Or, if you are able to train harder (and for longer) do you make more gains?
@npcross , I moved your post under the existing thread on the same topic. See the posts above for comments from other users.
This is the issue for my I guess. Can you only trainer harder and longer due to buffering of the lactate, therefore when you have no buffer, you lose the gains ??
Ironically, Iām a medic with a physiology degree, so I should know, but my thoughts are based on āgoing back to basicsā 
People mention about the lack of absorption of bicarbonate in the blood as an indicator of a lack of effectiveness. However most of the lactate will be accumulating in the muscles and surrounding extracellular fluid, not the blood, so I can see of a lotion could potentially work.
Iām probably thinking too hard about it 
I did wonder after the science of getting faster podcast whether there is a place for ingested or otherwise absorbed bicarbonate for both carb fuelled and fat-fuelled athletes for what the study showed. I can rationalise a mechanism by which it helps but I havenāt seen a lot of proof anywhere else.
The buffering does nothing for lactate levels, it just changes the PH of you blood (ie combines with the H+ ions that are produced along with the lactate.) From what I have heard (podcasts, etc) it seems that lactate processing as opposed to H+ processing is what is theorized to drive adaptations, and if this is correct then buffering the acid wonāt negatively affect adaptations. Since lactate is fuel, this seems reasonable, and I think it is also reasonable to thing that the blood PH is what the limiting factor is rather than lactate levels. Blood PH, like temperature, is something your body wants to keep in a narrow range.
That said, I think the above study looking at bloodwork and not showing any bicarbonate in the AMP users pretty much destroys AMPs proposed mechanism, and shows that no such buffering is happening with AMP. Also note that AMP (conveniently???) didnāt check blood chemistry in the tests they sponsored. My take away is that any beneficial affect is from a combination of the placebo affect and possibly the menthol in the cream. Lactigo is a similarly marketed cream with menthol as the claimed active ingredient. I think menthol, being a topical analgesic (ie pain reliever) has a plausible mechanism for action. If menthol works, there are much cheaper generic menthol creams that likely work similarly.
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Has there been any studies on baking soda baths and itās effectiveness? I do know they arenāt recommended for some folks (not sure if they are worried about metabolic alkalosis), so there must be some absorption taking place. Might be substantially more cost effective compared to buying the lotion.
In my purely anecdotal experience with AMP I found it made a difference in taking the edge off during hard efforts. During my weekly 20k TT series, Iām not feeling the burn in my quads that I typically do by the end of my run. Whether itās the menthol (most likely IMO) or bicarb, I do think there is something more than just placebo taking place (but who knows for sure)
Agree, I always clean my hands after use on my lower back. I am positive my back hurts less on longer rides. Leads me to believe it is the menthol. Impossible to evaluate if my legs would hurt more w/ out it.
All I see is a lot of anecdotal comments. What I would like to see is a double-blind scientific study thatās peer reviewed. Has there been any or is this just another form of snake oil?
This study (which is already posted up there ^^^) addresses whether sodium bicarb is absorbed into the blood stream. Iād like to see a longer study, say 6 weeks. But, at the price per bottle, I think AMP is pricey and we all want it to work and are getting the affects of the added menthol confused with blood pH buffering.
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Iāve tried AH over a number of seasons now and found direct SB dosing to perform better.
Not entirely unsurprising as I would imagine the SB in AH is low when compared to the direct dosing method of ~20-30g.
Do you have the GI issues when you direct dose? I assume that means taking orally.
Yes, orally.
Not had any GI issues, but started off pretty conservatively: 0.2g per Kg bodyweight, increasing to 0.4 over approx 6 months or so. The first 30 min after consumption, thereās a little extra gas down there, but nothing particularly unpleasant.
Thanksāvery helpful. I didnāt think it really worked. The only think that works is what Lance and his teamates did on the Tour. They had the protocol and drugs dialed in.
Iāve always heard that it worked but that the side effects could be too bad to make it practical. Thus the idea behind a topical solution that skips the gut.
I bought a bottle as it was on sale during Amazon Prime Day. I canāt say I have noticed a difference. My wife bought me this for Christmas and this seemed to have more of an effect, but that might be as I can feel something when I use it.
Wife Science 