This might not be something you think about much day to day but to perform at your best in the gym, staying hydrated is important.

When working out in a home gym, it can be easy to lose track of time and neglect fluid intake. When gym planning, it is worth making room for both a Squat Rack and a fridge?

Positive Effects of Hydration on Performance

• Better thermoregulation (maintaining body temperature.)

• Reduced rate of perceived exertion, making it easier to train hard.

• Increased energy.

• Increase in perceptions of alertness and concentration.

There are many reasons to stay hydrated, however, there are also risks with being dehydrated while training...

Risks and Negative Effects Associated with Dehydration

• Overheating due to less sweating.

• Increased Rate of Perceived Exertion, making it more difficult to train hard.

• Tiredness.

• Headaches.

• Reductions in perceptions of alertness and concentration.

Therefore, staying hydrated is important to avoid these negative consequences, allowing us to perform optimally in the gym.

Which Athletes Are at the Biggest Risk of Dehydration?

Endurance athletes and those participating in longer duration and high intensity exercise, for example, mid and long-distance running, functional fitness competitions or sports like football, rugby or tennis. So, the harder and longer you train, the more you may want to pay attention to your hydration levels.

How Much Fluid Should I Drink?

Precise recommendations are difficult to provide and can be potentially problematic given our inherent individual and environmental differences. For example -

• Environmental temperature.

• How much we sweat.

• Whether we drink water with meals, effecting how much we need to drink outside of meals.

• How intensely we train.

• How fit we are, affecting how difficult we find different training sessions.

So, if it is so individual, how can we monitor our hydration and stay hydrated?

Easy Way to Monitor Your Hydration and Stay Hydrated

Thirst

Do you feel thirsty? If so, have some fluids. This is often referred to as ‘ad libitum’ drinking or ‘drinking to thirst’. This is where we rely on our bodies mechanics for indicating it is thirsty to tell us when and how much to drink.

In an ideal world, we may ingest fluids at a rate that matches the rate at which we sweat during our training. If outside of training, just drink as much as you need to quench your thirst.

It should be noted that we tend to be less sensitive to thirst during exercise than outside of exercise, so monitoring the success of this method (and adjusting your intake) for you, using the subsequent methods of hydration regulation, is good practise.

Armstrong Urine Chart

Pre-Post Training Weigh Ins

• Weigh yourself before training, after using the bathroom, if you need to use it.

• Train as normal.

• Weigh yourself after training, wearing the same clothes as you did in the pre-training weigh in.

• If you have lost more than 2% of your bodyweight during your session, then you are considered to be dehydrated and should drink more fluids during your next session.

• If you go to the bathroom during your session, null and void this method.

Important Reminder - Weight lost during a session is water weight. We should not use this as an indicator of fat-loss, nor dehydrate ourselves during a session to strive for a lower number on the scales after training. Elite athletes have a history of using ‘Water-Cuts’ around competitions, but this is in a strict environment and should not be emulated day-to-day.

What Type of Fluids Should I Consume to Stay Hydrated?

This is largely up to your own preference, but typically people drink either water or an isotonic drink and there are reasons why you may choose one over the other…

Glucose/Isotonic Drink - If you are training for performance purposes, you may choose isotonic drinks to help maintain your energy levels as well as stay hydrated for an extra training boost.

Water - If you are looking to cut weight or your session isn’t overly long or hard, you may choose to stick to water during your session.

Remember, to perform your best, you need to stay hydrated in and around training. However, it won’t do the hard work for you, staying hydrated is simply the facilitator to your hard work. So, get the fluids in and get to work!

Written by guest author Ewan Hammond.

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Tags: Misc > Lifestyle