Hydration plays a vital role in body function, with losses of 1-2% of total body mass in water leading to impaired cognitive function, alertness and physical performance. What this means in a more practical sense is improper decision-making, slower reaction time and slower sprint speeds. In addition to this, the loss of electrolytes can also contribute to increased likelihood of cramp as well as cognitive impairment.
How much do you sweat?
Although the average sweat rate for footballers is roughly 1L/hour in intense training, individual sweat rates can range significantly. With the individual nature of this, it can be useful to find your own sweat rate by weighing yourself before and after training and noting how much fluid was consumed during the session. From there, you can calculate your sweat rate per hour. This should be done 3 times at a minimum with considerations of the type of training and temperature. In turn, an adequate rehydration strategy can be put in place.
Hydration strategies pre-training/match:
• Sip on water throughout the day. As a rough guideline, the body can take up around 250ml every 15 minutes.
• Ideally, you want to get your urine to a pale yellow without chugging water.
• Consider using an electrolyte product to help retain consumed fluids while adding palatability while drinking.
Hydration strategies during training/match:
• Bring a water bottle with electrolytes to training and drink whenever you are given a chance.
• Use your sweat rate to find out how much fluid you will lose and try to replace as much as you can during the session.
• During a game, halftime is your only chance to rehydrate and refuel. Electrolyte and carbohydrate replacement is essential. Make sure to have an electrolyte product on hand, as well as having some form of high GI carbohydrates such as an energy gel.
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