Is it possible to drink water during training? When and in what quantities should you drink it? Why do we drink so much water? Let's figure it out together with trainers and a nutritionist.
There are several opinions on this matter. Some people believe that drinking during training is strictly forbidden, while others believe that it is possible and even necessary. Today we will debunk myths on this topic and tell you whether it is still possible to take breaks during exercise to restore water balance.
Ksenia Kukushkina
sports and fitness nutritionist
Even very mild dehydration—2% water loss—results in decreased endurance and muscle power during exercise.
What will happen to the body if you drink kefir every day?
What happens to the body if you drink too much water?
The role of water in the body
A person can live without air for about 3 minutes, without water for a week, without food for a month.
Our body consists of 70% water, blood - 95%, and muscles - 75%.
All chemical reactions inside a person occur either in a liquid medium or with the participation of water.
The work of muscles and the synthesis of muscle tissue, mental activity, the absorption of food and the removal of waste products, the work of internal organs - all this occurs with the participation of water.
Therefore, maintaining water balance is important throughout the day.
Types of bodybuilding
Bodybuilding differs between amateur and professional. Bodybuilding is also divided into several subtypes:
- Natural. Was popular in the 90s. It involves building an ideal body without the use of steroids or doping drugs. Anabolic processes occur naturally. The goal of natural bodybuilding is to improve physical fitness, improve health, and have a harmoniously developed body.
- Classical. Differs in the presence of height and weight categories. In classical bodybuilding, harmonious body proportions, relief and dryness are valued, rather than muscle hypertrophy.
- Beach. Participants are prohibited from performing in swimming trunks; shorts are allowed. Participants do not use makeup or oil. Beach bodybuilding is a strength direction aimed at the harmonious development of the body without pumping muscles.
- Female. Over time, it lost its popularity as competitions among women led to girls gaining muscle mass to the detriment of the traditional proportions of the female body. This caused pronounced symptoms of masculinization among the participants - deepening of the voice, masculine facial features and figures.
Drinking during training - benefit or harm
Among ordinary gym goers, you can often hear that you should not drink water during physical activity. And no one will explain why exactly.
This is another common myth that has been brought into fashion by weightlifters.
The ban on water in the training room was a generally accepted rule in the 50s and 60s of the last century.
According to the rules of weightlifting competitions in those years, when setting a world record, an athlete had to weigh the same both at the beginning of the competition and at the end. If this was not the case, the record was not counted!
Coaches taught athletes not to drink water during training so that it would be easier for them during competitions.
This practice was also widespread among representatives of martial arts.
“Getting weight” for the competition, the athletes actively worked out in warm clothes, without consuming water. To get into the desired weight category, every kilogram was important to them, which came out in this way with excess fluid - sweat and breath.
But this practice is a lot of stress for the body . And to the question, is it possible to drink water during training, the answer will be in the affirmative. It is possible and even vital!
If you do not regularly drink water during physical activity, the likelihood of developing problems with the cardiovascular system increases.
Remember, our blood is 95% water. During intense physical activity, the body quickly loses water through sweating and breathing.
The blood becomes thicker, and it is harder for the heart to push it through the vessels. Physical activity forces the heart to work harder, pumping blood faster, which it cannot do without sufficient fluid.
Regularly creating such unfavorable conditions for the functioning of the heart, health problems are guaranteed!
Water during training replenishes lost fluid, helping the cardiovascular system function normally, so you should not neglect it.
Billionaire brands: which one is more successful?
In 2018 alone, the total sales of energy drinks in the United States reached $11 billion. The best-selling brand in the States is Red Bull ($4.6 billion), in second place is Monster ($4.1 billion), the rest are significantly behind the leaders. The situation in the world is as follows:
1. Red Bull2. Monster3. Rockstar Zero Carb4. Eastroc Super Drink 5. Hi-Tiger 6. Lucozade 7. NOS 8. Oronamin9. Burn 10. Adrenalin Rush
The Red Bull company was founded by the Austrian Dietrich Mateschitz in the early 80s , but the recipe for the drink was not his; The basis was the energy drink Krating Daeng (translated as Red Bull), which Dietrich met in Thailand.
