It’s been almost exactly one year since I first tried PR Lotion. Since I last wrote, PR Lotion has undergone a re-branding/repackaging and I’ve ridden close to 9,500 miles, many of them with PR Lotion on my legs. Seems like a good time for a follow-up on what has become my favorite training aid.
Note: if you didn’t read the series of articles I wrote last year you can get them here. They include a lot of specific performance numbers which may be of interest.
What Is It?
Here’s how Amp Human Performance (the company behind PR Lotion) describes their product:
PR Lotion is a tool for the human body that delivers bicarbonate directly to your hardest working muscle groups. Bicarbonate is what your body naturally produces to neutralize acid, battle fatigue and reduce soreness. More bicarbonate means the ability to do more–more work, more results and more days doing what you love.
It is well-known that sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) can boost performance in cyclists (here are articles from the US National Institute of Health and TrainingPeaks on the topic, but Google will bring up many more). The challenge with bicarb is the difficulty of ingestion: it is unpleasant to consume, and if you do it wrong things can go south fast. The TrainingPeaks article above says, “One of the more common side effects is gastrointestinal distress in the form of cramping, vomiting, and diarrhea.”
PR Lotion sidesteps the ingestion issue: instead of eating it, you rub it on your legs. No gastrointestinal distress.
How Do You Use It?
I typically do two hard training rides (60-120 minutes) per week, plus a long ride on Saturday. These are the rides where I’ve been consistently using PR Lotion this year. (It isn’t needed for my recovery rides since the goal then is to not push myself hard.)
To put it plainly: I now have two essentials for every hard ride: water and PR Lotion.
I rub the lotion in 15-30 minutes before the ride begins. It is worth noting that the application is the worst thing about PR Lotion: it’s rather sticky stuff, and takes some effort to rub in sufficiently. I rub most of it into my quads from knees to waist, but I may also rub more into my hamstrings and calves if I am anticipating an especially hard effort (or if I squirt out too much lotion). Once it is all rubbed in I wash my hands, which takes a few cycles of soaping and rinsing.
What Does It Do?
For me the effects of PR Lotion have been clear and simple: it reduces muscle burn during hard efforts. Pain levels are difficult to quantify precisely, but I would say it knocks down the burn by 10-15%.
Now, if I was doing specific interval workouts I might find that I can complete those intervals with less suffering. But in my typical training ride situation (competitive outdoor group rides or indoor Zwift races) this means I just go harder and set new personal bests.
Training harder means faster gains. It also means improved performance in the races I love!
The results I’ve experienced are in line with the studies Amp Human Performance cites on their website which found that PR Lotion:
- Meaningfully increased lactate levels, leading to an improvement in muscle efficiency
- Increased interval completed before exhaustion by 25%
- Reduced muscle soreness by 53%
- Delivered a lower heart rate at the same workload
Sharing is Caring
When I like something, I tell others about it. That’s why I’m writing this post, and that’s why I’ve shared tubes of PR Lotion with my local cycling buddies. Most who have tried it continue using it today. Two mountain biking friends even started shaving their legs just so they could apply it more easily… now that’s saying something!
Where to Buy PR Lotion
Buy PR Lotion here. It comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee, and shipping is free on orders over $75.
Speaking of losing, I need to go warm up for a Zwift KISS race. ☺ I rarely podium, but PR Lotion helps me push hard every time. See you out there!
Biggest gimmick ever.
Leaves a thin residue of sodium bicarb on the skin surface
Save your 35 dollars and buy 1 litre of menthol oil
Agree. It is a total con. But the marketing and hype are extraordinary.
You’ve tried it too? What results, if any, did you get? Please post results, truthful ones, that would so helpful. Tx.
I tried it yesterday during a upper body workout. On average I’d say I completed 3-5 more reps with the same weight used during the previous same workout. Why? Maybe it’s the product, maybe it’s the psychological effect. Today I am extremely sore. Feels like I overtrained. Nauseous, lethargic, and the soreness is ramping up and worsening as the day goes. I definitely pushed past normal… not sure my body was ready for that though.
So, you’ve tried it? What were you results and why do you think they were so poor?
I haven’t tried PR lotion, but maybe I will, just for the experience. My only experience is with massaging my legs with coconut oil, both before and after riding. Not sure if the coconut oil is contributing much, but it sure makes the massage of the muscles very easy and deep. I believe that the simple act of massage alone helps both warm and clear the leg muscles. I noticed a while ago that the rides where I rub my leg muscles deeply with coconut oil prior to riding are a lot less prone to lactate buildup, cramping and pain. There are many many other factors I suppose that affect muscle pain during exertion, but I have found this to allow me to ride harder for longer and relatively pain free. It does require effort and discipline to take the time to do this before a ride. It’s not a magic bullet, just simple body mechanics I learned from my massage therapist. Seems to work for me though.
Extraordinarily, I can actually not find out what PR stands for in PR lotion. It’s like it’s assumed that everyone on Earth knows what it stands for!
Probably “personal record”. It’s a common term in the US, although it seems Euro folks often use “PB”.
Quick research on pubmed – Two out of the three published studies I found indicated no correlation between use of bicarb lotion and increased performance or even an increase in blood pH. The third study did find an increase in blood pH, but this was also the only study where two of the authors disclosed a conflict of interest (such as having a financial stake in parent company Momentous). While I’m sure many athletes use this stuff and FEEL like they benefit, I’d bet it’s placebo effect. But hey, if it makes you feel better, then you’re getting the psychological benefit and maybe a performance benefit, so it all works out anyway. Whether it’s worth the money is another issue.
I use it. It works. I find better results if I use it a few consecutive days. The people that are saying it is a con, or a waste, maybe you did not use it properly. I have seen people barely put a layer on. It needs to be pretty gobbed on. ALSO, use latex gloves to those clear gloves they use a food bars. That way it does not get stuck to the hands. It is very hard to wash off. A few washed with Dawn will do the trick though.