2017 Slowtwitch Nutritional Reviews: Precision Hydration: Call for Reviews!

Triathlon Forum
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Precision Hydration is popping up in a lot of places. Slowtwitch regular Brad Williams is featured on its web page, as is Ironman World Record holder Tim Don. They’re the Official Hydration Suppliers of the ÖTILLÖSwimrun World Series and the Casco Bay Islands Swimrun.

Their premise is that everyone loses a different amount of sodium in their sweat and that this means an individual hydration strategy tailored to specific needs is essential. So, how does their personalized approach to hydration compare to the electrolyte products you’re currently using; past products used; and what is served on-course in races? Let’s see what our testers have to say:

Here’s what the folks at Precision Hydration asked testers to consider:
How they used the product: Did they follow the manufacturer’s instructions, provided in a series of emails and an online Personal Hydration Plan after taking the free Online Triathlon Sweat Test ?
Ease and usefulness of Online Sweat Test and Personal Hydration Plan emailsThe various Sodium Strengths you received and their flavor/tasteDrink mixability and convenience
DrinkabilityDigestibilityPerceived Hydration Status over timeHydration Status impact on the quality of your training and racing, including cramping (if that had been an issue for you.)Their personal comments and observations.
**Please note: **
testers’ comments may be used in a front page article that amalgamates all user reviews of that product, though you can choose the method attribution (how you wish to be identified) for any comments of yours that are quoted.

2

After being selected as a Precision Hydration reviewer, the first step was completing their Online Triathlon Sweat Test to determine which products to use. The test itself was quite brief and not overly scientific. While I appreciate the effort to tailor the product for a user’s specific needs, my opinion is that the test is too simplistic and subjective to accurately identify an individual’s sweat rate/hydration requirements and Precision Hydration’s recommendations were too general to instill any confidence that the recommendations are truly customized to an individual. Rather it is a simple means to categorize you as either a light (PH 500), medium (PH 1000) or heavy (PH 1500) sweater.

Precision Hydration provided me with a recommendation to use their PH 1500 mix which is the strongest mix but also included their PH 1000 mix and a couple packages of SweatSalts capsules. They also followed up with a series of emails on suggested usage for training, recovery, and racing. These emails provided a useful template for product consumption in each of these scenarios.

Their emails discussing race strategy were also savvy enough to acknowledge that many athletes prefer to keep it simple on race day and live off the course offerings. For my races, that meant I would be using Gatorade Endurance during Ironman Coeur d’Alene. Instead, Precision Hydration sent recommendations for pre-race hydration on the day before race, morning hydration before race start, and post-race recovery hydration.

The Precision Hydration products were delivered promptly and, since my target race was Ironman Coeur d’Alene in late August, I had almost a month to train with the products. The PH drink mixes are provided in tablet format (similar to Nuun products) and was easily mixed – just drop a tablet in a bottle of water and it dissolved almost immediately. The tablets were also very portable so it was easy to toss a few in my cycling jersey and refuel partway through a ride at any water fountain. The SweatSalts capsules are similar to SaltStick or equivalent products.

The taste was pleasant – mildly lemon lime flavor, not overpowering, not sweet, and with a bit of effervescence that was easy on the palette. No digestion problems, no GI issues. No concerns with cramping. From that perspective, Precision Hydration’s products were good and I would have no issue using them for short to mid-length workouts. And the SweatSalts capsules seemed to work and certainly caused no issues GI or otherwise.

For longer training sessions or as a race day option where you the course products don’t appeal to you, Precision Hydration could be used. But here is my “Keep it Simple” gripe; while the product provides sufficient sodium/electrolytes, it only provided minimal calories so gels or equivalent would need to be integrated more heavily into a race nutrition plan. For me, I prefer a steady dose of calories delivered with my hydration. Having to up my gel intake to compensate for the lack of liquid calories just creates another opportunity to mess up during a race.

So that’s my conundrum. The lack of calories in the PH drink mix was a drawback for me during longer sessions and races. And, since I have had race GI issues in the past, I like to train with the products that are provided during a race. That is a challenge that many products not named Gatorade must face. How do they carve out a niche and persuade consumers to buy their products?

