Am more of a polar fleece or light training jacket... 🙃😁 Have always thought Mild sweater... certainly do get the salt sweats like Murgatroyd did in Spain. Not had that salt hunger they discussed. And not adverse to the odd night cramps hours after doing a sport.
For me, after a long day in the sun, I wind-up looking like a heavily salted pretzel stick. And I feel like I'm covered in sand. I said "a long day in the sun", that's the summer sun . And, all that salt on my skin makes me feel like I'm wearing cutting paste.
Conor (and Andy Blow), thanks for bringing us this video - very useful. And thank you and Alex for suffering so much to inspire this video in the first place.
I'd love to see Conor take on UnBound again armed with this knowledge, and the right amount of the right fluids! this was super interesting and fits with what I've always thought. I don't have very salty sweat at all and find that in most electrolyte drinks that's all i can taste (that and the sweeteners!) so I'm for sure going to get a test booked!
This episode felt like an infomercial . . . What your man failed to mention is that sodium (and, to a lesser extent, potassium) is the body's way of controlling water. When you sweat, the cells in your sweat glands are actively pumping sodium ions into the sweat duct. Water follows passively by osmosis; and chloride ions follow passively through chloride-specific pores in the cell membranes to neutralise the electrostatic charge. I remember watching Alex and Ollie cycling around Majorca, and seeing how much salt Alex lost through sweating. It seems fairly clear that the loss of salt was inhibiting his body's ability to control sweating, and to absorb water, too. Sodium is also important in being able to absorb the water that you drink. In this case, it's the sodium that your body actively absorbs, while the water and chloride again passively follow the sodium ions. If you're drinking water that has a low sodium content, your body will gradually find it harder and harder to efficiently absorb that water as you lose sodium through sweating.
Totally agree. Today's ride was ruined most probably because of lack of sodium. Even though I fueled the ride with carbs as usual, I was loosing power. At the middle of the ride I experiencd something almost identical to bonking. Kept on dosing carbs with zero effect. This is not the way I react to carbs after hitting the wall. There's always a bit of improvement when fuel is the issue. Also, I'd been peeing constantly. Although I felt too hot, couldn't sweat a bit, and water was leaving the body where it was not optimal. Had a stop at a gas station where I bought a small sandwich. With its 40 g of carbs it had zero chance of doing a mirracle. In the past couple of hours I've been dosing 60-80 g/h, so half of that can't help. But, after 10 mins of riding, suddenly my performance came back and I pedalled as if those previous hours of suffering never existed. Had my regular Z2 speed for the remaining 30 mins.
Every muscular contraction requires sodium and every time that muscle relaxes you use potassium. Also you typically need a 2/1 ratio of potassium to sodium. Figured this out when my legs wouldn't stop cramping
Handy guidelines that I found worthwhile. I always take water / fuel with me but never remember to get it in me 😂, hence I’m gulping it down when I get home. This is too late of course. Just did the online test and it sorta confirms I need to fuel & hydrate better on the bike. Cheers guys
I have to take it easy on the salt when I'm training and during most races, but to go back to Mannon's video, I need a touch more during my period. Most of these supplements are designed with male participants. I'm glad to see Mannon participating in this too. I do cycling, endurance- triathlon/ ironman, and climbing mountains, so the need varies per activity as well.
Salt in serum gives an osmotic Power that keeps water in blood longer , as a result it gives a longer time to hydrate tissues. Secondly higher Total blood volume gives stronger tissue perfusion, including muscles (better muscle perfusion=more oxygen in muscle etc)
My trick has always been to carry salty snacks and have an electrolyte beverage available, then go by feel. If I'm feeling hot and faded or craving salt, it's time to munch the nuts or break open the bag of salty chips.
It also varies over the season. In the spring, when the sweat season starts, my eyes burn like mad from salty sweating. But in the autumn, it feels a lot less salty.
It would be nice to see GCN do an episode on the subject of night sweats, caused by high intensity exercise, caused by transient hypoglycemia in none diabetics. I have suffered from it for years after heavy high intensity workouts. I have just found out how a fy's cream chocolate bar can stop it after eating one as I get into bed. Other chocolate bars are available.
Hi Guys, i found I'm a salty perspirer by the very expensive test of licking a bit of sweat. It tasted salty! My solution when I go out on a hot day is a little container of salt (I use an old 35mm film pot) and can have a finger dip lick from time to time, or my more favoured is a bag of ready salted crisps with extra salt at stops. My conclusion that it works is based on the better feeling and perking up in performance straight after. This idea isn't new though. Farmers have been putting salt licks out for cattle for years.
Did you grew up in de desert,by any chance? I'm grew up in the Sonora desert in Mexico and traditionally added salt to oranges, lemonades, watermelons, etc. We did it particularly during the summer months when, as kids, spent most of the time playing outdoors.
I just had one of these tests done about 2 weeks ago. I thought I was losing a lot of salt in my rides and it turns out I am a below normal salt sweater. I now know how to adjust my salt intake for my 200km rides in 95 F heat. As an example, on my smart trainer for a 1 hr ride at 65 F at 145 W, I was losing 2.2lbs to sweat. I am 55, 6' 4" and 225lbs atm. So on the longer rides you can see how that can add up quick. Even drinking 36oz of water/hr on those rides at 95F, I didn't have to pee for over 6 hrs.
I've been using an hdrop hydration sensor for the past year. The feedback on my sweat rate and sodium concentration is great, and I'm going to be trying the PFH higher strength electrolyte mix as my sodium concentration is routinely well over 1000mg/L.
