Training can be intense. Whether building strength under the barbell or testing your heart rate on a bike or the pavement, breaking a sweat is inevitable. Or rather, losing water is inevitable. However, the body excretes more than just water when it sweats. When you sweat, you also lose key electrolytes — calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, sodium, and potassium — which help maintain adequate hydration. (1)
Sweating is your body’s way of adjusting its temperature to keep you cool. (2) However, it comes at a potential cost of dehydration, which can hinder athletic performance. Even in mild cases, endurance is inhibited when sweating leads to a bodyweight loss of between two to three percent. (3)(4) So how do you stay properly hydrated when you level up your training? By consuming both H2O and electrolytes, particularly when training in hotter environments. (5)
Each 60-serving tub of this electrolyte and antioxidant mixture provides calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, and potassium. It is available in four flavors — Orange Mango, Apple Limeade, Fruit Punch, and Pink Lemonade.
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[Related: The Ultimate Workout Split to Build Strength and Muscle Mass]
When Is the Best Time to Hydrate?
It is recommended for athletes to drink half a liter of liquid consisting of four to eight percent electrolytes one to two hours before training or competing. (6) That volume should be increased to just over a liter if the intense activity in question will last for over an hour. Notably, it is important to consume liquids mixed with electrolytes during training so as to avoid the negative effects associated with dehydration, such as thermal stress, delay fatigue, and improper plasma levels.
So what are electrolytes and how do they help in training?
Essential Electrolytes
Calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, sodium, potassium, and chloride are electrolytes. (7) Having the proper balance of electrolytes not only allows for the benefits of proper nutrition to take effect, but it allows the body to perform physical activity more efficiently than if it lacked that balance. (8) Those electrolytes enable the body to retain greater amounts of water and therefore be better hydrated. (9) In Laymen’s terms, drinking water mixed with electrolytes leads to better hydration than drinking water without electrolytes.
A single-scoop serving of Kaged Muscle Hydra-Charge® provides four percent of the daily recommended intake (RDI) of calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, and sodium and one percent of the RDI of potassium. Let’s break down what each of those is and what their impact is on athletic performance.
Calcium
A daily recommended dose of 1,000-1,300 milligrams of calcium can reduce the risk of high blood pressure by 35 percent, decrease serum cholesterol, and improve bone mineral content. (10) Calcium has also been shown to reduce the potential of suffering stress fractures during training. (11) This is particularly useful for athletes who perform high-impact training such as running on pavement, who are at a higher risk of stress fractures. (12)
Phosphorus
As the second most abundant mineral in the human body (calcium is the first), phosphorus makes up approximately one percent of the body’s total weight. It helps produce and store energy, buffer blood, activate enzyme catalysis, and assist with a variety of organ functions ranging from renal (read: kidneys) excretion to immune response. (13)
Acute ingestion of phosphorus, also known as phosphate loading, can improve aerobic capacity. This is particularly useful for athletes who may be cutting weight or following a calorie-restricted diet as they may not be consuming sufficient amounts of phosphorus. (14) It is naturally more difficult to consume the requisite amount of electrolytes via food if athletes are actively maintaining a calorie deficit.
