Condition
Rowing Performance
Rowing performance is how much power a rower can sustain over a race, which depends on energy supply, oxygen delivery, and buffering the acid that builds up in muscle. Sodium bicarbonate has the most support, and studies found anaerobic capacity improved, while blood lactate went down during exercise with rhodiola. Still, the evidence is limited: effects were small, the studies tiny, and some bicarbonate work involved swimmers.
Sources: PMID 18004687; PMID 20881504
- Supplements studied
- 7
- Graded outcomes
- 6
- Trials
- 12
- People studied
- 582
Evidence by supplement
- Strong
- Moderate
- Limited
- Very limited
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anaerobic Capacity Small Improvement | Improves (the measure goes up) | Small effect | 10 studies | |||
| Serum Bicarbonate | Improves (the measure goes up) | 26 studies | 31 people | |||
| Power Output | Improves (the measure goes up) | 6 studies | 33 people | |||
| Blood Acidity | Changes; see studies | 4 studies | 20 people | |||
Studies that measured blood acidity | ||||||
| Rating of Perceived Exertion | Improves (the measure goes up) | 4 studies | 20 people | |||
Studies that measured rating of perceived exertion
| ||||||
| Blood Lactate (Exercise) | Changes; see studies | 2 studies | 32 people | |||
| Training Volume | Improves (the measure goes up) | 1 study | 6 people | |||
| Blood glucose | Improves (the measure goes down) | 6 people | ||||
| Heart Rate | Improves (the measure goes down) | 6 people | ||||
| Hydration (Total Body Water) | Improves (the measure goes up) | 7 people | ||||
| Muscle Oxygenation | Improves (the measure goes up) | 5 people | ||||
| Oxygen Uptake | Improves (the measure goes up) | 6 people | ||||
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blood Lactate (Exercise) Small Decrease | Improves (the measure goes down) | Small effect | 14 people | |||
| Oxygen Uptake | Improves (the measure goes up) | 1 study | 14 people | |||
Studies that measured oxygen uptake | ||||||
| Heart Rate | Improves (the measure goes down) | 14 people | ||||
| Muscle Damage | Changes; see studies | 14 people | ||||
| Oxidative Stress Biomarkers | Improves (the measure goes down) | 14 people | ||||
| Rating of Perceived Exertion | Improves (the measure goes up) | 14 people | ||||
Spirulina
- Aerobic Exercise Metrics
- Power Output: improves
- Treg Cells: improves
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aerobic Exercise Metrics No effect | NoneNo effect | 1 study | 19 people | |||
Studies that measured aerobic exercise metrics | ||||||
| Power Output | Improves (the measure goes up) | 1 study | 19 people | |||
| Treg Cells | Improves (the measure goes up) | 1 study | 19 people | |||
Studies that measured treg cells | ||||||
| Blood Lactate (Exercise) | Changes; see studies | 19 people | ||||
| CD8 Lymphocytes | Improves (the measure goes up) | 19 people | ||||
| Natural Killer Cell Content | Improves (the measure goes up) | 19 people | ||||
| T Cell Count | Improves (the measure goes up) | 19 people | ||||
Velvet Antler
- Anaerobic Capacity
- Testosterone: improves
- Growth Hormone: improves
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anaerobic Capacity No effect | NoneNo effect | 46 people | ||||
| Testosterone | Improves (the measure goes up) | 1 study | 46 people | |||
Studies that measured testosterone | ||||||
| Growth Hormone | Improves (the measure goes up) | 46 people | ||||
| Power Output | Improves (the measure goes up) | 46 people | ||||
Colostrum
- Anaerobic Capacity
- Weight: improves
- Oxygen Uptake: improves
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anaerobic Capacity No effect | NoneNo effect | 13 people | ||||
| Weight | Improves (the measure goes down) | 5 studies | 13 people | |||
Studies that measured weight
| ||||||
| Oxygen Uptake | Improves (the measure goes up) | 2 studies | 13 people | |||
| Hemoglobin | Improves (the measure goes up) | 1 study | 13 people | |||
Studies that measured hemoglobin | ||||||
| Blood Acidity | Changes; see studies | 26 people | ||||
Beta-Alanine
- Aerobic Exercise Metrics
- Muscular Endurance: improves
- Anaerobic Exercise Performance: improves
Caffeine
- Anaerobic Capacity: improves
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anaerobic Capacity | Improves (the measure goes up) | 5 studies | 8 people | |||
Studies that measured anaerobic capacity
| ||||||
Key findings
- Anaerobic CapacityImproves (the measure goes up)
- Blood Lactate (Exercise)Improves (the measure goes down)
- Aerobic Exercise Metrics
The Rowing Performance protocol
3 primary supplements · 3 supporting supplements
- Creatine Monohydrate5 g daily (or 20 g/day for 5–7 days loading)
- Sodium Bicarbonate0.3 g/kg body weight, 60–90 min pre-exercise
- Beta-Alanine3–6 g daily (divided to avoid paresthesia)
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Studies cited
82 studies from PubMed
- Effect of elk velvet antler supplementation on the hormonal response to acute and chronic exercise in male and female rowers