For Precision Hydration, they at least acknowledge this situation and provided an effective pre/post-race hydration plan. And that, coupled with a tasty drink, that is easily mixed, and is very portable are attractive attributes that make it a convenient choice for training. And, as for racing with their products, if you don’t mind the added level of complexity (i.e. hauling your nutrition and upping your calories from other sources) then there would be no concerns with using Precision Hydration as a viable and effective hydration option.

Cheers, Brian

3

I really enjoyed talking with the team over at Precision Hydration. Very smart and well-rounded endurance experience. If you’re looking to use liquid for hydration (as opposed to calories), then I highly recommend this product. It tastes great and perceived hydration was high. I’m not a huge fan of their pill-solution for the run, which is the only negative for me.

How they used the product: Did they follow the manufacturer’s instructions, provided in a series of emails and an online Personal Hydration Plan after taking the free Online Triathlon Sweat Test?
Getting Started. Used the product as a means for hydration (makes sense), not meant for calories. Took the “sweat test”, which determined that I am a heavy sweater and need to use PH 1500. The test is a great idea but not exactly scientific. I like the idea of different PH levels based on your sweat, but pretty sure everyone on this forum would just take the 1500. Great for Indoor Training. This is really where I wanted to test the product. Like most, I sweat a ton on the indoor trainer. My watts start fading at around 70 minutes and then again around 120 minutes. With a steady intake of PH, I stayed strong for a handful of 90-minute rides. No 120 minute tests. Also, it was at my peak physical condition, so results may be attributable to good fitness and placebo. Oly Race. Used PH 1500 for an olympic tri and placed 5th overall. PH had some good advice about pre-loading, so I took in about 20oz in the hour before the race and then about 30oz on the bike. Was surprisingly strong off the bike and held back as I was a week away from IM Santa Rosa at the time. IM Santa Rosa. Followed the same preloading strategy (32 oz starting 2 hours before race start) and had a decent but not optimal swim. I felt great, but seeded poorly and had to swim over top of folks the whole time (time: 1:12, 45th in age group). On the bike, I drank 2x32oz bottles of PH 1500. From there, it was orange gatorade. I didn’t opt for special needs but wish I had. Nevertheless, had the best bike of my life. I planned on holding 230 watts with 300 watt bursts to climb over rollers. First third of the race, I was holding 250 and seeing 340 for those roller bursts. For the rest of the race, I modulated back to my original plan and finished with a bike time of 5:13 (27th in age group). PH provided me with PH 1500 in pill form for the run. I had packed those at T1 in case I need to use on the bike. I quickly lost the pills on a rough patch of road. I.e., no PH 1500 for the run. Coincidentally, my run sucked. Some would say that I probably overcooked myself on the bike, which I think may have been the culprit after looking at my watts. However, I did feel pretty good starting the run. I had a pretty strong first 11 miles and then the wheels came off. Cramped badly, drank some hot shot (which didn’t work for me) and finished with a time of 4:05 (43rd in my age group).
Ease and usefulness of Online Sweat Test and Personal Hydration Plan emails
Really great team at PH and good info. They are all experienced endurance athletes and not just from triathlon.
The various Sodium Strengths you received and their flavor/taste
BEST PART about PH 1500 is the taste. I have previously used Infinit, which works about as well but tastes awful in my opinion. That said, Infinit solves the calorie problem as well, so apples to oranges. BUT, if you’re looking for solid form calories, I would use PH for your hydration plan. Drink mixability and convenience
Easy to mix and I like the bag. I think they should look at a pre-mixed solution like Glukos for the run as the pills are inconvenient (though I only tried during training). Drinkability
Tasty and well diluted per instructionsDigestibility
No issues at all. Perceived Hydration Status over time

Another plus for PH. I feel very hydrated drinking this stuff.

Hydration Status impact on the quality of your training and racing, including cramping (if that had been an issue for you.)
Last year I cramped on the bike. This year I didn’t and PR’d. I did cramp on the run, but didn’t have access to PH at that time… not saying that PH would’ve solved it as I could have overcooked the bike.Their personal comments and observations.
I give the product a B+ and the team an A. Expect great things from these guys.

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How they used the product: Did they follow the manufacturer’s instructions, provided in a series of emails and an online Personal Hydration Plan after taking the free Online Triathlon Sweat Test ?

  • I used the online test and followed all the emailed recommendations for how to use the product.

