Gatorade - waste of money? (Page 2)

gotcha...I didn't feel anyone was condescending to you though, read through the posts again...

So somebody disagreed with your idea of injecting things into your veins as an equivalent of drinking Gatorade, and that was condescending to you?  Seriously?

I meant that "I" re read the posts again...I wouldn't tell YOU what to do, I can't follow my own directions! You may find, after years, that every product you use will be later replaced by the next best thing...

I meant that "I" re read the posts again...I wouldn't tell YOU what to do, I can't follow my own directions! You may find, after years, that every product you use will be later replaced by the next best thing...Gatorade will STILL be around! have a good race season

(see I even hit submit twice...)

g2  tastes pretty salty to me (yep, I know it has a higher 'lyte count)

I do some pretty tough long-distance running workouts when I'm marathon training (7:40 pace x 20-22 miles), and water's still the only way I'd go. I use either gels or homemade energy bars for the salt/calories, which seems to work well. 

Sweat is hypotonic, meaning closer to water than blood plasma in electrolytes, so if you're going hard, water is actually a better replacement. I prefer to keep the electrolytes and calories separate from the hydration; I find it more easy to control intake that way, as if temps go up and sweat increases, you'll need more free water as opposed to electrolyte-laden fluids.

 I use gatorade because it will always reliably be on every triathlon course* that way i am used to it and know i can stomach it.  I also use the cans and make it a bit dilute b/c the regular concentration is very sweet to me and like others have said.... is really good for hangovers

x2

I am also more likely to drink watery gatorade during a long hot workout.  I've noticed that I am not as likely to drink water in those cases.

why do you hate the University of Florida?

Wait, this isn't COJ. NM

 HA!

Yep, I love how Gatorade gets beat up on as 'crap' even though they invented an entire industry and are far and away the market leader. They even have a sports science institute that you can earn credits and read the research. http://www.gssiweb.com/.  It's lonely at the top....

I'm training for my 1st half mary and use a GU every 30 minutes.  I use Infinit for bike hydration for tris and mtn biking.  We keep a large jug of Gatorade in the garage fridge for the kids and I'll take a hit off of it when doing yard work.  Our 12 year old loves G2 for lacrosse practice and games.  As others have said, it is wonderful for a wine hangover.

I'm a Gatorade fan, especially the Endurance and G2 blends, so I don't consider it a waste of money.  It's a decent source of carbs, electrolytes and hydration during workouts, IMO.  I'm also a fan of Accelerade for any workout lasting more than a couple hours (longer bike rides), as the protein SEEMS to help keep me going longer - that might just be my perception though.

On a somewhat side note, since someone did mention the High-Fructose Corn Syrup aspect with respect to Gatorade, and that's one of the complaints I hear about it most from other athletes, there's a decent write-up in the March 2009 Triathlete magazine on p.138.

My take on the article is that it seems to indicate that fructose (HCFS) is no worse or better for you than any other sugar, and it's the amount of the stuff we take in that contributes to weight gain, etc., rather than the substance itself.  There's even a couple of paragraphs at the end that talk about a study that indicates a sports drink with a glucose-fructose mix (yep, that would be Gatorade) may help produce more muscle energy than one with only a single type of sugar.  The technical details are in the article, which is certainly worth reading.

Like a lot of science, there are some contradictory results that probably bear more research before any "facts" can be established.  In the meantime, I'll keep ordering my Gatorade Endurance powder and buying G2 at the store. 

Since you don't approve of Gatorade, what do you recommend?

Take me for example.  I weigh 207.  My marathon will take 4:30. The aid stations will have gatorade & water.  (No bananas, no juice).  As I understand it, my glycogen stores will be depleted after approximately 90 minutes, unless I supplement them with calories consumed during the race.  Which would put me with about 17 miles to go with no energy.

"Carbo-Pro contains 100% Complex Carbs (3.0 lbs) and is a nonsweet (neutral flavor) glucose polymer, derived through a patented process that consists of D-glucose units linked primarly by alpha-1-4 bonds, having a Dextrose Equivalency of less than 16..."

