Whether to drink water during exercise. Is it possible to drink water during, as well as before and after training. Functions of water in the body

There are two opposing opinions about if necessary or not needed? Some argue that it is MANDATORY, others argue that it is bad for the liver, kidneys and something else there. Today we finally find out Do you still need to drink water during a workout?, how much water to drink and what quality should it be? Since it is these questions that concern everyone who has seriously decided to go in for sports, and at the same time they do not give a damn about their health and performance during the training sessions themselves and after them. We will talk about these factors today, website will tell you how to drink water while exercising, And how much water to drink per workout day.

Why do you need water during exercise?

From school, everyone knows that we are 60-70% water, and our muscles are even more - 80-85%, so the lack of water (dehydration) causes the inhibition of all processes inside our body, and this, as a result, can bring to serious health problems and even death.

During training, blood circulation increases, all tissues and organs heat up, body temperature rises, and at this moment the body tries to cool itself by sweating. If you see that during your workout there is profuse sweating, drink every 15 minutes 100 ml of water in small sips, this will help to avoid dehydration of your body.

Reasons why you should drink water

The lack of water in the body by at least 2% already significantly reduces your performance and efficiency from training: strength indicators fall by 20%, and aerobic endurance by all 50%. What is it connected with?

Dehydration causes a change in the quality of blood flow, as the blood becomes thick and its ability to carry oxygen to cells and tissues deteriorates significantly. For this reason, fat cells do not oxidize, and fat burning does not occur, since these two processes are closely interconnected and, unfortunately, cannot exist separately from each other. From this follows the first conclusion : drink water while exercising It is necessary for the normal supply of oxygen to all cells of the body, and in particular to fat cells, so as not to inhibit the process of fat burning.

The second reason, which follows from the first, is the increased load on the heart. Due to the fact that even with a slight degree of dehydration, the blood becomes thick, it becomes difficult for the heart to pass it through itself and further distribute it to all tissues and organs, and this, in turn, creates an excessive load on the heart during exercise.

We have already talked about the lack of water and the negative impact on weight loss, now it's time to listen to muscle building lovers about the consequences of dehydration during training. Drinking water during training helps protein to be better absorbed, and amino acids to enter muscle tissue. If the body begins to lose fluids, then these two processes worsen, and the process of building muscle mass slows down significantly. That's why drink water while exercising necessary not only for those who want to lose weight, but also for those who want to build muscle. Here, water is a versatile product for these seemingly two different purposes.

The next reason why you should drink water during exercise, again associated with the processes of fat burning and muscle building. In the process of burning fat or protein metabolism during the training process, end products of decay are formed in the blood, which, if they are not removed from the body, “slagging” it, and this, in turn, prevents the body from delivering oxygen in the right quantities to cells and muscle tissues, which prevents achieve your intended goals.

One such breakdown product is lactic acid. Its accumulation in large quantities leads to muscle pain and reduced performance in class. To avoid this, water intake during exercise is a must.

How much water should you drink during a workout?

On average, a person needs to drink at least 1.5 liters of pure non-carbonated water per day. When it comes to training and sports, the amount of water consumed increases. How much depends on several factors: the type and intensity of the workout, the length of the workout, and your weight.

But on average, this figure starts from 2 liters and above. The longer and more intense your training, the more water should be consumed.

Drink water while exercising you need in small sips every 15-20 minutes, 100-150 ml. This volume does not create a feeling of fullness in the stomach and discomfort during exercise.

But drink water need not only during training. In order to prepare in advance for the loss of fluid and create a reserve supply of water in the body, having nourished all the cells and tissues with it, you need to drink 400 ml of water 1-1.5 hours before training. During this time, the water will have time to be completely absorbed by the body, and you will have time to empty your bladder before starting a workout.

It is also necessary to drink water after training until the feeling of thirst is completely quenched, on average, about 200-300 ml of water will be required.

Myths about water during exercise

During my coaching, I have repeatedly had to answer questions about is it possible to drink water during training, how much water to drink during training what it should be and many others. People who are interested in such issues, in fact, deserve great respect, because they care about the state of their health, and they approach the training process as responsibly as possible.

But there are also people who believe that drink water while exercising- It's unhealthy! They are guided by the false knowledge that water overloads the kidneys and liver. To dispel this myth about water during training and still prove that you can and should drink water, I will give you some scientific facts.

1. Firstly, overloading the kidneys and liver is only possible when drinking excessively large amounts of water! If your norm, taking into account the weight and intensity of training, is 2.5 liters of water per day, and instead of the total you “fill in” 8 liters, then the kidneys can really “rebel and take offense”, because they simply do not need such an amount of liquid. But if you consume the amount of water you need in small portions at one time, then your kidneys will only say “thank you”. And the following fact will tell you why.

2. Heat and high temperatures disrupt the water-salt balance in the body, and this is one of the main causes of kidney stones. To prevent this, you need drink water while exercising, since physical activity, as we already know, contributes to an increase in temperature in the muscles and the whole body as a whole! And water, with the help of sweating, lowers body temperature, and the right amount of urine produced prevents the appearance of stones in the urinary tract.

