A “Sweat Review”, what for?

Precision Fuel & Hydration is a British company founded in 2011 that promises solutions tailored to athletes and sportspeople in general to maintain a good level of energy and hydration during exercise. To optimize the proper functioning of the body and ensure that it provides the elements they need to stay hydrated, it offers a Sweat review, or " test "sweat" to define the amount of sodium that each person loses in sweat. We have achieved this test for you.

By Guillaume Judas – Photos: ©3bikes.fr / Precision Fuel & Hydration / DR

The main component of the human body (around 60%, or 40 kg for a 70 kg individual), water participates in many essential functions in the body, notably in the composition of cells or blood.. During exercise and depending on exercise conditions (intensity and temperature), water loss through sweating varies from 0,5 to 2,5 liters per hour.

A loss of 2% of body weight in water is associated with a 20% decrease in physical capacity.. At last, Sweating is accompanied by the loss of salt, essential for the proper balance of many body functions, and which amplifies the phenomenon of dehydration.

While it is relatively easy to estimate water loss during exercise and depending on the conditions, the same is not true for salt loss, because The amount of sodium lost can vary up to 10 times between apparently similar individuals.

For example, you only need to weigh yourself before and after exercise to see how much water you lose. If you ride for four hours at a temperature of 20°C, and you have lost 500 g of body weight but in the meantime you have drunk three 600 ml bottles, your water loss is estimated under these conditions at 2,3 liters (3×600 ml + 500 ml), or 575 ml per hour.

To measure sodium loss, that's where Precision Fuel & Hydration comes in.The brand offers a range of energy products (mainly carbohydrate-rich gels) and electrolyte powders or capsules (essential minerals, such as sodium, calcium and potassium, which play a key role in the proper functioning of the body) to be diluted in pure water.

Its most powerful product, PH 1500, for example, contains up to 3,5 times more electrolytes than other products of this type usually found on the market. And to better advise on the necessary dosage of sodium intake, it offers a test to be carried out in one of its partner storesIn France, only two stores offer this test for the moment, in Nice and Paris.

The principle of Sweat review

Each individual loses a different amount of sodium in their sweat, from 200 mg to 2000 mg per liter. This is a characteristic largely genetically determined. According to Precision Fuel & Hydration, this means that a one-size-fits-all approach to hydration cannot be convincing. Thanks to its Sweat review, the brand thus offers a personalized hydration plan and a mix of products that meet individual needs.

Ce test sweating lasts a good half hour, and does not require blood tests, exercise on a treadmill or home trainer, or waiting for results from an analysis laboratory.. It is carried out within a network of partner stores, and it is simple and painless.

It provides an accurate measurement of the amount of sodium the athlete loses when training or competing. The result then allows a tailored hydration strategy to be established based on the context discussed with the operator of the test. The brand advises when, what and how much to drink before, during and after training and competitions, so that the athlete is equipped to achieve their goals.

This technology test is exclusive and is based on a diagnostic tool for certain cystic fibrosis. It begins with the placement of two sensors on the forearm, which send waves to produce the formation of mini-droplets of sweat at this precise location.

Then, another sensor is used in the same place to collect these droplets, and then send them into a machine that analyzes the sodium concentration. Finally, the results are sifted through an algorithm that determines the athlete's profile.

Here is mine:

According to the results of the test, I lose more sodium than average when I sweat. I'm not really surprised, since I often come back from my summer outings with white marks on my jersey and shorts. But beyond the loss of sodium, it also seems obvious that I very often come back dehydrated, being very far from the brand's recommendations regarding my water intake during exercise.

Here is the nutrition and hydration plan proposed by Precision Fuel & Hydration based on my profile and the results of the test perspiration, for a five-hour outing in hot conditions:

The brand advises me in these conditions to drink 1 liter per hour (I am far from it), with 1500 mg/L of sodium, or a total of 5 liters and 7500 mg of sodium to cover my needs. To this, I would have to add 60 g of carbohydrates per hour, in the form of gels, or 300 g. I am also very far from it.

The balance sheet of this test

obviously, the purpose of this test is to encourage athletes to consume the brand's products, which are also the highest in electrolytes on the market. Products that are not particularly affordable. To take the example of my typical five-hour outing, I would have to consume five effervescent tablets of PH 1500, or half of a tube of 10 sold for €9,99. I would have to add two PF 30 gels per hour, or the equivalent of around €25 (€10,99 for four gels).

The price of the Sweatshirt Test is € 145 in the Triathlon Store in Paris Etoile, where I did it.

The fact remains that this test sweating was made of me very useful to understand a little better how my body works, and what strategy to adopt in the future, whether for a home trainer session, or for intense training outings, particularly in terms of the quantity of liquid to consume under conditions of heavy sweating, or even the type of drink to consume before and after exercise, for example with mineral waters very rich in sodium.

As for the hydration strategy proposed by the brand, it is to remember for the case of a particular event, for example a major cyclosportive event like theStage of the Tour, or a long-distance triathlon. Because if we see a clear increase in performance in high-level events and in all categories of practitioners in general, it is also because in the areas of nutrition and hydration, great progress has been made by science in recent years. It's up to everyone to decide whether they want to jump on the bandwagon or stay behind..

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