# Sports drinks



## tmitch45 (Jul 29, 2006)

I had a tennis match on Saturday in the blazing heat so knew I was in for a horrendous time. The match is mens doubles playing against the opposing teams three pairs so we end up playing 6 sets which tends to last around 4-5 hours. To say I was totally knackered at the end is an understatement and I did my best to stay hydrated drinking 1.75 litres of water and 3 bottles of Lucozade energy.

While I was sat off court I was chatting to an opponents mate who said there was a sports drink you could get which came in three parts. One to drink pre exercise/match, one for during and a recovery drink for after. The guy said he would tell me what it was called but never did. Does anyone know of anything like this as it would be really useful particularly for my summer matches where I'm usually shattered afterwards and for the rest of the day and often end up with some form of headache sometimes with sickness as well. I did try to get fully hydrated before the match but all I ended up doing was ****ing every 20 mins lol!


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## danwel (Feb 18, 2007)

No idea what the drink in question you are asking about however try drinking some coconut water. It offers much much more rehydration than any of the sports drinks on offer.

It is a bit of an acquired taste but you could add some dilatable juice to it just to take the edge off it but it is a personal thing but in terms of pure re hydration then there isn't much out there that will beat it imo


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## Kimo (Jun 7, 2013)

Lucozade doesn't hydrate you at all tbh


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## tmitch45 (Jul 29, 2006)

Kimo said:


> Lucozade doesn't hydrate you at all tbh


I was taking a mixture of that Luco for energy and water for hydration at the change of ends but do feel there is something better.


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## Mcpx (Mar 15, 2016)

The 'sports' drinks that you are talking about are basically just sugar and water and are probably the cause of your post match headaches/sickness/fatigue. The huge amount of sugar in theses things is giving you a very short term boost of easy to burn energy but then once it's gone your body is having to switch to an alternative fuel which takes longer to access, hence the quick deterioration in your condition.

Think of it this way, the only time you ever see athletes using sports drinks is in adverts, if you watch the tennis for example you will usually see the players drinking plenty during the breaks and maybe eating a mouthful of fruit now and then. In some endurance events like tennis and football matches the athletes may take isotonic fluids to replace body fluid lost through sweating, these are made up of water mixed with a little salt, a little sugar and maybe some lemon/lime juice to make it palatable, not something you would drink for fun and a long way from commercially available sports drinks.

The best thing for an endurance event like 6 hours of tennis is to fuel up beforehand, then stay hydrated (little and often) and just top up with something like a banana now and then. This will give you much longer lasting and far more consistent energy levels. Pre match fuel should be clean and simple carbs, sweet potatoes, brown rice or whole meal pasta with plenty of green veg and some light protein like tuna.

There is a before/during/after supplementation system but is usually for more intensive short term exercises like bodybuilding workouts where the focus is more on performance and recovery than on endurance.

HTH


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## Horatio (Oct 30, 2011)

danwel said:


> No idea what the drink in question you are asking about however try drinking some coconut water. It offers much much more rehydration than any of the sports drinks on offer.
> 
> It is a bit of an acquired taste but you could add some dilatable juice to it just to take the edge off it but it is a personal thing but in terms of pure re hydration then there isn't much out there that will beat it imo


HAHAHAHAHA....coconut water, toilet water...it's all the same!!!


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## Mcpx (Mar 15, 2016)

danwel said:


> No idea what the drink in question you are asking about however try drinking some coconut water. It offers much much more rehydration than any of the sports drinks on offer.
> 
> It is a bit of an acquired taste but you could add some dilatable juice to it just to take the edge off it but it is a personal thing but in terms of pure re hydration then there isn't much out there that will beat it imo


Actually for consistent levels of hydration your best bet is actually plain old normal moo cow milk, the protein in the milk slows down the absorbtion and keeps you hydrated for longer compared to the same quantity of water. Drinking 3 litres of milk a day instead of 3 litres of water does have quite a major caloric impact though, so unless you are trying to gain weight it's best to stick to the council pop.

Idiocracy is a class film, scarily not that far from the truth really.


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## tmitch45 (Jul 29, 2006)

Looking into it a bit today I wonder if the guy I spoke to was on about the SIS (Science in Sport) range of sports products? I looks like a total mine field of bars, powder and gels???? clever advertising or does this stuff really work?


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## Natalie (Jan 19, 2011)

I bought some electrolyte powder from My Protein and just add it to whatever I'm drinking - usually Robinson's squash.
Don't need it for sports, but I do need to keep my electrolytes up. You can also make your own:

20g (six level 5ml spoonfuls) of glucose
2.5g (one heaped 2.5ml spoonful) of sodium bicarbonate
3.5g (one level 5ml spoonful) of sodium chloride (salt)
This is then dissolved in 1 Litre of tap water


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## Titanium Htail (Mar 24, 2012)

As mentioned you need to keep hydrated over time, our son was an elite swimmer his coach was Dame Sarah Storey now a GB cyclist from swimming. They drank only water, plenty of those who cycle competitively use SIS. 

