Nix Peaks Interest for Retired and Active Hockey Players
Nix Peaks Interest for Retired and Active Hockey Players
The Nix Hydration Biosensor has generated significant interest within the hockey world, with professional and minor league teams utilizing this revolutionary technology.
From Professional Hockey to Endurance Sports
Nix Biosensors is honored to be working with NHL and Boston Bruins veteran, Zdeno Chara, in his journey to the start line of the 2024 Boston Marathon. Zdeno has been training with the biosensor for several months in preparation for the Boston Marathon, the TCS London Marathon, as well as using it for cross-sport training as he prepares for several Ironman races in the summer and fall, including Kona.
Since retiring from the NHL in 2022, Zdeno Chara has dedicated himself to endurance sports. Monday’s race will be his eighth marathon, his first being just one year ago at the 2023 Boston Marathon. Alongside his training and racing, he has dedicated himself to raising money for the Hoyt Foundation, a charitable foundation close to his heart and one Zdeno credits as huge motivation for the Bruins’ journey to the Stanley Cup in 2011. His support of the non-profit will continue in Boston 2024.
“Running and cycling are so different from hockey and require completely different hydration strategies,” said Zdeno Chara. “The hydration strategy I used during that part of my career has been completely overhauled since entering endurance sports. Nix took the guesswork out of this for me, and I now understand what my body needs for each respective sport. For example, my sweat rate and electrolyte loss rate are 1.6x and 2.2x higher when I’m running versus cycling, respectively. Having this new understanding of my personal physiology has huge implications for how I train and race.”
Impact of Hydration for Hockey Players
The Dubuque Fighting Saints, a Tier I junior ice hockey team playing in the United States Hockey League, had five of its players utilize Nix during their training. Data was collected for forwards, defenseman and a goalie during the time of sweat testing. Each player was then provided an in-depth analysis into the impact of hydration during their training and how to better improve their habits to support optimal performance and recovery. In particular, goaltenders tend to sweat more during on-ice training due to the amount and weight of the equipment that they are required to wear. The Dubuque goalie was prone to exertion-related muscle cramping which was a challenge to manage, especially when playing in back-to-back games. With the data provided by Nix he found that his electrolyte losses are a major contributor to his exertion-related cramping and he has since worked with the team staff to identify and develop a new hydration plan for himself based on these insights. This has dramatically reduced his cramping and improved his performance on the ice as well as his recovery.
Regardless of your chosen sport, as long as you’re actively sweating during a workout the Nix Hydration Biosensor can provide real-time personalized hydration intelligence based on your personal biology.