Magnesium
Magnesium is essential for maintaining normal cellular and organ function with an RDI of 300-400 milligrams in adults. An imbalance of magnesium in the body can lead to cardiovascular diseases, painful muscle spasms, fibromyalgia, arrhythmia, osteoporosis, and migraines. (15)
Notably, someone who rehydrates with a liquid that contains 15 milliequivalents (mEq) of magnesium is at a significantly lower risk of suffering renal dysfunction than those who consume liquid without magnesium. (16) In terms of performance, athletes who consume eight milligrams of magnesium for each kilogram of body weight have shown significantly larger strength gains than athletes who don’t over an equal period of time. (17)
Sodium
For athletes, drinking liquid that contains sodium chloride prior to physical activity could have favorable effects on performance as a result of better hydration status. A randomized control trial in the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism found dehydration levels following [60 minutes of submaximal exercise] were significantly less after sodium ingestion. (18)
Additionally, drinking liquid with sodium chloride during long periods of endurance training can be more beneficial for rehydration than drinking plain water. This is due to the role that sodium chloride plays in reducing urinary water loss — allowing the body to more rapidly achieve fluid balance. Of course, better hydration post-training leads to better recovery and subsequent exercise performance. (19)
Potassium
The benefits of potassium are plentiful. A high-potassium diet lowers blood pressure, reduces cardiovascular disease mortality, potentially slows the progression of renal disease, lowers urinary calcium excretion, and is likely to decrease the risk of osteoporosis. (20) Consuming fluid and salt supplements that contain potassium can stabilize electrolytes and body hydration during rest. (21)
Hydration, Dehydration, and Athletic Performance
Hydration is the process of causing something to absorb water to maintain homeostasis. Failing to properly hydrate in the hours leading up to athletic activity can reduce efforts of endurance and force output during resistance training. (22) Luckily for athletes and active individuals, exercise can help to better absorb water. (23) However, replacing electrolytes is necessary to re-establish the normal state of body water content. (24).
That means electrolytes are essential to optimal performance. Mild dehydration — a loss of two percent bodyweight via sweat — can have physically debilitating effects such as headaches, decreases in cognitive performance, reduced cardiac output, and reduced blood flow to the muscles. (25) Increasing water intake from 1.3 liters per day to two liters per day (or an increase of 35 percent) can result in lower blood pressure, diluted blood waste materials better, and stronger kidney function, and better athletic performance. (26)
Additional Benefits of Kaged Muscle Hydra-Charge®
Endurance
In addition to the combination of electrolytes, Kaged Muscle Hydra-Charge® also contains one gram of taurine — an amino acid — per serving. Kaged Muscle says that taurine, “has been shown to boost performance for endurance athletes,” and they are right. Duration of running times to exhaustion has been shown to significantly increase following the oral consumption of taurine. A review in Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology considered it to reduce exercise-induced muscle fatigue. (27)
Aesthetics
Kaged Muscle also touts that hydrated muscles have a “more full look,” which has also been found to be true. Actively contracting muscles lose volume in heat (sweating), but intermittently replacing lost fluids during exercise can prevent that decline. Muscle volume can even be used as a marker for water loss. (28)
Kaged Muscle Hydra-Charge®
Kaged Muscle Hydra-Charge® is available for purchase on kagedmuscle.com — $24.99 per 60-serving tub. It is offered in four flavors: Orange Mango, Apple Limeade, Fruit Punch, and Pink Lemonade.
Each 60-serving tub of this electrolyte and antioxidant mixture provides calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, and potassium. It is available in four flavors — Orange Mango, Apple Limeade, Fruit Punch, and Pink Lemonade.
Stay Hydrated
Next time you head to the gym, pay some mind to what is in your water bottle. Training consistently and with proper form can lead to desired gains, but without adequate hydration — meaning water and electrolytes — it will likely take much longer to achieve as performance output will be lessened and recovery will be slowed. So feel good about mixing some electrolytes in with your water to sip on before, during, and after training. The science says you’ll feel and perform better.
References
- Lindsay B Baker. Physiology of sweat gland function: The roles of sweating and sweat composition in human health. 2019. Temperature. doi: 10.1080/23328940.2019.1632145.
- Sweating as a heat loss thermoeffector. 2018. Handbook of Clinical Neurology. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-444-63912-7.00013-8.
- Bob Murray. Hydration and physical performance. 2007. Journal of American College of Nutrition. doi: 10.1080/07315724.2007.10719656.
- Eric D B Goulet. Dehydration and endurance performance in competitive athletes. 2012. Nutrition Reviews. doi: 10.1111/j.1753-4887.2012.00530.x.
- Serge P Von Duvillard, et al. Fluids and hydration in prolonged endurance performance. 2004. Nutrition. doi: 10.1016/j.nut.2004.04.011
- Isha Shrimanker, Sandeep Bhattarai. Electrolytes. 2021. StatPearls. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2021 Jan-.
