Hydration for people who sweat like a fountain

We all know someone who finishes the WOD with a puddle under the bar. Sometimes it's you. If you sweat like this, this article is for you. And if you don't sweat, too, because you also lose water, even if you do it more discreetly.

How much water should you drink? The EFSA sets an adequate total water intake of 2 liters per day for adult women and 2.5 liters for adult men. Be careful: it is total water, including that which comes from food, which is usually an important part. Fruit, vegetables, soup and even coffee count. That's for a normal day. If you train, it's hot, or you sweat like you're being chased, you're going to need more.

What happens when you fall short

Losing about 2% of your body weight in fluid during exercise can begin to worsen performance, especially in the heat and during long efforts. For a 75 kilo person, that's a kilo and a half. In a HYROX in the summer, or in an afternoon class in July without air conditioning, you get lost with surprising ease. Symptoms: more feeling of effort, less performance, more heat, headache and that moment when the coach talks to you and you don't know anything.

The scale trick

If you want to know how much you're really losing, weigh yourself before and after training, without wet clothes. The difference is, basically, water.

A common guideline is to replace between 1.25 and 1.5 liters for each kilo lost in the following hours, because you continue to lose fluid after training. Do it a couple of times in different conditions (winter, summer, short WOD, long WOD) and you'll know what kind of sweater you are. Without applications, without bracelets and without spending a euro.

Color, that inelegant indicator

Looking at the color of your urine is a simple clue: a light yellow usually indicates that you are doing well. A very dark tone suggests that you lack water. And if it's clear like tap water all day, you're probably overdoing it. Be careful, some vitamin supplements can change the color, so don't be scared if after a multivitamin it looks phosphorous.

Water or isotonic drink?

• In the normal one-hour class: water. You don't need more. Your 15-minute WOD is not a Tour stage.
• In long sessions, in very hot weather or if you sweat a lot: drinks with mineral salts, especially sodium, and some carbohydrates may make sense.
• In a competition with several tests in one day: plan it in advance and try it before in training.

Don't go overboard either

Drinking huge amounts of water without replacing salts in very long tests can cause hyponatremia, a drop in sodium in the blood that can be dangerous. It is rare in normal training, but it exists.

There is no need to drink until your stomach sounds like a fishbowl.

The golden rules of the puddle

• Always take your bottle to the gym. There are people who forget the bottle but never forget the wristbands
• Drink throughout the day, not all at once at 7:55 p.m
• If you sweat a lot, weigh yourself and learn your figure
• Dry your puddle. Please. Your burpee buddies will thank you. Informative content. If you have kidney or heart disease or take medication that affects fluids, follow your doctor's instructions.

Sources: EFSA, Dietary Reference Values for Water (2010); American College of Sports Medicine positions on fluid replacement.