Do You Need More Sodium Before Your Workouts? - Join The Lights

The largest source is sodium chloride, commonly known as table salt. Despite that, runners may still need to supplement their intake. Whether or not you need extra sodium before or during your run depends on how much salt you take in through diet and how much sodium you lose through sweat. You must avoid fluids at this point, as fluid could make you hold water in such a sensitive state.

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Verywell Fit articles are reviewed by nutrition and exercise professionals. Reviewers confirm the content is thorough and accurate, reflecting the latest evidence-based research. Content is reviewed before publication and upon substantial updates. The research has shownthat the sweet spot for sodium appears to fall in the range between 2,000 and 4,000 mg per day.

The decreased blood volume and higher heart rate take their toll. What’s more, the side effects of dehydration include dizziness and fatigue, which can seriously put you at risk when you’re trying to maneuver heavy annies protein bars plates and dumbbells. Consume 600 milligrams of sodium (1/4 teaspoon of salt) plus additional electrolytes during training. This will help you maintain balance in hot conditions, even for longer than 90 minutes.

Salt does have some benefits when taken before workouts, such as increased blood volume, improved performance, and faster rehydration. Most studies involving pre-workout salt drinks use a saline solution. These solutions have a sodium concentration of around 160 mmol/l administered with a fluid volume of 10 ml/kg of body weight. It’s thought that the performance benefits of sodium are related to the increased blood volume allowing better heat dissipation, which allows you to work harder for longer. But your intake is dependent on your other electrolytes being in good shape as well.

If your sodium stores are low enough to cause moderate dehydration—losing 2 to 4% of your body weight—it’ll tax your heart enough to affect physical performance, he says. Sodium makes cells expand as it pulls water inside them, and intracellular water retention might lead to better contractions and pumps. Salt is basically 40% sodium attached to chloride, but those electrolytes have surprising benefits for the workout. “Does replacing sodium excreted in sweat attenuate the health benefits of physical activity? One example is adding branched-chain amino acids to pre-workout. Click here to find out if you should combine BCAA and pre-workout supplements.

So today, we’re breaking down some of the key reasons salt can benefit not only your overall health but specifically your workout and exercise performance. We’re consulting one of our favorite evidence-based nutritionists and cardiovascular scientists, Dr. James DiNicolantonio. Adding dairy or plant-based milk contributes a small amount of calories, protein, and carbs but likely won’t affect your performance. However, if you plan to do fasted cardio — or exercise before eating — you should only drink black coffee, which contains no carbs. Although coffee is a healthy beverage, there are some downsides to drinking it before a workout.