Tuesday March 9th

Workout of the day

Warm up:

Walking lunge w/ trunk rotation

Inchworms

High knees/ butt kicks

Step overs

Shoulder mobility

Trigger point/ foam roll

    

WOD:

Complete for time:

50 Double Unders

5 Thrusters (95/65lbs)

40 Double Unders

10 Thrusters 

30 Double Unders

15 Thrusters 

20 Double Unders

20 Thrusters 

10 Double Unders

25 Thrusters 

   

   

Here's one very important piece of the puzzle we haven't discussed much - 

    

HYDRATION

        

Here's a couple of fun facts:

• 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated.
• Even mild dehydration will slow down one's metabolism as much as 3%.
• Lack of water is the number 1 trigger of daytime fatigue.  

   

   

   

Proper Hydration: The Key Ingredient To Your Athletic Success

By Rob Wilkins

The following information IS NOT medical advice and is solely intended for information purposes. Please consult your healthcare provider with questions related to the articles below. 

Prior to beginning an intense workout session, Duane Noll, a retired US Air Force fighter pilot, strolls over to the cooler packed with the current "magical" carbo or protein drink and picks up the most basic and important nutrient known to man--water. Noll, who is in his early 50's, works out 5 days per week and still maintains the same weight he did during his military career said, "One of the things I learned during my flying days was the importance of proper hydration and its relation to human performance. I make it a point to drink water before, during, and after a workout in order to get the most out of my workouts and help promote the growth and healing processes."

Like a high-powered jet engine, your muscles generate heat during the work out and the greater the intensity, the greater the amount of heat produced. The heat generated causes you to sweat which helps to cool the body. However, if you are not properly hydrated, the water loss through sweat may dramatically affect your performance by increasing your body temperature. Another important benefit of maintaining proper hydration is its role in weight loss. Since water contains no calories, it is an excellent appetite suppressant, and best of all you can have as much of it as you want.

For regular exercisers maintaining a constant state of hydration is essential to performance as dehydration leads to muscle fatigue and loss of coordination. Being dehydrated by as little as 2% can cause endurance to drop by up to 7% and according to a recent study (1) dehydrated exercisers worked out almost 25% less than those who drank water before and during workouts.

Health care professionals such as Nancy Clark, MS, RD agree with Noll and recommend that physically active people should drink more than the standard eight glasses per day. Water is the most important nutrient in the body and makes up 70 percent of muscles and 75 percent of the brain (2). Oxygen is the only thing the body craves more than water. 

Water plays an essential role in eliminating toxins and waste products, regulates body temperature, and helps to maintain proper muscle tone--all extremely important functions to bodybuilding/fitness enthusiasts. For proper hydration, Clark suggests about 3-4 quarts of water per day, which will assist you in reaching your bodybuilding/fitness goals. 

HOW MUCH WATER IS REQUIRED:

There isn't a "recommended daily allowance (RDA)" for daily water intake. Part of the reason is the difference in physical activity, age, present physical condition, living in a hot or dry climate, and diuretic medications all contribute to fluid loss and a greater need for water. In addition, a diet rich in fiber, high in protein, or taking a supplement such as creatine requires an increase in water consumption. It's estimated that healthy adults require at least eight to ten cups of water each day. The following formula will provide you with a more precise amount of water necessary for your daily needs. 

The formula (7) is .5 times your weight in pounds to get the number of ounces divided by 8 to get the number of glasses. Example: 115 lbs x .5 = 57.5 ounces. 57.5 divided by 8 equals 7.2 glasses. Often, we replace fluids by consuming beverages such as milk, fruit juices, coffee, tea, and sodas. Our bodies will extract the water from these sources through digestion and metabolism. 

DEHYDRATION

Dehydration can be defined as the loss of water and essential body salts (electrolytes) that are needed for normal body functioning. Water makes up about 60 percent of a man's weight and 50 percent of a woman's weight (2). This proportion has to be kept within a narrow limit to attain a proper balance in the cells and body tissue. In a dehydrated state the body is unable to cool itself, leading to heat exhaustion and possibly heat stroke. Without an adequate supply of water the body will lack energy and muscles may develop cramps (3).

Usually, by the time action is taken, dehydration has already set in and damage may have occurred. Physical signs can range from fatigue, loss of appetite, heat intolerance, and low quantities of dark yellow urine. Severe dehydration can cause muscle spasms, high body-core temperatures, and complete exhaustion. According to Dr. James A. Peterson the easiest way to determine if you are hydrated is to check the color and quantity of your urine. "If your urine is very dark in color and limited in quantity, you need to consume more fluids." The best way to counter the possibility for dehydration is to frequently drink plenty of water. It is also of great importance to make sure that you drink the highest quality of water available to you.

