This story comes to SwimSwam courtesy of Gerry Morton, an experienced athlete who has competed in 30+ marathons and 4 Ironman triathlons. He is the CEO of Energyfirst.com.
Did you know the body is made up of about 50-70% water? Without it we can only survive for days – that’s how essential it is for life. We need it for every process you can possibly think of in the human body.
Fascinating, huh?
Yet, so many of us take water for granted and athletes are no exception. Our cells need to be hydrated to get the most out of training, to do our best during competition, and to recover. Swimmers need water before training, during training, after training, and in between.
It’s too easy for a swimmer to fall behind on hydration, though. After all, it’s difficult for a wet swimmer to sense sweat losses. In many cases, a swimmer combines a high-intensity workout + a heated or humid environment (in heated pools, indoor pools, or outdoor pools in the sun). That counts for even more sweat loss and higher hydration needs.
Swimmers need to keep their bodies in the “hydrated state” constantly.
If you’re not drinking enough water, your body will definitely let you know. When the body reaches the point of dehydration, it can take hours and even days to recover. It’s better to avoid dehydration in the first place. Symptoms include:
- Thirst – Try to avoid this feeling! Do not wait until thirst to drink. By the time you feel thirsty, your body may have lost more than 1% of its total water content! Thirst means you’re already in the “dehydration zone” and that is not good because it can take up to 24 hours till your body gets back in the “hydrated state”.
- Headache
- Nausea & vomiting
- Muscle cramps
- Dizzy and light-headed
- Feeling cranky
- Concentrated (dark-colored) urine
- Poor appetite
- Poor coordination
- Unusual fatigue – That’s right, fatigue can be just as much a sign dehydration as it is poor nutrition.
- Poor performance
Did your eyes widen at that last sign of dehydration? That’s right, dehydration decreases performance. In fact, even as little as a 2% body weight drop from sweat will be detrimental to performance. In other words, if a 150 lb athlete were to lose even as little as 3 lbs from sweat during activity, performance will be affected.
After all, how can you perform your best when you’re dealing with headaches, muscle cramps, nausea, or even vomiting?
Dehydration can do even more damage to your performance, though.
8 WAYS DEHYDRATION MESSES WITH YOUR PERFORMANCE
Just how sensitive is the body to dehydration? When in the dehydrated zone, an athlete can expect:
PHYSICAL EFFECTS:
- Fatigue early-on in training sessions
- Delayed recovery
- Difficulty tolerating heat and cooling the body efficiently (that’s not going to work real well in indoor pool settings, now is it? You’ll tire faster.)
- Abnormally elevated heart rate
- Reduced work capacity (so much for long-distance swimming!)
MENTAL EFFECTS:
- Higher perceived effort (in other words, everything seems harder than usual)
- Poor concentration (Perhaps it’s because 80% of brain tissue is made of water)
- Poor decision-making skills
So, is it time to give your hydration plan a refresh? Before we get into the best strategies for keeping hydrated, why not take a little water break?
HYDRATE TO SWIM PLAN
BEFORE TRAINING
Whatever you do, DON’T SAVE DRINKING WATER FOR AFTER TRAINING! Enter your session hydrated. It can be a challenge to cover all your sweat loss during your session. Begin well-hydrated.
2-3 hours before the session, aim for 2 or more cups. During the 15-30 minutes immediately before your workout, have at least 1 8 oz cup of water.
DURING TRAINING
From beginner to elite, every athlete needs to drink liquids at regular intervals during training to meet the body’s metabolic demands and to fuel working muscles.
First hour: Bring along about 1 liter of plain water for the first hour of training.
Steer clear of sugary beverages (juice drinks, lemonades, sweet teas) as these can cause gastrointestinal distress. The same goes for carbonated drinks that can bloat your belly and, thus, tempt you to drink less than you need. High caffeine beverages will also contribute to fluid loss since they are diuretics.
Since it’s so easy to forget, keep a bottle handy at the poolside so you can reach for it between sets and repeats. It’s as easy as taking a few sips every 15-20 minutes.
After the first hour: If your session extends to more than 1.5 hours, a sports drink can help to both hydrate and replenish electrolytes and carbohydrates.
You’ll find that during intense training sessions, you may need anywhere from 16-32oz of fluid. You might have to play around a bit until you how much you fluid you drink. It may take some trial and error but the goal is to pinpoint the amount that makes you feel comfortable and allows you to perform at your best. Comfortable means you didn’t overdo it to the point of belly bloat but you also aren’t experiencing dehydration symptoms.
This may take a bit of math but the main goal is to limit fluid loss to less than 2% of your own body weight.
AFTER TRAINING
You’re not off the hook, just yet. You’ve just lost a lot of fluids. Since the amount varies from athlete to athlete, here are 2 easy ways to figure out your next hydration move.
2 SIMPLE WAYS TO MEASURE YOUR FLUID LOSS
To prevent any extremes – either dehydration or over hydration – there are two simple steps you can take to devise a hydration plan according to your unique needs.
Are you ready to find out the ultimate, effective, and reliable hydration guide? The neat thing is that, essentially, you can take this guide almost anywhere you go.
This hydration guide is your urine color. Glance before you flush! A dark, concentrated urine indicates dehydration. Clear to pale yellow urine is what we’re looking for.
Another way to track fluid loss is using body weight loss. Every pound lost during a training session needs to be replaced with about 16-24 ounces of liquid.
TAKING PERFORMANCE HYDRATION SERIOUSLY
What’s the take home message? It’s time to get into the habit of bringing water with you everywhere. If you take swimming seriously, you need to take hydration seriously.
Remember, it’s also possible to drink too much water. It can be harmful and even fatal. Over hydration is also just as detrimental to performance as dehydration.
Also, each athlete may have a unique level of optimal hydration. Adequate hydration is relative to the athlete. Your fellow swimmers may be able to run on less (or more) water than you. It may change from athlete to athlete but your body still needs to be in its own “hydrated state”.
References
- Nutr Rev. 2010 Aug; 68(8): 439–458.
- J Athl Train. 2015 Dec;50(12):1306-9.
- J Strength Cond Res. 2016 Mar;30(3):621-5.
About Author:
Gerry Morton, CEO of EnergyFirst, holds an MS in Nutrition and is an experienced athlete who has competed in 30+ marathons and 4 Ironman triathlons. He recently completed the entire 230 mile John Muir Trail in 7 days. Gerry is an excellent source of information on nutrition, supplementation and exercise. EnergyFirst is known for offering the world’s best tasting, highest quality, all natural, premium nutrition products and cutting edge health education. In addition, Gerry is the President of the Greater Los Angeles Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America. He is an expert on the subjects of nutrition, peak performance, motivation, entrepreneurship, and empowerment. Read his blog at http://blog.energyfirst.com Follow on twitter
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