Article by Renee Krusmeark and Mike Postaski
OSMO Nutrition
In the article Renee and Mike test Osmo Nutrition’s OSMO Rapid Recovery ($38), OSMO Active Hydration ($20), OSMO Active Hydration ($20) and OSMO Power Fuel ($35) Drink Mixes.
OSMO Rapid Recovery ($38),
Renee: Oh, nutrition. Fuel and recovery options are plentiful as is the advice about what to consume and when. Sugar? No sugar? Real food? Supplements? And if you’re a woman in middle age, the sugar and protein debate gets heated. I guess the old adage “F- around and find out” applies here. If it works for you and your GI system, then go for it.
I’ve used OSMO’s Rapid Recovery for several weeks, two to three days a week depending on the length and intensity of my runs.
The chocolate flavor is mild in my opinion when mixed at the recommended 2 scoops (41g) per 12 oz of liquid. I always mixed it with milk instead of water to add a bit more protein. At that 41g of mix, you get 14g of sugar and 18g of carbs along with 17g of protein. For those with protein needs, I suggest doubling the mix for 34g of protein. The protein is whey and casein.
I’ve also tried the Tailwind Birthday Cake Recovery Mix recently. If looking at stats per gram of mix, the OSMO mix gives more protein and less sugar and carbs in comparison.
The OSMO also provides Vit D (7mg per 41g) and Calcium (384mg per 41g). Needs vary, but it’s nice to see sugar per protein ratios for those limiting sugar intake. The sodium is 170mg per 41g. For comparison, the Tailwind Recovery mix would have about 333mg of sodium per 41g.
I limit the extra sugar when possible only because my efforts are average in comparison to high level endurance athletes. I didn’t notice at first, but this makes sense now given my energy boost, that the Rapid Recovery has a trivial and unlisted amount of caffeine. I’m caffeine sensitive, so the amount can’t be much as it doesn’t make me jittery. I’m guesstimating less than 34g per recommended serving or whatever is less than in a 12 oz can of Coke.
Mike P: I typically don’t pay too much attention to post-run recovery needs. I’m more in the camp of just eat enough after runs/workouts/races and you’ll probably be fine. After hard workouts especially, I can tend to feel more hungry, so I just end up eating and drinking more, and that seems to work out just fine.
But there’s definitely times where a specific “Recovery” drink or bar or something is very handy to ensure that you’re re-fueling properly in order to absorb the work that you did.
I’ve been reserving OSMO’s Recovery mix for after hard workouts. I typically mix it with oat milk and it’s very tasty and seems to fill me up just right. It has a lighter chocolate milk type taste when paired with milk. It doesn’t have any weird after taste as some protein mixes can tend to have.
Renee points out the specifics on the nutritional info, and as I said, typically don’t dig too deep into that stuff as far as recovery drinks go. 18g of protein per serving is on the lower end as far as protein goes, but it does depend on what you mix it with too. I suppose that lower protein number is also what helps maintain its relatively smooth and easy taste. The price also seems good - I’m seeing $35 on The Feed for 16 savings, before any subscription discounts.
OSMO Active Hydration ($20)
Renee: The Active Hydration mix is meant to provide some (not all) fuel using sucrose and glucose along with electrolytes. I consider the use to be equivalent to a sports drink, best for shorter efforts during heat or as an add-on to other fueling for long/ultra efforts.
If using real food for fuel, this would be a good add-on for extra electrolytes when also needing extra sugar/carbs. If using liquid fuel/carbs, mixing another drink simply for electrolytes might be a hassle. I used it for short efforts when I needed some energy. One serving provides 1.3mg of B6 and 1mcg of B12, which might be the best asset as an add-on fuel.
If looking for electrolytes without sugar, there are other options. I found the flavor to be mild when mixed at the recommended dose, which is normally a benefit for hot weather running when anything too potent in taste makes me thirsty for plain water.
Mike P: This is an interesting mix setup here as it seems like it's slotted to be more of an electrolyte replacement mix, a la Precision Hydration Tabs or Skratch Everyday Hydratio (RTR Review) mix but it does have a low-ish (but not zero) amount of carbs at 18g per serving.
Also, with 330g of sodium, it is suitable as an electrolyte replacement drink or even add-on to other mixes. This is perhaps one of the uses where I found it most useful. As a salty sweater , I experimented with adding a scoop or two of this Active Hydraton mix to other drink mixes - for the purposes of either adding flavor or even upping the sodium content just a bit, or both.
As I’ve been testing high carb drink mixes, sometimes the taste can be a bit thick or let’s say, not as appealing as regular carb drink mixes. A viable option is to perhaps throw in a scoop of this mix to add some flavor, or perhaps dial back the high carb mix a touch and substitute in a couple of scoops of this one.