For healthy people under normal circumstances, thirst is a reliable mechanism to indicate the body's need for more fluid. "However, your thirst doesn't tell you exactly what to drink. It just tells you that you're thirsty," says Kenneth G. Berge, M.D., associate medical editor of Mayo Health Oasis. "Of course, billions of dollars are made by persuading you to reach for a soft drink or something like that, when really the best choice usually is water." 

You may have heard that you need at least eight glasses of water per day. This quantity won't hurt a healthy adult. But Dr. Berge says such one-size-fits-all answer fails to tell the whole story about the body's necessary balance of fluid intake and loss. Humans normally lose about 10 cups (2.4 liters) of fluid a day in sweat, urine, exhaled air and bowel movements. What is lost must be replaced to maintain a fluid balance. Dehydration poses a particular health risk for the very young and the very old. 

Caffeinated and alcoholic beverages are actually dehydrating because they increase urine output, so don't count these as fluid replacements. 

WATER AND THE ATHLETE

Of all nutritional concerns for athletes, the most important is sufficient water intake. The athlete's immediate need for water is to control body temperature and to cool working muscles. A recent study (4) noted that exercise-induced dehydration (dehydration that develops during exercise) reduces aerobic endurance performance and results in increased body temperature, heart rate, perceived exertion, and possibly increased reliance on carbohydrate as a fuel source. Although the negative effects of exercise-induced dehydration on exercise performance were clearly demonstrated in the 1940s, athletes continued to believe for years thereafter that fluid intake was not beneficial. More recently, negative effects on performance have been demonstrated with modest (2%) dehydration, and these effects are exacerbated when the exercise is performed in a hot environment. 

During exercise or athletic events thirst is not always a reliable gauge of fluid needs. The best approach is to go into the event with adequate fluid intake. The following are recommendations from the American College of Sports Medicine on the amount and composition of fluid that should be ingested in preparation for, during, and after exercise or athletic competition:

1. It is recommended that individuals consume a nutritionally balanced diet and drink adequate fluids during the 24-hr period before an event, especially during the period that includes the meal prior to exercise, to promote proper hydration before exercise or competition. 

2. It is recommended that individuals drink about 500 ml (about 17 ounces) of fluid about 2 hours (hr) before exercise to promote adequate hydration and allow time for excretion of excess ingested water. 

3. During exercise, athletes should start drinking early and at regular intervals in an attempt to consume fluids at a rate sufficient to replace all the water lost through sweating (i.e., body weight loss), or consume the maximal amount that can be tolerated. 

4. It is recommended that ingested fluids be cooler than ambient temperature [between 15 degrees and 22 degrees C (59 degrees and 72 degrees F])] and flavored to enhance palatability and promote fluid replacement. Fluids should be readily available and served in containers that allow adequate volumes to be ingested with ease and with minimal interruption of exercise. 

5. Addition of proper amounts of carbohydrates and/or electrolytes to a fluid replacement solution is recommended for exercise events of duration greater than 1 hr since it does not significantly impair water delivery to the body and may enhance performance. During exercise lasting less than 1 hr, there is little evidence of physiological or physical performance differences between consuming a carbohydrate-electrolyte drink and plain water. 

6. During intense exercise lasting longer than 1 hr, it is recommended that carbohydrates be ingested at a rate of 30-60 g.h (-1) to maintain oxidation of carbohydrates and delay fatigue. This rate of carbohydrate intake can be achieved without compromising fluid delivery by drinking 600-1200 ml.h(-1) of solutions containing 4%-8% carbohydrates (g.100 ml(-1)). The carbohydrates can be sugars (glucose or sucrose) or starch (e.g., maltodextrin). 

7. Inclusion of sodium (0.5-0.7 g.1 (-1) of water) in the rehydration solution ingested during exercise lasting longer than 1 hr is recommended since it may be advantageous in enhancing palatability, promoting fluid retention, and possibly preventing hyponatremia in certain individuals who drink excessive quantities of fluid. There is little physiological basis for the presence of sodium in an oral rehydration solution for enhancing intestinal water absorption as long as sodium is sufficiently available from the previous meal.

Research (8) from Scotland recommends in order to restore normal fluid balance after exercise that athletes should consume at least 150% of the fluid lost during exercise. Replenishment with 150% (1.5 litres per 1 kg) and 200% worked equally well. However, 50% and 100% of losses failed to restore and maintain body water levels at normal. The reason was urine production was counter-productive to the rehydration process.

CONCLUSION

You are spending time and putting a considerable effort into making your body a lean, mean, muscle machine. You might as well do what ever it takes to provide the muscles with the proper nutrients to repair muscle breakdown. Dehydration can negatively affect your strength levels and will slow down your progress so make it a top priority to drink water. Proper hydration is extremely important to maintain optimal health and in the case of a bodybuilder a key factor in helping you reach your goal--BIG MUSCLES! Finally, water effects athletic performance more than any other nutrient. The quality and quantity of the water you drink will have a dramatic effect on the outcome of your efforts. So follow Noll's advice and drink up!