Modern athletes are faced with a bewildering array of supplements and sports drinks. Sometimes it seems to me that you can buy an off-the-shelf fix for almost any aspect of training and conditioning. So much so that such products have turned into a sort of technology that is part and parcel of every athlete s kit bag. The trouble is, we can all too easily fall into the trap of thinking that a particular supplement, or sports drink, is an adequate replacement for some or other aspect of diet, exercise or training technique. Of course, this couldn t be further from the truth. The most important determinant of athletic performance is and always will be the carefully-structured physical and mental input we put into our training.