Ease and usefulness of Online Sweat Test and Personal Hydration Plan emails

  • I found the emails about how to use the product to be very helpful, and so detailed that I felt comfortable and confident in the recommended plan. It felt very personalized almost like I had hired an online hydration coach. I found little tips like swishing plan water around in my mouth in transition after a salt water swim to be very helpful and not something I had considered before.

The various Sodium Strengths you received and their flavor/taste.
-1000 (orange package), 1500 (purple package), and salt tabs. Both mixes tasted a lot less salty and milder then I anticipated. They almost had a grapefruit taste, which I surprisingly enjoyed.

Drink mixability and convenience
-Very easy to mix even if stirring into an open glass.

Drinkability
-Again, really enjoyed the taste, flavor, and the fact it did not taste very salty

Digestibility
-No digestion issues whatsoever.

Perceived Hydration Status over time
-Felt it kept me much more hydrated compared to water, or a standard sports drink.

Hydration Status impact on the quality of your training and racing, including cramping (if that had been an issue for you.)
-Unfortunately, I got injured before my A race (a 70.3), but I was able to use it for preloading in an Olympic distance race on a hot and humid day. The suggested plan was to take the 1500 with 16 ounces of water before bed and in the morning prerace. Again, this is not something I would have thought I needed. However, on a hot and humid day I ended up with zero cramping, the fastest run split, and didn’t feel the need to drink as much on the run.

Their personal comments and observations.
-I look forward to using PH in my longer races next season and have already recommended it to several friends that have had issues with cramping in the past.

5

How they used the product: I used Precision pretty close to as directed. I don’t like using drink mix during a race so I my second bottle on the bike during HIM was Gatorade from the aid station. I also took less than directed of the SweatSalts since I normally don’t take any electrolytes pills at all. **Ease and usefulness of Online Sweat Test and Personal Hydration Plan emails: **The sweat test was pretty easy and not real exciting. They do assume that you know something about your sweat rate and saltiness. I only got one email plan, it was easy to follow and called for me to drink a lot of Precision. I’m not sure either were of much value, I’ve been racing for 15 years and have figured out that I need to drink a lot when training and racing. **The various Sodium Strengths you received and their flavor/taste: **I used Precision PH1000 and PH1500. The 1500 had a slightly saltier taste. See tasting notes in the Drinkability section below. I didn’t taste the SweatSalts, just swallowed them whole. **Drink mixability and convenience: **The premeasured packets were easy to use and fit easily in a bike jersey pocket. The powder dissolves right into solution making it easy to use. I don’t attempt to use drink mixes during races as it is hard to pour while riding a bike but Precision would be easier than most products to mix while riding. **Drinkability: **Great, mild, refreshing, lightly citrusy flavor with just a hint of salt. Went down easy even when warm. I’ll drink anything if I need to but I actually found myself wanting to drink more because I liked the taste. Digestibility: No issues, but I don’t normally have issues. I was slightly less gassy after workouts. **Perceived Hydration Status over time: **I found my self drinking more of Precision than I normally do and I’m sure this a good thing. I normally drink just enough because drinking cuts into race time and is hard to do when you are in zone 4. But I somehow found time for Precision and it goes down easy. I do wish the product had a little more carbs. At 65 calories per bottle I need more Gels for nutrition. Hydration Status impact on the quality of your training and racing, including cramping (if that had been an issue for you.) I don’t have cramping issues this time of year. I did feel a lot better toward the end a HIM (Toughman Championship). My race pace noticeably picked up at mile 8 and I felt great for the next 5 miles and felt a lot fresher after the race as well. I won my age group and you always feel better after a good race but this is the first time I’ve had negative splits on a race longer than sprint. I can’t prove that Precision was the cause and the strong finish was effect. Then again I could have just started the run slow. Either way I need to hydrate, precision tastes great and I’ll be using Precision during my next race (IM Maryland next week).
**Comments and observations. **I do get calf cramps, AKA “Mad Calf Disease” but only in the spring. After years of trial and error I’ve figured out how to manage it and play thru but that often means the elliptical trainer rather than running. I’m optimistic about Precision and will see if it can cure Mad Calf Disease when I come out of hibernation next March.

