BY HAMMER NUTRITION PHILIPPINES
In the Philippine heat, getting your fluid intake right is one of the simplest ways to feel better and perform better. Of the three parts of fueling (calories, electrolytes and fluids), hydration mistakes carry the most serious consequences. Drink too little and dehydration ruins your session. Drink too much and you risk dilutional hyponatremia, where the sodium in your blood becomes overly diluted. That can bring cramping, bloating and stomach discomfort, and in severe cases it is dangerous. Here are the guidelines we follow, based on Hammer Nutrition's hydration recommendations.
EVERY DAY
Multiply your body weight in kilograms by 33 to 39. The result is roughly how many milliliters of fluid to drink across the day. A 60 kg athlete would aim for about 2,000 to 2,350 ml.
If you haven't been drinking this much, increase gradually. Raising your intake too quickly can overwhelm your system with too much fluid too soon.
BEFORE A WORKOUT OR RACE
- About 1 liter over the two hours before the start (around 500 ml per hour). Stop drinking 20 to 30 minutes before you begin.
- If you have more than two hours, drink 295 to 355 ml every hour, finishing 30 minutes before the start.
DURING A WORKOUT OR RACE
- Average-size athlete, average conditions: 590 to 740 ml per hour
- Lighter athletes or cooler conditions: 473 to 532 ml per hour
- Heavier athletes or hot conditions: up to about 830 ml per hour
Midday heat here puts many of us in the last group, but treat 830 ml per hour as a ceiling, not a target. Research by Dr. Tim Noakes found that front-runners tend to under-drink, while over-drinking is most common among mid- and back-of-the-pack athletes.
PRO TIP
You can't replace fluids as fast as you lose them, and trying usually makes things worse. As Dr. Bill Misner put it, the goal of fueling during exercise is to postpone fatigue, not to replace everything you lose. Find the amount that works for you in training, not on race day.
Go deeper: The Vital Importance of Proper Hydration | Hydration: What You Need to Know
Photo: Sandi Menchi Abahan at the Spartan World Championships in Abu Dhabi.