EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The countless drops of sweat covering their drenched bodies are indicative of the hard work put in by the New York Giants throughout the hot and humid summer. Those same droplets were also analyzed and examined to help individual performance.

The Giants used a new sweat test this year to make sure their players were properly hydrated and prepared for the rigors of summer. It should continue to help them throughout the season.

It’s not a completely new idea, just a refined version of a sweat test. There are other teams using different variations of this new patch the Giants had analyzed by Quest Diagnostics as part of their Blueprint for Athletes program. This iteration is easier to implement and is believed to be more effective than the previous processes they have tried over the past few years. The hope is that its benefits can stretch throughout the year and provide even the slightest of competitive advantages.

The way it was administered is players were given a 3-by-6-inch rectangular patch to place on their legs prior to practice. All 90 players on the roster participated, and the samples were collected after a midsummer workout. The sweat was then weighed and analyzed for specific concentrations of sodium, potassium, calcium, chloride and magnesium lost during the practice, with the results individualized to inform players of their recommended route to rehydration.

It allowed them to find the right mix of water and sports drink (flush with electrolytes) to maximize their performance for the next practice.

“I didn’t know any of it,” said offensive lineman Brett Jones, who found out he was a salty sweater before being traded to the Minnesota Vikings. “I just drank water and would cramp up. Now that I know, with this Propel and Gatorlytes (packet), it can help me prevent those things. I used to drink too much water and was bloated. Now I just stick to what I need to take and feel better when I get out to practice.”

Quest Diagnostics, the Giants' partner since 2013, provided results to players in less than a week. The analysis came in personalized charts that showed how each individual’s body maintained the five biomarkers during a practice and offered suggestions on how to go about replenishing for the following day.

It’s about finding the right mix between drinks ranging from Propel, Gatorade, G2 and water (among others) to have them ready for the next practice.

“They do a really good job of keeping it simple, so you can know what it means,” Jones said.

This matters to players, who invest in their bodies more than ever. Several Giants have their own personal chefs and star wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. has his own team that includes therapists, masseuses, trainers and doctors to make sure his body is right. They are all looking for even the slightest edge.

The sweat test is just another vehicle. The Giants also use the Blueprint for Athletes as part of their baseline screening for each player’s annual physical. BFA is a biomarker testing service used by teams across all professional sports leagues. The results from the tests allow for modifications to individual’s health in order to improve performance.

“The Odells and Saquon (Barkleys) of the world, they’re very interested in individualized plans. They’re not interested in one plan fits all because I’m different, I’m unique, I’m an elite athlete and I know this data is available,” said Giants senior vice president of medical services/head trainer Ronnie Barnes. “How can the team give it to me? That is what we’re doing.”

Barkley asked Barnes one night during training camp how much sports drink and water he should drink when he got to the team hotel before he went to sleep. Barnes was able to offer suggestions based on the results of his sweat test.

Jones learned as a salty sweater who lost in the range of 10 pounds during a normal summer practice that he would be low on sodium and chloride afterwards. He added the Gatorlytes packets to his daily routine as a result.

Jones’ natural inclination was to be high on potassium and magnesium. He didn’t sweat much calcium, so there wasn’t any need to concentrate on replenishing any of the three. Focusing on the sodium and chloride allowed him to feel light, fresh and cramp-free throughout camp.

Hydration is important in the summer, when the heat can be oppressive. It’s also relevant during the season, including on game day when players’ routines have them warmup, cool down and warmup again before 60 minutes of football. Replenishing and not overindulging before games can be key.

The benefits of hydration include limited strains and sprains, avoiding camps, exhaustion and preventing tragedy. Heat exhaustion can be deadly.

The days of simply chugging water before or after a workout are gone. That isn’t necessarily an effective strategy. It can make players sluggish and sloshy, or it can lead to bigger problems in intense heat.

“The main thing we want them to make sure they are aware of, water is going to be among the main things they drink during the day, especially this time of the year,” said Pratik Patel, director of performance nutrition. “But it’s not just water. They need the electrolytes to go along with it.

“So if they’re taking a ton of water and multiple gallons and not getting the electrolytes, then they are at risk for hyponatremia [condition where a person’s sodium is too low] and that is where you see those issues where the kid drank plenty of water but he dealt with heat stroke and washed out.”

Heat exhaustion can kill. The death of Jordan McNair at the University of Maryland earlier this year has once again put this subject into the spotlight.

The hope is that this new sweat test can be an asset to professional and collegiate teams, and reach the point where it can eventually benefit lower levels of competition at the consumer level as well.

“Every time I see a newspaper article that says a player has died from heat stress, I say that is totally preventable,” Barnes said. “The fact that we are doing this will raise attention at all levels. And I think that is very important. Not only is it going to help the Giants with performance and individual players, but the fact that we’re doing this is very important for other people to see that, quite frankly, heat kills.”