On-bike and post-ride nutrition tend to be highly-personal. You sorta find what works and stick with it, but it’s good to mix things up — particularly if you’re heading out on an all-day ride. Osmo Nutrition has been at it since 2012 with their proprietary blend of electrolytes and natural, organic ingredients. Their philosophy of “food in your pocket, hydration in your bottle” makes complete sense, but does buck the gel-happy trends of recent years.
I’ve been actively using both Active Hydration and Acute Reovery and have tried the Preload Hydration mix (waiting on the proper adventure) this spring. The flavors are subtle and everything is backed by sound science.
Osmo Preload Hydration
This formula is not intended for everyday use, instead it’s intended to be used before particularly intense efforts in the heat of the day. Perhaps before your next century or a long gravel ride. The goal here is to boost your plasma and sodium stores to better diffuse heat and reduce cramping.
As you can imagine, it’s very high in sodium. Each scoop contains 1620 mg of it. Mix it up with 20 oz. of water the night before and then again pre-activity. The subtle pineapple/lemon flavor isn’t bad, but there’s no getting around the saltiness of this mixture — it’s very salty. I will definitely be loading up with this before my biggest efforts this summer to stave off cramps.
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Osmo Active Hydration
Available in either a 40-serving tub or individual-serving packets, Osmo’s Active Hydration contains the proper ratio of sucrose, glucose, and electrolytes to replace body water throughout your workout. It’s recommended to consume 20 oz. per hour of exercise. And, if needed, augment with solid foods (bars, cubes, etc.) as needed.
I’ve been testing the orange flavor on road, mountain and gravel rides. During long gravel rides in South Dakota, I’ve appreciated the subtle flavor and hydration it has provided. Other similar mixes have left my stomach feeling out of sorts, but Osmo’s Active Hydration has been easily-digested without issues. It goes down easy and seems to absorb into my system very quickly. Not once have I experienced any stomach sloshing. The mixture is difficult to mix completely. After a good shake and a long ride, there are always sugar granules in the bottom of the bottle.
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Osmo Acute Recovery
The Acute Recovery mix could quite possibly be my favorite of the three. It is specifically formulated to speed muscle recovery by providing two types of proteins (fast and long-acting) and a bit of caffeine to speed transmission. The vanilla flavor is subtle and I’ve primarily mixed it with almond milk.
The mixture tastes just fine and I’m convinced that it has staved muscle soreness when I’ve used it after long efforts. You will want to get a blender bottle or something to mix it because simply mixing it with a spoon leaves lots of globs and chunks.
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