The Problem: Once an athlete loses more than 2% of their body weight through sweating he will experience an associated decline in performance. Research shows that the cumulative effect can be a drop in performance by as much as 30%. Dehydration typically slows a player down. He will cover less ground and tire sooner. This is particularly true as the sport continues past 60 minutes.

 

The Facts: Your weight affects your fluid needs. The bigger you are the more you need. Athletes should drink plenty of fluids every day and not just on training days. Total daily fluid requirements are calculated by multiplying weight in kilos by 35ml. For example an 85 kg player needs 2975 ml of fluid every day for basic hydration. 85kg X 35ml = 2,975ml. On training or match days, fluid intake must increase to replace sweat loss.

 

Fluid before Sport: The amount of fluid needed before exercise/ sport is calculated as 8 ml per kg body weight. An 85kg player will need to drink 680 ml of fluid before sport. 85 kg X 8 ml= 680ml.

 

Fluid after sport: After exercise, fluid lost as sweat must be replaced to aid recovery. A simple way to work out how much fluid to replace is to weigh yourself before and directly after exercise. 1,500 ml of fluid is needed to replace every kilogram of weight lost. If our 85 kg player lost 2 kg during exercise, he will need to drink 3 litres. 2kg X 1,500ml = 3,000ml. An isotonic sports drink is a more effective hydration fluid than water as a drink with sodium is needed for optimum hydration.

 

The Strategy: Players should get into the practice of weighing in at the same time each day before breakfast to establish their baseline weight. A second weigh in should be taken just before exercise giving a heavier weight as a result of consuming their required fluid load. Players should weigh themselves immediately after sport to determine their sweat loss and then calculate their fluid load for complete re hydration.