Science & Research
Every ingredient.
Every dose. Backed by research.
RITHM was formulated around ingredients and nutrients studied for hydration, electrolyte replacement, endurance, and mental performance under stress.
Hydration & Sodium Loss
Key Ingredients
Fluid balance · Nerve signaling · Muscle function
- Maintains fluid balance and prevents cramping
- Supports nerve signaling and muscle contractions
- More effective than water alone for rehydration
- Sodium is the primary electrolyte lost in sweat
Keefe et al. Appl. Sci. 2024, 14, 10103
Natural hydration · Potassium · Minerals
- Contains potassium, sodium, chloride and minerals
- Supports hydration similarly to traditional sports drinks
- Natural source for athletes seeking clean ingredients
- Supports nerve signaling and mental performance
O'Brien et al. Nutrients 2023, 15, 4308
Endurance · Fatigue reduction · Muscle function
- Supports muscle function and hydration
- May help maintain performance in long workouts
- Studied for endurance in hot conditions
- Reduces fatigue during intense exercise
Li et al. Nutrients 2025. PMCID: PMC12252039
Focus · Alertness · Stress performance
- Precursor to dopamine and key neurotransmitters
- May preserve mental performance under stress
- Relevant during competitive pressure and fatigue
- Helps athletes stay sharp late in games
Precursor to dopamine, norepinephrine, and epinephrine
Calm focus · Stress reduction · Attention
- Promotes calm, steady focus without jitters
- May support attention and reduce stress feelings
- Smooths out overstimulation
- Ideal for athletes needing focus without anxiety
Amino acid found naturally in green tea leaves
Why it matters for athletes
Research Citations
Sodium & Athletic Performance
Why Sodium?
Sodium isn't just a seasoning — it's a critical electrolyte that powers how athletes train, compete, and recover.
What Sodium Does
Essential Functions For Your Body
-
Fluid Balance
Regulates water retention and distribution across cells — keeping you hydrated during intense activity.
-
Muscle Function
Every contraction — from a sprint to a heavy lift — depends on sodium to transmit nerve-to-muscle signals.
-
Blood Volume
Maintains the blood volume needed to deliver oxygen and nutrients to working muscles at peak efficiency.
-
Nutrient Absorption
Actively transports glucose and amino acids across the gut wall — accelerating energy and protein uptake.
Sweat Science
Athletes Lose More
Sodium Than Most
During exercise, sweat carries significant sodium. Failing to replace it leads to performance-robbing consequences.
Why This Matters
For Athletes
- Maintain hydration during prolonged training
- Support strong, coordinated muscle contractions
- Speed up recovery between sessions
- Keep energy levels stable from start to finish
Pair this product with adequate water intake around workouts. Sodium helps your body hold onto the fluids you drink — making every sip count.
Potassium & Athletic Performance
Why Potassium?
Potassium works inside your cells while sodium works outside them — together they power every muscle contraction and nerve signal you rely on mid-game.
What Potassium Does
Essential Functions For Your Body
- Nerve Signaling — Works opposite sodium across the cell membrane to transmit the electrical signals that trigger muscle contractions.
- Glycogen Processing — Plays a role in how your muscles access and use stored glycogen for energy during exercise.
- Fluid Regulation — Helps manage fluid balance inside cells, complementing sodium's role outside them.
- Muscle Recovery — Supports the sodium-potassium pump that lets muscles relax properly after contracting.
Sweat Science
The Sodium-Potassium Partnership
Potassium concentration in sweat runs higher in hot conditions, even in athletes acclimated to heat. Without adequate replacement alongside sodium, dysfunction in the sodium-potassium pump is considered a primary mechanism behind exercise-associated muscle cramping.
