Free Shipping On Orders Over £100/€140/$140

-- Days
-- Hrs
-- Mins
-- Secs

Maintaining good hydration helps joints stay lubricated, aids the supply of nutrients to cells around the body and can help prevent infections.

It’s one of the key principles of pursuing fitness on any level and athletes regularly look at ways to develop the best hydration strategies, so it’s no wonder we are often bombarded with adverts for hydration drinks.

But are those drinks actually better than water for hydration? Built for Athletes takes a look.

Electrolytes
The provision of electrolytes like sodium, potassium and magnesium in most hydration drinks gives them an edge over plain H2O. Sodium (most commonly found in salt) is a particularly important supplement for endurance
athletes who lose a lot of the mineral through sweat. But it plays an important role for every athlete seeking more effective hydration due to the way it holds on to water and prevents as much fluid being lost through urine.

Concentration
It’s not something most people think of when sipping a drink, but the concentration of particles within the liquid plays an important role in how well it is absorbed by the body. When drinks are labeled as isotonic, it means they have the same concentration of particles as blood.
However, the best fluids for keeping you hydrated have a slightly lower concentration, making them hypotonic drinks, which is what most drinks that have been expertly designed for hydration aim for.
Although isotonic drinks will still hydrate the body, they are less optimized for that purpose and therefore it is worth noting the concentration of your sports drink. Tap water itself is already hypotonic.

Beware Of Sugar
Many hydration drinks bought ready made in a supermarket contain a fair amount of sugar. This is particularly something to look out for if you’re trying to cut weight but it can also minimise hydration due to the water that is absorbed during the osmosis process to digest sugar.
So making sure your drink doesn’t contain as much sugar as soft drinks like cola or lemonade is a good idea.

Conclusion
Overall, the right hydration drinks can be more effective than water due to the electrolytes found in them. It is worth making sure you’re aware of exactly what your drink contains, though, and taking a little time to pick the best product for your needs.

Latest Stories

View all

#WOTW: RJ Coaching HYROX Series

#WOTW: RJ Coaching HYROX Series

Built For Athletes x RJ Coaching: HYROX Race-Weight Workouts The HYROX season kicks off next week. To help you sharpen your preparation, we’ve partnered with RJ Coaching to deliver three workouts programmed at official HYROX race weights. These sessions replicate...

Read more

#WOTW: Tour Of Britain Cycling Series

#WOTW: Tour Of Britain Cycling Series

The Tour of Britain is famous for its unpredictable roads, steep climbs, and fast finishes. This workout captures those race dynamics so you can bring the spirit of Britain’s biggest stage race into your own training. Whether you’re riding indoors...

Read more

#WOTW: Jake Dearden HYROX Series

#WOTW: Jake Dearden HYROX Series

StrengthDeadlift3 x 5, go every 3 min.No touch and go, reset on the floor for every rep. Static Split Squat3 x 6 each leg, go every 2:30 min.You should feel like you could do 3 more reps if needed. Aim...

Read more