TBJP Hydration - Electrolyte Formula for Hydration and Sports Recovery

What is TBJP Hydration?

TrainedByJP Hydration is a powdered electrolyte drink, to be diluted, dosed at 10 g per serving. It combines three mineral sources — potassium citrate, magnesium citrate and Himalayan pink salt — with 3 g of taurine, an unusually high amount for this type of product.

The principle behind an electrolyte drink is simple: sweat does not just make you lose water, it also carries away sodium, potassium, magnesium and chloride. Drinking plain water after a very sweaty session restores the volume but not the composition. That is what this type of formula sets out to put right.

The flavours listed: Melon & Apple, Pineapple & Strawberry and Pink Lemonade. The number of servings per tub is not published by the manufacturer in the information available to us; the packaging carries it. The rest of the range appears in our TrainedByJP aisle.

What does a 10 g serving contain?

One important caveat has to be set out right away. The manufacturer declares the weight of the salts, not the amount of mineral they provide. 1,160 mg of potassium citrate is not 1,160 mg of potassium: the citrate accounts for most of the mass. The same goes for the magnesium and for the sodium. Yet on an electrolyte drink, it is precisely these elemental values that let you compare one product with another, and they are not published. We are not going to recalculate them in the manufacturer's place: it is a point we have raised, and the label on the tub you receive is what counts. Nor are the energy values disclosed.

That said, what is quantified is worth pausing over. 3 g of taurine per serving is a straightforward dose: that is three times what a can of energy drink contains, and more than most hydration drinks on the market, which often settle for 500 mg to 1 g. Taurine plays a part in the osmotic balance of the muscle cell, that is to say in how much water it holds — which is consistent with the product's positioning. The taurine aisle offers it on its own if you want to add some to another base.

The choice of citrate forms for the potassium and the magnesium is likewise sensible. Citrate is highly soluble, which is essential in a drink, and it is better tolerated digestively than the oxide. On a powder meant to be drunk during exercise, that is not a cosmetic detail.

The 1,000 mg of fructo-oligosaccharides are more debatable in this context: these are prebiotic fibres, which ferment in the colon. At 1 g per serving the effect stays mild, but it is an ingredient you would happily do without in a drink taken during an intense session, particularly if you have a sensitive stomach.

Lastly, no health claim is authorised for taurine, watermelon extract or FOS. Magnesium does have one, provided it is present in a significant amount — which the absence of an elemental value makes impossible to verify here.

Ingredients list

Taurine, acidity regulator (citric acid), tripotassium citrate, fructo-oligosaccharides, watermelon extract 5:1, magnesium citrate, Himalayan pink salt, acidity regulator (malic acid), flavouring, tricalcium phosphate, anti-caking agent (silicon dioxide), sweetener (sucralose). Suitable for vegetarians and vegans. Made in a factory that handles MILK, EGGS, SOYA and GLUTEN.

How do you take TBJP Hydration?

Dose: one scoop, i.e. 10 g. Liquid: 250 to 350 ml of cool water. Timing: before the session, during training, or straight afterwards. Frequency: one serving per session. Duration: there is no notion of a course here, use is tied to training.

The volume of liquid given produces a fairly concentrated, acidic drink, citric acid and malic acid being at the top of the list after taurine. If you drink it during exercise, go up to 500 ml instead: the drink goes down better, it hydrates more, and a less concentrated solution sits more lightly on the stomach when your heart is pounding.

The best slot depends on your situation. As a precaution, a diluted serving drunk in the hour before a session in a hot gym prepares you better than a glass of water downed in the changing room. During exercise, sip it across the whole session rather than swallowing it in one go. Afterwards, taking it mainly serves to restore what has been lost through sweat.

The product does not provide carbohydrate in any useful amount, which is a deliberate choice. For a long session you therefore need to add an energy source: a cream of rice beforehand, or a carbohydrate powder during. In the same way, if you are after an amino acid intake, it pairs happily with EAAs in the same shaker.

A practical point: the powder is hygroscopic, as all electrolyte salts are. Reseal the tub properly and keep it dry, otherwise it will set into a solid block within a few weeks.

Who is this formula suitable for, and who is it not suitable for?

