Sodium Bicarbonate: Baking Soda for Speed

He takes 0.3 g/kg of sodium bicarbonate 60 minutes before his 2K test — the textbook dose. Forty-five minutes later, he is in the bathroom with GI distress. He rows his 2K feeling nauseous and posts a worse time than without it. The supplement works. His gut does not. Flowbase Tolerance Testing Protocol SUPPLEMENTS Guided GI tolerance testing for buffering supplements in training before race use. Sodium Bicarbonate Protocol Tolerance test → Dose titration → Race-day timing → Performance benefit Low dose in training first 0.2–0.3 g/kg over 60–90 min Proven dose 90 min before Sustained power in final 500 m

Carr et al. (2011) demonstrated that 0.3 g/kg sodium bicarbonate improved 2K rowing performance by 1.2% on average — approximately 5 seconds for competitive rowers. The mechanism is extracellular pH buffering: ∧ Flowbase Sodium Bicarbonate: Baking Soda for SpeedSodium bicarbonate buffers blood acidity during maximal efforts. For 2K rowing, where acidosis is the primary limiter, it offers a direct physiological advantage — if you can tolerate it. Noah Wickliffe, M.S. · Founder, MyoSport Inc. · 6 min read

bicarbonate in the blood absorbs hydrogen ions diffusing out of muscle, maintaining the concentration gradient that allows continued lactate and H+ clearance from working muscles. GI distress is the primary barrier, affecting 30–50% of athletes at the standard 0.3 g/kg dose (Saunders et al., 2014). Mitigation strategies include: splitting the dose across 30–60 minutes with a high-carb snack, using enteric- coated capsules, or reducing to 0.2 g/kg (which still provides measurable buffering with significantly less GI risk). Serial loading protocols (0.2 g/kg daily for 3–5 days) may also achieve blood bicarbonate elevation with minimal acute GI effects. Combining sodium bicarbonate with beta-alanine may produce additive effects — one buffers intracellularly (carnosine) and the other extracellularly (bicarbonate). Bellinger et al. (2020) showed that the combination improved 2K rowing performance more than either supplement alone, though GI tolerance remains the practical limiting factor. “Sodium bicarbonate works. The question is whether your stomach lets you use it. Test in training, never on race day.” — Noah Wickliffe, Flowbase Performance Series 1.2%2K performance improvement 0.2–0.3g/kg dose range (titrate individually) 90 minPre-race timing for optimal effect

The Flowbase AI Coach guides you through a systematic tolerance testing protocol in training — starting at low doses and building up over sessions. By race day, you know your personal optimal dose and have confirmed your GI tolerance. No guessing. No race-day surprises. The AI Coach turns sodium bicarbonate from a high-reward gamble into a tested, personal protocol — because a supplement that makes you nauseous is worse than no supplement at all. Test Your Bicarbonate Tolerance Start the guided protocol. Find your optimal dose in training.