An electrolyte mix answers a simple physiology problem: sweat removes water and sodium, and plain water alone replaces only one of the two. Potassium and magnesium appear in smaller amounts because sweat carries less of them. Sugar shows up in the endurance formulas for a separate reason — fuel — and it changes how fast the drink absorbs. Keep those roles in mind and the four recipes below explain themselves.
Why the ratios look like this
Sodium leads every formula because it's the electrolyte sweat loses most, and it's the ingredient commercial sports drinks most often underfill. The research-backed window for hard sessions is 500–1,000 mg per liter — the single number that decides whether a mix is doing its job.
Carbohydrate enters for osmolarity, not taste: a roughly 6% solution empties from the gut fast enough to fuel a session while you drink it. That's why the kitchen sports-drink recipe lands at 40–60 g per liter, and why the clinical formula pairs its glucose with sodium and citrate — the right solute load carries water across with it.
Terms worth learning
- Sodium per liter — the dose that matters; 500–1,000 mg is the researched range for hard sessions
- 6% solution — about 60 g carbohydrate per liter; the endurance fueling standard the kitchen recipe hits at 40–60 g
- mEq — milliequivalents, the clinical dosing unit; the WHO base is written as 75 mEq sodium and 20 mEq potassium
- Osmolarity — how concentrated the drink is; these formulas are built to empty fast, not sit heavy
The clones
The LMNT clone
PUBLISHED RECIPE| Sodium chloride | 2.5 g → 1,000 mg Na | $0.02 |
| Potassium chloride | 385 mg → 200 mg K | $0.02 |
| Magnesium malate | 390 mg → 60 mg Mg | $0.04 |
≈ $0.08 per packet
Dissolved in 16–32 oz of water. Mix a 100-serving jar once — 250 g salt, 38.5 g potassium chloride, 39 g magnesium malate — and it's a three-month supply.
Kitchen Gatorade
PER LITER| Table sugar | 40–60 g | $0.05 |
| Table salt | 2 g → 800 mg Na | $0.01 |
| Water + citrus squeeze | 1 L | $0.04 |
≈ $0.10 per liter
The endurance-standard 6% carb solution at a tenth of the shelf price. Same fueling, no dye.
WHO rehydration base
CLINICAL| Sodium chloride | 2.6 g | — |
| Glucose (or 27 g sucrose) | 13.5 g | — |
| Potassium chloride | 1.5 g | — |
| Trisodium citrate | 2.9 g | — |
≈ $0.05 per liter
The literal clinical formula — 75 mEq sodium, 20 mEq potassium. For real dehydration, not just the gym.
The intra-workout
ENDURANCE| Cyclic dextrin or maltodextrin | 30–60 g | $0.50 |
| Essential amino acids | 10 g | $0.70 |
| Sodium + potassium + magnesium | 500 / 200 / 100 mg | $0.05 |
≈ $1.25 per liter
Sip every 10–15 minutes through the session. The $4 'intra' tub is this, minus the honesty.