How Much Water Should You Drink During Training?

Figure skating champion shares how much water you really need to drink during exercise to stay healthy.

Did you know that March 22 is World Water Day? The day is of special importance, since water for a person is literally a source of life-giving strength and health. We can talk indefinitely about how much water a day ideally needs to be drunk by each of us: the question is controversial and extremely individual.

Therefore, we decided to narrow the topic and find out from the Olympic champion in figure skating about the peculiarities of the drinking regime during sports. We asked, and now we tell you how and what kind of water sports fans should drink in order to maintain their level of water balance in the norm.

How much water do champions drink?

In professional sports, the amount of water consumed by athletes depends on many factors, including the type of sport. Some champions drink water in liters, others – much less.

In figure skating, there is no ideal rate of water consumption during training, everything is individual and depends on the characteristics of the athlete.

The Olympic champion advises first of all to listen to your body, not to rush to blindly imitate the regime of athletes, girlfriends, and loved ones. First, assess your capabilities: for example, if you are a beginner in sports, then you should not torture yourself in the gym with liters of water in between sets, “more” does not mean “better”.

Consult with a dietitian and create your own personal drinking regimen.

What if your coach advises you not to drink water?

“Sometimes it happens. If the coach recommends you not to drink water during training, then do not rush to follow his advice, first discuss in detail the reason for such a recommendation, ”the expert believes.

Without water, the activity of the body decreases, you lose strength and endurance. Remember how much fluid you lose with sweat during training.

There are athletes who do not drink water during intense training to lose weight before competition. For example, bodybuilders. They are “dried” to make the body more prominent. But this is an exceptional case: such a drinking regimen is carried out strictly under the supervision of a doctor.

“Once during the training camp, I saw the skaters leaving an intense two-hour workout, taking a sip of water, gargling and spitting water into the sink. They explained this by the fact that literally every gram counts on weighing. Of course, such an approach can further affect the health of an athlete, but, again, we are talking about professional sports, ” says the figure skater

Try to give up late workouts for a number of reasons: firstly, after physical activity it will be difficult for you to fall asleep, and secondly, because of the water you drink in the morning, you may face excessive facial swelling. Workouts should be no later than three hours before bedtime.

What to drink in training?

Plain water. Do not replace it with tonic drinks: some of them contain vitamins and minerals, as well as sugar, which negatively affects health.

“It is better for athletes to choose mineral water in order to replenish the reserves of nutrients in the body, which go away with sweat during physical exertion. Or live spring water, which can also be found in the store today, ”- says the athlete.