Why This Matters For Athletes
The Research
- A study in elite soccer players found that supplementing with potassium citrate alongside magnesium and calcium citrate improved repeated-sprint performance over a nine-day training period
- Potassium works as part of an electrolyte system — replacing it alongside sodium is more relevant than replacing either alone
- Relevant for any high-intensity, repeated-effort sport: basketball, soccer, and similar stop-start team sports
Chycki, J.; Golas, A.; Halz, M.; Maszczyk, A.; Toborek, M.; Zajac, A. Chronic Ingestion of Sodium and Potassium Bicarbonate, with Potassium, Magnesium and Calcium Citrate Improves Anaerobic Performance in Elite Soccer Players. Nutrients 2018, 10, 1610. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu10111610
Magnesium & Athletic Performance
Why Magnesium?
Magnesium is involved in over 300 enzymatic reactions in the body, including the ones that keep muscles firing and recovering between reps, sprints, and quarters.
What Magnesium Does
Essential Functions For Your Body
- Muscle Function — Required for normal muscle contraction and relaxation, and commonly linked to cramping when levels run low.
- Energy Production — Involved in converting food into usable cellular energy during exercise.
- Inflammation Response — Plays a role in how the body manages exercise-induced inflammation.
- Calcium Absorption — Works alongside calcium and supports how effectively your body uses it.
Why Chelate Form
Gentle On Digestion
Magnesium bisglycinate chelate is bound to the amino acid glycine, a form generally associated with better absorption and less digestive upset than harsher forms like magnesium oxide — important when you're taking it before activity, not after.
Why This Matters For Athletes
The Research
- A systematic review found that 300–500mg/day of short-term magnesium supplementation was associated with improved jump performance and fatigue resistance in trained athletes
- The same review found magnesium reduced markers of exercise-induced inflammation compared to a control group
- RITHM's 40mg per serving contributes toward daily intake as part of the full electrolyte blend — it's formulated as a complement to diet, not a standalone high-dose magnesium supplement
Heffernan, S.M.; Horner, K.; De Vito, G.; Conway, G.E. The Role of Mineral and Trace Element Supplementation in Exercise and Athletic Performance: A Systematic Review. Nutrients 2019, 11, 696. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11030696
Calcium & Athletic Performance
Why Calcium?
Best known for bones, calcium is just as critical for the muscle contractions that happen thousands of times over the course of a game.
What Calcium Does
Essential Functions For Your Body
- Muscle Contraction — Calcium ions trigger the troponin complex that makes every muscle contraction possible.
- Hormone Regulation — Circulating calcium influences parathyroid hormone (PTH), which affects muscle function when out of balance.
- Nerve Transmission — Supports the signaling pathway between nerves and muscle fibers.
- Bone Health — The long-game benefit for any athlete putting repeated load through their skeleton.
Sweat Science
The Overlooked Electrolyte
Calcium doesn't get the same attention as sodium and potassium, but research shows exercise reliably increases parathyroid hormone, a shift linked to muscle impairment when it runs high. Replacing calcium during exercise has been shown to blunt that spike.
Why This Matters For Athletes
The Research
- Research on female athletes found that calcium supplementation attenuated exercise-induced calcium loss and blunted the post-exercise parathyroid hormone spike
- Elevated parathyroid hormone has been linked to reduced muscle strength in other populations, making calcium's regulatory role relevant to performance, not just bone health
- Calcium citrate was specifically used in the elite soccer player study alongside potassium and magnesium citrate, supporting the combined-mineral approach RITHM takes
Heffernan, S.M.; Horner, K.; De Vito, G.; Conway, G.E. The Role of Mineral and Trace Element Supplementation in Exercise and Athletic Performance: A Systematic Review. Nutrients 2019, 11, 696. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11030696
Dosing Rationale
Why These Amounts
Every ingredient in RITHM is dosed as part of a balanced blend, not as a standalone megadose. Here's the reasoning behind each number.
| Electrolyte | Per Serving | % Daily Value |
|---|---|---|
| Sodium | 450mg | 20% |
| Potassium | 250mg | 5% |
| Magnesium | 40mg | 10% |
| Calcium | 25mg | 2% |