Hydration

1. Hydration {Drinking}

FS: How do you check a sweat rate?

AK: We’ll have them check a weight before they train, and have them check a weight immediately after they’re done training, and then factor in exactly in what they drank during the session. From the change in weight, we can determine how much fluid was lost—the rule of thumb is that per pound of weight you lose, 20 to 24 ounces of fluid need to be replaced. You want to come up with a plan so that they’re not dumping 36 ounces of water in their stomach as soon as they’re done, because you don’t absorb it.

Getting them to take the small, frequent doses of water is going to help them be better hydrated.

FS: Do you think hydration is something that’s often overlooked, since people are more focused on what they eat?

AK: I think it’s easy to overlook. You may not be drinking enough, or you may need to add some electrolytes to what you’re drinking. ... [Also], good hydration doesn’t stop when training stops—it’s all day. There is a pretty big tendency—athletes are good at hydrating during training, but then when the day goes on, that’s when we want to be sure we’re maintaining that hydration level.

- Richard