Since this is based on conductivity, I would think being more hydrated with just straight water would dilute this test. Maybe that is the point? To me, this test seems overboard, and it is guesswork. Why do we need a test to tell us information that we should be able to determine. If I am suffering from cramping muscles, I up the electrolyte concentration in the sweaty summer months. I feel it is more about being in tune with your bodies needs. Good info to think about but I feel the conductivity result is not going to help with what an individuals needs are.
We 100% agree, being in-tune with your body is super important. That being said, when you're in the thick of racing or deep into an endurance event, it can be tough to see the wood through the trees and having some boundaries to work within can make life a lot easier. As for the test itself, the conductivity method provides relative sweat sodium concentration (milligrams per litre) which is largely determined by the genetic component of your sweat glands, and not affected by hydration status at the time of testing. The method has been validated against flame photometry which is the gold standard for sodium analysis. We'd be happy to share the research on this if you're interested?
I've got super high blood pressure and my GP has given me some pills to bring my blood pressure down, but one thing that my GP did say is don't put extra salt on your food.
I have a bottle for water and a bottle for electrolytes as well as some electrolyte gummies! I have been able to bike a lot farther since I started consuming electrolytes. I also feel way less exhausted after my long rides.
I live in the tropics, so 30° Celsius rides are not uncommon. On those hot weather rides I take salt tablets and liquid magnesium to help replenish minerals and prevent cramps.
This is so interesting. I raced back in the eighties when we knew NOTHING about sports nutrition. I was in a mountain top finish race and got dropped at the bottom of the very long climb. I felt terrible! About halfway up the climb my mother handed me some watermelon water which was very salty, and I started feeling better immediately. I bridged a three-minute gap in the last 10 km and caught the lead riders in the last 500 meters and smashed them in the sprint winning the race. After almost 40 years, I have an explanation as to why this happened. Thank you GCN.
Geez this is a great video. I sweat utter buckets and I have suffered some really bad spasms and horrendous cramps after riding sometimes. I think what ever they are selling, I'll probably need it..
Salt is really important. I notice no matter what the temperature if I don’t have salt tablets in my drinks I end up peeing more. Feel more thirsty and generally don’t feel I ride as well.
I use to train MMA for nearly a decade… switched to cycling to maintain long term health… however during my mma training if I were to just drink straight water my body and muscles would start cramping up in about an hour forcing me to cut the day off short. Started adding an electrolytes mix into my water and problem solved. LMNT is a game changer for me I won’t workout without it now
I've done quite some ultra-endurance-like rides throughout the years, and I've definitely noticed that upping my salt intake quite substantially helps immensely. Would be interesting to measure this.
I always add around 3g of sea salt to each bottle and add plenty on my meals. I'm also low carb at the moment just during easy endurance miles, which means you lose a lot of water and with it you lose minerals.
I had cramps on every race I did till I did a PFH sweat test and found out I was a highly salty sweater. I've been focussing on taking the right amount since then and the only cramp I had was a local race where I was complacent and didn't take salt.
@@jeffhebert8963 I'm sure age and fitness factors in too. I need a lot of salt when cycling, but I am 60 and definetly not in elite shape. When I was younger I used to do road races here and there. 10k's usually. Never had a cramp. I think cycling is the most demanding sport I've ever done..
@@jeffhebert8963 I've done two Ironmans, the first one I could barely bike after about half way due to cramps and the run was horrible. The second one I preloaded with salt and had bottles with it in and didn't have any problems. This wasn't the only change but I took two hours off my time and felt so much better.
I normally have a Low Salt V8 veggie drink before I ride. But I might try "regular" V8 juice which has quite a bit more salt...along with the potassium the drink also provides.
I'm only 60, but I know some Vietnam era fellas. When they were over there, they took salt tablets all the time. Sweatin' in the jungle. Makes all the sense in the world.
I follow a ketogenic diet, specifically the Carnivore diet. I can ride 70 plus miles without bonking. I do not need to keep consuming carbs every hour. It is very liberating. When I do take food with me, I make sure it's covered in rock salt. I usually ride the first 20 to 30 miles in a fasted state, then I'll eat my prepped food. No carbs but usually some cooked beef and boiled eggs. This lifestyle is not being promoted because there is no money in it for firms that sell gels and energy bars. I have never been healthier or felt as good in my entrie life. im a 51-year-old guy from the UK. I consume a lot of salt with my food. Salt is good for you. My blood pressure is that of an elite athlete. It is a lie that consuming sodium is bad for us. I cycle around 400 miles a month. I have a few bikes. I love the sport.
How has it affected your explosive efforts? That’s the usual issue with ketogenic diets (carnivore or otherwise). And how long have you been on it now?
On the penultimate day of a long tour after battling weather for a few days, I was struggling severely. I finally reached a store and consumed 2 liters of electrolyte drinks. About 30 minutes later I felt life returning to my legs. The rest of the day, and then the final day (after more electrolytes at breakfast) were glorious.
My shirts look a bit like Alex's in Mallorca. But thats from a normal summer day with a 8km commute. So I would expect a high rate of salt and I know I loose a lot of fluids over the day.
I’d love to see this done for a team on the RAAM. Long hard days across multiple environments for an extended event like that. See how well it helps recovery and endurance.
I always buy elevtrolytes in pure form in powder, mix it and encapsulate it. The body can go without food for a long time, but once electricity can't flow, we're done. In my opinion 90% of bonks and walls are due to missing electrolytes, not glycogen
Have suffered with cramp since school sports. Tends to be hamstrings after an event. Found adding a salt tablet to electrolyte tabs works for cycling in the heat. Then being careful not to sit down with any seat pressure on hamstring, all seems ok but always wary of the hammy going twang.
