What Do NFL Players Drink During the Games? An Insider Explains

We frequently hear that staying hydrated is crucial. Anyone with even the most basic knowledge of exercise will concur with this, but many people are unaware that drinking merely water during an intense workout is insufficient. When it comes to football, the same holds true.

The NFL players should be imitated in this regard. The finest athletes in the world have access to excellent nutritionists who can advise them on what they specifically need to consume in order to perform at their peak. Therefore, it makes sense to adopt their strategies for staying hydrated on the court.

On the court, NFL players consume a variety of beverages, but they all fundamentally contain the same nutrients. The perfect sports beverage will replenish electrolytes, give a player an energy boost, increase vitamin levels, and keep them focused.

It’s common to see coaches receive enormous containers of Gatorade dumped on their heads after a significant football victory. But do they also consume other beverages while they play?

Most NFL players will drink water or Gatorade during a game, but some players will also bring their own specialized drinks.

Keep reading this article to learn more about what NFL players are drinking during games. We will also give you all the information to stay hydrated and replenish what is lost in sweat during extreme workouts.

What Do NFL Players Drink During the Game?

Water

Although each player alternates between water and another beverage, water is still crucial in almost all situations. Why? Compared to other drinks, it is easier for the stomach to digest. Your body will therefore be able to tolerate more of it than flavored drinks.

The more electrolyte-replenishing fluids you can tolerate without your stomach upsetting, as we will discuss later in the essay, the better.

Most athletes couple their electrolyte supplement with plain water because it is uncommon for someone to be able to consume the appropriate amount of fluid through sports drinks alone.

The typical advice is that NFL players should drink roughly 7–10 ounces of water every 10–20 minutes of exercise, presuming they were properly hydrated before the game. To put things in perspective, a water bottle weighs approximately 17 ounces.

Keep in mind that these figures are merely estimates for a typical workout under a typical set of circumstances. Additionally, because everyone sweats differently, some individuals will require far more than others.

Gatorade

NFL players frequently drink the popular sports beverage Gatorade (affiliate link).

It has a certain number of carbs and electrolytes that your body naturally produces, such as potassium and sodium.

The National Athletic Training Association advises against including more than 8% of carbs in sports drinks. Gatorade contains salt, which helps your body retain the fluids lost through sweating.

This beverage has a lot of calories and can replenish the energy you use while exercising.

Drinking water vs. drinking Gatorade

Your body can stay hydrated before, during, and after a brief or moderate exercise session by just drinking water.

But let’s say you are engaged in a prolonged, high-intensity sporting event, such as the NFL, or you are in a hot setting. You ought to take Gatorade in those situations.

Gatorade’s carbohydrates can aid in replenishing glycogen that is lost after strenuous exercise.

According to the American College of Sports Medicine, you should consume the Gatorade carbohydrate replacement at least an hour after finishing a vigorous exercise session or a low-intensity activity that lasts longer than an hour.

The best course of action is to mix Gatorade and water.

What Do NFL Players Drink Besides Water and Gatorade?

It’s likely that when you watch NFL on television, your favorite player appears to be sipping “cloudy water” or a pink beverage. These are just a few of their options for drinks that replenish electrolytes.

You hardly ever see a top athlete drinking Gatorade since they have the means to order bespoke drinks for games. The vitamins and minerals that are added to some of the beverages lead them to become hazy.

The pink beverage NFL players consume a mix of beverages and powders to help them replenish electrolytes, increase energy, enhance vitamin levels, and maintain focus.

While professional athletes use nutritionist-created formulae, you may get comparable drinks in vitamin shops under the brands Cytomax, Endurox, and Biosteel.

Top NFL players frequently collaborate with nutritionists to create a recipe customized for them. This depends on precisely what they are perspiring off. Since what people really consume in their bodies matters more than how these beverages taste, the majority of them are low in sugar.

Some athletes, like Tom Brady, are quite particular about what they put in their bodies. Brady frequently hydrates himself with water while watching games, but it is insufficient to restore his electrolytes.

Due to the high sugar level in most sports drinks, Brady does not consume Gatorade or any other sports beverages.

Brady, on the other hand, gets a specially formulated lemon drink packed with electrolytes. He can prevent the potential energy slump because this drink doesn’t include any sugar.

Before the game, Brady’s team will prepare this beverage and store it on the bench. Brady is one of the first to come forward and say he does it, but it’s impossible to determine how many players may make their own drinks on the sidelines.

We highly recommend Fluid Tactical – Electrolyte Powder (affiliate link) for two reasons: proven with a fair price.

What’s in players’ custom-made drinks?

Sadly, Brady did not describe the drink’s ingredients himself because, according to him, his training crew produces it.

Finding sports drinks with natural ingredients is first preferred. You’ll be consuming a lot of this over time, so make sure it’s the correct kind of food to maintain your health. So let’s move on to the essential elements.

They are able to recover the electrolytes, water, and energy they lose during the games thanks to their electrolyte-replenishment drink. They also put some energy-boosting carbohydrates, potassium, salt, magnesium, and calcium in their drink.

In order to maximize performance, these items must be refilled because they are typically lost through sweat.

Replacing the electrolytes

Players typically prefer to consume Cytomax, Endurox, or any other pink beverage since they need to replenish electrolytes that have been lost.

Players lose a substantial amount of electrolytes through sweat throughout a game, which might hurt their performance. According to estimates, you could lose between 0.5 and 3 liters of water during a typical game.

You sweat more in humid weather. Therefore it’s more crucial to replenish lost electrolytes with these pink drinks.

NFL Players Don’t Drink Energy Drinks During the Game

Energy drinks should generally be avoided while doing sports. Energy drinks are not typically consumed by professional athletes, especially not while they are competing or practicing.

Generally speaking, the numerous chemicals added to energy beverages like RedBull and Monster make them unhealthy.

But during the past 12 months, the popularity of “healthy” energy drinks has increased. Although they are a fantastic substitute for unhealthy ones in daily life, we advise against using them before and during competitions.

This is because the high caffeine content in these beverages causes dehydration. If they do not pay close attention to how well they are hydrating, a highly caffeinated athlete is likely to cramp.

What can you do, then, to acquire the energy boost you require? For an energy boost, athletes typically rely on the proper ratio of vitamins in their drink mixes.

You shouldn’t require a standard energy drink to give you the boost you need if you drink the appropriate stuff and conduct yourself properly off the court.

Why Do NFL Players Spit Out Water/Gatorade?

Some NFL players may be engaging in “carb rinsing,” also known as “swigging and spitting,” although it’s unknown why any particular player could feel the need to do so.

During this procedure, they swish a carbohydrate solution about in their mouth for 5 to 10 seconds before spitting it out. Although it might seem disgusting, several studies show that carb rinsing improves athletic performance during long-duration, high-intensity activities.

For instance, a 2014 review study that examined data from 11 prior studies of carb rinsing discovered that, compared to rinsing and spitting out a placebo solution, carb rising improved performance times in eight of the studies. These activities included cycling and running and lasted less than an hour.

However, three of the research examined concluded that the technique had no impact on output.

Review studies indicate that carb rinsing might have a negligible performance effect, perhaps a 2–3 percent improvement.

This surge is comparable to what people experience when they ingest a carbohydrate solution while engaging in an endurance activity.

However, athletes may prevent some gastrointestinal problems by refusing to swallow the carbohydrate liquid; for instance, if the drink is overly concentrated, it may sit in the stomach.