The Lab: Gatorade Sports Science Institute

Performance Lab

The GSSI Performance Lab is devoted to measuring how sports performance is affected by what athletes eat and drink before, during, and after rigorous exercise. The Performance Lab provides an environment where measurements can be made under controlled and reproducible conditions, enabling scientists to better understand the factors that either improve or impair performance.

Performance Lab Tour

1. Among the testing equipment used to study how nutritional intervention affects athletes’ performance is a CompuTrainer™—a computerized system which allows highly trained research participants to ride their own bicycles on a virtual reality course.
2. The CompuTrainer™ controls the resistance of the trainer the bikes are attached to while displaying a visual image of the actual course the athletes are on.
3. As the terrain on the CompuTrainer screen changes, the resistance experienced by the cyclists changes. This type of testing allows for research to mimic what a cyclist may experience when riding outside within a lab setting, allowing the researchers more control over the environment and stimuli experienced by the cyclist.

CompuTrainer™ is the trademark brand of RacerMate® and is not associated with Gatorade.