Kelsey HigginsonSports Nutrition Coach and Founder at Clutch Day Coaching

Best electrolytes for athletes

27 Jun 2025 · 1 min

Watch on YouTube

0:52

In this instructional segment, the speaker presents a practical framework for selecting electrolyte powders for athletes based on sodium content. Emphasizing that sodium amount is the key metric, the speaker outlines five dosage tiers linked to environmental conditions and session length: (1) cooler, short sessions – ~300 mg sodium; (2) moderate temperature, 45‑60 min practices – 400‑500 mg; (3) warmer, longer sessions – ~500 mg; (4) tournament or long‑game days with high sweat rates – ~800 mg; and (5) extreme heat, humidity, full pads, and cramp‑prone athletes – ~1,000 mg. Brand names are mentioned only as examples to illustrate the sodium levels, not as endorsements. The overall message is to match sodium intake to sweat loss and heat stress to prevent cramping and maintain performance.

Chapters

This is my electrolyte powder scale. Some of my athletes are going to need the ones here on top, and some of them are going to want the ones here on bottom. It all just depends. So let's break it down. When looking at these electrolytes, the biggest number that I pay attention to is how much sodium it has. The brand doesn't necessarily matter, but these brands are a good representation of the amount of sodium that they contain. First one, cooler weather, shorter sessions, not sweating as much, you want about 300 milligrams of sodium. Second one, moderate temperature, 45 to 60 minute practices, so sweating a little bit more than that, you want between 400 to 500 right here. Warmer weather, more sweat, longer sessions, you want about 500 milligrams of sodium right here. Tournament day, long games, higher sweat rate, you're sweating a lot, it's a little hotter outside, about 800 is gonna be what we're shooting for here. And then if you are really prone to cramping, it is hot, it is humid, you're full pads, it's a longer practice, you wanna be looking at 1,000 milligrams of sodium to keep you from cramping.