Hydration
Of course everyone knows that
hydration is essential in all types of physical activity and especially in
weightlifting. Although there are many
different ways to hydrate yourself and it’s important to know these different
ways so you can make a plan depending on what your goals are. Something as simple as what your drink, how
your drink it and how much you drink it can make a big difference in your weightlifting
gains.
Water is always the best choice when
weightlifting or doing any strenuous activity because it gives back your body all
of the water it is losing due to sweat and heat, and it also has no sugar and
calories to worry about. Because of the
lack of calories and sugars it is the best liquid to drink if you are trying to
lose weight. Although the bad thing
about water is that because it has no calories, you have the risk of losing
muscle mass to all the energy being lost through heat. One drastic and extreme method to lose weight
really fast is to work out really hard and try to drink the least amount of
water your can, this will make your lose all of your water weight because of
sweat and them you don’t gain water weight back. This can be very dangerous and should only be
tried in desperate situations, because this has a high chance of dehydration
and unconsciousness.
Gatorade and Powerade are better for
people who are trying more to gain muscle mass and are not too worried about
losing weight or fat. Gatorade and
Powerade is both full of sugars, potassium, calories, and carbohydrates, which
are all vital ingredients for muscle growth and recovery of the muscles. All of the sugars you lose to the burn in your
muscles can be replaced by drinking Gatorade.
These sports drinks are good for work and sweat but can be very
unhealthy if you haven’t been sweating a lot, working, or intense training,
because of all the sugars and calories.
Some liquids, should never be drank
while or before a workout. Soda, coffee,
energy drinks, milk, and most fruit juices are very bad to drink before your
workout because of the condition it puts you in. Soda and energy drinks, obviously, are loaded
with sugars and carbs that cause you to be tired and out of breath quicker
while you are lifting. Even diet soda or
diet energy drinks can do this, believe me I’ve tried drinking soda before a
workout and I just about puked and felt so tired and weak. Coffee is a big one to look out for, because
lots of people workout early in the morning and drink coffee beforehand to wake
up. This is one of the worst things to
do because of the simple fact that coffee soaks up moisture and actually
dehydrates you as you drink it, so you are already dehydrated before you even
start to lift. The best advice I can
give for this, is to wait at least an hour after you drink coffee to start
lifting. Again, trust me I once drank
some coffee, worked out, and when I was done, I became extremely jittery
because of the burning of sugar and I was this close to passing out. Milk, is a thicker liquid than most and
ferments after a while, we all know this, so if you drink milk before you lift,
the milk will curdle in your stomach and cause a high risk of vomiting. Although, drinking milk, especially chocolate
milk, AFTER a workout can be one of the best things for you because of the
sugars and natural proteins in it.
I hope this post has helping you in
your understanding of hydration.
Remember, we’re all in this together, keep your stick on the ice.
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