Generic sports drinks
aren't built for you.They're built to sit on a shelf. Table salt instead of real electrolytes. Maltodextrin that destroys your gut at high intensity. Artificial sweeteners that cause bloating. Here's exactly what's in them, why it matters, and what we built instead.
Every sports drink on the supermarket shelf has the same thing in common. They're built to look good on a label, not to actually work when you're pushing hard. Here's what they're not telling you.
Every ingredient chosen for a reason.
When we built Endurance Fuel, we started with the question nobody in the industry was asking honestly: what does an Aussie athlete actually lose in a hard session, and how do we replace it properly?
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01HBCD instead of maltodextrinHighly branched cyclic dextrin clears the stomach faster and doesn't cause GI issues at high intensity. Clean, sustained energy even at threshold. No cramping, no bloating, no stopping.
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02525mg Pink Himalayan salt, not 100mg table saltPink Himalayan salt keeps its naturally occurring trace minerals intact. At 525mg per serve it's actually replacing what you lose per hour training in Australian heat, not a symbolic amount that looks good on a label.
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03Monk fruit instead of stevia or sucraloseMonk fruit is absorbed properly. No fermentation. No gas. No aftertaste. We pay more for it because gut issues at hour two of a session are not worth saving 20 cents per serve.
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04500mg betaine nitrate from beetrootNitrates from betaine nitrate convert to nitric oxide, improving oxygen delivery to working muscles. You won't find this in anything on the supermarket shelf. We put it in because it works.
A couple of years ago I collapsed 200 metres from the finish line. Heat stroke, severe dehydration, hospital. I started pulling apart every product I'd been using and kept hitting the same wall. Underdosed electrolytes. Cheap carb sources. Artificial sweeteners causing GI distress. Proprietary blends hiding exactly how little was actually in there. So I built Pulse. Transparent labels. Performance dosed. Built for the everyday Aussie athlete.
The ingredient difference.
Most brands talk about quality. Here's what it actually looks like on the label.
| What matters | PULSE. | Supermarket Brands | Other Aus Brands |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carbohydrate Source | ✓ HBCD: rapid absorption, no GI distress | ✗ Maltodextrin or sucrose: harsh on the gut | ✗ Maltodextrin blends: undisclosed ratios |
| Sodium Source | ✓ Himalayan Pink Salt: unrefined, trace minerals included | ✗ Table salt: refined, no minerals | ✗ Table salt or undisclosed |
| Sodium Dose | ✓ 525mg per serve | ✗ 100–200mg per serve | ✗ Often underdosed |
| Sweetener | ✓ Monk fruit: no aftertaste, gut-friendly | ✗ Sucralose or artificial sweeteners | ✗ Stevia: causes GI issues at volume |
| Ingredient Disclosure | ✓ Every ingredient and dose fully labelled | ✗ Proprietary blends: doses hidden | ✗ Partial disclosure common |
| Nitrates | ✓ 500mg betaine nitrate from beetroot | ✗ Not included | ✗ Not included in most |
| Nasties | ✓ No preservatives, no artificial colours, no dyes | ✗ Artificial colours and preservatives common | ✗ Often undisclosed additives |
What our athletes say.
Built for real Aussie conditions.
Real ingredients. Real doses. Nothing hidden. Everything on the label.
