Combat Athletes & Sports Health

To me, proper hydration during workouts has always been a most frustrating and controversial endeavor. Back in the early 90s, most serious Martial Arts clubs still had the mind-over-matter attitude which consequently sacrificed water breaks for the sake of (self-) discipline. Not too long thereafter, popular media (with fitness magazines taking a leading role) started propagating completely opposite drinking policies. The new motto was “drink, drink, drink…”. Coincidentally, this new attitude towards hydration was shaped, funded and promoted by no other than

Gatorade and cohorts. Unfortunately, two young marathon runners died due to a condition called exercise-associated hyponataemia which is caused by overdrinking and thus diluting the body’s electrolyte levels (the added electrolytes in sports drinks can’t really make up for that). Ever since, the consensus has been that hydration has to be matched to “individual needs” with plenty of (non-consistent) guidelines to be found.

It’s important to notice that this evolution has happened over a time period shorter than two decades. If you look at the dates of the fitness magazines and books at your local gym (not to mention the expiration dates on some of the instructors…) you might realize why you can still find all three theories or combinations thereof floating around in the sports communities. Outdated and “modified” information aside, there still is a number of important facts to consider when devising one’s own hydration plan.

Why is this proper hydration such a big deal?

Common sense (and for women intuition) suggests that dehydration can have an adverse effect on performance (endurance, both regular and high-intensity; muscle strength, power). Common sense and intuition are correct. In addition, thirst is a terribly inaccurate parameter for actual dehydration, which means you have to follow other guidelines that indicate when and how much to drink. Since competitive athletes always want to maximize their performance it seems reasonable to start with the factors that we can easily control. What we drink and how much of it seems an easy enough starting point.

What are the facts/guidelines?

So we have by now we know that overdrinking can kill you, not drinking enough seems to be bad as well and somehow electrolytes play a role as well. Let’s see whether we can get this all sorted out so we can actually benefit from it.

• Since thirst is an inaccurate measurement of dehydration, we should drink beyond our thirst during exercise.
• To maintain a healthy body, it is of course necessary for us to replace fluids and electrolytes lost (via sweat) eventually. The good news is that as a Combat Athlete, chances are you have average workouts of two hours. With comparatively short workouts like these, it’s easy to maintain a minimum level of hydration and then catch up in your post-workout phase.
• Aerobic fitness helps your body deal with adverse effects of dehydration (another reason why you should get on the treadmill more often; and no, I am not saying that Gi makes your butt look big)
• There actually have been studies comparing the effects of water sports drinks and pickle juice (it’s high in electrolytes). Even though it seems like there is no huge difference in what you drink, I tend personally tend to stick with water (and save the pickle juice for my Bloody Marries). If you find yourself not drinking enough, sports drinks might be a real benefit for you. The sweetness and large selection of flavors often helps people stay on top of their hydration needs better. And they may also help you prevent exercise associated muscle cramps…

So there is no magic trick I can use? Like super-hydration?

Well, the first magic trick athletes tried was IV rehydration. Yes, it’s what it sounds like. In between competition, they hook you up to an IV and let the fluids run into you directly. Apparently there is a slight benefit to this but it is minimal compared to the risks. And I am not so much talking about infections and other problems you might have with the IVs. Like the gigantic needle (especially when handled by non-pros). The main risk is that the World Anti-Doping Agency frowns on this behavior…

Another magic trick that might actually have some benefit to it is adding glycerol to your drinks. Apparently, glycerol allows your body to retain fluids that you ingested prior to working out much better (due to osmosis). Consequently, the effects of dehydration will set in later or not at all if you have short tournaments. I have to add, that I personally have not tried this and know nobody that has (admitted to doing so). And like with so many things, glycerol may cause some side effects, such as nausea, bloatedness, diarrhea and more. These are supposedly extremely rare though. Obviously, if you experience these side effects, you might not want to continue drinking glycerol spiked liquids.

Last but not least, the suggestions of an article in the “Journal of Sports Medicine” that elaborate on the proper administration of glycerol drinks (for more details find the full article; details are in the “Sources” section below).

Athletes “should ingest glycerol 1.2 g/kg body weight in 26 ml/kg body weight of fluid over a period of 60 minutes, 30 minutes prior to exercise”.

If you are having troubles with the calculations, you might want to consult a unit converter and a math brainiac friend…

Sources:

Beltrami FG, Hew-Butler T, Noakes TD. Drinking policies and exercise-associated hyponatraemia: is anyone still promoting overdrinking? British Journal of Sports Medicine 2008;42:796-801.

van Rosendal SP et al. Intravenous versus Oral Rehydration in Athletes. Journal of Sports Medicine 2010;40:327-346.

Judelson DA et al. Hydration and Muscular Performance. Journal of Sports Medicine 2007;37:907-921.

van Rosendal SP et al. Guidelines for Glycerol Use in Hyperhydration and Rehydration Associated with Exercise. Journal of Sports Medicine 2010;40:113-139.

Miller KC et al. Electrolyte and Plasma Changes After Ingestion of Pickle Juice, Water and a Common Carbohydrate-Electrolyte Solution. Journal of Athletic Training 2009;44:454-461.

Merry TL et al. Effects of aerobic fitness on hypohydration-induced physiological strain and exercise impairment. Acta Physiologica 2010;198:179-190.