Table 1.
Effect of SB supplementation on repeated bout exercise performance
| Study | Participants | Experimental design | Supplementation (dosage, timing & ingestion strategy) | Exercise protocol & recovery duration | Performance outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pierce et al. (1992) | University male swimmers (n = 7, age = 19.3 ± 0.42 years, BM = 71.6 ± 1.8 kg) | Randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover; 3 day washout | SB: 0.2 g kg−1 BM; PLA: 1 g NaCl; CON: no drink; single dose, 60 min pre-exercise, 400 ml water | 2 × 200-yard swim (style of their choice) separated by 20 min |
100 yard time: ↔ 2 × 200 yards: ↔ |
| Pruscino et al. (2008) | Elite male freestyle swimmers (n = 6) | Randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover; ≥3 day washout | SB: 0.3 g kg−1 BM; PLA: glucose; split into 7 doses, 120–30 min pre-exercise, given in capsules with 20 ml kg−1 BM water | 2 × 200 m swim freestyle TT separated by 30 min |
TT1: ↔ TT2 vs. TT1: ↑ |
| Zabala et al. (2008) | Elite male BMX athletes (n = 9, age = 19.4 ± 2.3 years, BM = 73.8 ± 9.9 kg) | Randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover; 4 day washout | SB: 0.3 g kg−1 BM; PLA: 0.05 g kg−1 NaCl; single dose, 90 min pre-exercise, 1000 ml flavoured water | 3 × 30 s WT separated by 30 min; CMJ after WT |
Jump height: ↔ WT peak power, mean power and fatigue index: ↔ |
| Zabala et al. (2011) | Elite male BMX athletes (n = 10, age = 20.7 ± 1.4 years, BM = 77.9 ± 2.1 kg) | Randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, counterbalanced crossover; 4 day washout | SB: 0.3 g kg−1 BM; PLA: matched capsules; single dose, 90 min pre-exercise, given in capsules with water provided ad libitum | 3 × 30 s WT separated by 15 min; CMJ after WT |
Jump height: ↔ WT peak power, mean power and fatigue index: ↔ |
| Mero et al. (2013) | Elite male swimmers (n = 13, age = 20.5 ± 1.4 years, BM = 80.1 ± 8.1 kg) | Randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover; 7 day washout | SB: 0.3 g kg−1 BM; PLA: calcium carbonate; single dose, 60 min pre-exercise, given in capsules | 2 × 100 m swim freestyle TT separated by 12 min |
TT1: ↔ TT2 vs. TT1: ↑ |
| Stöggl et al. (2014) | Endurance trained males (n = 12, age = 32.8 ± 3.8 years, BM = 74 ± 6 kg) | Randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, counterbalanced crossover; 5–8 day washout | SB: 0.3 g kg−1 BM; PLA: artificial sweetener and NaCl; single dose, 90 min pre-exercise, 6 ml kg−1 BM water | 3 × TTE at 19 km h−1 (5%) separated by 25 min |
TTE1: ↔ TTE2: ↑ Decline from TTE1 to TTE2 and TTE3: ↑ |
| Gough et al. (2017a, b) | Recreationally active males (n = 9, age = 23 ± 2 years, BM = 74 ± 9 kg) | Double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover; 3–10 day washout | SB: 0.3 g kg−1 BM; PLA: 0.1 g kg−1 NaCl; single dose, 30 min post-exercise, 5 ml kg−1 BM water/squash | 2 × TTE cycling at 100% Wpeak separated by 90 min |
TTE1: ↔ TTE2: ↑ |
| Dalle et al. (2019) | Recreationally active males (n = 12, age = 21 ± 1 years, BM = 74.4 ± 9.9 kg) | Randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover; 7 day washout | SB: 31.5 g; PLA: matched NaCl; split over 9 h, every 3 h: 6.3 g + 2 × 2.1 g, given in capsules with 250 ml water | 4 × 2 min “all-out” sprints separated by 180 min |
