Product Review: Sport Drink
If “Return” was a hydration beverage
At first, I didn’t get it. The metal canister. The minimalism. The simple, retro-style branding.
Didn’t the founders know we’re in the AI era? We need to be e/acc’ing, not turning back the clock. What the hell are you guys doing?
Few days went by. All of a sudden it started to make sense. It’s what we’re craving now more than ever: nostalgia. Back to a time of less drowning in constant connectedness. Fewer group chats. Less AI. Less connect your fridge to your microwave to your phone to your dog’s invisible fence. And more authenticity. More of the human condition. More simplicity.
Taking the first sip, I imagined this was what Gatorade set out to be when it was created in 1965. Ads reminiscent of 1970s glass bottles of the original 5-ingredient product.
Ironic. IYKYK.
But then something changed. Like many commercial drink brands, they switched to high fructose corn syrup in the early 1980s for what would become a three-decade period. Now, the drink is even banned in some European countries like Austria & Norway due to its usage of dyes like Yellow 5 and 6 - both containing benzidine 4-amino-biphenyl, which is considered a carcinogen. How far the mighty have fallen.
Once it dawned upon me why Sport Drink made sense as a brand, the prospect of trying it had me fired up. It had the feeling of what Gatorade was in its infancy. It felt like as a consumer you were the early renegade on the adoption curve. Plus, I'm always on the hunt for a properly formulated electrolyte beverage. It's one of the non-negotiables of my daily nutritional intake - especially on high intensity training days.
Ingredient Breakdown
If you've been following me for a while now, you know I'm unapologetically pedantic with supplement formulas. The unfortunate norm within the industry is poor dosing to optimize margins. Full stop. Drives me bananas as it's purposefully aiming to take advantage of consumers who aren't invested in this space (not you though). Nonetheless, can't change the landscape - can only operate more diligently within it. Hence why I so often praise and spread the word about those that truly value the customer's intentions by developing clinically significant/broscience approved formulations. But since you've been following along here, you know the treatment we'll give inefficacious dosages. (Hint: We unabashedly drag them - play dumb games, win…)
So how did Sport Drink hold up in this area?
Time to break down the ingredients:
Organic Cane Sugar → The original natural sweetener. Glucose in this form is fast-digesting and what makes Sport Drink the intra-workout fuel it’s claimed to be. No better route to preserving muscle glycogen stores and providing the energy boost to delay fatigue and keep reps moving at the tail end of a session.
Dead Sea Salt → Somewhere in the past few decades, salt wrongfully became the enemy of the nutrition space. The story of centralized groupthink. Sport Drink correctly didn’t fade the most underestimated pre & intra-workout component. We need sufficient sodium to support fluid balance, muscle contraction, & nerve function.
Sodium Bicarbonate → Bicarb is another underrated tool in the fitness world. It buffers lactic acid buildup in muscles, which is key for our high intensity sessions.
Magnesium Sulphate → If you’re training with the intensity you need to grow, you’re sweating. When you’re sweating, magnesium is being depleted anywhere from 5-15 mg/L making its replenishment required during lifts & HIIT sessions.
Potassium Chloride → Similar to magnesium loss during exercise, potassium is right there with it. It supports cardiovascular function & prevents cramps. The Na+/K- balance is also as well balanced as I’ve seen in an electrolyte formula. Just another indication Sport Drink did their homework when developing.
Organic Lemon & Lime Powder → If you’re going to flavor a product, flavor it naturally with real fruit flavors. Sport Drink did exactly that with its natural citrus powders and did so to make the product delicious without any aftertaste.
✔️ Simple formula
✔️ Efficacious electrolyte profile
✔️ Passes the snake oil test
Flavor Profile
I will be honest: if there are a dozen different flavors available for a typical EAA/pre-workout/hydration powder - lemon lime is one of the last ones I select. That said, the taste is phenomenal. No artificial aftertaste you typically get with sucralose or other artificial flavors. Smooth without an overpowering sweetness profile. The lemon - lime ratio is nicely balanced & more refreshing than other lemon lime electrolyte powders I've tried in the past.
How'd It Perform?
This had all the signs to function as an intra-workout for me. Provided the ingredient composition, this was a no-brainer first use case. As a reference point, my typical intra-workout for resistance training is consistently coconut water mixed with EAAs and pomegranate extract. So I replaced that with 1 tbsp of Sport Drink. I typically err on the side of diluting my electrolyte powders so I tossed one serving in 24 oz of water. I knew I'd be using this as lower day wheels' fuel to test out. Though if you like beverages on the sweeter side, the recommendation is 10 - 12 oz.
As of last week when I did my first test, I am dead in the middle of a 12-week cut. So the glucose intra-workout goes a long well. Sport Drink was no exception here. Into the later exercises of my lift, this was providing the necessary fuel to perform and prevent cramping (especially on a couple high-rep drop sets). Especially true if you're deep into a cut, electrolyte balance and hydration is crucial.
You want to step into the gym without slugging down enough water the day prior/day of or be under-dosed on sodium/potassium/magnesium? You're either half-assing your session or you're asking for an injury.
As someone who's battled tendinitis in both my elbows & knees - can state with certainty the underlying issue was being underhydrated while blasting too much volume. Puts into perspective the necessity I view water & electrolytes in getting the most out of training sessions.
Since we value variation in how we conduct our testing here, I tried the product out on another high intensity training day. This time - a HIIT workout. And this is where I really saw Sport Drink shine. Deep into a cut, my HIIT sessions have been a grind, but the fuel sent to my glycogen stores was a noticeable difference. Since my HIIT workouts are short (10 - 15 min), I prefer to fuel up on glucose & electrolytes ~30 min prior to beginning. And it actually allowed me to come to the realization a slight increase in pre-workout carbs from my current baseline may be of benefit.
When you consider it, this makes sense why the perceived impact was so strong during a short, high-intensity session. During HIIT, our body's primary fuel source switches from fatty acids to glycogen stores - known as the “Crossover Concept”.
What's our body tapping into once we start to flirt with that 80%+ maximal oxygen uptake zone?
You guessed it - the Sport Drink glucose fuel we just dumped into the tank.
Overall, it performed impressively for both use cases. There's strong reason to believe this is a product for all types of athletes - runners, bodybuilders, athletes, & any serious gym goers.
Brand Commentary
There's something appealing to Sport Drink’s brand that extends beyond the product itself. Just like their ingredients - they're not fake. Having kept in close communication with the Sport Drink team since their launch, there's no façade or filtering. Those running the brand will promulgate on social platforms what's on their mind. Whether intentional or not, there's no denying it's symbolic to a degree. We all withstood years of the cancel culture landscape. As refreshing as the actual product is itself, equally so is the founder's disposition.
High energy. Confident. Authentic. And there's tremendous value in that. More than ever.
They're vouching for what they believe in. And whether you agree with the vector nutritionally or not is irrelevant - it's the principle that small businesses like Sport Drink undergird the true communities of today’s digital economy.
But the aspect I admire most: a shift back to valuing the customer’s objectives. In the era of social media, transparency is king. And what you lack in authenticity, you lose in longevity.
Bullish on Sport Drink. Bullish on the bro bizzes.
If you like the sounds of the formula & want to see what the buzz is all about, use the link here & make sure to enjoy 10% off at checkout with code PHYS10.
(Just dropped a new flavor too 👀)
Stay hydrated,
BTP
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I have been attempting to duplicate Gatorade/Powerade's drinks but my children have been having none of it. So - this seems like a healthy option - albeit, an expensive one.