In all honesty, a hydration powder just needs to do what it says on the tin… hydrate you – and HydraMax does that in spades. I do a lot of cardio, and I sweat… a lot – so rehydration is important to me, I spend pretty much my entire day drinking to either quench a thirst or rehydrate.

With HydraMax, Strom take a different approach that is beneficial to both sports people and bodybuilders, they use 2 grams of coconut water extract to provide a natural (but low sodium) hydrating electrolyte blend. This is perfect for people who put salt on all of their main meals.

I switched to HydraMax about 6 months ago, I received a sample, tried it, loved the taste and loved the mixability (not grainy, nice and smooth) – my go to drink now throughout the day is ‘Berrylicious’ flavoured HydraMax mixed with ice cold Robinsons Apple and Blackcurrant cordial – it’s so refreshing!

Who it’s for:

Ideal for anyone who sweats buckets, feels them pesky ‘lower-back pumps’ during leg or strength days, or simply wants a reliable hydration boost. Great for long training blocks, hot weather or travel days.

What it does:

HydraMax blends taurine to hold fluid in muscles, coconut water electrolytes, antioxidant cranberry and vitamin C, plus mild dandelion to flush unused fluid. It’s a bit like installing a smart hydration system in your body – so you’re full of water, but not weighed down by it.

How I would use it:

One scoop (12g) in 500ml water, sipped before/during workout, or casually through the day. For bigger training days, add a second scoop. Limit to 4 scoops/day.

The Science:

Taurine supplementation improves endurance performance

Study: Taurine increases critical power and time-to-exhaustion during severe-intensity exercise.

Amino Acids (2019)

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31482309/

This randomised, double‑blind crossover trial (six healthy adults) used a single dose of 50mg/kg taurine (3.5g for a 70kg person) taken 60 minutes before exercise. Outcomes included higher critical power and longer time-to-exhaustion (by 1.7 minutes) on severe-intensity cycling tests versus placebo, confirming taurine’s ergogenic benefit for high-intensity endurance work.

Coconut water enhances pre-exercise hydration and heat-exercise performance

Study: Ingestion of coconut water improves exercise capacity and reduces urine output in the heat.

Motriz: The Journal of Physical Education (2016)

https://doi.org/10.1590/S1980-65742014000100016

In this crossover trial with healthy men exercising at 34°C, pre-exercise consumption of coconut water (vs. plain water or flavoured drink) resulted in longer time-to-exhaustion, reduced urine output, and superior fluid retention, with no gastrointestinal distress. These findings support coconut water’s role as a natural, effective pre‑hydration strategy in hot environments.