with 75g of pellets, which works out to an average of 4 to 6 servings. The kit's instruction card walks you through dosing for your weight.
Use bicarb on high-intensity sessions so your body (and gut) is familiar with it before race day. Never try it for the first time on race morning.
If you are sensitive to sodium, pay close attention to your bicarb intake and talk to a professional before adding it to your routine.
New to bicarb? Start with the Bicarb Mix Starter Kit: gel, pellets, jar and scoop in one box. Already hooked? Refill the Gel Mix (Part A) and Pellets (Part B) separately, or build your own Custom Bicarb Mix.
We were tired of overpaying for one-size-fits-all sports nutrition products, so we set out to create something better—at a fraction of the price. Using quality ingredients and carefully crafted recipes, our products are designed to fuel you both in competition and between workouts.
