HI Guys,
I’m really enjoying the TR training experience and I really think I’m seeing benefits. I certainly feel stronger on the bike. The advice you guys give on eating/fuelling properly has been a game changer for me but I have a question about drinking as part of that fuelling. At the moment I tend to eat bars/gels when needed but really just do a 1 hr TR session fuelled by the meal I’ve had before the session, with 90min sessions I may top this up with a gel, but I seem to be drinking a LOT. I usually get through 2 bottles of water with an SIS Tablet in each bottle for a 60 min sweet spot session, and for a 90min session it’s not unheard of for me to finish 4 bottles of the same mix. I’ve tried drinking more before the ride but that doesn’t seem to make a difference. Usually on the 90min efforts i have to stop for a nature break. It’s like my body is saying it needs the fluid but also doesn’t need it!
So I guess the question is… am I drinking the right stuff in the right quantity?
ps I take the SIS tablets as I’ve been known to get cramp and this is the only way I’ve found to fix it.
If 4 bottles is what your body is asking for ‘YES’ it the right quantity. We are all different, but I’ll easily drink 4 or 5 times more energy drink than I would one an outdoor ride. I’ll also eat more on a more intense trainer session than I would outdoors
Your wee will answer that question. Clear with no colour, plenty of volume, likely overdone it. I’ve certainly gone through a couple of litres of water in summer when working and sweating hard. But I live in uk thus no air conditioning and don’t have a monster fan to cool me.
I would say you’re drinking the wrong stuff, but only because I find SIS tabs taste disgusting, I can’t stand artificial sweeteners. A spoon of sugar and a pinch of sea salt is all I use. If you are getting cramps are you sure there is enough salt in your regular diet?
If I had to stop for a nature break during a 90m session, I would take that as sign I was drinking too much or not taking in enough salt to hold onto the fluid.
If you are getting that thirsty and or making a puddle of sweat on the floor it could be a sign that you are overheating, are you overdressed, or is your fan not providing enough airflow. A decent fan is essential, a portable dehumidifier can be useful if you are training in the house and don’t want to open a window.
I don’t drink quite as much as you, but I definitely drink more than 1 bottle an hour. I did a sweat patch test a couple months ago and it said my sweat rate was approximately 40oz per hour. Interestingly, I probably drink about 40 oz an hour. Maybe a little less. I thought about that and the impact on my thirst on the bike and I’ve decided that your body knows best. If you are thirsty on the bike, drink.
If you’re drinking a lot, and peeing a lot - more sodium. I personally will go through 1000mg of sodium plus up to 120 mg of carbs (carbs amount depends on other factors) mixed in 1L of water, and then another .75L bottle of just water for a hard 1 hour workout. Mainly keep them separate to wash my mouth out after taking swigs of all the sugar…
I’d generally get through two 750ml over 60 - 70 minute workout, and would bring a third for a 90 minute one. I wouldn’t necessarily get through them, but I’d rather be looking at them than for them!
Even in my unheated shed with the door wedged, I’d still be warm enough for my 3 air movers to be on.
I drink a lot of water too (inside and outside), and used to have an issue with frequent nature breaks (at least once an hour). I chalked it up to aging, but after reading some advice here from @Dr_Alex_Harrison, I realized that a big part of the issue was that I was drinking too much water and not enough salt, which was causing it to go through me quickly. By upping my sodium intake, I reduced the amount of water I feel the need to drink
Double or triple or quadruple your sodium intake during the ride.
Edit to add: Sodium will tell your body to hold onto the water you consume.
Nailing fluid needs prescriptively for everyone without a fair bit of user intake data plus some subjective user feedback is a very hard problem to tackle quantitatively (even with lab testing… and sometimes it’s made worse with testing because testing methods are a pain and unreliable and applications from them are laughably flawed).
I just got this sheet sent to me from a client and it’s pretty accurate in general. I’d tweak a few things, but just thought I’d pass it along in case it helps.
It’s good enough info that I almost want to buy succeed caps just to thank them for putting out some reasonably truthful information (because others are a wee bit questionable to say the least.)
Indoors, I usually drink two large bottles per hour, maybe a bit less in the winter. That is independent of what is in the bottles, drink mix, plain water, electrolytes (I also like SIS tablets).
If I were you, I’d listen to my body and drink to thirst. I don’t think there are any bad effects if you drink a tad too much — apart from having to pee in the middle of a workout
I feel part of the additional urge to drink inside is potentially: 1) boredom, 2) dry inside air, and 3) a fan directed at face.
Especially the combination of 2) and 3) give me a dry mouth and urge to drink, while my body doesn’t really seem to need it. I pondered having some chewing gum on the trainer, however I’ve not tried this yet.
