The elite athlete has different nutritional needs than the weekend warrior. We can all agree on that, yes?
Professional athletes train for hours every day and their dietary needs far surpass those of the typical exerciser. They have higher protein needs and require carb levels that will give them both short bursts of energy and long levels for endurance.
Gatorade, the company most well known for hydration beverages, has created a line of product for professional athletes called Gatorade G Series Pro. This line was created with elite athletes in mind, those who train for hours and face different nutritional hurdles than the rest of us. This line has different nutritional standards than the other lines Gatorade offers, the traditional Gatorade often referred to as G or G2 (the lower sugar version), the G Series Fit and the G Series Natural. G Series Pro is offered in the same three step line as the G Series Fit, with Prime, Perform and Recover. Prime was created for use an hour before training, Perform during and Recover for use within two hours after a workout.
This line is more calorie heavy than any other other lines, due to the higher nutritional needs that these athletes require. It’s not designed to be a beverage that one enjoys on the sofa, or after a neighborhood stroll. These products mean business.
The Prime option consists of three choices – an energy bar, a nutrition bar or a nutrition shake. The G Series Pro Prime Carb Energy Drink contains 3 B vitamins as well as a Quad Carb Blend designed to deliver both quickly and slowly utilized carbs. The nutrition bar contains whey and casein in order to support muscle growth and a blend of 15 vitamins and minerals for muscle growth. The nutrition shake is a 360 calorie, one serving box that requires no refrigeration, with 54 grams of carbs and 20 grams of protein from milk protein isolate.
The Perform Endurance Formula resembles the traditional Gatorade in name only. It contains twice the sodium and three times the potassium per 8 ounce serving and was created with longer, more intense workouts in mind. It is offered in both ready to drink and powder as well as single serving powder sticks. The additional electrolytes and sodium do not change the flavor of the beverage – it is just as good as the regular Gatorade. There is an additional product which offers additional electrolytes, called Gatorlytes. This product is designed to help those athletes who suffer from serious cramping issues. It’s recommended to be added to the Perform Endurance drink and to be ingested 30 to 60 minutes before the end of exercise.
Recover is where the Gatorade Pro line shines. The protein shake, which comes in a 2 serving box, is offered in chocolate, vanilla and strawberry. It contains both fast acting whey and slow acting casein and offers 15 grams of protein per serving. It is suggested to consume 1 serving – half of the box – within 30 minutes of completion of training and the other serving within 2 hours. Prepared protein shakes are a difficult sell – they often taste metallic or chalky, but when I sampled this beverage, I found it to be delicious. It is best served chilled.
If you are not a serious athlete, one who devotes hours a day to training, the Gatorade Pro line is not for you. But for those athletes who have high nutritional needs, this line, sold exclusively at GNC and Dick’s, is worth looking into.
While Gatorade provided Carmen with product for review, this review remains her own opinion and has not been influenced in any way.