Powerade launched an exciting new advertising campaign on Tuesday night, featuring three elite British athletes Jessica Ennis, David Davies and Richard Whitehead, to promote its new and improved sports drink formula, Powerade ION4.
The still isotonic sports drink, which will be used by Team GB and Paralympics GB to help them prepare for London 2012, has been developed with sports scientists. It contains fluid and four of the minerals (sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium) lost in sweat for effective hydration, and a combination of carbohydrates to rapidly replenish the fuel your body loses during exercise.
World and European heptathlon champion Jessica Ennis and fellow British athletes, David Davies and Richard Whitehead, who was recently crowned 200m champion at the Paralympic World Athletics Championships in New Zealand, put the new and improved sports drink to the test by challenging their bodies on film in a unique, purpose built sweat training circuit. The training circuit was created with the help of renowned coach Toni Minichiello, who used his years of experience coaching Jess Ennis to create a rigorous training experience for the athletes.
Jessica Ennis being put through her paces
The national TV advert is part of the integrated Powerade ION4 launch campaign and aired for the first time on Sky Sports 2 during their live UEFA Champions League coverage of AC Milan vs Tottenham Hotspur on Tuesday, which the latter won 1-0 courtesy of a Peter Crouch goal.
The commercial is set in a specially constructed ION4 sweat training circuit designed to push the athletes’ bodies to the limit and establish how much they sweat. During exercise the body produces heat, which is released from the body through the skin as sweat. During high intensity exercise sessions sustaining this heat loss results in high sweat rates, which are ultimately accompanied by an even greater release of sweat.
The session took place inside a massive industrial training cube with high tech gym equipment strategically placed in a continuous exercise course. The athletes were put through a series of intensive training circuits including rowing machines, treadmills, dip bars and bungee run. Consumers are able to watch the session in full at www.poweradegb.com.
Paralympian Richard Whitehead
Speaking about the drink, the current World & European heptathlon gold medallist and Powerade ambassador Jessica Ennis said: “Powerade ION4 is an essential addition to my training kit as it provides the perfect combination of fuel, hydration and minerals.
“Everyone has different training methods, but the importance of rehydrating is the same whoever you are and I believe that Powerade ION4 helps enhance my performance and allows me to train harder and for longer.”
About the drink: Using current science in the area of sports nutrition, Powerade has developed Powerade ION4, which is scientifically formulated to provide a hydration and fuel proposition for intensive workout sessions. Powerade ION4 contains fluid and four of the minerals (sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium) lost in sweat for effective hydration, as well as and a combination of carbohydrates to rapidly replenish the fuel your body loses during exercise to help train harder for longer.
Scientific research has shown that drinking water alone after intense exercise is not the ideal rehydration drink. Water shuts down your thirst before your body has a chance to adequately replace minerals as sodium and fluid lost through sweat.
Water also doesn’t contain any carbohydrates, which in conjunction with sodium maximises the rate of fluid uptake in the body for a more effective hydration solution during and after exercise. In addition sodium, the main mineral lost in sweat and an ingredient in Powerade ION4, helps the body to retain fluid, and offset dehydration.
A rehydrated David Davies takes on the bike
The benefits of rehydration during and after exercise are often underestimated; Dehydration, by as little as 2% of body weight (1.4 kg for a 70 kg individual), can seriously reduce your mental and physical performance. Powerade ION4 helps to ensure successful refuelling, maintain desired performance levels and offer effective rehydration for intensive workout sessions.
Powerade ION4 will be available as part of the hydration programme for Team GB and ParalympicsGB athletes in lead up to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Powerade ION4 will be available in supermarkets and major independent retailers from February 2011. This new sports drink is available in three flavours Berry & Tropical, Cherry and Orange. For more information visit www.poweradegb.com