best drink for training?

What is the best drink for training, i used to drink this sports drink which is called active I think and didnt have too much crap in it, but now I am unable to find it and I drink powerade which has all that rubbish in it, Can anyone recommend a sports drink or anything which effective for training in Kickboxing or other martial arts?

personally I dont know if its just me,
I stick to water while training, and usually some form of protein shake afterwards. but during training its water for me all the way.

Craig

Hi Five carb Drink 22.pound a tub makes thrity drinks is natural and full of awesomeness...

Isnt the carb drinks for building up, I think Water is a good bet I guess.

Water with lemon juice and a teaspoon of honey.

i drink water, straight, coas im 'ard

lol.

water for me all the way though.
if not, go for lucozade isotonic. it gets absorbed into the body extra quickly due to the viscosity of the mix or something. really good if you dehydrate fast.

Im with Craig on this one, water during training (lots of it!!) and then a protein shake after............before eating evening meal!!

Tim

What are peoples thoughts on a drink called "Viper" its made by maxi muscle and its one you make up, from powder, you can use it before, during and after training.Its for rehydration and recovery, some of the guys we train with Tim, use it.

www.maximuscle.com/viper

the his five drink is completely natural and isotonic...honey lemon water a pinch of salt is proved to be just as effective as lucozade for hydration...

cool, i didnt know that Pete
just honey, lemon and a little salt? as in homemade? thats really interesting. might make up a batch and see how it tastes

Diarolyte's good because it replaces all the salts and minerals you need after a good sweat and prevents cramp.

It's also quote......

Replaces Body Fluids & Salts Lost During
Illness. Recommended for the Correction
of Water & Salt Loss in Infants, Children &
Adults & the Treatment of Diarrhoea

So that's gotta be good ennit?

Substitue the suger for honey or unrefined sugar and make sure the waters warm to melt the honey/ sugar and just a tiny amount of salt..

WHY TAKING ON FLUID IS SO IMPORTANT
By
David Dixon
FA Physical Fitness Coordinator
for London CFA

The body is made up of between 45 and 60% water. Whereas we can go without food for up to two months, we would only survive about two days without water before our body would poison itself to death with our own waste products.
Water is vital for chemical reactions in digestion and metabolism. It carries nutrients and oxygen to the cells through the blood and helps cool the body through perspiration. Water also lubricates our joints. We also need water to breathe: our lungs must be moist to take in oxygen and excrete carbon dioxide.
Fluid loss is dependent on a person’s activity level as well as environmental temperature and humidity. A sedentary adult in this country can expect to lose as much as 2500ml of water per day. We would lose this fluid in the following way: -

1500ml excretion by kidneys in the form of urine
500ml evaporation and perspiration from the skin
300ml from the lungs
200ml from gastrointestinal tract

Water losses have to be made up by water gains. The body makes a small amount: 200ml/day. Therefore 2300ml has to be ingested in either liquid or food form.
Exercise increases muscular work and three quarters of muscular activity is lost as heat. Therefore sweat production is increased to maintain body temperature via evaporation.
The rate of respiration increases to supply sufficient oxygen to muscles, which results in greater water loss from the lungs. Therefore it can be seen that exercise significantly increases fluid loss, which can reach up to 4 litres per hour during heavy exercise.

As can be seen above, a loss of as little as 2% of our body mass through dehydration, especially during exercise, impairs our performance. In tests, a person’s ability to run 10 km was reduced by 7%

HOW DOES DEHYDRATION AFFECT THE BODY?

Blood plasma is 92% water. Therefore dehydration reduces the volume of blood in the body, which makes the cardio respiratory system work harder to pump blood around and deliver sufficient oxygen to the working muscles. Exercise will feel much harder and performance is impaired: your body system is not working as efficiently as it does when it when hydrated. As dehydration continues nausea and vomiting may be experienced. A 5% reduction in total body mass can lead to a drop in performance by 30%. Any loss greater than this creates weakness, confusion and dizziness leading ultimately to coma and death if fluid is not replaced.

HOW DOES THE BODY RECOGNIZE IT HAS A PROBLEM WITH FLUID LOSS?

Thirst and the stimulation of thirst by dehydration are known as “negative feedback system”. Physiologically dehydration results in

decreased flow of saliva;
decreased blood volume;
increased blood osmotic pressure.

