If you’re gearing up for a big workout session, one thing that you must make sure you aren’t overlooking is good hydration.  It’s vital that you are hydrating yourself properly because this can have a significant influence on the overall performance that you are able to give.

Let’s go over some of the main points about what you should remember with regards to hydrating yourself properly around your workouts.

Stay On Top Of Hydration From The Start

First and foremost, always make sure you are staying on top of your hydration needs in the first place. If you aren’t in a dehydrated state before the workout session occurs, you won’t have to take in as much fluid, which could potentially lead to cramping in the hour or two before you do the session.

Dink 8-10 Oz. An Hour Before

To top off your hydration however, do make sure that you consume around8-10 oz. of fluid about an hour before the workout.

This will give it enough time to hit the body, have a positive effect, but still not cause cramping to occur.

Sip Fluid During

Sipping fluid during your workout is another way to stay on top of your hydration needs. You don’t want to be drinking larger amounts because again, it can cause cramping to take place, but by replacing some of the lost fluid you’re seeing, you can prevent declines in performance.

If the workout is going over the one hour point, you may want to make this a light glucose or electrolyte solution as well.

Replenish After The Session

Finally, make sure that you replenish any lost water after the session is over. Drink at least a few cups of liquid so that you are back in a fully hydrated state and don’t have to make-up for it later on.

Pure water tends to work best in this case, unless you’re planning on using protein powder as a post-workout meal, in which case your post workout shake will work best.

So there you have the main points to keep in mind at all times regarding proper hydration around exercise. This is one element that far too many people completely overlook that can have quite a significant influence on the rate of progress that you see.  Make sure you are taking care of your needs.