Today we're going to discuss the effects of dehydration on athletic performance.
A close friend forwarded me an email on the new tips and rules of dehydration and hydration. The article was attempting to disprove that hydration has a negative effect on performance, that you should drink when you're thirsty. The author used the results of tests on athletes'; specifically, endurance running athletes. Because there was seemingly no effect on the endurance athlete, the writer made the 'leap' that all of the theories out there about pre-hydrating are just myths: you shouldn't have to stay hydrated; just wait until you're thirsty.
I totally disagree. I believe athletes should pre-hydrate. When you get to the point when you're thirsty, it means you're massively dehydrated.
Fact: most athletes are not endurance athletes. 95% of all athletes are in anaerobic-based sports not aerobic-based sports. As such, the aforementioned article may apply to only those 5% of athletes.
Let's look at the other 95%.
Maximal strength was severely effected by dehydration with male athletes tested on a bench press. Researchers found if that athlete was 2% dehydrated it had an effect of 5% on maximal strength; that's a big deal! Think about what happens when you're 10% dehydrated, or 15%?
So, stay hydrated.
A simple tip: drink half your body weight in ounces plus 20%. When you train, you should weigh the same at the end of your workout as the beginning by managing your water loss during the session.
www.StarkAthletes.com