These three reactions to dehydration stimulate the thirst centre. However the thirst mechanism is relatively slow. To the majority of Referees thirst will be viewed as an indicator that they need to drink or they will become dehydrated. The fact is though that thirst is a sign that the person is already in the early stages of dehydration. It should also be noted that the thirst mechanism tends to be depressed during exercise, which increases the level of dehydration, which occurs before thirst is sensed. This is the reason why fluid replacement should be considered before, during and after physical activity.

HOW MUCH AND WHEN?

The body will only partially regulate water balance through the sensation of thirst as thirst is quenched before a sufficient amount of fluid has been drunk. In one recent study, subjects exercised in hot surroundings and were allowed to drink as much as they wanted. It was found that only 70% of fluid needed to restore the loss was consumed. In another study, the fluid intake of three groups of marching soldiers was monitored. The first group was not allowed to drink at all, the second group was allowed to drink as much as they wanted and the third group were instructed to drink at regular intervals. When the performance of these groups was evaluated, it was found that the first group performed the worst and that the third group, which drank the most, performed better than the other two groups.
These studies show that more fluid has to be drunk than enough just to satisfy the sensation of thirst. The colour of urine is a good indicator of the fluid balance and the need for water. If the body is dehydrated, the amount of water in the urine is reduced and the colour becomes a stronger yellow.

WHEN TO DRINK

It is important that the referee is not dehydrated before a match. The referee should begin the process of “topping up” with fluid the day before the match. The intake of coffee should be limited as coffee contains caffeine, which has a diuretic effect and causes the body to lose larger amounts of water than is absorbed from coffee.
On the day of the match, referees should have plenty to drink and be encouraged to drink even when they are not feeling thirsty. However, during the last hour before the match referees should not have more than 300ml to drink every 15 minutes.

During the match
During the match small amounts of fluid should be drunk frequently. It is optimal to drink between 100ml and 300ml every 15 minutes. This will give a total fluid intake of between one and two litres. Although fluid intake is important, it should not interfere with the game. Natural pauses in the game should be used. It may be of benefit to place a bottle of fluid by one of the goals or near the half way line.

After the match
In a study, the water balance of some players was measured after a match. Although the players were advised to drink plenty of fluid after the match, only half the lost water was replaced during the first four hours and it took almost ten hours before the fluid balance was fully restored. It is not unusual to be partially dehydrated on the day after the match.

WHAT TO DRINK

Most sports drinks will provide both fluid (water) and energy (carbohydrates). Some will provide electrolytes or minerals e.g. sodium, potassium, magnesium. The sodium or salt is there to encourage a faster and more effective way of providing the maximum amount of water in the shortest period of time.
Drinks will either be in a ready to drink form e.g. in a can, bottles or pouch or be a dried powder, where you need to measure out a number of scoops to a stated amount of water.
The drinks are usually split into 3 categories:
Hypotonic
Isotonic
Hypertonic

Hypotonic drinks
Hypo (or “low”) means that these drinks contain low levels of dissolved substances. They are designed for quick fluid absorption, rather than to provide energy. They can be drunk before, during and after exercise. They typically contain 2-3 grams of carbohydrate per 100ml, i.e. 2-3%. Commercial examples are Replay, Lucozade Low Calorie Sport, Dexter’s Hypo tonic and Hydro-Source.
A homemade hypotonic drink could be made using the following

20g-30g sugar 250 ml fruit juice
1 litre of water 750 ml water
1g-1.5 g (pinch) salt 1g-1.5g (pinch) salt
Sugar free squash for flavouring

If using ordinary squash, please see the table below under the heading “Getting the Strength Right”.

Isotonic drinks
Iso (or “the same as”) means that the concentration in these drinks is the same as in the body, giving fast fluid absorption and a top-up of carbohydrate fuel. They can be drunk before, during and after exercise. They typically contain 5-8 grams of carbohydrate per 100 ml, i.e. 5-8%. Commercial examples are Boots Isotonic, Gatorade, High Five, Isostar, Isotonic Lucozade Sport, Maxim Electrolyte and Science in Sport ‘Go’

A home made isotonic drink could be made using the following

50g-70g sugar 500 ml fruit juice
1 litre of water 500 ml water
1g-1.5 g (pinch) salt 1g-1.5g (pinch) salt
Sugar free squash for flavouring

If using ordinary squash, please see the table below under the heading “Getting the Strength Right”.

