Maurten Bicarb System - Explained

The Maurten Bicarb System is an advanced sports fuel used by athletes during high-intensity exercise - where the boundaries of effort and power start to limit performance.

Bicarbonate, produced primarily in the kidneys and pancreas, is part of the body’s natural acid-base buffering system. It is critical for stabilizing blood pH concentrations, reducing acidosis, and supporting metabolic functions.

For a healthy adult, this system manages blood acidity adequately throughout normal daily activities.

Why high-intensity exercise can overwhelm the system

For athletes, this buffering system can be easily overwhelmed. High-intensity exercise induces a state of increased muscle acidity that can limit performance.

Athletes will be familiar with the burning sensation and quick drop-off in performance during power-based activities, interval training, sprinting, and hill climbs. Historically, performance decline and rapid muscle fatigue was attributed to a build-up of lactate. We now know that lactate is created during periods of intense exercise load so that the body can continue breaking down glucose, keep accessing fuel, and prolong the session. Lactate is not the enemy. It is part of the body’s complex process to lengthen athletic performance and is triggered during intense muscle contraction, when demand for immediate energy rises.

Accelerated metabolism, as the body attempts to access carbohydrates at a faster rate, results in the production of hydrogen ions. It’s these hydrogen ions, not lactate, that impact muscle contraction and cause a decline in muscle and blood pH - known as acidosis. Bicarbonate binds to the hydrogen ions as they leave the muscle and enter the blood. This creates carbon dioxide and water which can be removed from the body via breathing. The harder the effort, the greater the concentration of hydrogen ions, and the more breathing is required. Eventually, the amount of hydrogen ions overwhelms the supply of bicarbonate and the buffering system can no longer maintain blood acidity balance. The body has now, in effect, reached its limit and exercise intensity either reduces or stops.

How the Maurten Bicarb System supports performance

The Maurten Bicarb System - used by athletes such as Keely Hodgkinson - bolsters the body’s buffering system. Ingesting high doses of sodium bicarbonate before exercise is shown to increase the concentration of bicarbonate in the blood. By increasing the capacity to buffer hydrogen ions, a balanced blood pH is maintained for longer, delaying the point that acidosis begins to impair muscle contraction and ultimately lead to muscle fatigue.

In principle, sodium bicarbonate seems like an easy fix to extend performance, but the reality is more sensitive. Sodium bicarbonate, although heavily researched as a performance enhancement, can also be a volatile method if dose or delivery system are not right. Stomach issues - nausea, bloating, diarrhoea, and pain - can cancel out the performance benefits. More does not necessarily mean better, so it’s important to use a dose that’s appropriate for your bodyweight and experience.

How Maurten Hydrogel Technology works

The greatest risk of discomfort occurs when bicarbonate is directly exposed to the acidic environment of the stomach. Ingesting bicarbonate using powder or pills makes this difficult to avoid. Maurten Hydrogel Technology is designed to make high doses of sodium bicarbonate more tolerable. The system encapsulates bicarbonate mini tablets, forming a protective hydrogel barrier that delivers them in a controlled way through the stomach and into the intestines. Once there, the acidity level falls and the hydrogel dissolves, releasing the bicarbonate to be absorbed. This delivery method also ensures that less bicarbonate is lost in the stomach so there is more available in the blood to buffer the hydrogen ions, reduce the rate of relative perceived exertion (RPE), and improve economy.

Timing is also important - it takes time for the bicarbonate to be absorbed. Prepare and consume the Maurten Bicarb System at least 1.5-2 hours before intense exercise and an hour after a proper meal, such as breakfast.