It is unlikely that we will surprise anyone by answering the question "is it possible to drink water during training" positively. However, this opinion also has a polar point of view. Let's analyze the pros and cons!
Why can you?
The human body is almost 80% water. It fills our cells, is the basis of all fluids (blood, lymph, secretions), and participates in all life processes. Dehydration can be catastrophic and is considered one of the most life-threatening conditions.
Without food, a person can live up to one and a half months, and without drinking he will die in a week!
To understand whether you need to drink water during training, let's find out what processes are taking place in the body at this time.
- Blood circulation accelerates, tissues and organs overheat, body temperature rises. Defense mechanisms immediately turn on the "cooling system" - a person sweats profusely;
- Loss of fluid slows down metabolic processes;
- With dehydration, performance, endurance decreases, the effectiveness of the training itself suffers;
- The blood gradually thickens, which means that it delivers oxygen and nutrition to the cells more slowly;
- Fat cells are not oxidized, and against the background of slow metabolic processes, fat is not broken down;
- Due to the viscosity of the blood, the load on the heart and blood vessels increases;
- Amino acids, from which protein is formed, do not reach the muscles in a timely manner, as a result, the process of their growth slows down;
- Lactic acid builds up in the muscles, which leads to severe pain.
All of these effects can be avoided by keeping yourself hydrated, which is why you need to drink water while exercising.
Point of view "against"
What is this belief based on? Why does someone think that you shouldn't drink water during exercise?
- The most common belief is a bad effect on the kidneys, as if they begin to work in an enhanced mode and cannot cope;
- In the process of power loads, the feeling of thirst is very strong, so the athlete runs the risk of going over the norm. Too much fluid is fraught with serious consequences, with symptoms similar to food poisoning.
- If you drink too much, the water-salt balance will be disturbed, which will interfere with normal absorption and excretion;
- In some sports that require extra rigorous endurance training, athletes deliberately avoid drinking during exercise. This helps to achieve better results.
So let's go over these points briefly. Let's start with the latter. Even in order to increase endurance, the question "should I drink water during training" before the athletes. Ask any coach - drinking is not just possible, but necessary. However, in sooo small quantities. All other arguments are based on the likelihood of drinking too much. In other words, if you follow the norm, use it correctly and choose the right water, there will be no harm.
Thus, let's put an end to the dilemma of whether to drink water during exercise. Water is life! You can drink during training!
Now let's talk about how much water you can and how you need to drink.
How much water can you?
Well, we found out why drinking water during training, we hope our explanation turned out to be exhaustive. We also came to the conclusion that it is important to understand and observe the optimal amount.
Let's then discuss how much water you can drink during exercise:
- The average daily rate is calculated using the formula 30 ml (women) or 40 ml (men) * 1 kg of weight. It turns out that a woman weighing 50 kg needs 1.5 liters every day.
- If a person is actively involved in sports, the resulting value must be increased by at least a third. Depends on the intensity and duration of the session.
- You should know how to drink water correctly during training: in no case in one gulp, in small sips, 100-150 ml at a time. Interval - every 15-25 minutes;
- On average, during an hour and a half training, you will drink 0.5-1 liters;
- This amount is quite enough to support the body, prevent dehydration, and not interfere with normal training.
Many people are also interested in whether it is possible to drink extra water on the day of training, before and after class? Sure you may! To have time to empty your bladder, drink about 0.5 liters 1.5-2 hours before training. And upon its completion, take another 0.5-1 l in small sips, dividing the intake into 5-6 portions of 100 ml.
What kind of water should you drink? What can be replaced?
- If you ask what is best to drink during your workout, our answer is that during the session, bottled drinking water is the most ideal option. Boiled - dead, there are practically no useful components. And the tap is not always clean enough.
- Alternatively, you can buy mineral water, but only good bottling. The gases must first be released.
- You can also buy isotonic drinks - special drinks that saturate the body with carbohydrates and energy, but they are too high in calories and therefore not suitable for those wishing to lose weight.
- Choosing what water to drink in training, you can stop at the usual one, but add lemon, mint, fresh berries to it;
- Also, trainers are advised to prepare herbal teas and decoctions - they quench thirst well, are low in calories, rich in useful elements;
- If you are not afraid of calories, you can make fresh juices.
Weight gainers, protein shakes, BCCA complexes and other sports supplements cannot replace water. The same can be said for milk.
Well, that's all we wanted to say about the need to drink fluids during training. Most importantly, remember your individual norm and do not exceed it for anything. In this case, you will certainly achieve the goal without harming the body in any way.
