Fighters Only

Issue 069

January 2011

The liquid truth behind your most abundant and powerful nutritional ally: water

Google ‘H2O’ and you’ll dredge up an avalanche of wishy-washy facts about our lifeblood. Most of these facts will be about as useful as instituting a no-punching rule to WEC 52. But the ones that will make you take note are those that tell you how it benefits your training, boosts your performance and improves your physique. Keep reading to learn about the most important 75% of you and how it can make you a champion or a washout.

THE COST OF DROUGHT

The most compelling reasons to drink water are the penalties you’ll face when parched

1st Cost: Muscle

Dehydration waters down your muscles, according to a study in the Journal of Applied Physiology. Scientists found that men who were dehydrated prior to their workouts had lower testosterone levels – and ‘test’ is your main muscle-building and aggression-yielding hormone – compared to those guys who drank plenty of H2O beforehand. More of this sex hormone will give you a more violent killer instinct in the cage and more bedroom mojo for the post-fight celebrations.

2nd Cost: Weakness

Lab-coats who got lifters to crank out their single rep maximum (the most weight you can push once) in a dehydrated and hydrated state found that the lifters shifted significantly less weight when they were dehydrated. What’s more, men who hydrated with mineral water before lifting completed 17% more reps per set during a lower body workout than thirsty exercisers, according to research at the University of Connecticut, USA. Turns out your nervous system slows your muscle activation when you’re not properly hydrated. For you that means a slower defense and attack, which you’ll feel the most during tests of strength on the grappling mat.

3rd Cost: Performance

Water shuttles nutrients such as oxygen to your working muscles when you’re training. Studies in the Journal of Applied Physiology found that being even slightly dehydrated could hinder your aerobic performance – perhaps Kimbo should’ve had a drink. So you’ll be puffing and panting before the end of the second round. If you don’t replace the fluids you’ve lost while training you’re likely to cramp up and if this happens on fight night you’ll end up with a few more knees to your nut than you deserve.

4th Cost: Your six-pack

Yes Mr Heavyweight, water is an appetite suppressant and thirst often masquerades as hunger – somebody please tell Thiago Alves. Most importantly, water helps you metabolize fat. Being dehydrated puts your kidneys under stress. And if they aren’t working properly then the workload is shifted to your liver. This workhorse converts stored fat to energy and can’t do this job efficiently if it has to pick up the slack from your kidneys. What’s more, a study in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism found that drinking just 500ml of ice-cold water on an empty stomach boosted a subject's metabolism by 30%. Do this several times a day for steady fat burning. So drink up and you’ll cut to your fighting weight faster.

Ten Signs That You’re Dehydrated

The Mayo Clinic, a medical research unit in the USA, says that a dry mouth isn't always a good gauge of your system’s thirst for water. Here are some of the less obvious signs:

Lethargy
Fewer than six urinations a day
Muscle weakness and less endurance
Headaches
Dizziness
Bags under your eyes
Skin that doesn't ‘bounce back’ when pinched
Low blood pressure
Rapid heartbeat
The color doesn’t return to your skin when it’s pushed hard

How Much Water Is Enough?

Eight gets touted around as the magic number of glasses of water to drink. Unfortunately, eight is about as magical as a tub of peanut butter. You won’t find a single study to back up that figure. If you’re training once or twice a day you need to work to a different formula. Divide your weight in kilograms by 30. The resulting number is the number in liters you need each day. That means a 180lb (81kg) man will need to drink 2.7 liters of water each day, which you can round up to 3 liters. If you want to know how much of this needs to be drunk before training then use this formula: drink 0.1 ounce of fluid per pound of body weight. This means the same 180lb (81kg) man should drink 18 ounces (or 500ml) before he smacks the bag around.

How To Form A Water Habit

Don’t take sugar in tea or coffee

Add a slice of lemon to water to enhance the taste

When you’re driving take a sip at every second set of traffic lights

Get a water purification jug. It will make water taste better than straight from the tap

Drink it through a straw – you’ll down more, quicker

Eat water-rich foods such as watermelon, eggs, tomatoes and lean meats

Drink a glass before you satisfy a hunger pang. You’ll eat less too

Use a flask to keep your water constantly cool so you’ll drink more of it

Liquid Lunch

In the unlikely event that you stray far from a tap or just straight hate drinking plain water, then include these water-rich foods into your diet. They are ranked by the United States Department of Agriculture from the highest to the lowest in water content.