Want to know how important triathlon hydration is? DO you know how much you should drink during a triathlon? This article from the Rock Star Triathlete Academy is made to teach you all you need to know about triathlon hydration so you can rock in training and racing.

Consider the following triathlon hydration facts:

You can expect cycling speed to decrease by 2% for each 1% of body weight lost through dehydration.

When you start feeling thirsty, you may all ready weight 2% less of you total body weight.

* A 3% weight loss indicates dehydration has occurred.

* Loss of fluid during exercise varies, but averages about 34 ounces per hour (and can be 3x that much in hot and humid conditions!).

Hyponatermia, “water intoxication”, is equally damaging and can occur in taking on more than 30oz’s of water per hour.

* Acclimatized individuals who are used to training in hot climates or hot rooms can reduce fluid loss by up to 50%.

Based on these facts, it would pretty important to make sure your triathlon hydration is properly planned. Here is how to do it:

* Divide your weight in half to determine the ounces of water you should drink per day for adequate triathlon hydration. So a 160 pound triathlete would consume about 80 ounces of water, or 10 8 ounce servings. While some nutritionists will recommend drinking even more if you exercising, you need to remember that you’re also getting water from all the food you eat about 20% of your daily fluid intake is typically from food.

* During exercise, your triathlon hydration goal should be to consume about 17-25 ounces per hour, or around 4-8 ounces every 15-20 minutes. A typical large water bottle is 20-25 ounces. During hot and long races such as Half-Ironman and Ironman, you can shoot for closer to 28-30 oz of water per hour although smaller individuals will need to take caution with this level of fluid intake.

Before exercise session that are multi hours, aim to take in 17-35 oz of water in the 2-3 hours leading up to the event. taper fluid consumption as you get closer to exercise time to avoid “stomach sloshing”

30 oz’s or more of fluid consumption can lead to blood dilution, which can be very dangerous. Thus high end fluid intake should only be in hot and humid conditions.

There are a few other good triathlon hydration tips you need to take into account:

* To avoid taking in too much water, you can combine your triathlon hydration with doses of external water to control heat stress, such as squirting some cold water over your head, putting ice in your jersey or uniform, or using ice sponges.

* For people who tend to sweat and cramp excessively, glycerol supplementation can help maximize water storage, but this is illegal in some events so use caution!

The body takes in cold water faster than warm water.

Make note of your urine color and to keep it a light to pale yellow.

* You can lose up to a pound in glycogen, fat and muscle tissue during a 3+ hour training session, so account for this when re-hydrating, or when weighing yourself after exercise to see how much you’ve lost

You still loose fluid even in cooler climates. So hydration is still important when it is cold out.

No discussion of water would be complete without emphasizing that liquid compounds that are full of fructose, glucose or artificial colorings and sweeteners are not to be considered normal triathlon hydration methods, and should only be consumed when completely necessary, such as during a multi-hour training session during which calories are necessary, or when no form of pure water is handy.

Finally, whenever possible in your triathlon hydration, choose clean, filtered water, and avoid heavy consumption of water from plastic bottled sources, especially those that have been exposed to heat.

Seeking for more tips on Triathlon hydration and other ways to make your triathlon performance rock? Then go to Rock Star Triathlete Academy and sign up for your free advice!

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