Hydration is an essential factor that affects both physical performance and cognitive function. For endurance athletes, ensuring optimal hydration isn’t merely about drinking ample water. The body requires a balanced mix of electrolytes and nutrients to efficiently absorb and retain the fluids it needs to support energy metabolism and the peak function of muscle cells.

Enter Freak Shake – training & recovery fuel for more resilient endurance athletes.

When it comes to maintaining and replenishing hydration, Freak Shake followed nature’s blueprint for one of the most hydrating beverages known. And that blueprint is… Milk!

Nature’s original sports drink offers an ideal blend of complete protein plus electrolytes, and has been demonstrated to be superior to water and traditional carb-only sports drinks on important measures of hydration (citations at end).

But why?

Particularly when we sweat during prolonged endurance workouts, we don’t just lose water but also vital electrolytes. Electrolytes help maintain fluid balance inside and outside our cells. This balance ensures our muscles function optimally, prevents cramping, and aids in nerve signaling to fire those muscles when we’re exercising. When we deplete the electrolytes in our blood stream, an imbalance can occur that we feel as fatigue, cramping, and even confusion or mental fog.

Here are the primary functions of the electrolytes found in Milk (and in Freak Shake!):

• Sodium: The most abundant electrolyte we store in our bodies. Regulates osmotic pressure which for endurance training translates to maintaining an optimal fluid balance inside and outside our muscle cells. Sodium ions comes from salt
• Chloride: The other electrolyte derived from salt. The yin to Sodium’s yang. This electrolyte is the second most abundant in our bodies and plays a key role in maintaining fluid balance inside and outside your cells Potassium: Essential for transmitting nerves signals and contracting muscles including the heart
• Magnesium: Helps cells as they metabolize nutrients like carbs & fat into energy. Your brain and muscles rely heavily on magnesium.
• Calcium: Your body needs calcium to help muscles and blood vessels contract and expand, as well as transmit nerve signals

Proteins from milk, particularly casein and whey, have also been shown to improve hydration. They help your body retain fluids in the body, which means as you consume water, you’re absorbing as much as you require instead of passing it through as a waste stream (that’s pee for any 3rd graders reading this blog).

Proteins can help reduce the impact of dehydration after intense exertion or long endurance activity. Additionally, both Casein and Whey protein extracted from dairy provide complete amino acid profiles. Which is to say they both provide a source of every essential amino acid building block that our bodies require but cannot produce internally. These essential amino acids allow us to repair and build new muscle fiber, as well as produce a number of vital hormones, and neurotransmitters.

Freak Shake Endurance Fuel, (like Dairy milk) has a protein blend of 80% Casein and 20% Whey. Many protein supplements focus on whey protein extract because it is more rapidly absorbed from the gut, and therefore more rapidly available in the blood stream for supporting muscle growth. Casein on the other hand is absorbed more slowly, but with the benefit of more complete absorption from the gut. That means less of the Casein you ingest ends up passing through as waste (that’s poo for any 3rd graders reading this blog).

So in addition to playing a complementary role in promoting cellular hydration alongside the electrolytes in milk, Freak Shake’s protein profile also provides a more appropriate level and balance for endurance athletes who are stressing and repairing muscles through longer duration training but not necessarily requiring a ton of protein to support the heavier amount of muscle mass carried by power athletes.

We all know dehydration can severely affect an athlete’s performance. A 2% decrease in body weight due to fluid loss can equate to reduced endurance, increased fatigue, altered thermoregulatory capability, reduced motivation, and increased perceived effort. Whether you row, swim, run, cycle or go all out on any field of play, maintaining fluid balance can ultimately determine champions.

Why Freak Shake Endurance Fuel stands out

Dairy Milk provides Freak Shake with a hydration blueprint that has been studied extensively and demonstrated to have amazing hydration, performance and recovery benefits for athletes. Abundant in electrolytes, complete protein and carbs, milk is nature’s original endurance drink.

That’s why we took milk’s nutrient profile and modeled Freak Shake with a similar composition. We took the dairy components of electrolytes and protein extracted from milk, and left out the fat and lactose (a type of sugar that can create digestive discomfort in those who have an intolerance).

While carb-based sports drinks are widely available, relatively cheap and usually tasty, they often overlook the enhanced hydration benefits of this dairy blueprint. Most mainstream sports drinks offering hydration benefits focus on supplementing sodium, and some carbs too in full calorie versions. But fewer offer a complete range of other vital electrolytes we lose through exertion and sweat. Mainstream sports drinks also generally contain less than 1/3 of the electrolytes found in a serving of Freak Shake. The last difference between mainstream sports drinks and Freak Shake is protein. Few of them have it. Which is why Freak Shake includes an appropriate level of protein for endurance training alongside carbs and electrolytes to create a hydration triple-threat.

All three components of milk (Carbs, Protein, Electrolytes) are replicated in Freak Shake Endurance Fuel to support muscle recovery, repair and hydration. As an endurance athlete, whether you are fueling up pre-workout for a long bout, or recovering post-workout from an exhausting effort, you’ll find Freak Shake to be a delicious and convenient all-in-one solution to support your hydration and endurance training goals.

Train Harder. Recover Faster. And Stay Hydrated with Freak Shake Endurance Fuel

Maughan R, WatsonP, Cordery ), Walsh N, Oliver J, Dolci A, Rodriguez-Sanchez N, Galloway S. A randomized trial to assess the potential of different beverages to affect hydration status: Development of a beverage hydration index. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Volume 103, Issue 3, March 2016, Pages 717–723. doi.org/10.3945/ajcn.115.114769

Roy BD. Milk: the new sports drink? A Review. J Int Soc Sport Nutr. 2008;5(1):15. doi:10.1186/1550-2783-5-15

Berry CW, Wolf ST, Murray B, Kenney WL. Hydration Efficacy of a Milk Permeate-Based Oral Hydration Solution. Nutrients. 2020;12(5):1502. doi:10.3390/nu12051502