Salt bad, I really try to avoid it, and I sweat so much that I can lose 6-8 lbs of water weight in a long ride, while drinking through ten bottles of water. American diet has over 3000 mg, so I try to avoid it as much as possible. Only cramp when I’m out of shape.
I can remember salt tablet dispensers in Korean and US military barracks, years ago. For some reason, they discontinued the practice. Don’t know why. Perhaps, the food available was deemed to have sufficient sodium?
The amount of salt in canned beans is enough to give someone a heart attack. The food manufacturers themselves recommend rinsing them to get some of it off.
Woah there... easy on the product placement! Constantly intercutting boring product shots makes for a poor viewing experience and doesn't help your sponsors. Like electolytes, a little goes a long way.
Just started using electrolyte LMNT packs in one of my water bottles and I really like it. Used it for a hot day cycling, and for weightlifting (gym has an outdoor sunny area). Even made a hangover disappear while I was doing a lifting session! Hey, went out for beer on my birthday, but still needed my weights session. I love salty snacks. The drink mix doesn't taste good until sweating begins though. A bit like a fouled up margarita, where the bartender flubs the salt into the limey goodness. But start sweating and it tastes soooo good.
I found out about PFH via RCC review of their products. The sodium tablets are a must for me on intermediate and long ride. Glad GCN are raising their profile of their products 😊.
I was very lucky and met Andy at the Shut Up Legs Charity ride when he tested Jens Voight. I managed to get a sweat test too and have been using PH products ever since. I will be stocking up again ready for the Fred Whitton and then 6 weeks later the Dragon Ride - Dragon route. Hoping to raise lots of money for Macmillan.
Through my lifetime athletic endeavors, I have found hydration to be a real discipline. I can be riding, running, weight training or walking and just feel fine and keep going right along no problem. The problem is making sure and keeping in mind to drink plenty of water, as I found out the hard way a couple of weeks ago. Hydration has to be a priority especially here in the Arizona summer heat. When I got dehydrated a couple of weeks ago, I found that it took me a few days to recover.
Is is yet another commercial ❓ Just eat something wholesome for spikes' sake!! All this is to say our food includes enough salt to replenish the sweat loss. If you ride over 3 or 4 hours, clearly you must stop and eat as well . Eat correctly and don't to drink. There is also an "over the counter" hydration mix powder that you can add to your drink. Eat properly Avoid commercial krappp Mm
Yes. Yes and Yes. All you need is two bottles of salt water (two teaspoons of rock salt for 750ml of water) with two lemons squeezed into each bottle for 100 kms of ride. No electrolytes needed. Nothing else required. Try it.
This is the part of GCN which makes them just not worth watching - purely a commercial for their sponsors product - shame on you all. Anyone watching this would think that cycling was not like any other sport where proper hydration to suit the environment is needed. Perhaps this should be re-titled as the 3 stooges go cycling.
I swear by Trioral rehydration salts. It tastes like sweat, but nothing I've found works as well, though Liquid IV is close - and tastes better. I sweat a tremendous amount and using it at about half concentration seems to work well for me.
Take this all with a grain of salt as your sodium concentration in your sweat is not a fixed rate as Precision Nutrition might have you believe. The rate of sodium loss in sweat is dependent on a few factors, namely sweat rate (sodium content in sweat increases as sweat rate rises as the gland has less time to reclaim electrolytes). Diet and acclimation status also influence sweat sodium concentration. The more sodium you eat, the more sodium you sweat and the more acclimated/acclimatized you get, the less sodium you lose in sweat.
I rarely have salt stains on my cycling clothes but always add a pinch of low sodium salt (its a mix of sodium chloride and potassium chloride, very cheap compared to sports specific products) to my bottles. For longer rides, some salty snacks have given me a greater energy boost than any gel ever could. So don't always get the sweet pastry, get a salted pretzel too ;)
On a tangent, my doctor advised me to increase my salt intake because, get this… my blood pressure is apparently way too low. The salt should increase my BP to something closer to normal/average. I thought that was crazy. Usually doctors are saying to cut down salt intake.
I sweat a lot - I have a layer of dried salt on me after a ride. (Yes, a shower is one of the first things I do when I get home.) Conor - are you coming to the states to tackle Unbound again this year?
I realize this is paid product placement, but after pulling a Connor at Gravel Locos a few years ago, I used the precision fuel calculator and advice on salt and hydration. It has helped me tremendously.
I have never managed to finish anything than a half-marathon distance run without cramping. Did my test with PH when they started years ago, and found out I am losing nearly 2 grams of sodium per litre (i.e. 5 grams of table salt, the recommended daily salt intake according to the NHS). Blanket dietary recommendations are dangerous.
Had a really nasty experience in the heat in Albania when touring with my then GF: I'd never heard of hypotranaemia; she was struggling with the heat and went for icecream and a coke. Result? She almost shut down completely. Terrifying. Kind locals saved the day. I've been very conscious of electolyte balnce ever since. As for me, I sweat buckets but cope well with heat (
Working overseas for 25 years , where we take salt / electrolytes tablets / drinks daily while working in the heat, 12 plus hours of physical work every day for a month or more the coveralls were white with salts!! Absolutely the worst feeling ever fluids pouring out with the same time as your energy, I felt for Alex on that Mallorca ride.
Not salt, sodium citrate. Also my head unit read 109F/42C with sustained temps over 97F/36C for Unbound 200 last year 🥵 in the meantime I've added sodium citrate to my electrolytes. You need less of it to get the same number of sodium ions vs table salt, the latter can cause gut distress in the quantities required by any given person.
