The unnecessary expense of gym drinks

They contain proteins that can be consumed with natural foods. And they often contain expensive caffeine. The commissions collected by gyms

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The package is the classic "all-inclusive": training, locker, diet, and supplements. More and more gyms are offering members memberships that also include diet plans and protein supplements for building muscle mass. It's a very lucrative business, but also a very opaque one.
The add-on package usually consists of these items:
  • First nutritional visit: 60–80 euros
  • Subsequent checks: 40–50 euros each
  • Multi-month diet packages:
  • Circa 40–70 meals if you only understand diet
  • Around 30-40 euros if you also include a limited number of drinks
First, there's an aspect that borders on illegality: by law, diets can only be prescribed by doctors, biologists, and dietitians. In this case, however, it's personal trainers who sell the packages, earning a hefty commission on the diet and drinks, which can be as high as 40 percent. As for supplements, and here too the line to fraud is very thin, many people buy whey "gym drinks" (protein shakes, super-stimulating pre-workouts, neon-colored intra-workout drinks) thinking they'll make them build muscle.

It's not true, and in fact:

  • Se you already eat enough protein (approximately 1,6–2,2 g/kg body weight per day), contained in lots of foods, The shake does not add any extra benefits.
  • A shake is no better than regular food (eggs, chicken, Greek yogurt, legumes).
  • Muscle grows for training, I recover the caloric surplus, not for the powder in a gym drink.
Secondly, many gym drinks contain:
  • Caffeine (often 200–400 mg)
  • Beta-alanine (tingling, but limited effect)
  • “Pump” ingredients with weak evidence.

Result? You're paying 40 euros for something you could get with a 1 euro coffee. 

Any honest doctor or dietitian can explain why carbohydrate-electrolyte drinks make sense if:

  • You train for over 90 minutes
  • Do endurance (Cycling, long run)
  • You sweat a lot

Otherwise, for an hour of weights, or equipment, or exercises in the gym, cold water is more than enough.

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