With numerous Pre-Workout, Intra-Workout and Post-Workout ready to drink products available, there's no shortage of performance beverage choices. A study published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition compared the rehydrating effectiveness of a carbohydrate-electrolyte beverage against bottled water, pure coconut water and coconut water made from concentrate.
Researchers had 12 recreational athletes in their mid-20s run on a treadmill for an hour which resulted in dehydration equal to approximately 2% of body weight. Subjects then received one of the 4 beverages. Five days later, they repeated the performance and were given a different beverage. All 4 choices promoted rehydration after exercise about equally well. Of course, if these subjects were given hydration-supporting RTDs before exercise, they might not have experienced the degree of dehydration reported in this research. Something to think about on your way to the gym.
