Water is an essential part of our body and plays a crucial role in almost every bodily function. In bodybuilding, hydration is often underestimated, despite being a key factor in maximizing performance, recovery and, by extension, mass gain.
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Why is water essential for weight gain? Body hydration and performance
The human body is made up of around 60% water. This water is essential for many bodily functions, including transporting nutrients to cells, eliminating waste, lubricating joints and regulating body temperature.
Water is also crucial to the process of mass gain. It helps hydrate muscles, which are made up of around 70-75% water. Hydration promotes the elasticity of muscle tissue, which can reduce the risk of injury and improve recovery after training.
Without adequate hydration, muscles can contract and fatigue more quickly, which can limit performance and slow down the mass gain process.
According to a 2015 study, exercise performance is diminished as soon as an individual is dehydrated by just 2% of body weight. Losses in excess of 5% of body weight can reduce physical and mental capacity by around 30%.
Research has also shown that hydration levels have a significant impact on heart rate recovery. If heart rate remains elevated after exercise, this indicates that the body is recovering more slowly from the stress it has undergone.
Water and the post-workout recovery process
After intense training, the body loses water and electrolytes through sweat. This fluid loss can lead to dehydration if not compensated by adequate water intake.
Dehydration can impair recovery after training, which can slow progress towards the goal of mass gain. It can affect muscle function, concentration and energy, all of which are essential for optimal training performance.
As mentioned above, water also supports the process of protein synthesis, which repairs muscles after a workout. If you're dehydrated, protein synthesis slows down and recovery is delayed.
So drinking enough water after training helps to rehydrate the body, support muscle recovery and prepare the body for the next session.
Water as a nutrient carrier
Water plays a crucial role in digestion and nutrient absorption. It is essential for breaking down the food we eat, enabling the body to absorb nutrients, including proteins, carbohydrates and fats. These nutrients are essential for mass gain.
Proteins, for example, are the building blocks of muscles, and are necessary for their growth and repair. Water helps transport these proteins to the muscles where they are needed.
Thus, hydration can indirectly promote mass gain by helping to maximize the absorption of essential nutrients.
Think of water as an essential transport route for the nutrients your body needs for mass gain.
In short, water is a vital component of mass gain. It supports body hydration, facilitates post-workout recovery and enables better absorption of nutrients essential for muscle growth. So don't forget to drink enough water throughout the day.
How do you assess your hydration?
Now that we understand the importance of water for mass gain, how can we assess our hydration levels?
There are several ways to do this:
- taking into account specific body signals;
- using visible clues ;
- respecting hydration recommendations for athletes.
Body signals
One of the most obvious signals your body sends you when you need more water is thirst. However, thirst isn't always a reliable indicator of hydration status, as it can often occur when you're already slightly dehydrated.
Another key indicator is the color of your urine. In general, pale urine indicates good hydration, while dark urine may mean you need to drink more water.
To help you, you can use a scale of urine colors according to hydration level, taken from theGeorgia Urologists' Union (US).
Thirst and urine color can be useful indicators of your hydration level, but they're not always accurate. So it's important to always hydrate regularly throughout the day, whether you're thirsty or not.
Hydration recommendations for athletes
According to most recommendations, adults should aim to consume around 2 to 2.5 liters of water a day.
However, this requirement can increase sharply depending on your physical activity and the outside temperature.
Athletes and people who train intensely may regularly need up to 3 to 4 liters of water a day to compensate for fluid loss through perspiration.
A reliable report published by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) in 2004 suggests that adult women should consume around 2.7 liters of water per day, while adult men should consume around 3.7 liters per day.
Here, too, are their recommendations for maximizing your performance via the lever of hydration before, after and throughout training. Again, these recommendations can be widely modified according to many factors, such as temperature, humidity, type of activity, and individual characteristics.
- Drink water two to three hours before exercise.
- Drink about 0.25 liters of fluid 20 to 30 minutes before exercise or during warm-up.
- Drink between 0.2 and 0.3 liters of fluid every 10 to 20 minutes during exercise.
- Drink about 0.25 liters of extra fluid within 30 minutes of exercise.