Table salt is bad for you anyway - you should have sea salt which is salt with nothing taken away (marketeers call it "refined" to make it sound like it's not A Bad Thing to do) - a better balance of all the micronutrients you need to be healthy.
Great segment. I am fairly new to cycling but was always active with other sports. Cycling is the great equalizer. I was cramping. Pickle juice seems to help alot.
This kind of discussion really intrigues me, I'm trying to figure out what type of sweater am I. Sometimes I weigh my weight before and after my daily ride; the distance is about 20-25km, average speed about 22-23km/h, a fair mix of uphill, downhill and flat road. After each ride I usually I lost about 1 kilogram of weight which I assume from sweat. I usually don't drink much during my daily rides, sometimes I don't bring along my bottle for these rides. Am I considered a heavy, moderate or light sweater?
You can't answer that question without really knowing what the environmental conditions and power output are? Sweat rate while cycling is determined by environmental conditions, clothing and power output, rather than the individual. The individual only describes a very tiny proportion of sweat loss. Also, there can be a significant amount of sweat trapped in your clothes (2-300grams) so some sort of semi-nude/nude weight pre and post-exercise would increase your accuracy
The fear mongering around salt needs to stop. The amount of misinformation based on misinterpreting decades old studies and promoted by a shyster had done so much harm to basic nutrition knowledge. Look into studies from the last couple decades and there's a good change you might need more salt. I know I do
Six pack of Marmite 250g jars from Amazon...problem solved! One thing to note is the relationship between salt and blood pressure appears to be a little looser than previously thought while sugar turns out to be more of a problem unless really making sure you're constructively burning off all you're taking in. IMHO a lot of US/EU etc recommended daily allowances of vitamins and minerals are on the low side and that includes salt intake.
All great info. If the expensive supplements are a challenge, it’s worth trying a low cost option that’s incredibly effective. 1/4 teaspoon each Himalayan salt and cream of tartar (potassium bitartrate), + 1 teaspoon each apple cider vinegar and lemon juice in 450ml water. Drink first thing every morning. Leave out the vinegar for exercise and post exercise hydration and tweak the quantities and flavouring to suit your needs and the conditions. I’ve tried so many things over the years to combat wicked cramping and this has been the most effective by far, as well as the cheapest!
I'd have thought that Dan would be the saltiest presenter. 🤔 Back in the 60s, after a 100 mile TT on a warm day, I noticed that I'd be caked in salt, and had a craving for a salty snack. So I did the obvious thing for my next 100; I put some salt in my water bottle. That didn't go well! 🥴
Boy i needed this vid....Connor aka Morton aka Mr Salty aka Ionzed Gigantia !!! Im 5'10" and sweat crazy like . It bugs alot but i think its good , need to test
😂🥵 What type of "sweater" are you?
Heavy? Mild? Not at all?
Let us know 👇
Am more of a polar fleece or light training jacket... 🙃😁
Have always thought Mild sweater... certainly do get the salt sweats like Murgatroyd did in Spain.
Not had that salt hunger they discussed. And not adverse to the odd night cramps hours after doing a sport.
I love Christmas sweaters, but I'm in Australia so I never get to wear them. 😔
I won't go to Poland to find out.
im the "cant-game-more-than-15-min-cuz-by-then-the-controller-slips-out-of-my-sweaty-hands" type of sweater
For me, after a long day in the sun, I wind-up looking like a heavily salted pretzel stick. And I feel like I'm covered in sand. I said "a long day in the sun", that's the summer sun . And, all that salt on my skin makes me feel like I'm wearing cutting paste.
Conor (and Andy Blow), thanks for bringing us this video - very useful. And thank you and Alex for suffering so much to inspire this video in the first place.
It's our pleasure!
So is Conor going back to Unbound (would that be Rebound)?
I hope so too. Because his first attempt definitely wasa fail. Rebound it is!
I'd love to see Conor take on UnBound again armed with this knowledge, and the right amount of the right fluids! this was super interesting and fits with what I've always thought. I don't have very salty sweat at all and find that in most electrolyte drinks that's all i can taste (that and the sweeteners!) so I'm for sure going to get a test booked!
This episode felt like an infomercial . . .
What your man failed to mention is that sodium (and, to a lesser extent, potassium) is the body's way of controlling water. When you sweat, the cells in your sweat glands are actively pumping sodium ions into the sweat duct. Water follows passively by osmosis; and chloride ions follow passively through chloride-specific pores in the cell membranes to neutralise the electrostatic charge.
I remember watching Alex and Ollie cycling around Majorca, and seeing how much salt Alex lost through sweating. It seems fairly clear that the loss of salt was inhibiting his body's ability to control sweating, and to absorb water, too.
Sodium is also important in being able to absorb the water that you drink. In this case, it's the sodium that your body actively absorbs, while the water and chloride again passively follow the sodium ions. If you're drinking water that has a low sodium content, your body will gradually find it harder and harder to efficiently absorb that water as you lose sodium through sweating.
Totally agree.
Today's ride was ruined most probably because of lack of sodium.
Even though I fueled the ride with carbs as usual, I was loosing power. At the middle of the ride I experiencd something almost identical to bonking.
Kept on dosing carbs with zero effect.
This is not the way I react to carbs after hitting the wall.
There's always a bit of improvement when fuel is the issue.
Also, I'd been peeing constantly. Although I felt too hot, couldn't sweat a bit, and water was leaving the body where it was not optimal.
Had a stop at a gas station where I bought a small sandwich. With its 40 g of carbs it had zero chance of doing a mirracle. In the past couple of hours I've been dosing 60-80 g/h, so half of that can't help.
