Sports Drinks

[Solid]

My dentist (maybe all?), wants to bash and kill the creator of sports drinks.

He looks like Santa Clause and goes "Blah Blah they are bad, i hate them Lance Armstrong won Tour de France on only water!!"

 

[Bazal]

In terms of rehydration, both Powerade and Gatorade are totally useless. Most science students will probably do a variation of an experiment in biology using partially permeable membranes to replicate cells, where you put various liquids inside a balloon made of the membrane and immerse them in 0.9% solution. The sports drinks are higher in solutes than your blood, and will actually dehydrate you more. I still use them though, I just pour off half the drink into another bottle and mix the halves with water. It works a lot better that way...

 

[Valderon]

If you're doing any sort of resistance exercise protein powder should be part of your pantry

Good post!, though , I must say I don't agree with this last part!

Dietary supplements such as protein powder are only necessary if you're intake is deficient through proper meals. I can assure you that nearly every single person (non-vegetarian) over-consumes protein in their diet - without the need to have protein powder on top of that. There are particular populations that may require protein powder, of which vegetarians are one... It won't hurt much if you choose to have some protein powder in-case you are "down on meals" for the day; and want to protect muscle; though, it's not a "must have" ...

If anything , people place WAY too much emphasis and importance on protein powder. It's a very over-valued supplement.

 

[aqua_duck]

Good post!, though , I must say I don't agree with this last part!

Dietary supplements such as protein powder are only necessary if you're intake is deficient through proper meals. I can assure you that nearly every single person (non-vegetarian) over-consumes protein in their diet - without the need to have protein powder on top of that. There are particular populations that may require protein powder, of which vegetarians are one... It won't hurt much if you choose to have some protein powder in-case you are "down on meals" for the day; and want to protect muscle; though, it's not a "must have" ...

If anything , people place WAY too much emphasis and importance on protein powder. It's a very over-valued supplement.

I don't use protein powder as a meal replacement mainly because I consume so much food daily I get my protein intake that way, however after resistance exercise nothing hits your muscles as fast as a protein shakes and there's nothing as convenient either that you can down straight away in the changeroom to start the recovery process. Maybe my phrasing of having it in the pantry can be misunderstood, what I meant is I believe that if you're doing resistance exercise a protein shake within 30 mins is quite beneficial

 

[Valderon]

what I meant is I believe that if you're doing resistance exercise a protein shake within 30 mins is quite beneficial

I totally agree with your outlook.

It's a good idea in isolation immediately following a weights session.

Most people I've met who use protein powders tend to follow the "recommended dosage" on the tin ... which ... usually requires 3 times per-day, a Scoop per shake ... which is insanely excessive .... and many people tend to "add protein" to breakfast cereals etc... which I also think is unnecessary.

 

[Sir Biffo]

I totally agree with your outlook.

It's a good idea in isolation immediately following a weights session.

Most people I've met who use protein powders tend to follow the "recommended dosage" on the tin ... which ... usually requires 3 times per-day, a Scoop per shake ... which is insanely excessive .... and many people tend to "add protein" to breakfast cereals etc... which I also think is unnecessary.

Amen to that! If you eat a properly balanced diet I would argue you don't need supplements at all. Of course if you want to look like Arnie in his "Pumping Iron" days then you should be either sucking down on a protein shake now or reading this whilst doing bicep curls - but of you just go to the gym to keep healthy your balanced diet should have enough protein to stop your muscles from withering and dieing.

 

[JoeD]

Certainly it is recommended after a two hour period (dependant on environmental conditions, sweat loss, exertion; etc).

recommended for athletes who are performance driven or for average people trying to stay fit/lose weight or both?

 

[HevyDevy]

I drink Gatorade during a workout and have 4 of them in the fridge awaiting my next hangover.

 

[TheParraboy]

Amen to that! If you eat a properly balanced diet I would argue you don't need supplements at all. Of course if you want to look like Arnie in his "Pumping Iron" days then you should be either sucking down on a protein shake now or reading this whilst doing bicep curls - but of you just go to the gym to keep healthy your balanced diet should have enough protein to stop your muscles from withering and dieing.

You will find Arnie did a little bit more than downing protein shakes to get to that size

Unfortunately to get to that size, you need a bit of an extra "boost" if you know what I mean ;-)

 

[Thomas]

I buy Staminade powder. I grew up on the stuff and love it. Just a small scoop to cold water. Nothing too sugary.