- Simon Allison. Fluid, electrolytes, and nutrition. 2004. Clinical Medicine. doi: 10.7861/clinmedicine.4-6-573
- Effect of electrolyte addition to rehydration drinks consumed after severe fluid and energy restriction. 2015. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000000657.
- Gabriela Cormick, Jose M Belizán. Calcium Intake and Health. 2019. Nutrients. doi: 10.3390/nu11071606.
- Adam S Tenforde, et al. Evaluating the relationship of calcium and vitamin D in the prevention of stress fracture injuries in the young athlete: a review of the literature. 2010. Journal of Injury, Function, and Rehabilitation. doi: 10.1016/j.pmrj.2010.05.006.
- A Heinonen, et al. Randomised controlled trial of effect of high-impact exercise on selected risk factors for osteoporotic fractures. 1996 Lancet. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(96)04214-6.
- Mona S Calvo, Christel J Lamberg-Allardt. Phosphorus. 2015. Advances in Nutrition. doi: 10.3945/an.115.008516.
- Exercise and mineral status of athletes: calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, and iron. 1995. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. Jun;27(6):831-43.
- Mohammed S. Razzaque. Magnesium: Are We Consuming Enough? 2018. Nutrients. doi: 10.3390/nu10121863.
- Yoshihiro Yamamoto, et al. Hydration with 15 mEq Magnesium Is Effective at Reducing the Risk for Cisplatin-induced Nephrotoxicity in Patients Receiving Cisplatin (≥50 mg/m2) Combination Chemotherapy. 2016. Anticancer Research. Apr;36(4):1873-7.
- Effect of magnesium supplementation on strength training in humans. 1992. Journal of the American College of Nutrition. doi: 10.1080/07315724.1992.10718233.
- David M Morris, et al. Acute Sodium Ingestion Before Exercise Increases Voluntary Water Consumption Resulting In Preexercise Hyperhydration and Improvement in Exercise Performance in the Heat. 2015. International Journal of Sports Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism. doi: 10.1123/ijsnem.
- Rick L Sharp. Role of sodium in fluid homeostasis with exercise. 2006. Journal of the American College of Nutrition. doi: 10.1080/07315724.2006.10719572.
- Beneficial effects of potassium on human health. 2008. Physiologia Plantarum. doi: 10.1111/j.1399-3054.2007.01033.x.
- Yan G Zorbas, et al. Fluid and salt supplementation effect on body hydration and electrolyte homeostasis during bed rest and ambulation. 2002. Acta Astronautica. doi: 10.1016/s0094-5765(02)00012-7.
- Daniel A Judelson, et al. Effect of hydration state on strength, power, and resistance exercise performance. 2007. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. doi: 10.1249/mss.0b013e3180de5f22.
- Water and solute absorption from carbohydrate-electrolyte solutions in the human proximal small intestine: a review and statistical analysis. 2010. International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism. doi: 10.1123/ijsnem.20.5.427.
- Fluid and electrolyte needs for training, competition, and recovery. 2011. Journal of Sports Sciences. doi: 10.1080/02640414.2011.614269.
- Ron J Maughan, et al. Heat and cold: what does the environment do to the marathon runner? 2007. Sports Medicine. doi: 10.2165/00007256-200737040-00032.
- Yumi Nakamura, et al. Effect of Increased Daily Water Intake and Hydration on Health in Japanese Adults. 2020. Nutrients. doi: 10.3390/nu12041191.
- Yoshihisa Yatabe, et al. Effects of taurine administration on exercise. 2009. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology. doi: 10.1007/978-0-387-75681-3_25.
- Kyle J Hackney, et al. Skeletal muscle volume following dehydration induced by exercise in heat. 2012. Extreme Physiology & Medicine. doi: 10.1186/2046-7648-1-3.
Featured Image Courtesy of Kaged Muscle
