Kelsey HigginsonSports Nutrition Coach and Founder at Clutch Day Coaching

Water vs sports drinks for athletes.

3 Sept 2026 · 1 min

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In this short instructional video, Kelsey Higginson explains how elite athletes should structure their daily hydration. She emphasizes that water should be the primary fluid consumed throughout the day, serving as the backbone of hydration. Sports drinks, which contain quick‑acting carbohydrates, are recommended only during long, high‑intensity practices or games to replenish energy and sustain performance. For all other times, she suggests water or milk as suitable alternatives. The video outlines when each type of drink is appropriate and why, focusing on carbohydrate content, energy maintenance, and overall performance.

Chapters

Water versus sports drinks for athletes. Which is better? For elite athletes, both water and sports drinks are gonna have a place within your day. Water should be the backbone of your hydration. You need to be having lots of water throughout the day as an athlete, and if you aren't, it's time to make some changes. Now, sports drinks are really cool during practices or games when you are needing some quick carbohydrates to keep your energy levels high. Water does not have carbohydrates in it. Water is a fluid, very important to sustain life. No carbs in water. So when you have a very long practice or a very long game, you have some high-intensity workouts coming up and you need to maintain energy and you start feeling like you're sluggish throughout that practice, that's where a sports drink can come in, give you that energy back, refill those energy tanks a little bit, and allow you to maintain performance throughout that game or practice. All the rest of the times, I'd probably suggest water or milk.