When I ride to work I fill my water bottle with a mixture.

 

[IanG]

I use to drink them when I played cricket. If it was exceptionally hot days I also had a 2 litre soft drink bottle that I half filled and froze the night before then on my way to the park I topped up with water. I use to keep refilling it until the ice melted.

 

[_snafu_]

I prefer weak cordial. Sports drinks are too strong for my liking.

 

[Devils]

Sports drinks are an expensive form oh oral rehydration therapy.

Just take water + glucose + potassium salts + sodium salts

 

[Red Bear]

Yeah your body actually releases something when you drink water specifically when you're thirsty.
I think the only time these drinks are recommended to be taken is when you're heavily, heavily in need of hydration ironman, marathons etc etc.
I had the Gaterade Tiger lime one the other day after mixed netball, was nice.

I can't stand the Powerade's they actually give me a headache.
There's word out that beer can help and marathon runners will actually have one before a race because of the carbs don't know how true that is though.

Wouldnt the alcohol have a dehydrating effect tho?

I used to drink alot of these then found out at uni they didnt actually do much! Now i very rarely drink them, although they seem to be pretty good for a hangover.

Blue Powerade FTW

 

[Ray Martins Hair]

Gentlemen, I'll give you a fact sheet about the numerous claims made in this thread. If you don't want to read alot of writing stick to the bold sections and you'll get the jist of my message.

Drinks such as Gatorade or Powerade are useful. They are not a quackery promotion aimed at selling a defunct product. However, they aren't 'as' immediately necessary as many people expect. In longer duration events, the sodium within the drinks will assist in replacing the sodium lost through sweat; plus the low levels of carbohydrate will assist with energy replenishment. This is important as significant sodium / potassium imbalances can lean to hyponatraemia / hypokalaemia - plus sodium intake from sports drinks help retain water in the body. A product such as this is also much lighter on the stomach (easier to digest, with minimal discomfort); as opposed to solid foods, during a long duration event (such as a marathon, triathlon, and so forth).

Generally speaking, water is a sufficient hydration tool for the first 2 hours of exercise. This is not to state that you can't use a sports drink prior to this. Certainly it is recommended after a two hour period (dependant on environmental conditions, sweat loss, exertion; etc).

In regards to making your own version. This is fine, and often a method athletes use (providing they're not sponsored by a sports drink company). There's no necessity to use a commercial sports drink if you're able to formulate your own carbohydrate based replenishment drink. It's often just an easier option to use a product such as Gatorade or Powerade.

Great Post. 100% Spot On.

This probably only works if you're not a regular coffee drinker. I'm not and i've noticed if i have a coffee before a bike ride it definitely makes me a feel more spritely.

Caffiene is a stimulant and therefore increases an athletes awareness and concentrations. 100m sprinters have been known to take caffiene to react quicker to the starting gun. However it is a diuretic meaning it will have a very negative effect on a persons hydration. Caffiene should not be taken for an event lasting longer than a couple of minutes.

In terms of supplements, I think the most important and most used supplement is obviously protein powder. If you're doing any sort of resistance exercise protein powder should be part of your pantry

Protein Supplements are scientically proven to help promote muscle growth and repair. Protein Powder for example is excellent for developing muscle bulk in combination with resistance exercise. However gaining protein from food sources is 5 times more effective than any protein supplement. For more effective resistance training results stick with consuming more meat, eggs, nuts and dairy products.

Creatine is great too - i swear by it.

Most people even people working in the fitness industry do not understand the effect creatine has on the body. Creatine is a naturally occuring chemical the can be produced by the body. It is used as an energy source. The theory is that supplementing creatine will mean you have more energy in the body. This should allow you to lift heavier weights and lift more reps resulting in much better resistance training results. However while people take creatine supplements the body stops producing creatine naturally until the taking of the supplement is stopped. Therefore creatine supplerments will only be satisfying normal levels of creatine. This means that the underlining theory of creatine is debunked. I have tried to dumb it down a bit as its university level biochemistry and very complicated. The bottom line is that Scientic Research has confirmed that there are minimal if any benefits of supplementing creatine.

Long post but I hope it helps some you guys out.