6

My experience was almost exactly the same as Brian’s (Overdistance) above so I won’t rehash every detail that he described.

Customer Service
I appreciated the emails that I received with instructions on how to use the product before, during and after a race and/or training. This is helpful not only for the testing, but allows the customer to tailor their use of Precision Hydration to their own needs (i.e. if they choose not to race with it, they can still use for pre/post hydration). I sent an email with questions around how to use PH while getting enough calories during training and racing and I received a response almost immediately with a thorough explanation around what they would recommend.

My feedback on what could be done to make it easy on customers (especially potential customers) would be to include a section on the web-site with specific strategies for the 3 (or 4) ways that to use the product. For example:

Pre-Race/Training Hydration or Post Race/Training Hydration
Mix X number of PH packs with Y amount of water and drink before bed, before/after workout or race.

*This part is mostly covered on the web-site already.

As part of Overall Hydration and Nutrition for Training/Racing Strategy
Consume 1 packet per hour of PH in water per hour (750 mg sodium / 70 calories)
Consume X amount of Gels, Bars, etc (but be specific) per hour (300 calories)
Take 1 PH Salt Cap per 1 hour on bike as needed
Total Calories per Hour: X
Total Sodium per Hour: Y

*This was my main/only difficulty with PH. I could not find a way to incorporate it into my longer training rides, which means I would be hesitant to use it during a race as well.

The Product
Overall, I liked Precision Hydration and will likely use it going forward for pre-race/training hydration. The taste was good (subtle citrus taste), it mixed easily and I had no GI issues. It is easy to drink before and after workouts and when I took it on training rides, it had a good taste, even when warm. I received the PH 1500 and 1000 and had similar experience with both.

I would recommend a bit of “normalizing” on the packaging though as it can be confusing. The PH1500 is 750 mg of sodium per packet, which is recommended to be taken with 16 ounces of water, which means that to get 1500 mg of sodium you must mix 2 packets in 32 ounces of water to correlate to PH1500’s label. Since most water bottles are around 22 ounces in capacity, it can cause some confusion in how much to mix/drink.

Experience in Long Training Rides
I struggled to incorporate PH into my longer training rides since it has so few calories. In my first attempt, I had Shot Bloks as a supplement for a 3.5 hour training ride. This meant that to get in enough calories during the ride, I needed to drink a bottle an hour of PH and at least 9 blocks an hour of the Shot Bloks. Overall, I had to pack 3 bottles on the bike (plus 1 packet) and 32 Bloks. I couldn’t manage to eat all 32 Bloks during the ride so it was a rough ride at the end. I also tried with the Cliff Bars since they are a little more calorie dense and was a bit more successful.

Overall, it is tough for me to justify going through this much effort on the longer training rides and races when there are simpler solutions available. If someone already had a good nutrition plan that separate hydration from calories, then it should be easy to slot in the Precision Hydration and have no issues. Since I was coming from a more simplistic approach, it was tough for me to make it work during the long workouts.

