Anyone have any experience using Base Salts and having water retention ? I’ve been using them on rides longer than 30 miles and according to the recommendations it says to take some every 5 miles on the bike. The problem is that after the ride I’ve got an almost unquenchable thirst and the next morning I’m up 5 lbs. Takes like 2-3 days and my weight is back to normal.
it says to take some every 5 milesHow 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?
Anyone have any experience using Base Salts and having water retention ? I’ve been using them on rides longer than 30 miles and according to the recommendations it says to take some every 5 miles on the bike. The problem is that after the ride I’ve got an almost unquenchable thirst and the next morning I’m up 5 lbs. Takes like 2-3 days and my weight is back to normal.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
This thread illustrates well how voodoo works.
Exactly:)
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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.
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 …
Thanks for the input. Checked out your website as well… Quite an impressive background/history.
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.
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.
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’.