Condition
Boxing Performance
Boxing performance rests on explosive punching power, quick hands and reactions, and the stamina to keep working through twelve three-minute rounds. The evidence is strongest for creatine and caffeine, both studied for power output and repeated hard efforts, with caffeine also looked at for reaction time. Blood acidity went down in a few studies of sodium bicarbonate, but those were tiny, so that evidence is limited.
Sources: PMID 29546641
- Supplements studied
- 1
- Graded outcomes
- 1
- Trials
- 1
- People studied
- 10
Evidence by supplement
- Strong
- Moderate
- Limited
- Very limited
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blood Acidity Moderate Decrease | Improves (the measure goes down) | Moderate effect | 4 studies | 10 people | ||
Studies that measured blood acidity | ||||||
| Serum Bicarbonate | Improves (the measure goes up) | 26 studies | 10 people | |||
| Rating of Perceived Exertion | Improves (the measure goes up) | 4 studies | 10 people | |||
Studies that measured rating of perceived exertion
| ||||||
| Neuromuscular Function | Improves (the measure goes up) | 2 studies | 10 people | |||
Studies that measured neuromuscular function | ||||||
| Heart Rate | Improves (the measure goes down) | 10 people | ||||
Key findings
- Blood AcidityImproves (the measure goes down)
The Boxing Performance Support protocol
2 primary supplements · 7 supporting supplements
- Creatine Monohydrate3–5 g daily (consider weight class implications)
- Caffeine3–6 mg/kg 30–60 minutes before training/competition
Shop the evidence-backed picks
The collection holds the supplements we grade A or B for its theme, in products from the Fullscript catalog. It opens in our Fullscript store. You can look through it without signing in; Fullscript asks for a free account to order.
We earn from purchases made in our Fullscript store, and links to Fullscript, iHerb or Thorne carry our referral, so we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Grades come from the research and never change based on what we earn. Full disclosure
Studies cited
36 studies from PubMed
- Sodium bicarbonate supplementation prevents skilled tennis performance decline after a simulated match
- Pre-exercise alkalosis and acid-base recovery
- Sodium bicarbonate ingestion and boxing performance
- Plasma pH does not influence the cerebral metabolic ratio during maximal whole body exercise
- Sodium bicarbonate can be used as an ergogenic aid in high-intensity, competitive cycle ergometry of 1 h duration
- Effect of sodium bicarbonate contribution on energy metabolism during exercise: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
- Multiday acute sodium bicarbonate intake improves endurance capacity and reduces acidosis in men
- Sodium bicarbonate ingestion does not improve performance in women cyclists
- Effects of caffeine, sodium bicarbonate, and their combined ingestion on high-intensity cycling performance
- Dose-related effects of prolonged NaHCO3 ingestion during high-intensity exercise
- Effects of induced metabolic alkalosis on prolonged intermittent-sprint performance
- The effects of serial and acute NaHCO3 loading in well-trained cyclists
- Effect of induced alkalosis on the power-duration relationship of "all-out" exercise
- Effect of alkalosis on plasma epinephrine responses to high intensity cycle exercise in humans
- The effect of induced alkalosis and submaximal cycling on neuromuscular response during sustained isometric contraction
- Bicarbonate ingestion has no ergogenic effect on consecutive all out sprint tests in BMX elite cyclists
- Effect of sodium bicarbonate on muscle metabolism during intense endurance cycling
- Effects of sodium bicarbonate ingestion on performance and perceptual responses in a laboratory-simulated BMX cycling qualification series
- Systemic pH modifies ketone body production rates and lipolysis in humans
- Effects of sodium bicarbonate on nitrogen metabolism and ketone bodies during very low energy protein diets in obese subjects
- Time course of blood bicarbonate and pH three hours after sodium bicarbonate ingestion
- Acidosis stimulates beta-endorphin release during exercise
- Effect of sodium bicarbonate ingestion on exhaustive resistance exercise performance
- Increased blood pH but not performance with sodium bicarbonate supplementation in elite rugby union players
- Effects of chronic NaHCO3 ingestion during interval training on changes to muscle buffer capacity, metabolism, and short-term endurance performance
- Acute versus chronic sodium bicarbonate ingestion and anaerobic work and power output
- Effects of chronic bicarbonate ingestion on the performance of high-intensity work
- Influence of sodium bicarbonate ingestion on plasma ammonia accumulation during incremental exercise in man
- The effects of buffer ingestion on metabolic factors related to distance running performance
- Induced metabolic alkalosis affects muscle metabolism and repeated-sprint ability
- Effect of induced alkalosis on exhaustive leg press performance
- Metabolic and blood catecholamine responses to exercise during alkalosis
- The acute reversal of a diet-induced metabolic acidosis does not restore endurance capacity during high-intensity exercise in man
- Effects of sodium bicarbonate ingestion on prolonged intermittent exercise
- Acid-base balance during repeated bouts of exercise: influence of HCO3
- Effects of various sodium bicarbonate loading protocols on the time-dependent extracellular buffering profile