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How they used the product: Did they follow the manufacturer’s instructions, provided in a series of emails and an online Personal Hydration Plan after taking the free Online Triathlon Sweat Test?
Before signing up as a tester for this product, I had already done the PH online sweat test but I had not yet tried their products. I followed the instructions quite closely during training and to the letter during IM 70.3 Cozumel.
Ease and usefulness of Online Sweat Test and Personal Hydration Plan emails
The sweat test concluded that my fluid and electrolyte requirements were high and suggested the 1500 mix for racing (including pre/post) and 1000 mix for training. PH sent a series of emails regarding hydration strategies for training, pre-race, during race, and post-race. These emails were very clear and concise with the recommendations which I greatly appreciated as I find lots of hydration and nutrition products don’t provide this type of direct information of product usage.
The various Sodium Strengths you received and their flavor/taste
I received H2Pro 1500 and H2Pro 1000 effervescent tablets, and SweatSalts capsules.
The H2Pro 1500 was initially quite salty to my palette and had a mellow citrus flavour. Within a few sips the “saltiness” was no longer noticeable to me. The H2Pro 1000 had a much milder salt taste, and had a more grapefruit citrus flavour. This was my favourite between the 1000 and 1500 though both were quite pleasant. The SeatSalts capules had no taste as you would expect and were easily swallowed with a small swig of water.
Drink mixability and convenience
Mixability: The effervescent tablets dissolve incredibly fast; Within 10 seconds. Compare this against Nuun tablets which take 1-2 mins to fully dissolve. The PH tablets not only dissolved quickly but they fully mixed with the water without any agitation required. Convenience: The tablets were very convenient and easy to pop in my XLAB BTA bottle through the top cap. I kept the tablets in my bento box and dropped in a new one whenever I filled the BTA bottle. The SweatSalts capules came in a blister pack that was easy to pop out the capsules, similar to gum. I was worried these blister packs would be similar to medication (i.e., child proof) but I had no problem popping these out of the packaging while running.
Drinkability
I tried the tablets with cold water and fairly warm water (80 degrees F) during training. The mix was pleasant at all temperatures I tried.
Digestibility
The effervescence tablets give off a bit of gas so the drink ends up a bit like slightly flat club soda. I actually really enjoy that so these worked great for me. It is not “carbonated” enough to cause any gassy bloat. I had zero issues with digestibility using these products and they played nicely with my bars and gels that I typically use.
Perceived Hydration Status over time
I always felt well hydrated using these products.
Hydration Status impact on the quality of your training and racing, including cramping
I had cramping previously, most notably in my calves during running. This was a few years back though and I only hydrated with water at the time. I had no cramping issues with this product. I used the H2Pro 1500 tablets during my Ironman 70.3 in Cozumel last weekend. This was my first 70.3 and as a Canadian coming from a milder climate (Vancouver) to the sweltering heat and humidity of Cozumel, I was worried. I had 2 tablets per hour (1 tablet per 500 mL) for the bike and then 1 SweatSalts 250mg capsule per 20 minutes during the run. I felt well hydrated and had no cramping during the race.
Personal comments and observations.
I heard a podcast in which Andy Blow of Precision Hydration was interviewed. He said something that made a lot of sense to me. He said that Precision Hydration sees themselves as a consultant more so than a product (I’m paraphrasing). This was definitely my experience with PH. After taking the Sweat test, PH provides the user with a hydration plan and then after a few weeks I received a follow up email asking how the products are working. Hydration is highly individual and instead of just giving recommendations and “walking away”, PH is available to help you optimize your hydration plan. I have previously used other hydration products and this was my first time trying Precision Hydration. I have decided I will continue with their products going forward, though I may use the H2Pro 1000 more than the 1500 as I am not planning any hot climate races for next year. I have already place and received another order.

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**How they used the product: **I followed the instructions given. Worth noting that I used this primarily for the run. I didn’t have any races during the testing period, but am training for a full in November. I would take it before rides, but stuck with my bike nutrition I’ve already dialed in during rides.

**Ease of Online Sweat test and Personal hydration plan: **Online sweat test was very straight forward. More or less just asked if you were a heavy sweater or not. I’m a larger athlete living in FL, so wasn’t shocked to be labeled a heavy sweater. Hydration plan was very straightforward and easy to follow.

**Sodium strengths received and their taste: **Received PH 1500 and a sample of 1000 to compare. Taste was actually pretty good. Not overpowering at all with a slight grapefruit flavor. Was good cold or warm when out running.

**Drink mixability and convenience: **The product I received were pouches of powder, not tablets. When poured into water it dissolved immediately.

**Drinkability: **Easy. The taste was so subtle and there was no texture added to the water from the powder.

**Digestibility: **Easy. I had zero GI issues

**Perceived hydration status over time: **This is tough to really gauge. Testing the product actually forced me to drink more water than I normally would. I did notice that I felt more hydrated, and could see it in my HR on some warmer runs though. I don’t often struggle with cramping, but had no cramps at all during the testing period.

**Personal comments and observations: **I liked the product. I could see myself using it for short course racing. I think it’s most beneficial use is pre and post exercise. It’s just to hard to carry the required amount for longer training/racing. I do plan to continue using the product before workouts.

