The Good And Bad Of Water And Workout

The title of this article is a little misleading. There really is no bad side of drinking water when you're working out. There are, however, a lot of benefits to drinking water when you're working out or even when you aren't. Even my minimalist workout needs a maximum amount of water.

My favorite benefit of drinking water while I work out is to prevent muscle pain. If you're working out and have muscle pain as a result then you are not drinking enough water. I've encouraged friends to drink more water only to have them say "I drink plenty but I'm still very sore". I don't believe that. We've all been told to drink 8 glasses of water per day. The is generally accepted as a minimum amount you need to drink per day. It is about 2 liters of water but you need a lot more when you're working out because you dehydrate at a higher rate. I drink water all day. I drink a glass of water about once an hour throughout the day. While my muscles get worked out and tired it is rare I ever get sore muscles and when I do it is because I didn't drink enough water.


During a workout water works to prevent fatigue. When I was a runner I would have bad runs at times because I didn't have that extra glass of water before I went out. There were times when I was excited to reach that next milestone and ran out the door without my water. The results were often tragic. I ran one 5k, it was a virtual 5k which meant I ran it at home at a certain time and recorded my time online. Without proper hydration I did poorly in the 5k. I ran it in 48 minutes, had to walk much of the way, and came home feeling like a failure. A couple of days later I ran that same route in 35 minutes. The difference was the amount of water I drank. If you want to set yourself up for success, which you do, then you should be drinking water.

So how much water should you drink? Did you know that even a 5% drop in hydration can cause a 25% to 30% drop in energy. It is recommended that you drink at least 20 oz. of water about two hours before your workout as well as 8 oz. during warm up. During your workout you should drink at least one cup of water every 15-20 minutes. After your workout you should drink another 8 oz. of water.

Something else to consider is if you are getting cramps during your workout, a lot of runners get this in their rib cage, that is another sign of dehydration. If you are not a big fan of drinking water then at a little bit of lemon to add flavor. You can also drink fruit juice or milk because they contain water but nothing will fully take the place of water.

I wake up each day and enjoy two glasses of water. Sometimes I add cinnamon but not always. I try to make them as cold as possible because it does burn a few calories. It gives me more energy in the morning and throughout the day. Drink up!

Tim lives in Orlando, FL with his wonderful wife and three daughters.

Tim Joseph
Minimize Workout

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