Moto is a unique sport. It doesn’t fit into the basket of a team sport. It doesn’t fit into the basket of an endurance sport. But it’s also not a sprint.
Those traditional definitions don’t fit the picture. Moto is Moto! Generally speaking only someone who has got behind a gate, or followed arrows through the trees at speed knows what moto is.
It’s an adrenaline rush wrapped in a sweaty bow. That bow is layers of protective riding gear, helmets, goggles and hopefully, that bow is sitting on top of a fire breathing heat source known as a dirtbike. All whilst physically manhandling this dirtbike around a track at speed for sometimes what can be hours. So what the hell has that got to do with the latest #alwaysmotoinspected product? Everything when you’re inspecting a product designed to boost your hydration. This is exactly the aim of PREPD Hydration drinks.
Moto causes you to sweat. Whether it be the riding gear, the outside climate, or the physical effort being exerted you’re going to sweat from the moment your gear goes on. Sweat is fluid loss. Excessive fluid loss leads to dehydration. One thing Moto does well is cause sweat loss in excessive amounts. This is where the product at the centre of this inspection comes in.
The Australian company known as PREPD. As their website claims. “PREPD is a game changing sports hydration booster that is scientifically and clinically proven to enhance athletic performance and aid fast recovery”. Sounds good right? But don’t you just drink water or sports drinks to “boost hydration”? In short yes. But PREPD comes at this from a new angle to work with those normal sports drinks and water to further utilise your fluid intake.
Getting a bit basic anatomy and science here but your body has some limits on how much fluid your body can absorb. Everyone is slightly different, but during exercise, your body can only absorb around 50%-80% of the fluid you put in. This is where the problems begin for managing hydration. If you consider that during exercise you can lose up to 1 litre of fluid per hour (up to 3 litres in severe climate situations). Your body only has the ability to safely consume 1 litre per hour. But it is only then utilising approx 50% – 80% of that. So you’re in a deficit situation. Don’t you just drink more per hour then to compensate? In short, no. You can actually do yourself significant harm by over hydrating. A phenomenon known as Hyponatremia occurs where your body’s hydration or water balance with sodium is shifted so far by excessive water intake that negative consequences occur. In severe cases death.
So if you’ve read this far you understand that sweating is out doing fluid intake whilst your riding moto. But the PREPD product line is now working in this area to combat that fluid loss without needing to take on more fluid. PREPD is designed to extend the absorption period of water through your digestive system and in turn utilise more of that fluid you drink. If you think of your digestive system in a basic sense as a 3 stage system. Without PREPD your fluid will be absorbed in Zone 1 (Stomach), and Zone 2 (Small intestine). It doesn’t get absorbed in Zone 3 (Large Intestine). So PREPD utilises a resistance starch to allow water absorption to occur in Zone 3 also. This allows your body to absorb up to 5 litres more fluid per day.
So you now know what it’s designed to do. They have research to prove this but even I don’t like to rely on research. I like to think that I’m unique and require special products for my amazing needs. In reality, I’m just Joe Average. But I used it to see if it was as good as they claim. So how did I find the product?
Well, I learnt that I sweat a lot. Without any product use. I myself in a 1hours gym session could lose 1-1.5kg of body weight, so 1-1.5 litres of sweat. On a steady off-road moto ride over 2hours, or on some short MX format rides over a 2hour period I lost 3kg or 3 litres of sweat. On the same efforts using the PREPD products I was able to sustain my weight loss (Or fluid loss) to <0.1kg of body weight in the gym sessions and <0.5kg of body weight during the moto sessions. This was surprising as that management of fluid loss meant an improved recovery and reduced potential for post activity muscle soreness. At that rate of fluid management, it would also pretty much eliminate the potential for cramping later that day/night post activity as well. Something I want to keep reviewing over the coming events I have on the horizon. Hattah being the main one I tend to have post race soreness from. 4hrs in the sand will do that to anyone.
How do you use it?
The PREPD products have very clear instructions on their packaging to follow. But basically, you use the “Prime” product 6-12hrs before the activity, The “Recover” product as soon as you finish activity.
The 6-12hrs before activity is a bit of a pain in the butt at times. Some training rides or sessions started at 6 am. So having the product around or just after dinner wasn’t an issue. The issue came midway through the night when you’ve consumed 350ml of fluid just before bed and you have to pee a few times per night. If you’re a nervous racer you might want to consider this before using if your sleep is going to be an issue with the interruptions from peeing.
The other thing I found was when using the powder mix yourself version. If you have a bit of an easily upset stomach. Something I didn’t think I had but I did have some comfort issues the first few times I used the self mix version. Definitely mix your prime powder with water. It sits a little lighter in your stomach overnight. I used skim milk and had a very heavy unpleasant feeling in my stomach all night. Surprising the water vs milk option didn’t really change how well it mixed or its flavour. Just made it much lighter and easier on the stomach that night.
What about taste?
This is a personal preference thing and I won’t hold anyone accountable for taste issues. The pre-made bottles are fruit flavoured. Strawberry and Kiwi for one. Mango and passionfruit as the other option. Now if you’re like me and hate fruit. I only have it when I have too, or frozen and smashed to bits in a smoothie. Then you will probably prefer the powder mix it yourself flavours of Vanilla and Chocolate. These two options are more like a protein powder many of you are probably familiar with. I’m sure plenty of you will enjoy the convenience of the fruit flavoured bottles as you can just crack open the lid and drink. No mixing required. But for me personally i preferred the Vanilla flavour the best.
Do you need to take anything else with PREPD?
Interesting thing here. PREPD is more of a pre and post activity drink. You still need to have your normal hydration plan in place during the activity. So that can be water in your Camelbak or your generic Gatorades between motos. PREPD is just going to allow you to utilise these fluids better than you ever have before internally speaking.
Should MOTO riders use PREPD?
Anyone doing an activity for more than an hour that is going to sweat and would like to reduce the dehydration side effects post activity, such as cramps and muscle soreness should definitely give this a try. If you have any special dietary needs always consult your personal health professional before trying it though. The fact that the product doesn’t get in the way of anything you do during the ride or race day is also fantastic as it allows for easy use. For the top level Pro riders where drug testing is possible at your events. It is WADA and ASADA tested and certified safe for use.
What about Arm Pump?
This is the generic Moto topic on anything nutrition so I felt obliged to comment on it. This is not designed specifically for arm pump. But If you can add 1+1. Then you can work out that improving your hydration levels will assist fluid movement within your body to your muscles and therefore may assist with arm pump but know that there are so many factors to arm pump that you can not solve it with only one action or product.
How do you buy it or find out more?
As with all these #alwaysmotoinspections you can contact me directly at alwaysmoto2019@gmail.com or DM me on instagram @always.moto to chat about the product further.
But the PREPD website is fantastic for further info on their products and you can also purchase directly. https://prepdhydration.com.au/
It’s also handy that whilst you’re shopping for your Moto parts and accessories that PREPD is also now available at MXStore if that’s your usual online E-Tailer. https://www.mxstore.com.au/brand/prepd/
