Electrolyte Formula DIY — for Runners, HYROX and Heavy Sweaters

When do you actually need electrolytes?

You probably do not need a special drink for every workout.

For short, easy sessions under about an hour, plain water and normal meals are usually enough.

Electrolytes become more useful when:

• you train for more than 60-75 minutes
• you sweat heavily
• your kit has white salt marks after training
• your sweat stings your eyes
• you are training indoors in a warm venue
• you are doing HYROX-style work with repeated hard efforts
• you need to recover quickly for another session
• you feel flat, headachy, or unusually drained after sweaty training

The main electrolyte to think about is sodium. Potassium can help, but sodium is usually the biggest sweat-loss problem for endurance athletes and heavy sweaters.

The simple rule

Most athletes need more sodium than they think, but not everyone needs a very salty drink.

A good general training target is:

For longer races or hard endurance sessions, this drink does not replace your full fuelling plan. It can sit alongside gels, chews, or a separate carbohydrate drink.

Recipe 1: Everyday DIY electrolyte drink

Use this for normal runs, gym sessions, HYROX training, bike sessions, and warm-weather training.

Ingredients for 1 litre

What it gives you, approximately

Use the lower-carb version when you only want hydration. Add 10-20 g carbohydrate when the session is longer, hotter, or harder.

If you are also taking gels, keep this drink lighter. You do not need every bottle to be a full fuel source.

Recipe 2: Strong heavy-sweater mix

Use this when you know you lose a lot of salt, when you are doing a warm indoor HYROX-style session, or when you want a stronger post-workout recovery bottle.

Ingredients for one 750 ml bottle

What it gives you, approximately

For many athletes, this is best used:

• 60-90 minutes before a hot or sweaty session
• after a long or very sweaty session
• during training only if you already know your stomach tolerates it

30-serving heavy-sweater batch

If you want to make a dry batch for the strong mix, use:

One serving is about 24.2 g powder. Mix one serving with 750 ml water.

Important: potassium chloride is potent and the powder can settle unevenly. Mix the dry batch extremely thoroughly, shake the storage jar before portioning, and use a digital scale. If you want the safest accuracy, weigh each serving individually instead of relying on scoops.

Why add carbohydrate?

A small amount of glucose helps the gut absorb sodium and water more effectively. That is the same basic logic behind oral rehydration solutions.

• use no carbohydrate for short easy sessions
• use 10-20 g per litre when you want a light hydration drink
• use 20-30 g per bottle for a stronger recovery or pre-race bottle
• use separate gels or a dedicated carb drink if you are targeting 60 g/hour or more

Dextrose is the simplest powder because it is glucose. Sugar, honey, and maple syrup can also work. Maltodextrin is common in endurance fuel, but dextrose is easier for a simple DIY hydration recipe because it directly gives you glucose.

Why sodium citrate and salt?

Salt gives you sodium chloride. Sodium citrate gives you sodium in a form many athletes find gentler than a very salty drink.

Using both gives a better taste and a smoother drink than using only table salt.

If you only have salt, you can still make a useful drink. But sodium citrate makes the formula easier to drink, especially when the sodium level is high.

What about magnesium?

Magnesium matters for general health, but it is not the main electrolyte lost in sweat. For most athletes, the bottle should focus on sodium, fluid, and a small amount of carbohydrate.

If you already take magnesium at night, you probably do not need to add it to this drink.

If you do add magnesium, keep the dose small. Too much magnesium in a sports drink can upset the gut.

Natural flavour options

The best flavour is the one that makes you drink enough without making the bottle sickly sweet.

• lemon juice
• lime juice
• orange juice
• ginger infusion
• mint infusion
• hibiscus tea
• freeze-dried lemon, lime, orange, raspberry, or strawberry powder
• unsweetened coconut water powder

Use flavour lightly. The goal is a drink you can finish during or after training.

How to adjust the recipe

Use your bodyweight, sweat rate, and stomach as feedback.

A useful test is to weigh yourself before and after a session. If you lose 1 kg, that is roughly 1 litre of fluid lost. You do not need to replace all of it during the session, but it tells you whether you are a light, medium, or heavy sweater.

HYROX-specific use

HYROX is awkward for mid-race drinking because the race is intense, the stations spike heart rate, and the gut can feel unstable.

For many HYROX athletes, the better strategy is:

• arrive well hydrated
• drink your electrolyte mix before the race
• avoid overloading the stomach during the race
• use small sips only if needed
• recover with a stronger bottle afterwards

If your expected HYROX time is around 60-90 minutes, you may not need much mid-race fuel. The bigger win is usually the day-before routine, the race-morning meal, and starting the race topped up.

For more race-specific context, see the HYROX fuelling guide, themarathon fuelling guide, theGel Maker DIY, and theAI race fuel prompt generator.

Safety notes

Do not use potassium chloride casually. It is a concentrated potassium source. Avoid it unless cleared by a clinician if you have kidney disease, heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, or you take ACE inhibitors, ARBs, potassium-sparing diuretics, or other medication that affects potassium.

Do not overdrink. Drinking too much plain water or too much electrolyte drink can both cause problems.

Stop and seek medical help if you have confusion, fainting, chest pain, severe weakness, repeated vomiting, swelling, or symptoms that feel unusual for you.

Keep dry powders away from children and pets.

Read the full site disclaimer before changing your fuelling plan.

Bottom line

A good DIY electrolyte drink does not need to be complicated.

For most training, start with the everyday 1-litre recipe.

For heavy sweat, warm indoor training, long runs, or post-session recovery, use the stronger 750 ml heavy-sweater mix.

Test everything in training before using it on race day.

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