• Maintaining peak strength - Significant hydration will actually make you stronger.  Even slight dehydration (3-4%) can decrease your strength by upwards of 15%.  In order to maximize the intensity of your weight training workouts and break down as many muscle fibers as you can, it is important to be at your strongest each and every workout.
  

• Protecting the joints - Synovial fluid is the only form"lubrication" of the joints in your body.  And guess what?  It is comprised of mostly water.  It is important that you are well hydrated so your body can produce all of the fluid it needs.  If the body cannot produce enough synovial fluid due to chronic dehydration, you could be compromising your joints each time you workout.
  

• Aiding in digestion -  Eating a well balanced muscle building diet will not help if your body can't properly digest the food you consume.  Water helps the digestive system function, allowing your body to absorb the nutrients it needs to help your body recover from your workouts, and build muscle.

 

Here are the symptoms in no particular order:

1).  Fatigue - This one is a no brainer.  If your energy levels are low, your weight training workouts will suffer.  You may not even feel like training at all!

2).  Digestion Problems -  You body will not have enough water to secrete as much digestive juices as it should, resulting in difficulty digesting foods.  This will make it more difficult for your body to absorb the nutrients it needs to repair and rebuild muscle tissue.

3)  High or Low Blood Pressure -  If the volume of water in the body is too low, it can lead to both high and low blood pressure.  Both will make your weight training workouts difficult, and in some cases unsafe.

You probably get the point by now.  Water is an extremely important part of your muscle building program.  Make sure you drink as much as possible!! 

The Water Requirements of The Bodybuilder

The water needs of the bodybuilder vary, and must be assessed on an individual basis.  It is important to take a number of specific factors in to consideration when  trying to estimate your daily water intake.

The actual amount of water you require depends the following factors:

• Climate - The hotter the climate, the more you will perspire.  This one of the fastest ways the body loses water.  During the summer months, and in areas that are hot all year round, a higher water intake is necessary.
  

• Your initial hydration level -  If you currently suffer from chronic dehydration like many people do, you will have to drink much more water from the get go to help your body catch up to the hydration level it should be at.
  

• Your level of physical activity - The more physically active you are, the more water you need to consume daily - that's a given. It's important that you consume more water on your training days since you will perspire much more than on a non training day.  If you participate in any other activities or sports, it is also important to up your water intake on those days as well.
  

Daily hydration guidelines are important for bodybuilders to follow.  Studies have shown that in order to achieve peak performance, your body must by hydrated from the start of your workout session.  This means that you have to make sure you are fully hydrated before you even begin to weight train.

How Much Water Should I Drink? 

There are a few ways to determine how much water you should consume on a daily basis.  None are completely accurate, however they do give you a general idea of how much water you need.  Determining what your actual intake needs to be will involve some experimentation with your own body.  As a general rule you are adequately hydrated if: 

• You are urinating every one and a half to two hour.

• Your urine is clear and odorless. 
  

If you are only urinating a few times a day and your urine is a dark yellow color, you are probably not drinking enough water and should increase your intake.

Here is a simple formula to estimate your daily water consumption.  That formula is:

Body weight X 0.6 = Daily water intake (Ounces) 

Here is an example of how that formula works, using a 180 pound man as an example:

180 LBS X 0.6 = 108 Ounces 

So a 180 pound man that is weight trains at a high intensity three to four times a week should try to consume about eleven 8oz cups of water each day.  That may sound like a lot, and although  you might be taking more trips to the bathroom each day then you are used to, it's a small price to pay for the huge benefits of staying hydrated.

Putting it All Together

Maintaining adequate hydration levels is extremely important for a bodybuilder.  Without enough water, you will lose strength, hinder digestion, and slow your metabolic process, which will ultimately sacrifice muscle gains.  Be sure to drink plenty of water every day, throughout the entire day, and constantly monitor your hydration levels to ensure that your tank is constantly on full!