The Safe, Legal, Proven Performance Enhancing Drug (that’s Already in Your Cabinet)

While you won’t find yourself in a Lance Armstrong-esque drug scandal taking Alka-Seltzer, you will improve your performance. That’s a fact. Sodium-bicarbonate (or baking soda) is a key active ingredient in the classic dissolvable tabs known for treating stomach irritation. So much so that it’s a common, rarely discussed supplement in high exertion-based athletics. 

Repeated studies have shown that high intensity interval training (HIIT), cycling, and even tennis. Depending on the subject’s training environment and training age, the results trend from significant to incredible. In one particular observation of moderately trained women examining lactate threshold over the course of an eight week period, the participants who ingested bicarbonate saw a 41% improvement in time to fatigue. Furthermore, the group that took bicarbonate before training improved their lactate threshold by 9.1% more than the placebo group. 

If fatigue has got you down in training, it seems that you’ve had a solution in your pantry this whole time. Consult your doctor if you want to give it a try!