3. Another important fact that the kidneys and liver do not suffer from the water received during training, but rather need it, is their purpose. The task of the kidneys is to cleanse the body of various toxins and decay products, but without the presence of water, they simply cannot do this. When there is not enough water, the kidneys turn to their fellow liver for help, but the main task of the liver is to activate glycogen and fat stores for energy during exercise. It turns out that by helping the kidneys, the liver does not have time to perform its main task, and the fat burning process stops. This suggests that water helps the kidneys not only remove all harmful toxins and toxins from the body, but is also indirectly responsible for the liver to perform its function well, supplying the body with the necessary energy and burning fat.

I think that these few facts have convincingly proved to you that drink water while exercising USEFUL and NECESSARY! Water is involved in many vital bodily processes and works for you to help you reach your fitness goals.

I hope this article has helped you understand such an important issue as can you drink water while exercising? And now, if someone asks you or reproaches you for drinking a lot, then you can explain to this person which of you is right. Drink water while exercising always possible and necessary. The main thing is to remember your norm per day and try to stick to it, then everything will be fine with the kidneys, and with the liver, and with the processes of losing weight and building muscle mass.

Your coach, Janelia Skrypnyk, was with you!

P.S. Drink to your health =)

Any physical activity leads to the loss of water in the body. The amount of fluid removed during an intense workout can be quite impressive. The feeling of thirst arises almost instantly and can accompany the athlete throughout the workout. In this regard, many beginner CrossFitters have a number of questions. In particular, is it possible to drink water during a workout. If yes , how much water to drink during exercise? And the answer in this case is unequivocal: not only is it possible, but it is necessary. The main thing is to do it right. Then the feeling of heaviness in the stomach will not arise, and the metabolism will accelerate.

The role of water in the human body is enormous. We all know that the body of an adult is more than 70% water. Blood is about 80% water, muscle tissue is 79% fluid. All metabolic processes in the body occur thanks to water. Any physical activity, normal digestion, joint flexibility, nutrition of the cells of the entire human body are inextricably linked with water.

Water performs a number of important functions in the human body:

• Thermoregulatory function - water in the human body maintains a constant body temperature through evaporation and sweating. During intense training, the human body cools naturally through the process of sweating.
• Cushioning function - water is the basis of the synovial fluid, which provides lubrication of the joints. Due to this, there is no friction of the joints during movement.
• Transport function - water is the carrier of all substances in the body. It delivers nutrients to all cells of the body, penetrating even into intercellular spaces, and also removes waste products and toxins from the body.
• Supportive and protective functions - the lack of water in the human body greatly affects its performance, leads to a decrease in concentration, a decline in strength and energy. The firmness and elasticity of the skin is also directly related to the amount of fluid in the human body. Recent studies by scientists have shown that water consumption is one of the key points in the prevention of many diseases. The more water a person consumes, the more toxic substances are excreted from the body along with it.



It is a well-known fact that closer to old age, the human body begins to lose fluid, and the amount of water in his body by the age of 80-90 is about 45%. Scientists have identified the following pattern: about 30% of older people aged 65-75 years are much less thirsty, and by the age of 85, about 60% of older people consume too little liquid during the day.

On the basis of the above data, scientists concluded that the processes of human aging are closely related to water metabolism in his body. Therefore, water in the daily diet of a person must be present necessarily. 2-3 liters of fluid per day is the necessary minimum that will help maintain high performance, mental clarity, external and internal health of a person.

It is very important to consume the required amount of water for athletes, because, as already mentioned, almost 80% of the muscles consist of it. Therefore, further we will try to reveal the answers to a number of important questions that concern every crossfitter, especially a beginner. For example, let's try to figure out whether it is worth drinking water during a workout or not, how much water to drink during a workout and what kind.

Drinking during training: good or bad?

The question of whether it is possible to drink water during a workout has always caused heated discussions in sports circles. Some athletes insist that you should not drink water during training, as this can harm the body. There is some truth in these words.

Scientists from the Medical Center at Georgetown University (USA) even found a rationale for why you should not drink water during a workout. According to their research, excess water in the body can cause water poisoning. The fact is that many athletes drink water or special sports drinks during training, but do not know how to do it right. This can lead to what is called hyponatremia, a condition in which the kidneys cannot excrete as much fluid as the person has drunk. At the same time, the complete refusal to drink during the training process is also unhealthy, as it can cause dehydration, which is even worse. For this reason, medical professionals believe that it is still necessary to drink water during exercise, but it must be done in the right way.




The role of water in body thermoregulation

During intensive sports, the human body starts the processes of thermoregulation and loses a lot of fluid. To understand why drinking water during exercise, you need to know the mechanism of sweat regulation. It is carried out as follows. During exercise, the muscles contract and generate a large amount of heat. The blood that circulates in the muscle tissue begins to heat up and enters the general circulation. When heated blood enters the brain, it begins to act on receptors in the hypothalamus, which respond to elevated blood temperature. The hypothalamus receptors send signals to the sweat glands, and they begin to actively produce sweat.

In the process of intense evaporation of sweat from the surface of the skin, a general cooling of the body occurs. Therefore, for an effective process of thermoregulation and replenishment of the water balance in the body, a person needs to drink water during training in the optimal amount. Dehydration during exercise can lead to a sharp deterioration in well-being, dizziness, muscle cramps and spasms, and in more serious cases, heat stroke and loss of consciousness.

To protect yourself and others from dehydration and prevent undesirable consequences, you should be aware of the signs that may indicate that the human body urgently needs water.

