Exercise and hydration go hand in hand. The less you’re hydrated, the less your performance gains will be. To stay on top of this, a performance supplement can be where you get the most significant improvements, keeping your body hydrated and ensuring you have enough minerals and substances to keep you working hard during your workout.
It’s not just a case of replacing what you sweat out with water during exercise. Dan Bigham recently set an all-new Hour Record with a distance of 55.548 km. During the record-breaking attempt, Dan didn’t take on any water, yet lost 2.3kg in body weight. How? Sweat.
So how was he able to perform for so long without water? Training is one solid answer, but correct hydration and fuelling is another. It’s no secret that Dan and his team, INEOS Grenadiers, use Science in Sport products to help their athletes achieve the best possible results.
Getting hydration right
This can be a tricky balance; the last thing you want to do when you’ve finished exercising is to guzzle as much water as possible. If you’ve hydrated right during exercise, you shouldn’t feel the need to take too much on after training. The critical thing to remember it to drink little and often, and only when you need to.
There is no magic rule as it’s all on how you feel, but make sure to keep your water in take-up and your supplement intake.
What does each product do? There is so much choice.
Yes, the world of supplements can be a murky one, and it can also be one in which you think you’re spending money when you don’t need to. The performance rewards and gains of using supplements, though, can be vast.
You will see gels, tablets and powders, and it all comes down to personal preference to which you use.
• Gels: A fantastic way of taking the perfect amount of what your body needs on board. Generally, these are for electrolyte replenishment than boosting hydration.
• Tablets: These go in your water bottle and in a ready-made amount to give you perfect hydration. Easy to carry on your person for longer days in the saddle.
• Powders: These you mix yourself at home, which means you could add more or less if you wanted, but it’s always a good rule of thumb to stick by the guidelines.
• Energy bars and chews: These are for when you’ve had enough of the above - constantly taking on gels isn’t always pleasant, but if you have something a little more solid now and again, it can boost your morale on the bike.
The tablets
High in sodium, these tablets will help keep you hydrated on the go with only 9 calories per serving. They drop straight into your water bottle to replace essential electrolytes lost through sweat.
Hydro was developed in 2008 to keep the British Sailing Team hydrated during the Olympics. They are best taken on board before and during the activity.
Pros
- 20 tablets per container
- Lots of flavours to choose from
- Big discounts on some flavours
Cons
- Flavours aren't always what they claim
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Here we have the Cola flavoured (a personal favourite of What's The Best) GO Hydro + Caffeine, this is great for having that added boost during exercise. These are for long days in the saddle where you're getting into the second half and could do with a bit of energy boost or when you're coming to the end of a race and want that extra kick for the line. It's well known that caffeine can help boost performance and may improve concentration, helping you stay in the groove.
Pros
- 20 tablets per container
- Only 9 calories per tablet
Cons
- Only available in Cola flavour
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We've covered the Go Hydro tablets above but this eight pack comes at a massive discount (while it lasts). It'll nab you 20 tablets per tube - that's 160 tablets to fuel your exercise. This is the one you should buy (if you don't mind what flavour you get) if you do a lot of exercise.
Pros
- 20 tablets per container
- Only 9 calories per tablet
Cons
- Only available in Berry flavour
The Gels
This small and easy-to-swallow pouch can be nicer than having to sip from a bottle, plus sometimes tablets in a bottle can stain the bottle with a taste of the tablet. The gels are easy and concentrated so you can have your hit of electrolytes without having the need for water.
Science in Sport offers other gels but just for hydration, these are the ones.
Pros
- Easy to swallow
- Nice alternative to water
Cons
- Can take a little while to get used to the taste
- On hot days in the saddle, they are not as refreshing as water
The Powder
This is perfect for mixing out your own hydration - available in two flavours SiS advises that you drink 500ml of water with Go Electrolyte power every 45-60 minutes and once it's made up drink it within 24 hours.
You simply add two scoops (equates to around 40g) of powder to a 500ml water bottle and drink as you exercise. Make sure the lid is closed as you shake well to ensure the powder is dissolved into the water, however it is more expensive to mix it this way than to buy tablets.
Pros
- Perfect for indoor training
- Easily stored and made
Cons
- More expensive than tablets