But, after 10 mins of riding, suddenly my performance came back and I pedalled as if those previous hours of suffering never existed. Had my regular Z2 speed for the remaining 30 mins.
Every muscular contraction requires sodium and every time that muscle relaxes you use potassium. Also you typically need a 2/1 ratio of potassium to sodium. Figured this out when my legs wouldn't stop cramping
@@josephreilman8527 - well, kind of. It's complicated. Nerve impulses require both sodium and potassium, but muscle contraction also requires calcium ions.
Handy guidelines that I found worthwhile. I always take water / fuel with me but never remember to get it in me 😂, hence I’m gulping it down when I get home. This is too late of course. Just did the online test and it sorta confirms I need to fuel & hydrate better on the bike. Cheers guys
Hi, thanks for the comment. Glad that the video could help you out! We found it really interesting to learn more about ourselves!
I have to take it easy on the salt when I'm training and during most races, but to go back to Mannon's video, I need a touch more during my period. Most of these supplements are designed with male participants. I'm glad to see Mannon participating in this too. I do cycling, endurance- triathlon/ ironman, and climbing mountains, so the need varies per activity as well.
That's a super important point! Thanks for commenting, It's a very interesting subject - we're keen to delve deeper in 🙌
Salt in serum gives an osmotic Power that keeps water in blood longer , as a result it gives a longer time to hydrate tissues. Secondly higher Total blood volume gives stronger tissue perfusion, including muscles (better muscle perfusion=more oxygen in muscle etc)
My trick has always been to carry salty snacks and have an electrolyte beverage available, then go by feel. If I'm feeling hot and faded or craving salt, it's time to munch the nuts or break open the bag of salty chips.
It also varies over the season. In the spring, when the sweat season starts, my eyes burn like mad from salty sweating. But in the autumn, it feels a lot less salty.
It would be nice to see GCN do an episode on the subject of night sweats, caused by high intensity exercise, caused by transient hypoglycemia in none diabetics. I have suffered from it for years after heavy high intensity workouts. I have just found out how a fy's cream chocolate bar can stop it after eating one as I get into bed. Other chocolate bars are available.
Hi Guys, i found I'm a salty perspirer by the very expensive test of licking a bit of sweat. It tasted salty!
My solution when I go out on a hot day is a little container of salt (I use an old 35mm film pot) and can have a finger dip lick from time to time, or my more favoured is a bag of ready salted crisps with extra salt at stops. My conclusion that it works is based on the better feeling and perking up in performance straight after.
This idea isn't new though. Farmers have been putting salt licks out for cattle for years.
Did you grew up in de desert,by any chance? I'm grew up in the Sonora desert in Mexico and traditionally added salt to oranges, lemonades, watermelons, etc. We did it particularly during the summer months when, as kids, spent most of the time playing outdoors.
@@fiimble Hi Jorge. No I grew up in the UK where sometimes its really warm. I had to work it out.
I just had one of these tests done about 2 weeks ago. I thought I was losing a lot of salt in my rides and it turns out I am a below normal salt sweater. I now know how to adjust my salt intake for my 200km rides in 95 F heat. As an example, on my smart trainer for a 1 hr ride at 65 F at 145 W, I was losing 2.2lbs to sweat. I am 55, 6' 4" and 225lbs atm. So on the longer rides you can see how that can add up quick. Even drinking 36oz of water/hr on those rides at 95F, I didn't have to pee for over 6 hrs.
This explains my cravings after long excercises aligned more towards pickles and sausages than drinks.
Important to know, but just mix it yourself. MUCH cheaper and the ingredients and also the amount can easily be found online
I've been using an hdrop hydration sensor for the past year. The feedback on my sweat rate and sodium concentration is great, and I'm going to be trying the PFH higher strength electrolyte mix as my sodium concentration is routinely well over 1000mg/L.
Dear Dr.Olie, your thoughts as a chemistry scientist on this topic are important! ⚗️ Make the video complete 😉
Since this is based on conductivity, I would think being more hydrated with just straight water would dilute this test. Maybe that is the point? To me, this test seems overboard, and it is guesswork. Why do we need a test to tell us information that we should be able to determine. If I am suffering from cramping muscles, I up the electrolyte concentration in the sweaty summer months. I feel it is more about being in tune with your bodies needs. Good info to think about but I feel the conductivity result is not going to help with what an individuals needs are.
We 100% agree, being in-tune with your body is super important. That being said, when you're in the thick of racing or deep into an endurance event, it can be tough to see the wood through the trees and having some boundaries to work within can make life a lot easier.
As for the test itself, the conductivity method provides relative sweat sodium concentration (milligrams per litre) which is largely determined by the genetic component of your sweat glands, and not affected by hydration status at the time of testing. The method has been validated against flame photometry which is the gold standard for sodium analysis. We'd be happy to share the research on this if you're interested?
This is some awesome information. Thanks for this GCN...
All the chili and BBQ here in Texas. No lack of salt.
I've got super high blood pressure and my GP has given me some pills to bring my blood pressure down, but one thing that my GP did say is don't put extra salt on your food.
An electrolyte imbalance is an overlooked cause. If you cut back on salt but you still don't get enough potassium/magnesium it won't matter
I have a bottle for water and a bottle for electrolytes as well as some electrolyte gummies! I have been able to bike a lot farther since I started consuming electrolytes. I also feel way less exhausted after my long rides.
It's the way to go 🙌 Great to hear that you've been getting your nutrition sorted!
