WPH Press
Each Wednesday the WPH features the WPH Wednesday Workout, designed to help you become a stronger, fitter, faster, and better handball player. From leg and shoulder strengthening exercises to HIT Training, biking, balance, footwork, agility, coordination, and much more, the WPH Wednesday Workouts focus on the areas that every handball player needs to reach their peak form.
On this WPH Wednesday Workout, we’ll discuss how to Hydrate before, during, and after a match or workout.
WebMD HERE stresses that you cannot rely solely on thirst to tell you how much you need to drink – in order to keep your muscles working and to avoid fatigue, it’s critical to drink plenty of liquids before, during, and after a match or workout.
UPMC HERE states that adult females should drink 91 ounces of liquid per day, while adult males should drink 125 ounces of liquids per day
Hydrating Before a Match
According to WebMD HERE, drink two cups of fluid two hours before a match (16 ounces)
Hydrating During a Match
According to WebMD HERE, drink 4-6 ounces of fluids every 15-20 minutes to keep your muscles well-hydrated
Hydrating After a Match
According to WebMD HERE, continue drinking fluids after a match. To be precise, drink 20 ounces of fluid for every pound of water weight lost during a match
What to Drink to Hydrate
- According to WebMD HERE, for a match that lasts up to an hour, tap water is adequate
- For a match that last more than an hour, combine fruit juice with water or a sports drink to replace lost electrolytes (sodium, potassium, magnesium) in your sweat
- Sports drinks like Gatorade and Powerade are designed to provide an energy boost and to rapidly replace fluids and to increase the sugar (glucose) circulating in your blood
- The best sports drinks will contain around 14 grams of carbohydrates, 28 mg of potassium, and 100 mg of sodium per 8-ounce serving. The drink’s carbohydrates should come from glucose, sucrose, and/or fructose
- The drink should not be carbonated
- In addition to hydrating, you need to eat a light meal or snack of at least 100 calories about an hour or so before your activity – the best snacks combine healthy carbohydrates, proteins, and a small amount of fat
- Examples of healthy pre-match snacks are fruit, yogurt, nuts, and granola bars
- UPMC HERE states that the best pre-match hydration fruits are grapefruit, watermelon, strawberries, and cantaloupe
How do you know if you are dehydrated
According to UPMC HERE, these are five signs that you could be suffering from dehydration during your match
- Coordination decline
- Muscle cramps
- Decrease in energy
- Muscle fatigue
- Reduction in athletic performance
USADA HERE recommends checking your urine color for recognizing hydration levels. Urine that is dark gold in color indicates dehydration, while urine that is the color or pale lemonade indicates hydration. If your urine is clear, you are overhydrated, which can lead to Hyponatremia, or water intoxication, in which the drinking of excess water can cause low sodium levels in the blood, causing mental changes, headaches, nausea, vomiting, tiredness, muscle spasms, and seizers (from Medicinenet HERE)
Stay safe during your matches and workouts by properly hydrating!
David Fink
WPH Fitness Director