9

I had never heard of this product and was excited to try after reading about their approach to hydration. For this review, a lot of my experiences were similar to those that have previously posted, so I will try to keep those sections short. I will attempt to elaborate on the areas that I found my experience to be different. I used two of their products, the electrolyte powder and their electrolyte pills. Any reference to a product in this review is about the powder unless otherwise stated.
Getting Started I started by taking the free Online Triathlon Sweat Test. I was considered a heavy sweater by their brief questionnaire. After the test, I received a series of emails and an online Personal Hydration Plan describing the product and how to use it before, during and after the race. Products Tested I received eight boxes of PH 1500 and two sleeves of Sweat Salt pills. I also received a box of PH 1000, but have not tried it yet.Training I was battling an injury leading up to IM CDA, so I only got to test it a couple of times. Those consisted of 20 mile runs in 90+ degree heat. I had no cramping issues, but that is not really a problem for me on runs. The interesting thing for me was that I did not feel as thirsty during the run as anticipated in that heat. I drank about 20% less than usual, and I felt good, if not a little too overly electrolyted. Race Hydration With my training experiences in mind and in an effort to use what was on course, I decided to use three bottles of PH in regular Gatorade and 3 bottles of Gatorade EF. I’m not very fast, so I planned to be on the course for a while. The Gatorade EF is slightly lower in electrolytes than my PH/Gatorade combo and they have it on course. On the run, I used the salt tablets along with the Gatorade EF on the course. Perceived Hydration The race was hot 90+ and very little shade. I followed my hydration plan, and was very pleased with the outcome. For how hot it was, I never felt thirsty. I peed a few times on the bike, but I think that had more to do with swallowing water during the swim rather than my on bike hydration. After about half way through the bike, I did not urinate the rest of the race and into the evening which is huge for me. I am usually go every 2 hours during races and training. My biggest surprise was that when I finally did go, it looked normal not at all like iced tea I expected. Drinkability The product has a slightly sweet citrus flavor. I perceived it as either lemon, lemon-lime or grapefruit. There was the typical electrolyte flavor, but it was better hidden than any other product I have tried, and there were a lot of electrolytes to hide. It felt every more viscous in the mouth than water. The electrolyte pills were easy to swallow with water and had no flavor.Digestibility I had no digestion issues on the bike. On the run, my stomach was not happy with any solid food, but I was able to keep using the on-course sport drink and the electrolyte pills without issue.
Overall Perception
This is a great product that has some drawbacks and limitations. It gives users a way to get the needed electrolytes without taking in unwanted calories or fluids. But herein lies the drawback, if a person is needed this high level of electrolytes, they probably need nutrition to go with it. Having the product as a powder in a sachet does not make it convenient to mix during a race. It is not used on course, so you really have to plan you strategy and have your ducks in a row. I did not experience any cramping on the bike or run, and I believe this product played a part in that.

Future Use
For my next race, I will experiment with a concentrated bottle to supplement what is on course rather than preparing multiple bottles at regular strength. For training, I will continue to use the powder in my camelback on my trail runs and long runs. On the bike, I probably leave the house with a bottle of sport drink with a packet mixed in, and have a spare sachet in my pocket if needed.

Price
I can’t write a review of this product without mentioning the price. Yes, I got it for free to review, and the company was very generous in the amount they provided, but it is an expensive product. Using it only on long training days and on race day will limit the financial impact, and is how I intentioned to use it moving forward. They do off a bulk discount, which softens the blow. If you have issues with getting enough electrolytes, this is a great product to add to your regiment.

Let me know if you have any questions regarding this product, I would love to answer them.

10

You me and Brian had the same opinion of Precision. Did you consider mixing it with something like Carbo Pro to get the added nutrition?
I’m with you on race day, I don’t feel like playing bartender while I’m aero, but during training it might made sense.

11

When I saw that Slowtwitch was offering nutrition reviews, I jumped on board as I am always interested in experimenting with nutritional products to see how they work with me. For background, I am 36 years old and am essentially a BOP. I’ve had a lot of trouble with gut issues with various nutritional products in the past and had settled on specific gel products which worked for me as on-course nutrition. Thus when Precision hydration presented itself as an opportunity for testing, I was excited.

The first thing the company told you to do was to take a sweat test online, which I did. It certainly is not scientific though is at least a nice start to attempting to ascertain the best product for you. The test was simple to complete and easy to understand. Their classification of me was accurate (high sweat rate with significant salt losses) based on my prior experiences.