Early signs of dehydration include:

• dizziness and headache;
• heat intolerance;
• dry cough, sore throat and dry mouth;
• changed, darker color of urine with a strong odor;
• pain and burning in the stomach, loss of appetite;
• general fatigue.

More dangerous signs of dehydration include:

• numbness of the skin and limbs;
• muscle spasms and cramps;
• blurred look;
• painful urination;
• difficulty in swallowing;
• hallucinations.

Be sure to pay attention to such manifestations of poor health and physical condition, this will help protect yourself from dehydration.




Fluid intake rates

There are no strict rules on how much water to drink during a workout. Here the main rule applies - you need to drink, based on need. Depending on where your training takes place, the body may experience different needs for water.

During a workout in a gym with working heaters and low air humidity, thirst may arise in the first minutes of being there. In contrast, exercising outdoors or in a well-ventilated area with normal air humidity may not cause such a strong desire to drink water. In any case, if you feel thirsty during a workout, then this is an indicator that the body needs to replenish its fluid supply. The amount of liquid you drink should saturate the body with moisture, but at the same time not cause a feeling of heaviness.

In this regard, a new question arises - how to drink water during a workout? When a person begins to sweat actively during exercise, the feeling of thirst arises almost instantly. However, water should be drunk in small sips of 100-150 milliliters at a time, every 15-20 minutes. Of course, you can drink a lot more liquids if the feeling of thirst persists, but in this case, heaviness can occur, which will interfere with the intensity and effectiveness of the exercises.

Remember: not always the lack of thirst during exercise is an indicator of a sufficient amount of water in the body. Therefore, in any case, drinking water during training is a must.

The table shows the approximate daily requirement of the human body for water.

Maintaining water balance during drying

Athletes preparing for competitions are especially concerned about the question, is it possible to drink water during drying training? If you are in the drying stage, then the amount of water you drink during training and throughout the day should be increased, no matter how paradoxical it may look. The human body works on the principle of storing water with its small intake. It turns out that if you sharply limit water intake, the body will not “dry out”, but rather “swell up” from an excess of stored water. To dry effectively, you need to increase your water intake to 3-4 liters per day. It is this amount of water that the body needs so that it consumes and removes liquid without trying to store it. Moreover, with dehydration, you simply will not be able to train effectively, the risk of injury will increase, and strength and energy will not be enough.

Answering the question that worries many beginner crossfitters about whether it is possible to drink water after a workout, it should be noted that it is possible and even necessary to drink water after a workout. After training, the body is at the stage of maximum dehydration, along with sweat a person loses about 1 liter of fluid. Therefore, you need to drink after a workout as much as your body requires. Research by scientists confirms the fact that the amount of fluid consumed for each individual person is individual, so you should drink water as much as you want and when the need arises. Moreover, the experiments of Dr. Michael Farrell from Melbourne confirm that a person consumes exactly as much water as his body needs during the day, so there are no and should not be any strict restrictions on the amount of water drunk.




Water for weight loss: truth and myth

Many people who come to sports to lose weight are interested in whether it is possible to drink water during a workout for weight loss. If the goal of your workout is to lose weight, the amount of water you drink during and after your workout should also not be limited. A strictly defined amount of water consumed during and after training for weight loss is nothing more than a marketing ploy aimed at increasing sales of water and specialty drinks. In the process of losing weight, a significant role is played by the metabolic rate, which increases significantly not only during and after intense training, but also from a sufficient amount of liquid drunk during the day. For effective weight loss, protein diets are usually used in combination with a large amount of ordinary drinking water in the diet. It is this diet that helps to get rid of not only extra pounds, but also helps to eliminate the “orange peel effect” in problem areas.

What is the best water to drink?

In a word, you won’t answer the question of what kind of water to drink during a workout. It all depends on the purpose of the lesson, the characteristics and physical capabilities of the body. Below are some tips to help you decide what to drink and in what situation:

Drinking water

During a not too long workout, you can drink ordinary non-carbonated clean water. The most important point when taking water is its quality. Tap water, in the form in which it enters our apartments, is completely unsuitable for consumption, as it contains a lot of harmful organic and inorganic impurities. Such water must be boiled and subsequently defended. Sometimes the issue of water purification can be solved with the help of quality filters.

An alternative would be to buy water purified by special industrial filters of a high degree of purification. In any case, a bottle of quality water should always be with you, because you must drink water during training.

Isotonics and other specialized means

In cases where the athlete exposes himself to increased physical exertion, and the sweating process is too intense, the use of ordinary drinking water may be insufficient. In such a situation, you will need to use special drinks - isotonics. The reason for taking isotonics is that, along with sweat, electrolytes are excreted from the human body: salts of potassium, magnesium, calcium and sodium. During training and after it, you should replenish the supply of salts and minerals in the body. Usually, professional athletes, when preparing for competitions, resort to the help of special drips that replenish electrolytes in the blood. But in the case of CrossFitters, taking isotonic drinks during and after training may well help.

These are special solutions that take 40-50 milliliters at a time and in an amount of not more than 350-400 milliliters for the entire workout lasting 1.5-2 hours. By the way, the occurrence of muscle spasms and cramps during and after exercise is also associated with a lack of electrolytes in the blood.