Once hydrated you need to work on keeping it that way.

Good luck, John Tht.


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## alan hanson (May 21, 2008)

Use the sis gels and tablets get on ok with them


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## DrEskimo (Jan 7, 2016)

I put this in the same category as multi-vitamins. Eat well and drink plenty of water and the body will do the rest.

Unless you have a medical need, there is no need to supplement your diet with any additional vitamins or minerals. Of course if you like the taste of a particular drink then knock your socks off, just don't expect it to do much more than water...


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## klw7me (Apr 8, 2015)

I use the Science in Sport Go Electrolyte, I prefer the blackcurrant flavour, its really nice and I really notice it, I have been doing the T25 dvd's and if I don't have it my performance really drops. I tried the Go Hydro tablets and they just didn't provide the same for during exercise, but were fine for hydration before.

In addition, yes lots of 'energy' drinks are packed full of sugar, but there are some good ones out there, you can make your own out of a mixture of orange juice and salt, although I am not a fan. There is some advice which isn't quite correct here. if you are exercising as an average person doing an average workout where you do not take yourself anywhere close to your maximum, then yes eating well and drinking lots of water is what you need, but if you are exercising at a higher intensity over a longer time water will not be enough to continue working at that intensity. I could go into finer detail, but I'm not going to, here at least.


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## tmitch45 (Jul 29, 2006)

klw7me said:


> I use the Science in Sport Go Electrolyte, I prefer the blackcurrant flavour, its really nice and I really notice it, I have been doing the T25 dvd's and if I don't have it my performance really drops. I tried the Go Hydro tablets and they just didn't provide the same for during exercise, but were fine for hydration before.
> 
> In addition, yes lots of 'energy' drinks are packed full of sugar, but there are some good ones out there, you can make your own out of a mixture of orange juice and salt, although I am not a fan. There is some advice which isn't quite correct here. if you are exercising as an average person doing an average workout where you do not take yourself anywhere close to your maximum, then yes eating well and drinking lots of water is what you need, but if you are exercising at a higher intensity over a longer time water will not be enough to continue working at that intensity. I could go into finer detail, but I'm not going to, here at least.


I wouldn't by any means class myself as a serious athlete but I do play at a reasonable club level (Notts Division 2) and as you can imagine after a 4-5 hour match of high intensity short duration activity but over a long time I notice 2 things. Firstly as you would expect my performance drops off massively in the last 2 sets. As I become tired this affects my technique and as a result I kind of play like I don't care! Secondly I'm shattered afterwards and for the rest of the day. As I've been more aware of sports science and the importance of hydration that's when I started drinking more water and Lucozade energy. I still get the occasional headache still but I don't get the bad headaches, sickness and the total feeling of exhaustion.

I have heard before the dare I say 'old school' approach and that you cannot beat water and for the most part that correct. What I have noticed though is that during activity where you are sweating lots water alone is not enough due to the salts/minerals lost in your sweat. For that reason and as I'm performing constantly for hours I feel that some form of electrolyte based hydration would be of some benefit and maybe something to aid recovery???


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## beetie (Jul 3, 2006)

I do a fair bit of cycling and only use an electrolyte drink along with water in another bottle.

Gels can be used but can affect the stomach so use them before an event to get used to them 1st.

I tend to use high 5 but that because you can get them free at sportive events.


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## klw7me (Apr 8, 2015)

My advice would be to try a few and see what works for you, I found the go electrolyte works best for me but I know other people who prefer other forms. I used the dvds which were intense to measure what felt best for me. I agree with beetie on the gels I found when marathon training they gave me stomach ache, but I only tried the science in sort ones


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## tmitch45 (Jul 29, 2006)

I was going to say what stomach problems? I've read a lot that gels can affect peoples stomach but always wondered how and for that reason I've steered clear of them.


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## alan hanson (May 21, 2008)

Caffeen and the ****es i believe


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## tmitch45 (Jul 29, 2006)

So I have been suffering with cramp in recent matches unusually to my flexor muscles in my forearm (racket hand). I got myself a sachet of the SIS electrolite hydration powder i think it was lemon/lime flavour. First thing was it actually ok to drink. I mixed it with 500ml of water as directed. So I replaced 'just' water with water and the powder and no cramp for 3 matches now and I feel much better post match less exhausted and not sick of suffering from headaches.

I looked to save a bit of cash and bulk buy a large tub of the powder at my local outdoor shop but the only sold the single sachet. I got myself 2 for my next match and the lady put them through the till at 20p each. I asked her to check the price and again they came up at 20p so I got myself a load of them! I think the bulk containers are £11 for 12 servings so 20p for one is too good to miss. I'll be back tomorrow to load up and clear them out!


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## jenks (Apr 20, 2009)

I have been using the Hi 5 Energy source powder for when on my bike rides for about a year now. They contain Fructose with electrolytes. I'm generally on the bike for 90 mins so not sure if suitable for 5 hours of exercise.


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