Ultimate Guide to Water and Electrolytes

Apart from fueling up with vitamins and minerals that contribute to muscle growth, one must not forget the importance of water and electrolytes in their muscle building journey. In this ultimate guide to water and electrolytes, let’s take a look at the role that they are playing in muscle building and why you should always have them on your workout session.

Water and Muscle Building

We should not underestimate the role that water plays in our body. It is actually among the most important nutrients. Our body can’t simply function without it.

Here’s a fun fact: our lungs are composed of nearly 90% water, blood is 82% water and the brain is 95% water. Our body needs water for it to have its optimum development, growth, and health.

Water does not just make our body function, it also provides many health benefits. Drinking plenty of water every day gives us a healthier skin, teeth, joints, and bones. It also makes our digestive system healthier. Plus, our mind and body work at their optimum too. It also helps reduce fatigue and fluid retention and aids in weight loss.

Can water help you build muscles?

My answer is a big resounding Yes!

Water is key to overall health and muscle growth. Below are some vital reasons why water is crucial for building muscles:

1. Muscle Hydration: Water keeps muscle cells working right. Lack of water leads to muscle fatigue and poor performance. Staying hydrated ensures muscles stay fluid-balanced for effective workouts.
2. Nutrient Delivery: Water moves essential nutrients, like amino acids and glucose, to muscle cells. These nutrients help repair and grow muscles after intense exercise.
3. Heat Control: Exercise raises body heat. Water helps cool the body through sweat, preventing overheating that can hurt muscle performance and growth.
4. Joint Lubrication: Hydration keeps joints well-lubricated, lowering injury risks during workouts. Smooth joints enhance performance in activities like lifting and running.
5. Enzyme Efficiency: Enzymes need a water-based setting to work well in energy production and muscle contraction. Proper hydration ensures these enzymes function optimally for muscle growth and performance.
6. Blood Volume: Water is crucial for blood. Good hydration keeps blood volume up, which is vital for delivering oxygen and nutrients to muscles during exercise. This ensures muscles get the energy they need to work and heal.
7. Muscle Recovery: After exercise, muscles need to heal and grow. Water helps clear waste like lactic acid from muscles, reducing soreness and speeding recovery.
8. Protein Synthesis: Protein synthesis builds new proteins for muscle growth. Water aids this process by ensuring amino acids are properly delivered and used by muscle cells.
9. Preventing Cramps: Lack of water can cause electrolyte imbalances, leading to muscle cramps. Drinking enough water keeps electrolytes balanced, preventing cramps and aiding smooth muscle function.

How much water should you drink?

Our mothers always tell us to drink 8-12 cups of water every day.

Well, our mothers are partially correct. The recommended amount of water intake for people who don’t live an active lifestyle is 8-12 cups per day. It’s a different story if you’re trying to build your muscles though.

People who are working out are losing fluid during their exercise so they need to consume more water. You lose approximately 4 cups of water per hour as you exercise. You’re losing about 1/2 to a gallon of water if you’re working out in a hot climate through perspiration.

Depending on your environment and intensity of the workout, you may need to drink 1 gallon of water per day. You can adjust as your need increases accordingly.

Key Points To Remember in Drinking Water

• You must drink water pre, during and post-workout. Not being able to replenish lost fluid can cause cramp and fatigue.
• Don’t wait to get thirsty before you drink water. Thirst is already a sign of dehydration. If you want to be at your optimum performance at the gym and build more muscle, you have to stay hydrated at all times.
• Drink at least 16 ounces of water after you wake up to replenish the lost fluid when you were sleeping.
• Drink more water if you’re caffeine fanatic.
• It’s preferable that you drink cold water as it gets absorbed more quickly than warm water.

Electrolytes and Muscle Building

It’s true that going to the gym without a bottle of water is a suicide mission.

But is water enough to quench your thirst and replenish your lost fluids?

Water may sometimes not be enough. Remember that it’s not only water that you lose when you sweat. You also lose electrolytes, especially chloride and sodium.

Electrolytes are essential minerals found in your urine, sweat, and blood. These minerals carry a positive or negative electric charge when dissolved in water.

Electrolytes are essential for our body to survive. They serve many functions such as helping rebuild damaged tissue, balancing the acidity and pressure of blood, hydrating the body and regulating muscle and nerve function.

The electrolytes in human bodies include phosphate, chloride, magnesium, bicarbonate, calcium, potassium and sodium. They can be found in a wide variety of food and beverages. Most common sources used by gym goers are sports drinks, orange juice, and coconut water.

Do You Need Electrolytes When You’re Working Out?

This has been one of the longest debates out there.

Other gym-goers believe that they don’t need to supplement electrolytes since they can sufficiently get it from their diet plus their body can efficiently regulate electrolytes too. While the rest of the population are a firm-believer that electrolytes are a must if you want to get the maximum workout result.

If your goal is to bulk up, then you must supplement with electrolytes. Muscle growth can only be achieved if you are properly hydrated. Electrolytes will give you the boost of energy as well as help your muscles function at their optimum.

Here’s when you need electrolytes the most:

• When you’re working out for more than one hour

Water is only recommended if you’re working out up to an hour. But if you go beyond that, then replenishing with electrolytes is a must. You would also need electrolytes if you’re doing high-intensity workouts on longer duration.

• When you’re sweating a lot

You also lose electrolytes when you’re sweating. If you’re a heavy sweater, water may not just be enough. By supplementing electrolytes, you’re replenishing lost fluids and making sure that all of your muscle cells are at their optimum condition.

• When you’re working out on a hot, humid weather

Working out in a hot and humid condition can cause the core temperature of your body to rise. This does not just lead to increased sweating but it also prevents the evaporation of sweat that could cool you down. The hotter the temperature is, the greater your need for electrolytes replenishment.

• When you feel that water is not sufficient

Our body sends us signals when we are dehydrated. Headaches, nausea, muscle cramps and fatigue are some of the tell-tale signs that your electrolyte levels are dropping. Listen to your body and act on it to make sure that you are properly hydrated.

Water and electrolytes are two important factors that can help you ensure that you are at your best performance every workout session. You should not leave your home without them if you want to buff up.

References:

West, H. (2018). Electrolytes: Definition, Functions, Imbalance and Sources. Retrieved from https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/electrolytes

Fetters, K. (2018). How to Tell If You Need Electrolytes During Your Workout. Retrieved from https://health.usnews.com/wellness/fitness/articles/2018-07-13/how-to-tell-if-you-need-electrolytes-during-your-workout

Behar, J. (2019). Understanding The Importance Of Proper Hydration For Maximum Gains In And Out Of The Gym!. Retrieved from https://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/behar12.htm

Lumsden, B. (2019). WHY WATER IS IMPORTANT FOR MUSCLE BUILDING. Retrieved from https://relentlessgains.com/why-water-is-important-to-build-muscle-and-how-much/

Pandey, A. (2018). Hydration and Muscle Building – Know the Connection. Retrieved from https://www.gethow.org/hydration-and-muscle-building-know-the-connection