I cannot emphasize how important hydration is for both your health and your performance. Not adequately fueling your body to compensate for fluid lost through exercise (although you lose fluid even while at rest) will significantly reduce your output when performing resistance training.

Similarly to the 1g of protein per 1lb of body weight guideline for protein intake, you may have heard of the 1 gallon of water per day guideline. Just like the protein guideline however, you don’t need to perfectly adhere to the water guideline. At the end of the day, your total daily water needs are dependent on your age, weight, and physical activity. Drinking 1 gallon per day simply ensures that you are covering your bases, except for potentially extreme cases, such as if you are a competitive swimmer or distance runner – in these cases you would do well to hire a coach to give you advice specific to your sport, which will also include electrolyte supplementation (to be discussed in a later article).

You may feel that drinking a gallon or close to a gallon of water a day is excessive, as you will be peeing a lot. This is true if you don’t exercise much and thus do not expel much water through perspiration and respiratory means. However, drinking a lot of water will also provide you with additional energy, as water is the mechanism for practically every bodily function. I think you will find that peeing more frequently than you are used to will be a small sacrifice once you notice the performance benefits of staying well hydrated. Water is very filling, so it is unlikely that you will overdo it – on average, Americans only drink a paltry 1 liter of water a day (this is roughly a quarter of a gallon).

Try upping your water intake, making sure to have at least half a gallon before your workout (if you workout in the morning) and a full gallon before your workout (if you workout in the evening). Tracking this with a gallon bottle (such as this popular one) will make this easy to practice and maintain. Let me know how your performance changes, if at all, and what effects you notice on your mental and physical well-being.