It suits someone who sweats a lot: training in a gym without air conditioning, sessions of over an hour, endurance sports, or simply summer in the south of France. It is in these situations that mineral losses become real and that an electrolyte drink is of measurable use.

It also suits those looking for a sugar-free drink for training: the sweetness comes from sucralose, and the formula provides no carbohydrate.

It is compatible with vegetarian and vegan diets, which the manufacturer states explicitly. On the other hand, it is made in a factory that handles milk, eggs, soya and gluten: in the case of a severe allergy, that point alone rules it out.

It suits you less well if you have a sensitive stomach during exercise, because of the 1 g of fructo-oligosaccharides and the acidity of the drink. Nor is it suitable if you are on a low-potassium diet or taking a treatment that acts on blood potassium: in that case the question is one for your doctor, and the absence of published elemental values makes it all the more necessary to show him or her the label.

What not to expect from it: an electrolyte drink does not improve performance in someone who is properly hydrated. It makes up for losses, it does not create an advantage. If your sessions last forty minutes in an air-conditioned gym, a glass of water does the same job for nothing. And it does not rule out cramp in any guaranteed way: cramp has multiple causes, and putting it down to electrolytes alone is a convenient simplification that we will not be repeating.

Electrolyte drink or a course of magnesium?

Both contain magnesium and yet they are made for opposite situations.

A magnesium supplement is taken every day, at a known dose, over several weeks, to correct an insufficient intake. It is the better choice if you get night cramps, if your diet is low in magnesium, or if you are after an underlying effect. It carries an authorised claim: magnesium contributes to normal muscle function, to the normal functioning of the nervous system and to a reduction of tiredness and fatigue.

TBJP Hydration answers a different logic: a one-off serving, around the session, with sodium and potassium that the daily supplement does not provide. It is the better choice if your problem is sweat, heat or the length of your sessions. It is not a background product, and it does not replace a course.

There is nothing to stop you combining the two: magnesium in the evening, the electrolyte drink at training. They overlap only very partially. The full aisle can be compared in our sports nutrition section.

Frequently asked questions

How much sodium and potassium per serving?

The manufacturer does not publish the elemental mineral amounts, only the weight of the salts: 1,160 mg of potassium citrate, 465 mg of magnesium citrate, 450 mg of pink salt and 100 mg of sodium chloride. Yet it is the elemental values that let you compare two products. The label on the tub you receive is the only reference.

Why 3 g of taurine in a hydration drink?

Because taurine plays a part in the osmotic balance of the muscle cell, and therefore in the water it holds. That is consistent with the aim of the product. 3 g is a straightforward dose: three times what a can of energy drink contains, and well above most competing formulas.

Is there any caffeine?

No, none at all. The formula contains no stimulant and can therefore be used at any time of day, including for an evening session. Taurine has no stimulant effect in itself, contrary to a widespread idea born of its presence in energy drinks.

Does the product provide carbohydrate?

Not in any useful amount. This is an electrolyte formula, not an energy drink. For a long session you need to add a separate carbohydrate source. The sweetness comes from sucralose, with no significant calorie contribution.

Is it suitable for vegans?

Yes, the manufacturer states so explicitly, and no ingredient on the list is of animal origin. The point to watch concerns the production factory, which handles milk, eggs, soya and gluten — which is a matter of cross-contamination and not of the formula.

Does it prevent cramp?

Nobody can guarantee that, and no claim of that kind is authorised. Cramp during exercise has multiple causes: neuromuscular fatigue, dehydration, mineral losses, unsuitable training. Restoring lost electrolytes is reasonable; promising that cramp will disappear is not.

How much water should you use?

The manufacturer gives 250 to 350 ml for one scoop. In practice, 400 to 500 ml produce a less acidic drink, more pleasant to sip and more hydrating — which remains the primary aim. Adjust it to the length of the session and the ambient heat.

Where can you buy TBJP Hydration?

The flavours can be ordered from this page, and we ship throughout France and Europe. At the Vendargues shop, about ten minutes from Montpellier, this is a product with a very pronounced season: between June and September, in a region where people train at 30 degrees, it makes sense in a way nobody argues with. In January, in an air-conditioned gym, far less so. The other training drinks can be compared in our BCAA aisle.