To improve performance during a very long workout, athletes can drink sugar water during training, which contains simple carbohydrates for quick energy replenishment. This is by no means the usual sweet soda. These specialty drinks are usually based on sucrose or glucose. After their use, sugar enters the bloodstream almost instantly, replenishing the energy potential of the body. Also, such water in the classroom will be useful for those who suffer from low blood pressure.

There is an opinion that during and training for weight loss you should drink water with lemon, but this is not entirely true. Drinking water with the addition of lemon juice provokes an increase in acidity in the stomach and in some cases can cause dyspepsia (heartburn). Therefore, to neutralize acidity, sugar or a couple of tablespoons of honey should be added to water with lemon. Such a drink is unlikely to help you lose weight, but it will noticeably add energy in training.

If you are friends with sports, you probably had coaches in your life who categorically forbade their wards to drink during training. There were others - who were afraid of dehydration, and were not allowed into the gym without a bottle of water. It's time to dot the "and". And answer clearly and to the point all questions regarding the drinking regimen during the training.

Should I drink during a workout?

Think about it: 60-70% of the human body is water, and muscles are 80-85%! The loss of 1% of fluid by the body reduces performance by 10%. With a loss of 7-10% - in the body, inhibition of the work of all organs and a slowdown of all metabolic processes are observed. If the shortage reaches 20-25% of water, the person will die.

Any vigorous activity, including in the gym, increases blood circulation, heats up all organs and tissues, and ultimately increases body temperature. In order to return to its previous state and cool itself, the body begins to actively release sweat.

Thus, during a moderate-intensity workout, a person weighing 70-80 kilograms loses from 1 to 2 liters of fluid within an hour. This loss is approximately 2%. Uncritical, but only at first! If you continue to train hard, the fluid deficit will increase, and with it the risk of unpleasant consequences of dehydration will increase.

Therefore, it is quite logical that most coaches agree on the thought:

Be sure to drink while exercising!

Benefits of water

Water is an essential part of the training process. She:

• participates in metabolism. Even with a loss of fluid in the body equal to 3%, anabolism slows down by 20%. Therefore, if you do not drink water during the training process, you can forget about the growth of muscle mass, as well as about burning the subcutaneous fat layer;
• regulates body temperature. During training, our body is like a mini-stove. And only the use of water allows him not to “boil” completely;
• protects vital organs. With a lack of fluid in the body, the kidneys, liver and heart have a hard time: pumping and filtering thickened blood is much more difficult. Therefore, a sip of water taken in time will save the organs from excessive stress;
• lubricates the joints. We talk a lot about the correct exercise technique, quality running and fitness shoes, but we forget that with a lack of water, the amount of joint fluid also decreases. And it turns out that it is so simple to prevent pain in the knees or ankles - it is enough to take breaks to drink water during an intense workout.

Interesting: if during training the body did not turn on the process of sweating, the athlete's body temperature for 1 hour of intensive training would rise to 46.6 0 C. And only due to the evaporation of sweat, this does not happen.

Feeling the miraculous effect of water is very simple: every athlete knows the feeling when even taking a breath becomes difficult. And only a few sips of clean water allows you to bring yourself to life.

What temperature should the water be?

It seems that this question is completely unimportant: well, what difference does the body make up for the losses of warm or cold water ?! It turns out that there is a significant difference. Cold water in a hot body can cause a cold. And instead of improving your health in the gym, you can fall into a vicious circle in which, after each visit to the club, you will invariably overtake a sore throat. Not suitable for sports hot water. It will increase perspiration, and overload the excretory system. Therefore, at any time of the year, the best option is a bottle of water at room temperature.

How and how much to drink during a workout?

A good coach every 15-20 minutes reminds his wards that they need to take a few sips. And focuses on the fact that you need to drink slowly, and not excitedly. The simultaneous intake of a large amount of fluid into the body will only create a serious burden on the kidneys, and lead to edema. 150-250 ml of water in one go is enough.

During strength training, lactic acid accumulates in the muscles - the cause of the so-called krepatura. And only fresh, purified water can remove it.

The appearance of thirst, a dry throat during training are the initial symptoms of dehydration. They say that the balance of fluid in the body is already disturbed, and it was worth drinking a few sips of water 15 minutes ago. Everyone who visits the gym needs to remember the main thing:

drink before you feel the need!

How to drink before and after training?

Sometimes thirst overtakes an athlete within 5-10 minutes after the start of the session. This suggests that before going to the gym, he did not take care of his body. There is an unspoken rule: 2 hours before training, you need to drink at least 500 ml of water. So you saturate the body with fluid, protect the muscles from dehydration, and provide yourself with an effective workout.

Fluid intake may vary depending on:

• body weight: it is logical that a man weighing over 100 kg should drink more liquid than a fragile girl whose weight does not exceed 50 kg;
• training intensity;
• the duration of the workout;
• time of year and room temperature.

After exercising, the loss of water by the body must be replenished. Experienced trainers recommend a simple scheme:

1. Weigh yourself before and after your workout.
2. Calculate the difference in weight. 90% is fluid loss.
3. Replenish exactly half of the weight lost. But not immediately, but within the next 2 hours.

For example, if after visiting the gym, the scales showed a weight loss of 1 kg, then drink 250 ml of water within 20 minutes after training. And another 250 ml over the next 2 hours.

