The Importance of Hydration in Endurance Workouts
Hydration in Endurance Training – The One Thing You can´t forget in this heat
Training and running in the summer can be a real pleasure, but heat and humidity can negatively impact our performance and even be dangerous, especially
if we are not properly adapted to the hot weather. Even at relatively moderate temperatures, there is always the risk of dehydration.
So if you are training outdoors, especially in hot weather (which is not recommended), make sure you are properly prepared!
What should you drink?
With the arrival of the heat, with the increase of the physical activity and the effort to stay in shape for the summer results in more existing and / or longer duration training, other needs arise.
If we talk about long workouts, a carbohydrate drink is also advised to meet individual caloric needs (aside from the consumption of electrolytes such as sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium and chloride), to ensure performance successful on the day of the race or training
For this purpose, our Goldrink Premium is a solution that covers both needs, as it contains hydrates and some electrolytes with magnesium and chloride, outside the presence of BCAA.
This will result in:
- In more energy produced from the hydrates consumed (in drink) and less of stored muscular hydrates, thus preserving the muscular glycogen stock;
- Better hydration due to increased amount of water absorbed from the stomach;
- A lower effort rate in the last stages of training.
If you train to adapt your body to a low carbohydrate intake, you can always opt for a solution with only electrolytes. Electrolyte consumption is key to successful training.
Without the presence of these essential minerals, muscle fatigue and cramps will soon appear.
How much time should you drink?
As the intensity increases during training, there is a need for increased blood flow and supply of oxygen to working muscles. While muscles receive blood to sustain energy during exercise, the same blood should go to the skin in order to help dissipate the heat generated by physical activity. It is therefore important to drink fluids every 10/15 minutes during exercise not only to moisturize but mainly to help regulate body temperature.
And how much?
The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommends drinking 400 to 600 ml (2-3 cups) of liquid 2 hours prior to workout, however, during exercise, we should drink 150 to 250 ml (about 1.5 cup) every 15/20 minutes.
It is recommended to drink 1.5 times more fluids after training than we lost during its performance, ie about 450-675 ml of fluid per one-half pound of body mass lost during training.
The temperature of the drinks is also vital – it should be between 15 and 22 degrees, since a very cold drink can cause aggressions in the esophagus and cause a gastric heat shock. On the other hand, very hot water will be absorbed more slowly by the body.
Conclusion
Training at high temperatures is not for any practitioner. Some do so because in their next race they will have to compete in similar conditions, others because they have no other choice in terms of hourly availability. In either case make sure you stay ALWAYS hydrated.
PS: Always take phone, money and identification with you if you need to stop training for any reason.