Krating Daeng was popular among Thai truckers and workers - it was good for reducing drowsiness and adding energy. Mateschitz accidentally tried the drink in Thailand and was surprised to find that the energy drink helped cope with jet lag - jet lag. Together with the drink's producer Chaleo Juvidja, Mateschitz founded the new Red Bull company and launched a modernized version of Krating Daeng in the European market in 1987.
In 2008, Forbes included Juvidja and Mateschitz in the list of the richest people in the world in 260th place with an approximate fortune of $4 billion. In 2022, almost 7 billion cans of the drink will be sold worldwide.
The composition of Red Bull energy drink is richer than Lucozade: carbonated water, taurine, caffeine, B vitamins (B3, B5, B6, B12), sucrose, glucose, sweeteners, acidity regulators, dyes, flavors. One 250 ml can of Red Bull contains about 26 g of sugar - just over 5 teaspoons.
But there is a sugar-free option - Red Bull Sugar Free, which does not even contain sweeteners.
Manufacturers promise that the drink will relieve fatigue and drowsiness, increase vigor and tone.
The role of water in the body's thermoregulation
The standard human body temperature is 36.6° C. This is another constant of our body.
Everyone knows how well-being worsens when the temperature rises. And this happens every day and there is no need to get sick.
Overheating of the body causes a number of phenomena, both external and internal.
The factors for this are:
- hot outside
- performing intense physical exercise
- various diseases
- release of adrenaline into the blood, etc.
The reasons are different, but the effect is the same - the body begins to “burn”. If this internal fire is not quickly extinguished, then upon reaching 41-42° C, death occurs.
Fortunately, the body has a thermoregulatory mechanism. When we overheat, we begin to actively sweat, which is accompanied by large losses of water.
Heat regulation is another reason why it is vital to drink enough water during your gym workouts. Especially in the summer.
Where does the “energy effect” come from?
From the internal reserves of the body and nothing more. Energy drinks mobilize the waste of a person’s own energy reserves - when the effect wears off (and it lasts up to 1 hour), the strength will become even less than before use.
Belyaevsky: “You need to understand that an energy drink does not provide energy from the outside, it wastes your own energy, your resources. Roughly speaking, you have a certain amount of energy that is slowly consumed to maintain metabolism and stimulate the central nervous system. This energy appears and splits in you. And the energy drink does not provide additional energy.
Yes, there are carbohydrates, but there is also caffeine, which speeds up metabolism. If at this moment you do not eat anything additional, do not consume any other carbohydrates, then only your energy will be consumed, and faster than usual. It's like with a car - you can drive slowly, or you can accelerate all the time. Fuel consumption will be completely different. It’s the same here – the energy drink invigorates you for a while, about an hour, and then it will get even worse. There will be a hole because you spent more energy than planned.”
Maintaining hydration during training and during cutting
Fluid deficiency is no joke:
- When the body loses 5% of water, physical performance decreases
- 10% – well-being and level of health worsens
- 20% water shortage leads to death
The category of people whose activities involve the regular loss of large amounts of water must monitor their drinking regime.
This also applies to people leading an active lifestyle. For them, water during training is as important an element as the activity itself.
Another point is the drinking regime during drying (working on relief).
In addition to intense sweating during training during the cutting period, there is another good reason to strictly monitor your water intake.
When training for relief, increase protein intake (while simultaneously reducing the amount of carbohydrates and fats). This is done in order to preserve muscle during a strict diet.
However, an increased amount of protein in the diet puts additional stress on the kidneys.
To facilitate the work of the kidneys during the drying period, it is recommended to drink more water.
The rate of water consumption is individual and depends on weight. The guideline is 30-40 ml per 1 kg of body weight.
For example, for a man weighing 80 kg, 2.4-3.2 liters of water per day is recommended.
The best energy drinks
Pre-workout complexes are produced by many sports nutrition manufacturers, but the top three include the following:
- Jack3D, produced by USP Labs;
- Mesomorph from APS;
- Assault, manufactured by MusclePharm.