- Drink between 0.5 and 0.7 liters of fluid for every kilo of body weight lost after exercise.
How can you optimize your hydration for weight gain?
Now that we know why water is essential for mass gain and how to assess our hydration, how can we optimize it to promote mass gain?
The answer lies in :
- regular water consumption throughout the day;
- the choice of appropriate beverages ;
- taking your diet into account.
Drink water throughout the day
Drinking water regularly throughout the day is a key strategy for maintaining adequate hydration.
You don't need to drink large quantities of water all at once. Instead, try to drink small amounts regularly to keep your body hydrated.
It can also help prevent water retention, which can distort your weight and interfere with your goal of gaining mass.
Choosing the right drinks
Not all drinks are created equal when it comes to hydration. Some drinks, such as energy drinks and sodas, contain high levels of sugar and can actually contribute to dehydration.
However, water remains the best option for hydration. You can also opt for electrolyte-enriched drinks if you're training intensely.
What is the role of electrolytes?
Electrolytes are electrically charged minerals present in the body.
They play an essential role in many vital functions, including maintaining fluid balance, transmitting nerve signals and muscle contraction.
The main electrolytes present in the human body are :
- sodium (Na^+) ;
- potassium (K^+) ;
- calcium (Ca^2+) ;
- magnesium (Mg^2+) ;
- chloride (Cl^-);
- bicarbonate (HCO_3^-) ;
- phosphate (PO_4^3-).
Electrolytes play many roles:
- Fluid balance: Electrolytes help regulate the movement of water between intracellular and extracellular compartments, helping to maintain an appropriate water balance in the body.
- Nerve transmission: Nerve signals are generated by changes in the electrical gradients created by the movement of electrolytes across cell membranes.
- Muscle contraction: Electrolytes, particularly calcium, sodium and potassium, are essential for muscle contraction and relaxation. An electrolyte imbalance can lead to cramps or muscle weakness.
These 3 advantages lead us to the 4 main benefits of electrolytes for athletes:
- Preventing dehydration: During physical exertion, particularly in hot conditions, athletes lose electrolytes through sweat. If these electrolytes are not replaced, this can lead to dehydration, which can reduce performance and increase the risk of injury.
- Cramp prevention: An electrolyte imbalance, particularly low sodium or potassium levels, can lead to muscle cramps, which are painful and can hamper performance.
- Optimizing recovery: After exercise, rehydration with a drink containing electrolytes can help to rapidly restore electrolyte balance, promoting better recovery and preparing the body for future physical exertion.
- Maintaining nerve and muscle function: During prolonged exercise, maintaining an appropriate electrolyte balance is crucial to ensure optimal nerve transmission and prevent muscle fatigue.
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Take your diet into account
Hydration depends not only on what you drink, but also on what you eat.
In fact, some foods have a high water content and can contribute to your hydration.
Fresh fruit and vegetables, for example, are very rich in water. You can read our article on the best foods for mass gain for more information.
Conclusion
Water is a key factor in mass gain. Not only does it help maintain your body's fluid balance, it also plays a crucial role in transporting nutrients, eliminating waste, regulating body temperature and maintaining cognitive function.
Ensuring adequate hydration can help optimize your training performance, promote muscle growth and improve your post-workout recovery.
It's important to note that your water requirements can vary depending on many factors, such as your body weight, level of physical activity, climate and diet.
So it's essential to listen to your body and consult a health professional or nutritionist if you have any questions or concerns about your water needs.
For a more comprehensive approach to nutrition for mass gain, please see our dedicated articles on how to increase carbohydrate intake, the importance of fats, calculating calorie requirements and the importance of eating more often for mass gain.
Sources :
Jeukendrup, Asker, and Michael Gleeson. "Dehydration and Its Effects on Performance." Humankinetics. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 July 2015.
Gunawan, A. A. S. (2018). Development of Urine Hydration System Based on Urine Color and Support Vector Machine. Procedia Computer Science, 135, 481-489.
IOM Report: Adapted data from Dietary Reference Intakes for Water, Potassium, Sodium, Chloride, and Sulfate, The National Academy of Sciences
ACE Report: FitFacts Healthy Hydration, American Council on Exercise