What happens if you do not drink or drink little?

A good example of what will happen if all the above recommendations are violated was given in 1984 by Gabriela Andersen. She represented Switzerland in the XXIII Olympic Games, and took part in the marathon. In the last kilometers, the athlete received a severe heat stroke, and finished dragging her right leg and holding her head with her hands. And all because throughout the distance the woman refused to drink water.

Such heroism is tantamount to stupidity: the loss of only 5% of fluid by the body reduces the athlete's efficiency by 30%. Therefore, you can immediately forget about records, victories and achievements! Remember: for sure, at least once you felt inexplicable muscle weakness in the gym, although you put much less effort into the exercises than usual. It's all about water balance!

From the lack of fluid in the body, people with a high body fat content - from 30% and above suffer more.

The first signs of dehydration in the gym often go unnoticed. This:

• unexplained fatigue and muscle weakness;
• skin redness;
• dry mouth and hoarse voice;
• headache and dizziness.

If you do not stop the lesson, the load on the heart will increase every minute. Our trusty motor will continue to pump the thickened blood, letting you know how hard it is with high blood pressure, rapid heart rate, and difficulty breathing.

Trying to retain moisture that has become scarce, the body will begin to store it in reserve. And you will know about it by swelling and dark circles under the eyes. Another sign of dehydration is cramps. They occur due to an imbalance of magnesium in the body. If the water balance is disturbed regularly, joint problems and injuries of varying severity are inevitable.

The bad news for those who want to lose weight: the brain centers responsible for hunger and thirst are nearby. Therefore, people so often confuse these two sensations, and unknowingly overeat. Feeling wildly hungry after a workout? Perhaps you are just thirsty!

Danger signs of dehydration include difficulty swallowing and coordination, blurred vision, numbness of the skin, and confusion. When at least one of them appears, urgent medical intervention and hospitalization are needed.

What happens if you drink too much?

Trying to avoid dehydration, many athletes go to the other extreme - they drink too much. Surprisingly, overhydration of the body is a condition no less dangerous for health and even life.

If you drink too much, the blood becomes diluted, and along with urine and sweat, a huge amount of macronutrients is washed out of the body. There is an acute shortage of sodium - hyponatremia. Her symptoms:

• nausea and vomiting;
• convulsions;
• weakness up to loss of consciousness;
• dizziness and headache;
• confusion of speech.

Most often, hyperhydration overtakes athletes during endurance competitions. For example, during a marathon or sports all-around. At risk are women due to their lower body weight, as well as beginners or poorly trained athletes.

Hyperhydration is a condition requiring immediate medical attention! If the first symptoms are ignored, it entails cerebral edema and subsequent cardiac arrest.

And yet there are those rare situations in which it is not recommended for an athlete to drink. For example, during a short morning run. It is believed that water "softens" the body, and does not allow the runner to complete the intended program. You can’t drink immediately after running: you should wait at least 15-20 minutes. This time is quite enough for the heart to calm down, and the fluid that enters the bloodstream does not seem to be an unbearable burden for it.

note: This rule does not apply to marathon runners! Drinking is a must when running long distances! Often, in small sips and little by little.

Boxers and wrestlers do not drink water at competitions - they only moisten their lips and rinse their mouths. It is believed that the intake of water in the body reduces endurance. Yoga instructors were also among those who forbid their wards from drinking during training. They attribute this to the subsequent occurrence of discomfort in inverted poses and during twisting.

Can anything be added for flavor?

Of course, many inexperienced visitors to fitness clubs, no, no, and there will be a desire to take not the usual bottle of water with them to training, but juice or a carbonated drink. And if the coach manages to track this moment, get ready for a long lecture on how to drink only water during training:

• warm or room temperature;
• purified;
• without gas;
• sugarless;
• no fragrances or additives of any kind.

If you don’t feel like drinking warm water at all, you can add a few drops of freshly squeezed lemon juice to it. It will add flavor to the water, and easily outwit capricious receptors.

The most common mistake novice athletes make is drinking sparkling water. Alas, such experiments are fraught with bloating, and discomfort during exercise.

What can you drink instead of water?

Well, if sport has already become a lifestyle, and the goals that are set for yourself sound much more serious than “lose a couple of kilograms before vacation,” you can think about isotonics. These are drinks based on pure water, the task of which is to quickly replenish the loss of minerals washed out of the body: magnesium, calcium and sodium during intensive training.

There are a lot of isotonic recipes, but they are all prepared according to a single scheme:

• water;
• salt for quick absorption of the drink, and fluid retention in the body;
• sugar, honey or glucose to give the athlete endurance;
• citrus, fruit or berry juices as sources of vitamins and minerals.

For the preparation of isotonics, lemons, raspberries, cranberries, currants and sea buckthorn are most often used. But do not forget that fresh acidic juices can provoke heartburn and an increase in acidity in the stomach. Therefore, such drinks are strictly contraindicated for people with chronic diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. The rest of the use of isotonics is better to consult with a trainer.

