Hydration and Muscle Growth

We know it’s important to drink our water. but just how important is being hydrated when it comes to putting on lean muscle?

Turns out, it’s very important. Even slight levels of dehydration can impact your performance in the gym, meaning that weights that are usually light for you will become more challenging. You’ll be less likely to push yourself on those days and if they become too frequent, you’ll begin to fall short of your goal.

Blood delivers nutrients to our muscles and when we don’t drink enough water, the blood isn’t able to travel as easily. By drinking enough fluid, our blood can easily transport nutrients to our hard-working muscles so that we can keep pushing our limits.

Consuming enough water also helps us recover from our workouts! The water helps carry away the built-up lactic acid so that we don’t become increasingly sore. Remember, some soreness isn’t a bad thing, but if we’re unable to move the next day every single time we work out, that’s not ideal or sustainable.

A good rule of thumb is to drink half of your body weight in ounces of water. For example, a 150 lb adult would drink 75 ounces of water per day. Add in more for exercise and warm climates. You will also want to add in electrolyte packets or mix in a little pink salt to help your body hold onto that water instead of passing it.

If drinking plain water sounds daunting, you can increase your fluid intake with broth-based soups, fruits, veggies, kombucha, juice (just watch for added sugar and count these toward your carbs), and decaffeinated beverages. It is worth noting that caffeine is not as dehydrating as we once thought. Regular coffee lovers rejoice!