As a standalone mix, for shorter runs, especially in hot temps, 18g of carbs and 330g of sodium is nice, just to have something and not feel depleted if you’re just out in the one hour range in hot temps. It’s better for overall training not to deplete yourself, even during shorter runs - it helps you recover more quickly post-run. Again, the price is right here at $20 for 20 servings. That should cover you at $1 per run, for 20 1 hour runs, for example!
OSMO Power Fuel ($35)
Renee: Another fuel option! Created for endurance athletes, the Power Fuel has a neutral flavor. The neutral flavor gives the option of mixing with other fuel/hydration mixes.
The Power Fuel is a three ingredient mix: highly branched cyclic dextrin, fructose, and sodium citrate. For carb/sugar/calorie ratio, 39g/11g/160 per 42g of mix (two scoops). I’ve recently also used the Tailwind High Carb Fuel, and I look for the ratio of sugar to carbs. In comparison, per 90g of mix, the Tailwind and Power Fuel will provide the same amount of calories, with the Power Fuel having about 5g less of carbs and 15g less of sugars. Tailwind High Carb (RTR Review) offers some potassium and magnesium, while the Power Fuel does not, so factoring in extra electrolytes into the Power Fuel might mean more sugars along the way especially if adding in their Active Hydration. Power Fuel is available with caffeineas well at the same price as the non caffeinated version.
Mike P: I’ve been able to test OSMO’s Power Fuel concurrently with Skratch’s Super High Carb drink mix (RTR Review). This one has a “lower” baseline amount of high carbs - but to be fair, it doesn’t actually say “high” carb anywhere on the package.
The serving size is listed at 2 rounded scoops per 24 ounces, giving 39g of carb and 410mg of sodium. But the reason why I’ve been comparing it as a “high carb” mix is that the package also mentions mixing 3-4 scoops per hour for longer and more intense efforts. That would put it in the range of 80g/hour.
[3 scoops in this setup here]
It definitely has a neutral, semi-sweet taste, I find it actually quite similar to Maurten in the taste and texture department. It mixes into a somewhat viscous liquid, especially as you move into the 3-4 scoop per bottle range. Keep in mind at 4 scoops you’re also getting 820mg of sodium, which for me is good, and even on the low range. But definitely something to keep an eye on if you’re not as much of a salty sweater.
As with other higher carb mixes, it does take a bit of effort to mix and dissolve easily. For my indoor training runs, this wasn’t much of an issue as I used a blender bottle, plus some vigorous shaking in order to dissolve the mix. But it’s not easy and doesn’t happen quickly. This is a consideration if you’re an ultrarunner and considering using this (or other high carb mixes) on the run, or perhaps during racing.
But once mixed, I found that it did go down easy and never had any stomach issues or sloshing during my intense workouts. I think these types of “Cyclic Dextrin” type products seem to work better in the stomach with less sloshing around. The Power Fuel is also, as mentioned earlier, a good candidate for mixing with other flavored mixes such as the Blueberry Pomegranate Active Hydration mix.
For regular workouts or runs where I would also take gels - I would do 2 scoops (39g carbs) + one scoop or two of the Active Mix (9-18g). Throw in 1 gel per hour, and you’re pushing 90-100g per hour.
Experiment and find what works best for you!
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Renee is a former U.S. Marine journalist, which is when her enjoyment of running and writing started. She isn’t that awesome of a runner, but she tries really hard. Most of her weekly 50-60 miles take place on rural country roads in Nebraska, meaning mud, gravel, dirt, hills, and the occasional field. She has PR’s of 1:30:59 for the half marathon and 3:26:45 for the marathon.
Mike Postaski currently focuses on long mountainous ultras - anywhere from 50K up to his favorite - 100M. 5'10", 138 lbs, midfoot/forefoot striker - he typically averages 70 mpw (mostly on trails), ramping up to 100+ mpw during race buildups. A recent 2:39 road marathoner, his easy running pace ranges from 7:30 - 9:00/mi. From 2022-23 Mike has won the Standhope 100M, IMTUF 100M, and Scout Mountain 100M trail ultras, winning the Scout 50M in 2024. He also set a CR of 123.74M at the Pulse Endurance Runs 24H and completed the Boise Trails Challenge on foot in 3 days 13 hours, besting the previous record by 7 hours. Mike's shoe preferences lean towards firmer, dense cushioning, and shoes with narrower profiles. He prefers extra forefoot space, especially for long ultras, and he strongly dislikes pointy toe boxes.
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