Sports supplements

An easier way is to turn to sports supplements. To date, 3 of them have been proven effective:

1. Glucose, sucrose, ready-made carbohydrate preparation. They are bred at the rate of 0.5 g per kilogram of the athlete's weight. Designed to reduce muscle fatigue during training.
2. Complexes of BCAA amino acids. Accelerate the growth of muscle mass. If you add another 10 g of essential amino acids per 0.5 liter of water to BCAA: threonine, histidine, methionine, lysine and arginine, the result will be even more noticeable.
3. Leucine. It is the favorite amino acid of bodybuilders and bodybuilders. On it, muscles grow by leaps and bounds. With its own lack, even an excess of testosterone will not help to form the figure of your dreams.

Please note: water with the addition of amino acids is taken only in the first half of strength training! A carbohydrate shake is recommended to drink every 10 minutes throughout the workout.

Many professional athletes prepare water for training on their own: they add soluble vitamin complexes and tonics such as Gerimaks to it. And some marathon runners even drink oatmeal, which, in their opinion, multiplies strength. All these recipes are kept secret and are only passed down from teacher to student.

What is undesirable to drink during a workout?

With all the variety of recipes, most coaches and athletes agree on one thing: it is absolutely forbidden to drink even weak alcohol during classes. It is a diuretic, and increases the loss of moisture in the body.

Under the ban fall energy, which excessively load the heart muscle. As well as sweet carbonated drinks. Despite their pleasant taste, they cannot quench their thirst. But they are able to thicken the blood, and add stress to the heart.

Can I drink while drying?

No matter how paradoxical it may sound, but during drying, the athlete’s water intake, both during training and throughout the day, needs to be increased. At a minimum, you will have to drink 3-4 liters of it per day. That is how much the body needs so that it does not try to keep the fluid “in reserve”. On the contrary, having felt the excess, the body will actively remove water - both the one that you drank and a little more.

Benefits of water for the body

Water contains no vitamins or minerals. However, its useful properties can be listed endlessly:

• water helps to lose weight. Surprisingly, the most effective way to lose weight today is called the water diet. Its essence boils down to the simple use of a glass of water 20 minutes before a meal;
• water successfully fights fatigue. Therefore, it is recommended to drink it after training and other intense physical and mental stress;
• water improves digestion: helps break down fats, removes toxins, reduces the load on the liver and kidneys;
• water cures migraines. To do this, within 30 minutes you need to drink her 2 large cups;
• water keeps body temperature and blood pressure normal;
• water activates the brain. It has been observed that students who come to the exam with a bottle of water usually perform better than those who do not take care of themselves.

All of the above applies exclusively to pure water, but not to juices, tea or coffee. The latter, on the contrary, lead to dehydration, as they are diuretics.

Daily water intake

The daily rate of water consumption is a very individual indicator, and depends on many factors. But the average data from which you can start is as follows:

Some scientists insist that counting the daily water intake is different for men and women. The former need an amount of fluid equal to 40 ml per 1 kg of body. And the fair sex should drink much less - 30 ml per 1 kg of body.

And yet, it would be best to focus on your own feelings. And the correctness of the chosen dosage can always confirm the color of urine. Transparent, without an unpleasant odor, it indicates that the body receives a sufficient amount of fluid. A rich yellow hue already signals a possible dehydration.

During sports training, the body experiences increased stress. The heart rate increases, the body temperature rises, and a large amount of energy is lost. Some athletes feel very tired after training and therefore try to find drinks and meals for themselves that will allow them to recuperate. Others seek to get rid of body fat, and here, too, you can use special fluids. Still others believe that drinking during and after sports is not necessary at all.

The optimal solution is water

There is a misconception that you can lose weight if you actively remove fluid from the body. Supporters of this theory try to limit fluid intake, use diuretics, and the question "what to drink during training" is completely irrelevant for them. However, this is a serious mistake, for which you can pay with your own health. Indeed, with violations of the water balance, the whole body can suffer. It is very important that the liquid constantly enters the body, and at the same time, the daily rate of its consumption must be observed.

Those who are interested in what to drink during a workout often think that water is the most appropriate liquid to drink during exercise. Indeed, this is a very reasonable approach. Indeed, during physical exertion, body temperature rises, sweating increases. The blood becomes more viscous, and all these symptoms of dehydration can have a lot of consequences. For example, kidney stones, thromboembolism, even a heart attack. Therefore, you can and should drink water during sports. When the viscosity of the blood increases and fluid does not enter the body, the athlete may experience a sharp drop in blood pressure and fainting.

Get rid of excess liquid

When removing fluid from the body, you can actually observe some weight loss. However, it is not associated with a decrease in the volume of adipose tissue, but is associated with a decrease in the amount of fluid in the body. And the safest way to remove excess fluid in the body, paradoxically, is to drink plenty of water. If, on the contrary, you drink little, then the body will accumulate water, and body volumes will grow.

Drinking rules

Those who decide that they will drink water during training should follow a few simple rules. It is usually recommended to drink small amounts of liquid during physical activity, or simply moisten your mouth with water to reduce thirst. Most of the water should be consumed two hours before a workout, as well as after it ends. Some people think that you should not drink after a workout. This opinion is argued by the fact that water makes the blood heavier, gives an additional load on the internal organs. However, here, as in everything, it is worth listening to the individual characteristics of the body. The best option is to consult on this issue with a trainer or doctor.

