There are a lot of articles on the net about how much water professional athletes should drink. Articles of a broader direction most often copy the same information, giving too vague idea about water consumption. How much water to drink during training, whether it is necessary to do this at all, is rarely discussed at all.

That is why, instead of a lot of ridiculous facts, theoretical treatises and other tinsel that only confuses and even misleads, let’s consider one specific issue – water consumption during training.

Should you drink water while exercising?
In fact, only those who are very far from the usual understanding of the physiological processes that occur in our body can ask such a question.

If you do not beat around the bush – yes, water is necessary to drink at any workout, regardless of the conditions.

WHY? IF YOU CONSIDER EVERYTHING WITHOUT DEEPING INTO DETAILS, THEN THE ANSWERS WILL BE EXTREMELY SIMPLE.

DRINKING WATER DURING WORKOUT IS NECESSARY BECAUSE:

Water is essential for the body to function properly;
Thirst will introduce the body into an “energy-saving” mode, as a result of which the lion’s share of your work in the hall will go down the drain;
It is extremely important to maintain water balance;
During the load, the body loses fluid in an enhanced mode, therefore its replenishment plays a primary role on the scale of importance.

Do you want to experiment?
Are you still in doubt: do you drink during a workout and is fluid lost so hard? Regarding the last point, you can do a simple experiment.

Take measurements on the scales before and after training, if you trained well, then the “after” figure will be at least 0.5 kg less than the “before” value.

Some people might think that this is the result of their hard work in the gym and they lost fat, when in fact it is completely different.

Fat burning is a long process that stretches for a whole day and even days. Therefore, all that you have lost and seen on the scales is water.

This is not critical, but it is quite logical to assume that the lost fluid needs to be replenished. Why?

The body always tries to get the right amount of fluid;
If you have lost fluid, then its amount in the body is below normal;
There will be nothing critical, but some processes may slow down significantly, which will affect your progress and efficiency from each workout.
As a result, even such a simple nuance as the lack of a sufficient amount of liquid can lead to the fact that all your efforts in the gym will not give the desired result, no matter how hard you try.

Feeling thirsty and dehydrated
So, we hope that we have decided on the question: whether to drink water during a workout! It is clear that you need to drink water. This is evidenced not only by ordinary physiology, but even by simple mathematics.

If you subtract 4 from 100 (100% is the rate of fluid in your body), then you get 96, but not 100. Simply put, if there is less fluid than the body needs, it will let you know about it.

HOW? DUE TO THE COMMON SIGNS OF DEHYDRATION:

Dizziness;
severe fatigue (higher than usual);
redness of the skin (especially on the face);
mild headache;
Dry mouth.
It is generally accepted that the last point is the most obvious sign that you are thirsty, although everything is a little more complicated.

When the body gives a signal that you are thirsty and your mouth dries up, you can be sure that for at least 30-60 minutes the body has been in a state of “alarm” and dehydration.

!!! Simply put, you should drink water not when your tongue is dry, but after a certain amount of time has passed !!!

This rule must be learned and taken as an axiom. Drinking water is important not only during training, but also when the body needs it, throughout the day!

At the same time, it is worth showing a little discipline, as drinking a normal amount of liquid will become an absolutely natural habit for you, which will allow you to forget about dehydration.

Want to eat? But no … You’re thirsty!
Sometimes the body gives completely ambiguous signals that you need water.

For example, recent studies by many medical centers in Germany, the USA and Japan have shown that when you feel hungry, it is not always a lack of nutrients that you need to get from food.

Often everything is much simpler: when you want to eat, the body needs water.

If he does not receive it, he will use all means, including provoking a feeling of hunger, since food also contains liquid, especially when it comes to various vegetables, herbs, etc.

Therefore, if you have had situations when you ate 1-2 hours ago and have already begun to feel hunger, try drinking a glass of water. Very quickly you will notice (after 15-20 minutes) that the feeling of hunger is also gone, although you didn’t eat anything much.

Drinking water before, after and during exercise
Now consider the question of specific consumption, namely:

How much;
When;
What drink.
Let’s start with the last question, because it is the simplest: what to drink during a workout – you need to drink only plain water.

Water must be WITHOUT:

gas,
flavors,
Sahara,
and any other additives.
Many beginners, and only athletes, often wonder: what to drink during a workout? Plain purified water, that’s the best you can think of.

In rare cases, you can add a little lemon juice or a pinch of salt to the water, but this is a completely different issue that requires separate consideration.

So, you can and should drink water during a workout! Therefore, going to a workout, you must have a bottle of water in your bag.

WHAT SIZE SHOULD THE BOTTLE YOU BRING TO WORKOUT BE?

Everything is a little more complicated here, because the answer will depend on various factors and you can only say the exact figure taking into account these conditions:

total body weight;
Sports and intensity of physical activity;
The duration of the workout;
Season and room temperature.
There may be more conditions, but these are the main ones.

So let’s start with body weight. Why is it important? Because the N amount of water for one person can be the norm, and for another – a big problem.

It is quite obvious that people with a weight of 50 kg and 100 kg will have different water requirements, so it is important to consider weight parameters.

If we talk about the daily norm, then for every 30-33 kg of weight you need to drink 1 liter. But! This rate is calculated under normal conditions.

For example, exercising in the summer heat and in a cool gym in the winter (or with good air conditioning), you will sweat in completely different ways. From this, the rate of water consumption will also change.

Although, in this regard, everything is extremely simple – the more fluid you lose, the more you will have to replenish.

If you add a little specifics, then there is a simple scheme:

Weighed before training and after training;
We saw a specific difference in weight (this difference is almost 90% loss of fluid over a specific period);
Replenished at least half of the weight lost.
It is worth considering that if you lost 800-1000 g on the scales, no need to immediately drink a liter. It is enough to drink about 250 mg of water within 20 minutes, and another 250 mg over the next two hours.

Drink water during exercise: summing up
You need to replenish up to 50% of the lost weight;
Part of the liquid should be drunk immediately, another part should be stretched for 2 or even 3 hours);
During training at a comfortable temperature and average intensity of the load, it is enough to drink 250-300 ml in 15-20 minutes. That is, if the active phase of the workout lasts an hour, then during this time you should drink from about ¾ liters.
You should drink at least 500 ml of water 2 hours before training;
This rate may increase in case of heat or an increase in the intensity of training;
The most objective indicator is thirst and your own feelings (if you feel thirsty during a workout, it means you consume less water than your body needs);
With power work (weight 70% of the RM and above), it is better to increase water consumption, during weight loss or drying – reduce and keep closer to the lower limit of the norm, avoiding an overabundance.
It is also worth remembering that water should be consumed in small sips and gradually. Drinking a large amount of liquid too quickly and abruptly can lead to swelling and discomfort.