Sounds like you have plucked an apple off of a tree.

Research doesn't exactly agree with you..

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15707379?ordinalpos=1&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum

here's the abstract:

Triathlon combines three disciplines (swimming, cycling and running) and competitions last between 1 hour 50 minutes (Olympic distance) and 14 hours (Ironman distance). Independent of the distance, dehydration and carbohydrate (CHO) depletion are the most likely causes of fatigue in triathlon, whereas gastrointestinal (GI) problems, hyperthermia and hyponatraemia are potentially health threatening, especially in longer events. Although glycogen supercompensation may be beneficial for triathlon performance (even Olympic distance), this does not necessarily have to be achieved by the traditional supercompensation protocol. More recently, studies have revealed ways to increase muscle glycogen concentrations to very high levels with minimal modifications in diet and training.During competition, cycling provides the best opportunity to ingest fluids. The optimum CHO concentration seems to be in the range of 5-8% and triathletes should aim to achieve a CHO intake of 60-70 g/hour. Triathletes should attempt to limit body mass losses to 1% of body mass. In all cases, a drink should contain sodium (30-50 mmol/L) for optimal absorption and prevention of hyponatraemia.Post-exercise rehydration is best achieved by consuming beverages that have a high sodium content (>60 mmol/L) in a volume equivalent to 150% of body mass loss. GI problems occur frequently, especially in long-distance triathlon. Problems seem related to the intake of highly concentrated carbohydrate solutions, or hyperosmotic drinks, and the intake of fibre, fat and protein. Endotoxaemia has been suggested as an explanation for some of the GI problems, but this has not been confirmed by recent research. Although mild endotoxaemia may occur after an Ironman-distance triathlon, this does not seem to be related to the incidence of GI problems. Hyponatraemia has occasionally been reported, especially among slow competitors in triathlons and probably arises due to loss of sodium in sweat coupled with very high intakes (8-10 L) of water or other low-sodium drinks.

how many calories are in water?  I'm pretty sure it's zero.  Gatorade was little benefit over water during sub 1 hour workouts....once you are over 1.5-2 hours, the calories can be good

To paraphrase Patches O'Houlihan:  "Necessary?  No its not necessary but its sterile and I like the taste!"  Um, yeah.

Anywho, I used to love drinking it in college with meals.  I dont know if playing soccer competively I craved it for sodium or whatever, I just liked it.  Still enjoy it after a tough workout that I am without a recovery drink, though I know it does nothing for recovery.  I trained my first IM run to use GE on the course and it worked out fine, though my last stand alone I went water, gels and salt tabs only.  Find what works for ya and go with it.  And if it doesnt work for ya but works for someone else, guess what?  Thats just the way it is.  I know dudes who eat Pop Tarts and drink pickle juice before races (one guy does both).  Been through gatorade, perp (have fun with that on a warm day and doesnt work for me on the run), heed (blech, but might work for you), gu, hammer gels, infinit, powerbar, etc.  Some works for me, some doesnt.  RE the sugar comments, you will find aid stations on ultras with gummy bears, m and m's, and other simple sugar foods along with PBJ etc.  I think the chocolate cake thing might not be as silly as the point you are trying to make in a sugar sense, but processing solids is much more difficult than fuel in fluid or mush and that would be a problem.  Dunno.  Its personal, find what works for ya.  I think gatorade does have value as a fuel source.  i think there is better options, but if its there i might use it.

I used regular gatorade for almost a year and it worked for me just fine.  I switched from the orange flavor to the lemon lime for taste.  Here's a big plus for gatorade, you can buy a 3lb can of it for under $10 bucks.... I think around $8.  I now use Carbo-Pro and Accelerade mixed (my own ratio) and it works great, but quite a bit more expensive.  I switched from gatorade because my new mixture seems to work better for me on longer 2 hour+ workouts.  In the end you have to find what works best for you by trial and error and when you find something that works for you, stick with it.  Oh yeah, one big negative on gatorade is that it gets SUPER sticky and I hate getting it on my hands.  So to answer the OP, IMHO it is not a waste of money.