#fasttwitch

I won a stainless steel tumbler with a spill-proof lid in a @fasttwitchenergy giveaway. It holds approximately 24 oz. It’s stainless steel with the Fast Twitch logo design. It includes a spill-proof plastic lid. It fits in our cup holders in the car. It’s convenient, portable, and easy to clean. I love it.

I know that it sometimes looks like there is rhyme to my reason, that I intentionally plan very complementary topics for the sake of continuity. And then there are times of juxtaposition for more drama.

Like yesterday’s cannabis-infused beers, followed by today’s new Gatorade line extension, Fast Twitch, that yanks the consumer back the other direction. While it is aimed at athletes as a pre-workout beverage, I could see this working just fine for college students and truck drivers, too.

The drink boasts 200mg of caffeine, twice the dosage of a can of Red Bull. Fortunately, there are zero calories, and thus no sugar to add to the party. Fast Twitch also contains Vitamins B6 and B12, and electrolytes. It almost sounds like Brawndo has finally arrived.

Gatorade was invented on the University of Florida campus in the early-1960s, and was first used by the UF football team in 1965. It was then quickly licensed out for manufacture, and adopted by athletes nationwide. While ownership has passed through several hands through the years, Pepsi now owns it. Meanwhile, the University of Florida has earned more than $80 from Gatorade residuals since 1973. Cha-ching.

Fast Twitch, like the cannabis drinks we discussed yesterday, illustrate what industry analysts are calling a blurring of products and benefits. Sales of straight soft drinks and beer are both down, but consumers are still intrigued--at least in a flavor-of-the-month kind of way--to at least try new varietals.

Pepsi intends for athletes to consume Fast Twitch strictly before games and workouts, and then switch to a more traditional sports drink during the session. Caffeine, of course, is a diuretic, and the last thing you want to have to do while running and so forth is to be looking for the loo.

While Pepsi argues that 200mg of caffeine is the perfect amount to get your motor running, what if an athlete slams down two, thinking that more must be better? There’s nothing to stop that from happening, unfortunately, and you could wind up with a bad case of the jitters, as well as an upset stomach. While Pepsi has forged an exclusive agreement with the NFL for this season, there’s reason to be concerned about overuse. The NCAA, for example, limits athletes to 500mg within two to three hours of a competition. Basically, caffeine is a performance enhancer, and you better check with your sport’s governing body before you start chugging this stuff.

Still, taken in seeming moderation, I suspect that Gatorade’s new product will score highly. Everyone wants an advantage on the field, and once this takes off, not consuming it will be to a player’s detriment. That’s another way of saying that, once everyone’s doing it, you better do it also, or be left behind.

And if I were still racing bicycles, I’d probably be buying this stuff by the case. But for now, I’m good with three cups of my morning coffee. Come afternoon I’m ready to come back down to earth and just do a slow ride. Now where were those new beers being sold?

Dr “Bouncing Off The Ceiling“ Gerlich