Sprint 1, 2 & 4: ↔ Sprint 3: ↑ Average mean power output: ↑ |
| Gough et al. (2018) | Trained male cyclists (n = 10, age = 27 ± 8 years, BM = 82 ± 9 kg) | Randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover; 7 day washout | SB: 0.2 g kg−1 and 0.3 g kg−1 BM; PLA: 0.07 g kg−1 NaCl; single dose, time-to-peak bicarbonate pre-exercise, dissolved in 450 ml water/squash | 2 × 4 km cycling TT separated by 40 min in hypoxia (FiO2 14.5%) |
TT1 and TT2: ↑ Decline from TT1 to TT2: ↔ |
| Gough et al. (2019a, b) | Elite male boxers (n = 7, age = 27.1 ± 5.1 years, BM = 72.2 ± 10.3 kg) | Randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover; 7 day washout | SB: 0.3 g kg−1 BM; PLA: 0.1 g kg−1 NaCl; single dose, 10 min post-exercise, dissolved in 5 ml kg−1 BM water/squash | 4 × 30 s bouts of 90% and 75% v-VO2max running, boxing specific drills, 2 × TTE runs at 90% v-VO2max separated by 75 min |
TTE1: ↔ TTE2: ↑ Change from TTE1 to TTE2: ↑ |
| Peinado et al. (2019) | Elite male BMX athletes (n = 12, age = 19.2 ± 3.4 years, BM = 72.4 ± 8.4 kg) | Randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, counterbalanced crossover; 4 day washout | SB: 0.3 g kg−1 BM; PLA: 0.045 g kg−1 NaCl; single dose, 90 min pre-exercise, given in capsules with water provided ad libitum | 3 × BMX races on an outdoor track (400 m length) | Time, peak velocity and time-to-peak velocity: ↔ |
| Gurton et al. (2021a) | Recreational male runners (n = 11, age = 31.0 ± 9.7 years, BM = 74.4 ± 6.5 kg) | Randomised, single-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover; 5–7 day washout | SB: 0.3 g kg−1 BM; PLA: 0.03 g kg−1 NaCl; single dose, 5 min post-exercise, dissolved in 500 ml water/squash | 2 × TTE runs at v-VO2max (1%) separated by 40 min |
TTE1: ↔ TTE2: ↔ 6/11 improved above test re-test: ↑ |
| Thomas et al. (2022) | Elite track cyclists (men, n = 6, age = 19.8 ± 1.5 years, BM = 83 ± 6 kg; women, n = 2 age = 21.5 ± 2.1 years, BM = 60 ± 0 kg) | Randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover; 7 day washout | SB: 0.3 g kg−1 BM; PLA: 0.2 g kg−1 BM calcium carbonate; single dose, 90 min pre-exercise, given in capsules with water provided ad libitum |
4 × 1000 m constant power efforts separated by 20 min 3 × 500 m “all-out” sprints separated by 20 min, squat jumps pre- and post-sprints |
4 × 1000 m constant power efforts: ↔ Average velocity during “all-out” sprints: ↔ Pre-exercise jump height: ↔ Post-exercise jump height: ↑ |
| Thomas et al. (2023) | Active men (n = 8, age = 22 ± 4 years, BM = 80.3 ± 13.0 kg) | Randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover; 7 day washout | SB: 0.3 g kg−1 BM; placebo: 0.2 g kg−1 BM calcium carbonate; single dose, 90 min pre-exercise, given in capsules with water provided ad libitum | 3 × 30 s WT separated by 20 min | WT peak power, mean power and fatigue index: ↔ |
BM body mass, SB sodium bicarbonate, PLA placebo, NaCl sodium chloride, WU warm up, WT Wingate test, CMJ countermovement jump, TT time-trial, TTE time-to-exhaustion, Wpeak peak aerobic power output, v-VO2max maximal aerobic velocity, VO2max maximal oxygen consumption
↑ Significant improvement (p < 0.05), ↔ no significant change (p > 0.05)