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When it comes to the thought of muscle development and growth, the first thing that comes to mind is protein. ‘Protein this’ and‘protein that’ is what we are seeing being advertised all over social media, by supplement companies, food trends and by pretty much any influential bodybuilder that is sponsored by or works with nutritional supplement companies. However, muscle building strategies often forget to highlight the importance of something a lot simpler and readily available to us for free: Water.
Water is fundamentally one of the most important ingredients that your body needs before, after and during training. It is essential for energy production in the body, for waste elimination, to carry vitamins and minerals to cells, and is absolutely crucial for cell function. It has been shown in numerous studies that dehydration by even a small amount can lead to up to 30% reduction in energy levels and effort while training. During training periods, the main mechanism our body uses to cool itself down is by sweating (water + salt loss= dehydration), which means that not restocking your supplies after exercise can be harmful to your vital organs and lead to heat stress, dizziness, and cell debilitation.
Think about it, our bodies are made of up to around 70% of water, with muscle tissue being made of 79% water! So if we are dehydrated, our muscles will decrease in size as our body sources hydration from cells that are saturated with water.
Ever heard bodybuilders and athletes talk about the ‘swole’ look? This term is used to refer to the post-workout phase where muscles seem larger, more pumped up, and generally bigger. The reason behind this is due to an increased blood flow to the muscle group, causing dilation of blood vessels and increased oxygen delivery to the area directly during and after exercise. Without water, these processes can be decreased drastically due to a lower blood volume, thus leading to less effort sustained and less of a ‘swollen’ look for muscles. Compare dehydrated muscles to a raisin, and hydrated healthy muscles to grapes!
So what are the recommended amounts of water consumption for muscle building? The minimum amount of water you should be drinking is about 8 glasses a day, but for muscle growth, you should try and aim for around 1 Litre per 1000 kcal you are consuming per day. If you are consuming caffeine, for example in the form of pre-workout or coffee, your intake should increase slightly, according to guidelines. Factors such as exercise, environment, age, water losses (eg sweating), or salt consumption may cause an increase in your water demands also, so taking track of these factors can be useful in helping determining your intake goals.
Water has been described by leading bodybuilding experts and writers as “the most important element of all” when attempting growth in muscle tissues, so make sure you are including enough of this secret ingredient into your recipe for success.
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