Hypertonic drinks
Hyper (or “high”) means that the drinks contain a high concentration of dissolved substances. They are designed to provide carbohydrate for repletion of glycogen stores, i.e. for energy rather than to provide water for hydration. These drinks should only be taken after exercise as they can lead to dehydration and could cause stomach upsets. These drinks usually contain more than 10 grams of carbohydrate per 100 ml, i.e. more than 10% carbohydrate solution. Commercial examples are Boots’ Energy, Carbo Force, Lucozade NRG, Maxim Original and Ultra Fuel.
Other drinks which are not classified as sports drinks but which are hypertonic (and so which should be drunk after exercise has finished) are Coca Cola, Lemonade, Oasis and Tango.

HOME MADE DRINKS

Home made drinks can help save money but it is difficult to exactly re-create the commercial varieties. It is therefore vital that you weigh out the ingredients for your homemade drink as otherwise you could harm (rather than help) your performance.

GETTING THE STRENGTH RIGHT

Grams of CHO per 100 ml of undiluted drink: refer to label Volume of drink needed to make 1 litre of 5% drink Volume of water needed to make 1 litre of 5% drink Volume of drink needed to make 1 litre of 2-3% drink Volume of water needed to make 1 litre of 2-3% drink
5 grams CHO 1000 ml drink No water 500 ml drink 500 ml water
10 500 500 250 750
15 335 665 165 835
20 250 750 125 875
25 200 800 100 900
30 165 835 85 915
35 145 855 70 930
40 125 875 60 940
45 110 890 55 945
50 100 900 50 950
55 90 910 45 955
60 85 915 40 960
65 75 925 40 960
70 70 930 35 965
75 65 935 35 965

Working example

Look at the label on the drinks bottle to find out the number of grams of carbohydrate (CHO) per 100 ml of undiluted (neat) squash, cordial or juice e g 30g of carbohydrate per 100 ml neat squash.
Look down column 1 until you find 30 grams of carbohydrate, then look across the table.
To make 1 litre of a 5% isotonic drink, add 165ml of undiluted squash plus 835 ml of water.
To make 1 litre of a 2.5 % hypotonic drink, add 85 ml of undiluted squash plus 915 ml of water.
In both cases add a pinch of salt to encourage faster and better hydration.


REFERENCES

Ultrafit Magazine Vol 11 No.5 Page 54 DIY Sports Drinks

Insight FA Coaches Association Journal Pages 48 – 49 Dehydration and Rehydration by Don Maclaren

Fitpro Research Article Fluid Regulation and Hydration by Karen Hambly

Article Think you’re drinking enough water? By Leroy R. Perry

Article Fluid fuel for athletes (Sports Medicine Web Site)

Fitness Training in Football – A Scientific Approach by Jens Bansbo

Sports Drinks by Jacqueline Boorman (1999)

FA Publication A Guide to Fitness for Referees.

The blood/tears of my adversarys works for me,
failing that water!

I got the tip about water,lemon juice and teaspoon of honey in a gym one day from a bodybuilder who used to train with the legendary John Citrone.

I kinda do my own isotonic 2L bottle of half water half orange juice and half a teaspoon of salt.

Here's a good combo I make when I'm doing alot of physical work, especially in the heat.
For one bottle of water, add 1 tsp black molasses (very high potassium), 1 tsp apple cider vinegar, and a pinch of salt.
Tastes weird, but works wonders.
I find when I get dehydrated my brain functioning gets markedly slower (actually noticed this motorcycling through India, where by the end of the day I sometimes couldn't even formulate sentences). Plain water does not seem to make any difference, but adding the other stuff does.

If you're gonna have Powerade (and sometimes you have little choice) buff it up with Gastrolyte for a better balance of electrolyte replacement.

For heavy weights, why not also alternate with a protein drink?

I use Sustain, which has a great balance of electrolytes, including the all-important magnesium that the cheaper drinks usually lack.

Water is the best drink. Period.

But I guess the question is what are you looking for in a drink.