To decide which energy drink is best, you need to familiarize yourself in detail with the features of each, look at various ratings, and decide on your expectations from taking this supplement.
How to drink water during training
We figured out whether you need to drink water during training. One more question remains - how to properly drink water during training.
Main recommendations:
- Don't let yourself feel thirsty
You should not be thirsty during the class. And to do this, follow the second rule.
- Drink 2-3 sips every 5-10 minutes
Of course, there may be options here. If the room is cool and you don't sweat much, you can drink water less often.
If it’s hot and you sweat profusely, drink more often (after each approach to the exercise).
Contraindications for use
Energy drinks are also known for having a number of contraindications . Among them:
- Heart disease and a tendency to high blood pressure
- Sleep disturbance and increased excitability
- Glaucoma
- Allergy or sensitivity to caffeine
The most suitable time for use is 15-20 minutes before strength training.
It is acceptable to drink energy drinks during training, but only in the first half.
But after that it is already contraindicated. Since the power load itself has an exciting effect on the human psyche. It is not worth increasing this condition with additional intake of stimulants.
What can you drink besides water?
Now let’s figure out what to drink during training besides water.
Instead, you can drink other liquids to not only compensate for the loss of moisture, but also improve performance or speed up recovery.
Isotonics
Isotonics are special drinks whose composition is similar to blood plasma. Contains some trace elements and some glucose.
Restore water balance in the body, replenish microelements and provide quick energy.
They are widely used in endurance sports (running, cycling, walking).
Herbal teas
It was once fashionable to come to training with a thermos containing herbal tea.
The idea is good and healthy. Herbal tinctures contain vitamins, microelements and antioxidants.
But this takes up precious time. You need to understand herbs, have them on hand and brew them regularly before class. Therefore, this option did not take root in gyms.
Amino acids
The second most popular drink in the gym after water.
Main properties:
- Quenches thirst
- Replenishes amino acid reserves in muscles
- Speeds up recovery
- Increases performance
Amino acids in powder form are diluted with water. You can use both complex and BCAA.
Natural juices
The juice is definitely not suitable for people who want to lose weight or are working to get better due to the presence of sugar in the composition. Therefore, for 60-70% of gym goers this is not an option.
Freshly squeezed juice contains vitamins, minerals, and fructose. If you are working out to gain mass or strength, this is what you need for an effective workout.
But even here it is better to give preference to freshly squeezed drinks. Packaged juice often contains a lot of sugar and dyes, which is not very good for overall health.
Other specialized products
For those who have great difficulty gaining weight, it is sometimes recommended to take a gainer .
The sugar, protein, amino acids and creatine it contains help ectomorphs train more intensely. But they often create heaviness in the stomach.
This option has the right to life, but provided that the gainer does not cause discomfort during training.
Even less commonly used is a protein shake . In the 60s it was the secret of professional bodybuilders, but today amino acid drinks are widely used instead.
Amino acids are more easily and quickly absorbed by the body. Therefore, it is preferable to use them.
energy drinks during exercise to help them advance in their physical development.
Almost all energy drinks contain caffeine and other powerful central nervous system stimulants, which also have a diuretic effect. Therefore, along with consuming energy drinks, you should definitely drink water!
But still, this is not the best option for health, since with regular consumption it creates an increased load on the heart and nervous system.
Advantages and disadvantages
Among the main advantages of energy drinks, we note:
- Stimulates the central nervous system and increases physical performance
This property allows you to conduct a normal-intensity workout if a person is tired (for example, after a busy day at work) or has not had enough sleep.
Or it helps to increase the usual level of intensity. And this will indirectly accelerate muscle growth and strength.
- Accelerate recovery during training
Energy drinks before training help reduce rest between sets. This property is especially useful when conducting pump training.
- Availability and low price
Among the disadvantages we highlight the following:
- A large number of contraindications for use
- Sugar content in high concentrations (cannot be used for drying)
- Quickly addictive
With regular use, the body's sensitivity to stimulants (caffeine, taurine) decreases, gradually reducing the effect to zero.