I live in the tropics, so 30° Celsius rides are not uncommon. On those hot weather rides I take salt tablets and liquid magnesium to help replenish minerals and prevent cramps.
This is so interesting. I raced back in the eighties when we knew NOTHING about sports nutrition. I was in a mountain top finish race and got dropped at the bottom of the very long climb. I felt terrible! About halfway up the climb my mother handed me some watermelon water which was very salty, and I started feeling better immediately. I bridged a three-minute gap in the last 10 km and caught the lead riders in the last 500 meters and smashed them in the sprint winning the race. After almost 40 years, I have an explanation as to why this happened. Thank you GCN.
See! Mothers know best 🙌 Great to hear that you smashed the race! It's amazing how far sports nutrition has come
nice advertorial.
I sweat a lot but what I find is any watch straps etc just rot! This is a great video and info not just for sports people but everyday life.
Table salt is a lot cheaper than the fancy hydration tablets.
I always take a stock cube with me on long rides. Perfect to nibble in a crisis
Geez this is a great video. I sweat utter buckets and I have suffered some really bad spasms and horrendous cramps after riding sometimes. I think what ever they are selling, I'll probably need it..
So glad that the video helped you out! 🥰
We'd love to hear how you get on testing our PH 1500's. Our team on email are always happy to help answer any specific questions.
@@precisionfandh Thank you I should definitely give it a go anyway.
Salt is really important. I notice no matter what the temperature if I don’t have salt tablets in my drinks I end up peeing more. Feel more thirsty and generally don’t feel I ride as well.
Your potassium levels are just as important.
I use to train MMA for nearly a decade… switched to cycling to maintain long term health… however during my mma training if I were to just drink straight water my body and muscles would start cramping up in about an hour forcing me to cut the day off short. Started adding an electrolytes mix into my water and problem solved. LMNT is a game changer for me I won’t workout without it now
Electrolytes are the way to go 🙌 - What sport do you prefer MMA or Cycling?
I've done quite some ultra-endurance-like rides throughout the years, and I've definitely noticed that upping my salt intake quite substantially helps immensely. Would be interesting to measure this.
I always add around 3g of sea salt to each bottle and add plenty on my meals. I'm also low carb at the moment just during easy endurance miles, which means you lose a lot of water and with it you lose minerals.
Damn, why is salt so rare in this world? It should be buyable for 40cent/250g.
I had cramps on every race I did till I did a PFH sweat test and found out I was a highly salty sweater. I've been focussing on taking the right amount since then and the only cramp I had was a local race where I was complacent and didn't take salt.
I’ve been having trouble cramping the last couple years also. Gotta look into this.
@@jeffhebert8963 I'm sure age and fitness factors in too. I need a lot of salt when cycling, but I am 60 and definetly not in elite shape. When I was younger I used to do road races here and there. 10k's usually. Never had a cramp. I think cycling is the most demanding sport I've ever done..
@@jeffhebert8963 I've done two Ironmans, the first one I could barely bike after about half way due to cramps and the run was horrible. The second one I preloaded with salt and had bottles with it in and didn't have any problems. This wasn't the only change but I took two hours off my time and felt so much better.
It's great to hear that the results have helped you out!
It's great to hear we've been able to help. Keep up the good work!
I normally have a Low Salt V8 veggie drink before I ride. But I might try "regular" V8 juice which has quite a bit more salt...along with the potassium the drink also provides.
I'm only 60, but I know some Vietnam era fellas. When they were over there, they took salt tablets all the time. Sweatin' in the jungle. Makes all the sense in the world.
Can we just take a moment to recognise Si’s boots… they’re amazing, they make Crocs look good.
I've experienced the problems with underdosing but would like to understand what happens if you take too much electrolytes in?
That's a great question! We will try and find out
I follow a ketogenic diet, specifically the Carnivore diet. I can ride 70 plus miles without bonking. I do not need to keep consuming carbs every hour. It is very liberating. When I do take food with me, I make sure it's covered in rock salt. I usually ride the first 20 to 30 miles in a fasted state, then I'll eat my prepped food. No carbs but usually some cooked beef and boiled eggs. This lifestyle is not being promoted because there is no money in it for firms that sell gels and energy bars. I have never been healthier or felt as good in my entrie life. im a 51-year-old guy from the UK. I consume a lot of salt with my food. Salt is good for you. My blood pressure is that of an elite athlete. It is a lie that consuming sodium is bad for us. I cycle around 400 miles a month. I have a few bikes. I love the sport.
How has it affected your explosive efforts? That’s the usual issue with ketogenic diets (carnivore or otherwise). And how long have you been on it now?
On the penultimate day of a long tour after battling weather for a few days, I was struggling severely. I finally reached a store and consumed 2 liters of electrolyte drinks. About 30 minutes later I felt life returning to my legs. The rest of the day, and then the final day (after more electrolytes at breakfast) were glorious.
We bet it was the quickest you've ever drinken 2 liters 😂
@@gcn When the electrolyte actually tastes good, you know you needed it! 😄
After pretty much any tough ride, I'll be sitting on the sofa in the evening and then.......................mahoosive cramps !!
One full teaspoon per 80-100km, depending on the day.
My go to during Ironman was chicken broth! Ran out of ThermaTabs early.
My shirts look a bit like Alex's in Mallorca. But thats from a normal summer day with a 8km commute. So I would expect a high rate of salt and I know I loose a lot of fluids over the day.
I’d love to see this done for a team on the RAAM. Long hard days across multiple environments for an extended event like that. See how well it helps recovery and endurance.