Precision hydration then sent a box with samples of the 1500 (which was recommended for me based on my sweat rate), the 1000 to try and some of their salt tabs. I used the product as recommended and mixed it as per the packaging. The powder sachet packets mixed up without a problem and were easy to use. The box I received was extremely well packaged with plenty of bubble wrap; I was impressed with the care taken to ensure the product arrived undamaged.

From a flavor standpoint, the 1500 reminded me of a less salty, less flavored children’s electrolyte replacement solution (which my kids drink when they refuse to eat/drink while sick). The taste was fairly neutral for me. During workouts, the taste seemed to diminish and taste more like plain water (this typically happens to me with all sports drink products). I noticed no issues with my stomach, no cramping or other problems. I seemed to feel better after drinking the 1500 (though I fully acknowledge this may be placebo). I certainly didn’t feel worse and seemed to feel better “hydrated” after workouts. I had no cramping issues recently (though have during races in the past) so I can’t comment on its ability to mitigate this issue. The 1000 tastes similar to the 1500 but slightly less strong. I used the salt tabs during a couple long runs and noted no issues with my ability to stomach the product.

Overall, I think this is an excellent product for use in training. However, during long distance racing there’s really not enough calories for this to work for me (I do best with gels/liquid nutrition and plain water during my longer races). It’d be perfect for shorter racing events, however. Ironically, it’s the lack of calories that I like for training as I don’t tend to like the “sugar bolus” from most sports drinks.

12

Thanks to all of our reviewers for the comprehensive feedback. We’re glad that you all found the products and hydration advice useful and we’re particularly pleased with all the comments on flavour and “drinkability” as we worked very hard to get that right by testing different variations whilst exercising in a heat chamber as we know that drinks can taste very different when you’re going hard at it than they do sat on the couch!

Some of you were correct to point out that there are some limitations of the online Sweat Test. Our full Advanced Sweat Test is definitely the gold standard as it gives you an accurate reading of who much sodium you lose in your sweat. However we developed the online Sweat Test to help athletes who aren’t near one of our Sweat Test Centres start the process of personalizing their hydration strategy and the idea behind it is to give you a good steer towards the right strength electrolyte drinks for you in different scenarios but for you to then refine this through some good old fashioned trial and error in training.

To give you some reassurance on the design of the online test, we sent all of our Sweat Test data to a leading university here in the U.K. and they found a strong correlation between how athletes perceive their sweat rate and sweat sodium concentration and the measured reality, which means the subjective question in the online test do have some genuine efficacy. An analogy we tend to use is that if most sports drinks companies are giving everyone a Medium t-shirt, our online test at least helps you decide if you’re actually more of a Small, Medium, Large or XL where our full sweat test is like going to a tailor for a full measurement.

A number of you also pointed out that Precision Hydration is low on calories. Whilst we understand that some athletes like to fuel their race through liquid calories, our personal experiences and work with lots of athletes in the field has lead to us developing a strong preference for getting the bulk of your energy intake from solid and semi-solid foods/products and leaving your fluids for hydration and sodium replacement. This helps keep your drink very hypotonic (a lower concentration than your blood) so it’ll absorb faster and it also reduces the potential for GI issues.

We realise this isn’t going to be for everyone and, as Bifff mentioned, one option that we know many of our athletes opt for is to mix PH with energy-focused drink mixes like CarboPro. But, if you’re interested in learning more about our proposed approach, you’ll find the following blogs useful…

https://www.precisionhydration.com/blogs/hydration_advice/how-does-precision-hydration-fit-in-with-your-nutrition-plan

https://www.precisionhydration.com/blogs/hydration_advice/different-types-of-sports-drink-and-when-to-use-them

For those reviewers who mentioned continuing to use PH going forwards, we’ll be sending you a special discount code via email as a thank you for testing our products and taking the time to provide such extensive feedback.

As CyclingClyde (and a few others) mentioned, we very much see ourselves as hydration consultants rather than just a faceless sports drink business, so if any of our reviewers or fellow Slowtwitchers reading this thread would like help refining their hydration strategies going forwards, please don’t hesitate to reach out by emailing us at hello precisionhydration com.

If you’d like to get started with personalizing your approach to hydration you can take our free online Sweat Test here:

Take the free Triathlon online Sweat Test

And, if you’d like to try our multi-strength electrolyte drinks, use the code ST15 to get 15% off your first order.