Concept2 Forum

I have heard that if you drink alkaline water between workouts/intervals instead of regular water, it helps decrease lactic acid buildup more quickly.<br />I have also heard that it is just a placebo effect in your mind.<br /><br />I just found a website that says alkaline water helps 'neutralizes stored acids'.<br />I'm not sure if this is true or not, but I think i want to try it for our lactic acid tolerance testing (supposedly by far the hardest workout of the year) in a few weeks.<br /><br />Anyone know anything about the subject?

<!--quoteo(post=57188:date=Feb 25 2006, 05:44 PM:name=ROW)--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE(ROW @ Feb 25 2006, 05:44 PM) </b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'>I have heard that if you drink alkaline water between workouts/intervals instead of regular water, it helps decrease lactic acid buildup more quickly.<br />I have also heard that it is just a placebo effect in your mind.<br /><br />I just found a website that says alkaline water helps 'neutralizes stored acids'.<br />I'm not sure if this is true or not, but I think i want to try it for our lactic acid tolerance testing (supposedly by far the hardest workout of the year) in a few weeks.<br /><br />Anyone know anything about the subject?<br /> </td></tr></table><br /><br />Hi ROW,<br /><br />I don't know anything about whether "alkaline water" will have any effect on lactic acid buildup (or even what alkaline water <i>is</i>!)...<b><i>but</i></b> why would you want to do <b><i>anything</i></b> that would invalidate the test? Generally speaking the purpose of such tests is to guide your training going forward, so that you can most effectively increase your endurance & intensity. The reason it's the "hardest workout of the year" is to push you to your limits, so that they can be defined. If you "fool the test", you'll be setting yourself up for workouts going forward that will, potentially, be less effective.<br /><br />I would think that you would want to go into the test well-rested, with good hydration and nutrition and use it (presumably as intended) to see where you are, <b><i>so that you can most effectively plot your course going forward</i></b>. <br /><br />Good luck with your training (and the testing to guide it...)!<br /><br />Alissa

<!--quoteo(post=57234:date=Feb 26 2006, 09:32 AM:name=Alissa)--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE(Alissa @ Feb 26 2006, 09:32 AM) </b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'><!--quoteo(post=57188:date=Feb 25 2006, 05:44 PM:name=ROW)--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE(ROW @ Feb 25 2006, 05:44 PM) </b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'>I have heard that if you drink alkaline water between workouts/intervals instead of regular water, it helps decrease lactic acid buildup more quickly.<br />I have also heard that it is just a placebo effect in your mind.<br /><br />I just found a website that says alkaline water helps 'neutralizes stored acids'.<br />I'm not sure if this is true or not, but I think i want to try it for our lactic acid tolerance testing (supposedly by far the hardest workout of the year) in a few weeks.<br /><br />Anyone know anything about the subject?<br /> </td></tr></table><br /><br />Hi ROW,<br /><br />I don't know anything about whether "alkaline water" will have any effect on lactic acid buildup (or even what alkaline water <i>is</i>!)...<b><i>but</i></b> why would you want to do <b><i>anything</i></b> that would invalidate the test? Generally speaking the purpose of such tests is to guide your training going forward, so that you can most effectively increase your endurance & intensity. The reason it's the "hardest workout of the year" is to push you to your limits, so that they can be defined. If you "fool the test", you'll be setting yourself up for workouts going forward that will, potentially, be less effective.<br /><br />I would think that you would want to go into the test well-rested, with good hydration and nutrition and use it (presumably as intended) to see where you are, <b><i>so that you can most effectively plot your course going forward</i></b>. <br /><br />Good luck with your training (and the testing to guide it...)!<br /><br />Alissa<br /> </td></tr></table><br /><br />I probably did not explain the test correctly. It is called lactic acid testing, BUT it is just an extremely hard workout. They are not actually measuring our lactate levels.<br />

pH of the body has more to do with health than with fitness.<br /><br />Here is a chart as regards the alkalinity and acidity of various foods.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.essense-of-life.com/info/foodchart.htm" target="_blank">http://www.essense-of-life.com/info/foodchart.htm</a>

The body pH dips to very low levels during all out racing. That's the release of hydrogen ions as lactate is formed from lactic acid. Makes us want to toss our cookies and generally interferes with muscle contraction.<br />Race a 2k and you know all about it. <br /><br />The body has 3 systems to regulate the acid-base condition at a pH of 7.40. One chemical buffer in our blood and 2 physiolgical buffers (Ventilation and Kidney function). Companies would like us to believe that this is not enough for athletes who regularly plunge into an acidic conditions during sprint workouts, but given 24 hours of rest and the body does just fine. <br /><br />I suppose this water is founded on the principle findings of sodium bicarbonate "loading". This is basically an enhancement of the chemical buffers in your blood, but at effective doses many athletes suffer intestinal distress that could make any test or race a total disaster.

<!--quoteo(post=57245:date=Feb 26 2006, 11:20 AM:name=John Rupp)--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE(John Rupp @ Feb 26 2006, 11:20 AM) </b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'>pH of the body has more to do with health than with fitness.<br /><br />Here is a chart as regards the alkalinity and acidity of various foods.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.essense-of-life.com/info/foodchart.htm" target="_blank">http://www.essense-of-life.com/info/foo ... htm</a><br /> </td></tr></table><br /><br /><br />Actually, that chart should read "relatively alkaline" and "relatively acidic". almost everything we eat falls in a very narrow pH band, with rather acidic things like cranberry juice being at about pH 2.4, most everything else being between about pH 3.5 and 5.5, and the most alkaline thing you can find, camembert cheese (!!) being at about pH 7.4, which is actually neutral pH, pretty much. this makes complete sense from an evolutionary point of view- truly basic things in nature are almost all poisons of one type or another (many alkaloids, for example).<br /><br />af

Residual stomach acid is likely to neutralise the alkaline drink before it has any chance to have an effect. To overcome this you would have to drink an alkaline solution of such strength, so as to not be neutralised by any residual acid, that it would likely be extremely unpleasant.