Hi There ,

would like to have informations concerning the effects of sodium phosphate loading for racing, how it works

What are the good effects if any ?
and the bad if any ?
do any of you have experience with it ??

It may increase your blood-haemoglobin level.
It's been used since the 1920's for increased endurance.
Can also increase aerobic capacity, lactate threshold and V02 max.

It's commonly used as a laxitive, so I'm sure you can image some of the side efects.

Overdose Symptoms
Excessive bowel activity, dehydration causing low blood pressure and abnormal heartbeat, metabolic acidosis, blood chemistry abnormalities.

More info at http://yalenewhavenhealth.org/library/healthguide/en-us/drugguide/topic.asp?hwid=d04160a1

It's also suggested that for max benefit you only use it 3-4 times a season.

I've done some research on the issue and found some interesting points.

As a laxitive continual use will empty the body of nutrients and electrolytes. Your bowels will not have the usual time period to extract the nutrients from your food as you are flushing your bowel with each dose.

Be extra careful of your hydration during the use.

Continual use may damage the wall of your bowel and cause ulcers.

The usual dosage is 4g per day for 3-4 days.

I'm sure EPO and HGH have worse side effects, but be careful all the same.

I can't believe that's an actual performance enhancing method. it was an urban legend among my college track team that taking a tablespoon before a 1500m would get you under 4:00, but you would crap yourself. no one thought it was true and the side effect wasn't worth the chance.
ironically at one meet we watched a sprinter mess himself in the 200m. he also won, but he was wearing a very thin skinsuit which wasn't very flattering.

I've got experience with it. Joe Friel's "Mountainbikers' training bible" names this stuff as a legal ergogenic aid.

According to Friel, it does not increase blood hemoglobin levels, but causes the hemoglobin in the red blood cells to more completely unload their stores of oxygen at the muscle. The result is a raise of the anaerobic threshold. "A more recent study of cyclists in Florida showed that using phosphate improved low-level endurance time significantly, lowered 40km time trail times by 8%, and raised lactate threshold by 10% while lowering perceived effort" (Friel) Friel also warns for the side effects Bruiser allready posted and advises not to use it more than 3-4 times a season and not to use it in combination with a low calcium intake or high salt intake (it can cause a calcium deficiency).

All this said, I used a few widely spaced times, with mostly great and a few lesser results. I had no side effects, apart from a slightly faster digestion. My conclusion out of all this is that this stuff gives you wings when your form is allready good, but does not make up for poor training and might even worsen the effects of poor hydration and diet.

Another thing I bumped into is that when doing multiple day races, it is even more important than usual to speed post-race recovery in any way you can, because the obvious thing happens: It makes you perform at a higher level, stressing your body more than you are used to.

A tablespoon before a race is a bit of a brutal loading method

Generally, the advised loading procedure is to take 1 gram 3 or 4 times a day, with each meal and never on an empty stomach. This should be done for 3 or 4 days in a row before a big race.

I had no crappy experiences