- Spirulina platensis Provides a Small Advantage in Vertical Jump and Sprint Performance But Does Not Improve Elite Rugby Players' Body Composition
- A randomized, double blind, placebo controlled study of spirulina supplementation on indices of mental and physical fatigue in men
- An attempt to induce an immunomodulatory effect in rowers with spirulina extract
- Pre-exercise alkalosis and acid-base recovery
- Effects of Sodium Bicarbonate Ingestion on Measures of Wingate Test Performance: A Meta-Analysis
- Acute and chronic effect of sodium bicarbonate ingestion on Wingate test performance: a systematic review and meta-analysis
- Does sodium-bicarbonate ingestion improve simulated judo performance
- Plasma pH does not influence the cerebral metabolic ratio during maximal whole body exercise
- Bicarbonate attenuates arterial desaturation during maximal exercise in humans
- The effect of induced alkalosis and acidosis on plasma lactate and work output in elite oarsmen
- Influence of sodium bicarbonate on performance and hydration in lightweight rowing
- Reliability and effect of sodium bicarbonate: buffering and 2000-m rowing performance
- 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.
- Effect of sodium bicarbonate ingestion upon repeated sprints
- 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
- Repeated bouts of sprint running after induced alkalosis
- The effects of combined glucose-electrolyte and sodium bicarbonate ingestion on prolonged intermittent exercise performance
- Metabolic alkalosis, recovery and sprint performance
- The effects of sodium bicarbonate and sodium citrate on 600 m running time of trained females
- The effect of sodium bicarbonate ingestion on high-intensity intermittent running and subsequent performance
- Effects of induced alkalosis on simulated match performance in elite female water polo players
- The effect of sodium bicarbonate ingestion on 1500-m racing time
- Effects of sodium bicarbonate, caffeine, and their combination on repeated 200-m freestyle performance
- Sodium bicarbonate ingestion improves performance in interval swimming
- Sodium bicarbonate ingestion and repeated swim sprint performance
- Sodium bicarbonate improves swimming performance
- 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
- Effects of chronic Rhodiola Rosea supplementation on sport performance and antioxidant capacity in trained male: preliminary results
- Bovine colostrum supplementation does not affect plasma buffer capacity or haemoglobin content in elite female rowers
- Oral bovine colostrum supplementation enhances buffer capacity but not rowing performance in elite female rowers
- The effect of bovine colostrum supplementation on exercise performance in elite field hockey players
- Effect of bovine colostrum on anaerobic exercise performance and plasma insulin-like growth factor I
- Effect of bovine colostrum supplementation on the composition of resistance trained and untrained limbs in healthy young men
- The effects of bovine colostrum supplementation on body composition and exercise performance in active men and women
- Bovine colostrum supplementation during running training increases intestinal permeability
- The nutriceutical bovine colostrum truncates the increase in gut permeability caused by heavy exercise in athletes
- Induced alkalosis and caffeine supplementation: effects on 2,000-m rowing performance
- Influence of caffeine on perception of effort, metabolism and exercise performance following a high-fat meal
- Caffeinated chewing gum increases repeated sprint performance and augments increases in testosterone in competitive cyclists
- Effects of caffeine on prolonged intermittent-sprint ability in team-sport athletes
- Ergogenic effect of varied doses of coffee-caffeine on maximal aerobic power of young African subjects
- Effects of beta-alanine supplementation on Yo-Yo test performance: A meta-analysis.
- Short-duration beta-alanine supplementation increases training volume and reduces subjective feelings of fatigue in college football players
- Effects of Beta-Alanine Supplementation on Physical Performance in Aerobic-Anaerobic Transition Zones: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
- β-alanine supplementation to improve exercise capacity and performance: a systematic review and meta-analysis
- Important role of muscle carnosine in rowing performance
- Effects of beta-alanine supplementation on the onset of neuromuscular fatigue and ventilatory threshold in women
- Effect of beta-alanine supplementation on the onset of blood lactate accumulation (OBLA) during treadmill running: Pre/post 2 treatment experimental design
- Beta-alanine and the hormonal response to exercise
- beta-Alanine supplementation augments muscle carnosine content and attenuates fatigue during repeated isokinetic contraction bouts in trained sprinters
- Effects of β-alanine supplementation on exercise performance: a meta-analysis
- Effects of 28 days of beta-alanine and creatine monohydrate supplementation on aerobic power, ventilatory and lactate thresholds, and time to exhaustion