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Amp Human offers skin-applied bicarb to support training

Lotion is designed to allow hard training and fast recovery while avoiding gastric issues

A lotion from US company Amp Human that's said to deliver the electrolyte sodium bicarbonate to working muscles in order to support hard training and fast recovery is now available in the UK. The idea is that PR Lotion is applied before each workout to neutralise lactic acid in muscles, allowing you to push harder and train for longer.

2021 Amp Human PR Lotion SUNDAY MORNING RIDERS-49

Taking sodium bicarbonate – also called bicarb – orally has a common side effect of causing gastrointestinal distress, making it impractical for many athletes to use regularly, but Amp Human says, “The PR Lotion unlocks bicarb by delivering it directly to the working muscles via the skin, making it effective and practical for athletes to use in sport.”

The brand says athletes will benefit from an increase in the number of intervals completed before exhaustion, a reduction in delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), an increase in blood lactate levels to fuel muscles, and an increase in total pounds of weight lifted in resistance training.

"PR Lotion can help an athlete be more physically capable of performing the intended training session, which will allow for overall superior adaptations to the prescribed training," Amp Human says.

2020 Human AMP PR lotion

There are two important benefits of increased buffering with sodium bicarbonate delivery through PR Lotion, according to Amp Human.

"First, enhanced buffering capacity to limit the negative impact of rapid acid production in the muscle. This can diminish the progression of fatigue during high intensity training session and competitions, thereby enabling high quality training and maintenance of performance during competition.

"Second, PR Lotion can reduce the sensation of post-exercise or delayed onset muscle soreness. That is, sodium bicarbonate may alleviate post-exercise inflammation and edema or swelling following intense training, allowing athletes to recover more effectively and increase 'readiness' for subsequent sessions."

The US performance brand asserts that, for these reasons, applying the PR Lotion is able to "enhance the quality of training loads, allow effective recovery between training sessions, and enable the maintenance of desired performance outcomes".

PR Lotion is legal under World Anti Doping Agency (WADA) rules and is used by the likes of pro cyclist Lawson Craddock of EF Pro cycling and pro triathlete Lucy Charles Barclay (two time runner-up at the Kona World Championships).

Available for £35 for a 300g bottle at www.vielosports.com. Amp Human says to "use a heavy coat, more is better", but the bottle is still said to last around 10 to 15 uses.

More information about the scientific grounding of the product can be found at www.amphuman.co.uk.

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6 comments

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captain_slog | 3 years ago
0 likes

But does it smell nice?

Avatar
Fluffed | 3 years ago
1 like

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3vbpNdtce4

TLDW: Placebo effect only

Just a note: He had to take this down when he was part of a training company, when he went his own way as a coach he put this back up the next day.

Avatar
stomec | 3 years ago
4 likes

Hmm so far I'm calling BS on this one.  I had a look at the "science" link provided and it has 4 references, none of which actually refer to the studies the manufacturer claims show that the lotion is effective, including the supposed blinded placebo controlled RCT. 

They also reference a couple fo conference presentation in 2018 but again no publications - there are lots of things presented at conference that never get published because they are thrown out at peer review and over 2 years later I find the lack of publications suspicious.

I can think of better ways to spend £35...

Avatar
RobD | 3 years ago
0 likes

I thought the body produced lactate when you exercise not lactic acid? (otherwise we'd start turning into yoghurt)

Seems like quite a lot of loose assumptions have been made with regards to the science of this

Avatar
stomec replied to RobD | 3 years ago
2 likes

RobD wrote:

I thought the body produced lactate when you exercise not lactic acid? (otherwise we'd start turning into yoghurt)

Seems like quite a lot of loose assumptions have been made with regards to the science of this

Probably more semantic than anything, the lactate is being formed from the pyruvate by LDH and an H+ is also released.  This is the definition of an acid; HCl in water is hydrochloric acid and also fully dissociated to hydronium and chloride.

Avatar
EddyBerckx | 3 years ago
0 likes

So gives the same benefits as steroids but is legal?? 
 

suprised it's not double the price!

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