Water with lemon

Athletes who are sure that drinking during training is mandatory, both in terms of body safety and training effectiveness, often use another method. Lemon water is a great method to quench your thirst during exercise. If desired, honey can be added to the water. Lemon contains a large amount of beneficial minerals that help restore salt balance. In addition, such a drink has a number of other useful properties:

• Lemon water improves immunity. Lemon is rich in vitamin C, an antioxidant that fights the formation of free radicals in cells, thereby increasing resistance to infections.
• The tone of the body is increased due to the large amount of other vitamins and minerals.
• Lemon struggles with excess weight. Some nutritionists classify lemon as a negative calorie food. In order to digest it, the body needs to spend more energy than is contained in the lemon itself. In addition, citrus fruits help burn fat.
• Lemon is an excellent prevention of cardiovascular diseases. The substances contained in it contribute to the dissolution of lipid deposits in the blood vessels.

Recovery drinks

Increasingly popular among athletes and just fitness enthusiasts are gaining their popularity due to the fact that the nutrients that are dissolved in water are absorbed by the body much better than any dish or mixture. Such drinks are especially useful for those who are just starting to play sports, because they help to quickly restore the balance of minerals in the body. But they will also be useful for professionals in sports, although for those who practice longer, the amount of nutrients in drinks may not be enough to restore all body reserves.

Energy

Today you can buy a wide variety of sports drinks. They are sold in specialized outlets, and you can also buy them directly at the fitness club. They are divided into three broad categories: fat burning, energy, and isotonic. Energy drinks are a great option for those who feel exhausted and exhausted at the end of the day or after a workout. The composition of such drinks usually includes guarana, caffeine, ginseng, taurine. It should also be vitamin-containing. In Europe and America, these drinks are classified as medicines, and therefore they can only be purchased at pharmacies. Everything is much simpler with us - anyone can buy this product without restrictions. However, this does not mean that elementary safety measures should not be observed: energy drinks should not be consumed in large quantities, because this can result in insomnia, nervous excitement, depression, etc.

fat burning drinks

The next category is fat burning drinks. Their main component responsible for efficiency is l-carnitine. This substance has an interesting feature: it affects the permeability of cell membranes for fatty acids, due to which fat is excreted from the body faster. With the start of taking fat burners, you can lose a large amount of adipose tissue in a short time. In some cases, it is up to 10 kg per month. However, when using them, you should consult a doctor. The most popular fat burning drinks are L-carnitine, Lady Fitness Carni Fit, Power l carnitine.

Isotonic sports drinks

Isotonic drinks help restore the balance of minerals and fluids in the body. They can also be consumed in order to replenish the supply of carbohydrates. Sports isotonics usually do not have side effects, the only exceptions are those cases when the athlete's body is susceptible to reactions to one or another component of the drink. Popular isotonics are Lider Izomineral, XXI Power Isotonic. These drinks help maintain fluid, energy, and mineral balance during workouts.

Drawing conclusions

Everyone decides for himself what to drink before training. The best way to find the right option for you is to consult with your doctor. But, if this is not possible, you need to remember the basic rules - observe the measure in everything and listen to your body. Those who torment themselves with thirst during physical exertion act no less unreasonably than athletes who consume huge amounts of energy or various supplements before training.

Can you drink water while exercising? How much to drink? Better before or after? Every second student asks such questions, and no one gets unambiguous answers to them. To begin with, it is impossible to drink water during the exercise. When you train, you can not eat, chew, swallow something. It is necessary to concentrate on the exercise: breathing and technique.

But between sets or repetitions, drinking is allowed. This is what we will mean every time, sorting out what to drink during a workout.

Why drink water

Man consists of millions of small cells - cells. Every cell is over 90 percent water. Water is 2 hydrogen atoms and 1 oxygen atom. And what then, you ask, takes the remaining 10 percent? dry residue. These are different substances: proteins, fats, carbohydrates, micro and macro elements.

So, water is the solvent of all substances. Water, in fact, has a lot of functions. And it is the presence of water on Earth that makes the planet habitable.

The role of water in the body:

• Maintains the constancy of the internal environment.
• The water provides a stable pressure that prevents the cell from collapsing. It creates volumes, realizes the mechanical strength and elasticity of the cell.
• It is a solvent of all substances, a medium for chemical reactions.
• This is a thermostat. Water has excellent heat capacity and retains heat. Thanks to this, our body temperature is easier to regulate.
• Transport within the body for all substances.
• And much more.

Let's finish the logical chain: no water - there will be no life.

On the one hand, water is contained in the body. On the other hand, we sweat, spit, cry, go to the toilet. That is, we constantly release water. And a lot of substances, by the way, too.

Hence the need to drink fluids. Our body is designed very cunningly - it will not be possible to “forget” to drink water. The body provides a constant supply of fluid to the body due to the feeling of thirst.

Another question is that this thirst begins to torment a person when it is already vital to drink. Until then, the craving can be ignored. This is the problem of many people, which is why they do not gain the required number of liters per day.

So, you need to drink water in order to live. Everything is simple.

Why you should drink water during exercise

During exercise, the human body sweats more than at rest. Someone says that in an hour of training you can lose 1 kg due to the effusion of 1 liter of fluid. These are very rough estimates, so we can only talk about approximate values.

Many people say that it makes no sense to drink water during a workout: how much we drink, so many sweats will come off us. First, it will come out a little less. Secondly, many of the substances that are contained in the water will remain in the body and will be excreted along with the urine. A solid part will settle in the cells and will help them in life. And thirdly, without water, the body receives serious stress.

