It’s always important to keep our bodies hydrated, especially when exercising, when the body loses a lot of fluid through perspiration. But how much water should you drink when you exercise? Does it depend on age, gender, type of exercise or weight? We have all the answers!
The question of drinking water, before, during and after exercise concerns almost everyone who works out and doesn’t always end with an unequivocal answer. So, we sat down for a chat with Hagai Lefler, a prominent athlete and blogger, and left with quite a few conclusions.
Drinking water during a workout (including before and after) prevents the body from getting dehydrated. Trainees who don’t make sure to drink water before, during and after a workout are liable to suffer from fatigue, decreased performance and even coordination problems. But dehydration is also liable to affect the internal body systems and their functioning, for example: decreased cardiac volume and decreased cardiac output, shortness of breath, increased blood viscosity and more.
So how much water should you drink?
The general amounts recommended for trainees and athletes are:
- Half a liter to a liter two or three hours before working out.
- A quarter of a liter during warmups or half an hour before working out.
- A quarter of a liter every 10-20 minutes during the workout!
Yes, that’s a lot of water! And people who tend to perspire a lot or have high body mass need even more. But what about the differences between women and men and the effect of factors such as the difficulty of the workout, weight, and height? To address all these questions, consult the following chart for trainees whose average age is between 25 and 30:
|
Level of difficulty of workout |
Duration |
Amount of water required inmillilitres |
|
|
women |
low |
30 min. |
284 |
|
60 min. |
681 |
||
|
average age – 28 |
90 min. |
966 |
|
|
average weight – 70 kg |
medium |
30 min. |
400 |
|
average height – 1.67 |
60 min. |
770 |
|
|
90 min. |
1250 |
||
|
high |
30 min. |
480 |
|
|
60 min. |
970 |
||
|
90 min. |
1500 |
||
|
men |
low |
30 min. |
400 |
|
60 min. |
680 |
||
|
average age – 28 |
90 min. |
1050 |
|
|
average weight – 80 kg |
medium |
30 min. |
400 |
|
average height – 1.77 |
60 min. |
850 |
|
|
90 min. |
1250 |
||
|
high |
30 min. |
480 |
|
|
60 min. |
1000 |
||
|
90 min. |
1500 |
Not only at these ages
Although we’re focusing on this particular age range, let’s not think that only young people work out and that only they need to drink water before, during and after working out. Everyone who exercises needs to consume enough water to benefit from a healthy, effective workout, and definitely not rely on the sensation of thirst which is usually suppressed while the person is active. If you’re looking for a rule of thumb that can help you figure out the amount of water you need, consult this general chart:
|
before workout |
|
|
two hours before workout |
half a litre |
|
just before beginning workout |
half a litre |
|
during workout |
|
|
every 20 minutes |
half a cup – one cup water |
|
*if the workout environment is relatively hot and humid, drink more! |
|
|
after workout |
half a litre – one litre |
To sum up, in order to keep up a healthy exercise regime we need to maintain a healthy water-drinking regime! With a Strauss Water Bar at home you can go to your workout equipped with the right amount of water and enjoy clear, delicious water before, during and after your workout.
Want to know how much water you should drink daily?
Pop on over onto the Strauss Water Calculator, fill in your gender, age, and the amount of exercise you get a day, and you’ll get the recommended amount.
Want to drink more water?
Contact us and learn more about our world-renowned products and their innovative characteristics that offer certified triple-filtered, great-tasting, and healthy water at your preferred temperature – all at the touch of a button.