We're super excited by having Precision Fuel & Hydration on board with us, We're going to be able to make content like this 🙌
I always buy elevtrolytes in pure form in powder, mix it and encapsulate it. The body can go without food for a long time, but once electricity can't flow, we're done. In my opinion 90% of bonks and walls are due to missing electrolytes, not glycogen
Have suffered with cramp since school sports. Tends to be hamstrings after an event. Found adding a salt tablet to electrolyte tabs works for cycling in the heat. Then being careful not to sit down with any seat pressure on hamstring, all seems ok but always wary of the hammy going twang.
Cramp can feel nasty 👀 - Have you found that electrolytes have helped?
Generally regularly supplementing magnesium can help your muscles relax and not to cramp up. Has helped me a lot
In the Smurfs, Gargamel needed the sweat from 6 Smurfs to turn lead into gold. I wonder how many GCN presenters' sweat he would need...
Your right ,but I think that for the average ax'er this is an adequate enough place to start.
Honey, salt and tap water. My go to. Better than any crap that costs £40.00 for 10 bottles worth, and pure natural
Who the heck is holding the camera?? …. Shaky McShaky from ShakesVille Arrazone-shake ?!
Ah, it was our member of staff, Milk Shake 😂
Salt bad, I really try to avoid it, and I sweat so much that I can lose 6-8 lbs of water weight in a long ride, while drinking through ten bottles of water. American diet has over 3000 mg, so I try to avoid it as much as possible. Only cramp when I’m out of shape.
I can remember salt tablet dispensers in Korean and US military barracks, years ago. For some reason, they discontinued the practice. Don’t know why. Perhaps, the food available was deemed to have sufficient sodium?
The amount of salt in canned beans is enough to give someone a heart attack. The food manufacturers themselves recommend rinsing them to get some of it off.
I was hoping to understand more if too much sodium in sweat is one of the main causes of cramp…
Woah there... easy on the product placement! Constantly intercutting boring product shots makes for a poor viewing experience and doesn't help your sponsors. Like electolytes, a little goes a long way.
Just started using electrolyte LMNT packs in one of my water bottles and I really like it. Used it for a hot day cycling, and for weightlifting (gym has an outdoor sunny area). Even made a hangover disappear while I was doing a lifting session! Hey, went out for beer on my birthday, but still needed my weights session.
I love salty snacks. The drink mix doesn't taste good until sweating begins though. A bit like a fouled up margarita, where the bartender flubs the salt into the limey goodness. But start sweating and it tastes soooo good.
I found out about PFH via RCC review of their products. The sodium tablets are a must for me on intermediate and long ride. Glad GCN are raising their profile of their products 😊.
We're super excited to have the join us as a partner of the channel 🙌 What content would you like us to make?
Great Great Great video
I was very lucky and met Andy at the Shut Up Legs Charity ride when he tested Jens Voight. I managed to get a sweat test too and have been using PH products ever since. I will be stocking up again ready for the Fred Whitton and then 6 weeks later the Dragon Ride - Dragon route. Hoping to raise lots of money for Macmillan.
It was but not now. Increased my salt in my drinks snd sorted.👍
Through my lifetime athletic endeavors, I have found hydration to be a real discipline. I can be riding, running, weight training or walking and just feel fine and keep going right along no problem. The problem is making sure and keeping in mind to drink plenty of water, as I found out the hard way a couple of weeks ago. Hydration has to be a priority especially here in the Arizona summer heat. When I got dehydrated a couple of weeks ago, I found that it took me a few days to recover.
Would taking tissue salt help with cramp prevention?
Is is yet another commercial ❓
Just eat something wholesome for spikes' sake!!
All this is to say our food includes enough salt to replenish the sweat loss.
If you ride over 3 or 4 hours, clearly you must stop and eat as well .
Eat correctly and don't to drink.
There is also an "over the counter" hydration mix powder that you can add to your drink.
Eat properly
Avoid commercial krappp
Mm
Yes. Yes and Yes. All you need is two bottles of salt water (two teaspoons of rock salt for 750ml of water) with two lemons squeezed into each bottle for 100 kms of ride. No electrolytes needed. Nothing else required. Try it.
This is the part of GCN which makes them just not worth watching - purely a commercial for their sponsors product - shame on you all. Anyone watching this would think that cycling was not like any other sport where proper hydration to suit the environment is needed. Perhaps this should be re-titled as the 3 stooges go cycling.
I swear by Trioral rehydration salts. It tastes like sweat, but nothing I've found works as well, though Liquid IV is close - and tastes better. I sweat a tremendous amount and using it at about half concentration seems to work well for me.
Drink LMNT is a game changer
Take this all with a grain of salt as your sodium concentration in your sweat is not a fixed rate as Precision Nutrition might have you believe. The rate of sodium loss in sweat is dependent on a few factors, namely sweat rate (sodium content in sweat increases as sweat rate rises as the gland has less time to reclaim electrolytes).
Diet and acclimation status also influence sweat sodium concentration. The more sodium you eat, the more sodium you sweat and the more acclimated/acclimatized you get, the less sodium you lose in sweat.
I rarely have salt stains on my cycling clothes but always add a pinch of low sodium salt (its a mix of sodium chloride and potassium chloride, very cheap compared to sports specific products) to my bottles. For longer rides, some salty snacks have given me a greater energy boost than any gel ever could. So don't always get the sweet pastry, get a salted pretzel too ;)
On a tangent, my doctor advised me to increase my salt intake because, get this… my blood pressure is apparently way too low. The salt should increase my BP to something closer to normal/average. I thought that was crazy. Usually doctors are saying to cut down salt intake.
I sweat a lot - I have a layer of dried salt on me after a ride. (Yes, a shower is one of the first things I do when I get home.)
