How much is 'some'? Sounds obvious, but you're taking too much if you're gaining 5 lbs.

A tiny scoop of base salt has 290mg sodium. How many tiny scoops you taking?

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Brandon Marsh - Website | @BrandonMarshTX | RokaSports | 1stEndurance | ATC Bikeshop |

No offence but that is kind of funny,
For what reason are you taking the salt?...is there something that you are trying to do?

I was having calf cramping issues and started taking the Hammer Electrolyte pills about two years ago. Seemed to really help. Then someone in my Tri club suggested trying the base salts instead so since my supply of Hammer pills was getting low, I figured why not try something new.

As to the amount, basically you lick your thumb and then put your wet thumb on the dispenser tube that comes with the salts. Doesn't seem like a ton of salt, but clearly there must be something I'm missing.

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"For those who understand, no explanation is necessary. For those who don't understand, no explanation is possible."

I have the same problem, only 2-3 pounds. I'm 116b to start. Shows in my face.

Are you also using sports drink?

The 'issue' I see with licking your thumb and sticking it in the dispenser is that you really don't know how much sodium/salt you are getting. Is it 10mg or is it 100mg?

I'd mix it into a water bottle and figure out how much sodium per hour your are consuming.

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Brandon Marsh - Website | @BrandonMarshTX | RokaSports | 1stEndurance | ATC Bikeshop |

Not using a sports drink, just water. I don't think I'm getting too much (100mg) since there's only so much surface area on the wet thumb at the salts will stick to. I'm doing this while in the aerobars so it's not an exact science, but it's a relatively small surface area.

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"For those who understand, no explanation is necessary. For those who don't understand, no explanation is possible."

I tried base salts once (given a free sample) and was not impressed at all - not sure why people rave about them... just didn't seem to sit right with me. I use SaltTabs and have never had any issues with them including for multiple IM's. I also have a fairly high salt/electrolyte content in my Infinit Nutrition mix and use SaltTabs to supplement on especially hot/long days. If Hammer worked for you then I'd switch back if I were you or experiment with other salt options.

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Elisha
"Triathlon doesn't build character. It reveals it."

I can't see why you'd need to take it that often ... and at a certain level your body is telling you that

If you think it works, take it as needed ... meaning if you feel like you are starting to get "crampy" then get a dose on your tongue as needed

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Dave Latourette
http://www.TTENation.com

Well, I subscribe to the theory that once I start cramping it's too late and my performance will suffer, so I am using this pre-emptively as I did with the pills.

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"For those who understand, no explanation is necessary. For those who don't understand, no explanation is possible."

I agree that once you start cramping it is already too late, but if you are getting bloated by taking it every 5 miles....have you tried every 10, every 15, every 20, etc...

Experiment and see what works for you. The 5 mile rule is probably more of a rule of thumb.

This thread illustrates well how voodoo works.

Rule of thumb, lol. In all seriousness, maybe OP could switch to a different finger to control dosage. A pinky would provide about half vs. a thumb.

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Oui, mais pas de femme toute de suite (yes, but I am not ready for a woman straight away) -Stephen Roche's reply when asked whether he was okay after collapsing at the finish in the La Plagne stage of the 1987 Tour

Exactly:)

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Genetics load the gun, lifestyle pulls the trigger.

So I pulled up the Supplement Facts and it's pretty interesting when comparing the Hammer Endurolytes with the Base Salts:

Ingredient. Hammer vs. Base
Sodium. 80 mg vs 290 mg
Chloride. 120 mg vs 442 mg
Calcium. 100 mg vs 3 mg
Magnesium. 50 mg vs 12 mg
Potassium. 50 mg vs 2.6 mg

So 3.66x amount of Sodium and Chloride, I.e salt in the Base Salts product. I guess I'm answering my own original post, but am still wondering if others are having the same issues or if they just take a lot less.

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"For those who understand, no explanation is necessary. For those who don't understand, no explanation is possible."

I wouldn't wait until you cramp to take it ... BUT when you start to get some symptoms of cramping, then take it. ( i would presume you get symptoms well ahead of an actual cramp ... in the rare case that I cramp I know its coming 30-60min ahead of time) At that point it is not too late. If you feel inclined you can just keep taking salt at the present level but it is not necessary.

Also, you should try to find the actual source of your cramping. Cramping is not coming from a sodium deficiency. More often than not it has to do with muscular and neuro-muscular pattern use / over-use / or under trained. Probably good to take a step back and look at
- training
- effort levels in training and racing
- bike / cleat position / technique
- intake levels of calcium & magnesium

For example ... I had an athlete who was always cramping late in bike rides and kept taking more and more electrolyte capsules. I decide to go for a ride with him, rode behind for while and just observed. I had him change is pedaling / shifting technique (essentially shift early before hills & rollers and ride those rollers a little lighter than he had been and use less force) ... 9 days later in his IM race in high heat and humidity he never cramped once, and he took only 25% of the electrolytes he would have normally supplemented through capsules.

Think big picture ...

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-------------------------
Dave Latourette
http://www.TTENation.com

Thanks for the input. Checked out your website as well... Quite an impressive background/history.

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"For those who understand, no explanation is necessary. For those who don't understand, no explanation is possible."

I have used various salts over the years including SaltStick, Hammer, and Thermotabs. Last year I worked with a company Endurapacks which had a salt spray, this year I am working with for Base. Any salt products take a little while to use. It all depends on the conditions and your overall general salt intake to begin with. For me, on race day, I have 4 scoops per 22-24oz bottle, I have 3 bottles, one in the morning, and two during the race. This works for me at 155lbs and typical race conditions. I would halve your intake and go from there.

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Right. One of the main things is to know what is going in. As Dave pointed it, it might be something other than electrolytes.

Clearly if you are retaining that much water, there's something going on. Without knowing if one 'lick' is 290 mg or 29 mg it is difficult to say. I believe that 290 mg is what is in one of the really small 'scoops'.

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Brandon Marsh - Website | @BrandonMarshTX | RokaSports | 1stEndurance | ATC Bikeshop |

OK for starters, I don't think the OP needs to be taking salt at all. But that aside, guessing how much per use, I'd go with the higher number. Why? Take a look at regular table salt:



that's 590mg for 1/4 teaspoon. Go find a 1/4 tsp at home and see how small that is. If you're eating that every 5 miles you're getting way too much salt.

Keep in mind the product manufacturer has a vested interest in getting you to use it up faster.

There is no evidence to support that salt in any form prevents cramps from starting. On the other hand, the excess weight from the water retention caused by excessive salt intake will definitely affect your performance negatively.

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Are you ready to do an Ultraman? | How I calculate Ironman race fueling | Strength Training for Athletes |

Yes, this isn't my first rodeo. The scoop for base salt is 1/8 teaspoon...I think. And yes that math works to your table salt picture.

My point being, licking your thumb and dipping it into a salt canister every 5 miles really isn't a measurement. Measuring out 1/8 of a teaspoon, provided in their packaging, is.

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Brandon Marsh - Website | @BrandonMarshTX | RokaSports | 1stEndurance | ATC Bikeshop |

Sorry - yeah I was stating that for the OP, your post was just where my line of thought started.

Thanks for all the good feedback. Unfortunately only one other person responded that uses the same product. I'm curious how many others are using it, what dosages, frequency, etc... And how it's working for them.

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"For those who understand, no explanation is necessary. For those who don't understand, no explanation is possible."