Active recovery vs sodium bicarbonate: impact on lactic acid removal following a specific judo effort

Background and Study Aim: Combat sports such as judo are known to be extremely high demanding which can result with high level of lactic acid. Because of that recovery is crucial part of preparation for competitive judo. The aim of this study was the effectiveness of active recovery and sodium bicarbonate to removal of lactic acid after a judo match simulation (JMS) and Specific Judo Fitness Test (SJF). Material and Methods: Participants were 10 judo athletes (6 male and 4 female), age 18-20 years, from Judo Club Samobor, Croatia. In this study, the SJFT was used as well as JMS with a duration of 4 minutes. Results: There are significant differences on all lactate levels between the active recovery and baking soda variables during SJFT and JMS. In all measurements, lactate levels were significantly higher (p < 0.001) when athletes used baking soda intake versus active recovery. Conclusions: Overall results in this research suggest that levels of lactic acid were significantly lower when athletes used active recovery versus sodium bicarbonate intake This may be due to the difference in effectiveness of the aerobic system during active recovery and the system in which soda bicarbonate removes the excess hydrogen ions.