Conor - are you coming to the states to tackle Unbound again this year?
I realize this is paid product placement, but after pulling a Connor at Gravel Locos a few years ago, I used the precision fuel calculator and advice on salt and hydration. It has helped me tremendously.
It's great to hear that we were able to help!
So an Irish lad and an English bloke travel to really hot places to do ultra endurance events and suffer. Who knew?
Friendship ended with SIS. Now, Precision Hydration is my bestfriend.
Anything is upper 40s when you’re from Ireland. 🇮🇪
I have never managed to finish anything than a half-marathon distance run without cramping. Did my test with PH when they started years ago, and found out I am losing nearly 2 grams of sodium per litre (i.e. 5 grams of table salt, the recommended daily salt intake according to the NHS). Blanket dietary recommendations are dangerous.
Had a really nasty experience in the heat in Albania when touring with my then GF: I'd never heard of hypotranaemia; she was struggling with the heat and went for icecream and a coke. Result? She almost shut down completely. Terrifying. Kind locals saved the day. I've been very conscious of electolyte balnce ever since.
As for me, I sweat buckets but cope well with heat (
Did you mean hyponatraemia? That’s when sodium concentration in the blood is too low.
That would be it yes. Evidently alcohol not conducive to accuracy...
Working overseas for 25 years , where we take salt / electrolytes tablets / drinks daily while working in the heat, 12 plus hours of physical work every day for a month or more the coveralls were white with salts!! Absolutely the worst feeling ever fluids pouring out with the same time as your energy, I felt for Alex on that Mallorca ride.
Not salt, sodium citrate. Also my head unit read 109F/42C with sustained temps over 97F/36C for Unbound 200 last year 🥵 in the meantime I've added sodium citrate to my electrolytes. You need less of it to get the same number of sodium ions vs table salt, the latter can cause gut distress in the quantities required by any given person.
Table salt is bad for you anyway - you should have sea salt which is salt with nothing taken away (marketeers call it "refined" to make it sound like it's not A Bad Thing to do) - a better balance of all the micronutrients you need to be healthy.
Now i know why he likes bar bags. Some place to store that hat. Lol
Just had my sweat test done. I beat out all the GCN presenters at 1538.
Connor looking like he’s starting a GCN Britpop band
Great segment. I am fairly new to cycling but was always active with other sports. Cycling is the great equalizer. I was cramping. Pickle juice seems to help alot.
When in a pickle...
Pickle juice is a gravel cyclists go to 🙌
This kind of discussion really intrigues me, I'm trying to figure out what type of sweater am I. Sometimes I weigh my weight before and after my daily ride; the distance is about 20-25km, average speed about 22-23km/h, a fair mix of uphill, downhill and flat road. After each ride I usually I lost about 1 kilogram of weight which I assume from sweat. I usually don't drink much during my daily rides, sometimes I don't bring along my bottle for these rides. Am I considered a heavy, moderate or light sweater?
You can't answer that question without really knowing what the environmental conditions and power output are? Sweat rate while cycling is determined by environmental conditions, clothing and power output, rather than the individual. The individual only describes a very tiny proportion of sweat loss. Also, there can be a significant amount of sweat trapped in your clothes (2-300grams) so some sort of semi-nude/nude weight pre and post-exercise would increase your accuracy
An excess of fat and years are what is holding me back. Lol
I loved the reenactment of the San Remo sofa with the crew. My bet would have been Alex based on how his jersey looked like in the Mallorca video.
The fear mongering around salt needs to stop. The amount of misinformation based on misinterpreting decades old studies and promoted by a shyster had done so much harm to basic nutrition knowledge. Look into studies from the last couple decades and there's a good change you might need more salt. I know I do
I am more “salty” when doing high intensity. Does this make sense?
Km interested to know whether if you haven't tested it is better to be on the high or low side.
I thought Manon was gonna be the least salty since she’s the sweetest 😅
Six pack of Marmite 250g jars from Amazon...problem solved! One thing to note is the relationship between salt and blood pressure appears to be a little looser than previously thought while sugar turns out to be more of a problem unless really making sure you're constructively burning off all you're taking in. IMHO a lot of US/EU etc recommended daily allowances of vitamins and minerals are on the low side and that includes salt intake.
yes
Looks like Conor found the Tour de Zwift hat.
All great info. If the expensive supplements are a challenge, it’s worth trying a low cost option that’s incredibly effective. 1/4 teaspoon each Himalayan salt and cream of tartar (potassium bitartrate), + 1 teaspoon each apple cider vinegar and lemon juice in 450ml water. Drink first thing every morning. Leave out the vinegar for exercise and post exercise hydration and tweak the quantities and flavouring to suit your needs and the conditions. I’ve tried so many things over the years to combat wicked cramping and this has been the most effective by far, as well as the cheapest!
It is worth looking at your potassium levels too.
I use Liquid IV in every water bottle on every ride.
I'd have thought that Dan would be the saltiest presenter. 🤔
Back in the 60s, after a 100 mile TT on a warm day, I noticed that I'd be caked in salt, and had a craving for a salty snack. So I did the obvious thing for my next 100; I put some salt in my water bottle. That didn't go well! 🥴
I'm from Philadelphia, and a Philly soft pretzel is great bike fuel! Soft Pretzel = Salt + Carbs = Fun Summer Ride in Philly.
Boy i needed this vid....Connor aka Morton aka Mr Salty aka Ionzed Gigantia !!! Im 5'10" and sweat crazy like . It bugs alot but i think its good , need to test
Does taking on too much salt affect your heart rate?