During exercise, the heart rate increases. Noticed? Blood is a liquid, it also consists of many percent (about 80%) of water. Along with sweat, water leaves the blood. The latter becomes thicker. And thick blood is harder for the heart to drive than liquid blood. In this case, the heart receives a harmful load. And the thicker the blood, the worse the heart. Imagine what kind of load falls on the atria and ventricles in order to pump a viscous mass.

Thick blood does not pass well into the peripheral tissues, it (oh my God!) hardly washes the muscles that we pump so hard. Here is another important reason why you should drink during your workout. Good blood flow is excellent nutrition. Remember this causal relationship once and for all.

Thick blood with difficulty reaches the brain. And it smells like a stroke. Nobody needs it. This is also the answer, is it possible to drink water after a workout.

How to drink water

Now let's talk about the other extreme: when people drink a lot. You all know or have heard that in some diseases a person drinks a lot. 5 or more liters per day. He suffers from eternal and unquenchable thirst. So, if you have a similar condition - seek advice from an endocrinologist.

You need to drink, as smart people say, as much as you want and plus 1 glass. A very good recommendation, because we often do not get enough displacement for our body than we “overdrink”.

Consider a typical workout:

1. We went to the gym and changed. It is best to drink a glass of liquid (for example, tea with or without sugar) in 30-40 minutes. Milk and other viscous liquids are best drunk after a workout.
2. Warming up on a treadmill, exercise bike or some other option is always associated with shaking, active movements and good sweating. Therefore, there is no point in drinking directly before this. Firstly, it will be hard to warm up, and secondly, there will really be more sweat than it could be.
3. After warming up, people start stretching, warming up the joints. If you really want to, you can go and take a couple of small sips of pre-prepared water.
4. We start to work. In the pauses between sets, you can take a couple of sips of water.
5. After training - here you can drink as much as you want. But slowly, because if you quickly absorb water, you risk drinking more than you need. As a result, you will get discomfort and temporary heaviness in the abdomen.

The main principles of drinking

It seems to be a simple matter - to drink water during and after training. And there are a lot of rules and recommendations here. For example:

1. Water temperature. Cooler in summer, warmer in winter. Or you can drink cool water both in summer and in winter. It all depends on your throat. For those suffering from chronic tonsillitis (or something else, when the throat often hurts), we recommend drinking water at least 15 degrees. The body during training is hotter than usual, so too cold water can provoke a sore throat.
2. The amount of water. It is necessary to drink in small sips. By the way, this recommendation applies not only to classes in the gym, but also to life in general. During a workout, you can drink 2 or 3 glasses of water. Remember, you will sweat more, but you have to.
3. If you don't want to drink, don't. Drink water during the workout itself is necessary only when you want it. But after that you need to drink in any case.

Drinking in small sips is necessary so that the receptors have time to control the process of saturation with liquid.

When to drink and when not

During workouts associated with active and fast movements (for example, running, boxing), you need to drink in between. Remember how in the corners of the ring during a time out, boxers are given a little drink of water from fancy bottles?

Before these workouts, you can not fill in a lot of water. Gurgling and heaviness in the stomach will not allow you to fully complete the workout.

In the gym, you can drink between exercises and sets.

Thus, one pattern is typical for all sports - you need to drink water some time before, during and after training, and you can’t immediately before it starts. And you need to drink in between, when you are not doing anything, in a calm environment. For example, while you are taking a breath, or waiting for the next approach.

What to drink and from what

Let's figure out what to drink during a workout. Plain tap water or home filtered water is a good option. But today, stores offer us much more convenient products. You can drink mineral water, isotonic drinks, plain water.

Strongly carbonated drinks should not be consumed during training. If you bought a cola (yes, it's gross, but the magic caffeine can help you if you're really tired), release more gas from the can. The same goes for sparkling mineral water - release the gas.

You can not drink juices, sugary drinks (by the way, it is also not recommended to drink cola during training), milk, drinking yogurts.

If you take protein, BCAA, creatine and other supplements with you, dilute them with water. During training, you can not use dairy dilutions. This slows down the absorption of substances from the drink, and the body begins to allocate energy for digestion. The same energy could be spent on bench presses with heavier weights, for example. But you couldn't because you drank the milk. By the way, this is why training after a milkshake is always harder than after a water one.

Isotonic drinks are perfectly balanced in composition. They have everything the body needs: minerals, vitamins, and also L-carnitine, which is so needed during power loads. This is the perfect option to drink during your workout.

Bottles from under such drinks are very convenient. Difficult to spill, difficult to pour more than you can swallow at once. Unlike ordinary plastic bottles with a cap, this option is optimal. In the end, you can buy an isotonic once and continue to use this bottle for a long time, pouring water from the filter into it.

Sports stores offer a variety of water containers. You can choose for every taste and color.

And if we are talking about water, why not take sports supplements with it? In the same mode as water. We catch two birds with one stone. Not one ran away.

We talked about what to drink during and before training. What to drink after a workout? The answer is: everything. There are no restrictions, except for alcohol. Otherwise, the training was in vain.

Effective exercises:

Trainer's advice: Sleep at least eight hours a day. It is better to sacrifice an evening of watching TV than your health and metabolism.