When I play for two hours I drink approx. 1.5 litres of water during this time but was wondering if I drank more before I wouldn`t need as much during the session
drinking before is more important than drinking during the match. marathon runners learn that you drink a lot the evening and morning before the race to ensure you are properly hydrated. many people are already starting halfway dehydrated only drinking a cup of coffee in the morning and then wondering why they have to drink 3 litres and still feel dry. the water needs some time to really arrive in the body (blood, cells, muscles...) and drinking halfway through the match is too late. drink before you are thirsty.
if i drank 1.5 litres before playing, i'll be going to the washroom before i can finish my first game
not only that but I would feel downright sluggish and bloated, not a good combo for speed. I make sure I have maybe a bit to drink and rehydrate along the way, ie after each game. Usually in 2 hrs I'll go through about that much, with a mix of a powerade/supplement.
I find on longer sessions (2 hours+) I really need a powerade or gatorade as well as about 2 litres of water, or else I start cramping up can no longer play. I also find without gatorade/powerade, recovery the next day is much harder. Lately I have been taking daily magnesium supplements on top of my normal diet and it has helped a lot with muscle cramp and pain.
I usually drink about 1 Liter in 2h of training. (water and/or isodrinks). And I take care to drink enough before and after training. But I live in a rather cold region, if I played in Indonesia or so, I'd probably have to drink twice as much...
Hydration is not just about drinking water. You need electrolytes as well. They're lost in your sweat.
You young fellas don't need to stretch before and after, and don't need electrolytes replacement... but us old folks like me don't recover as well without them.
What helps you in training is probably not the electrolytes in these drinks, but the sugar that helps you to keep your bloodsugar and energy level high. Don't get me wrong: Electrolytes are important, but you don't lose that many during normal 2h of training that you get exhausted (if you eat and drink healthy...). I'm pretty sure you might as well drink water and a coke...;-)
Drinking recovery formula (i.e. Endurox) really helps prevent cramping and muscle soreness after games. It has the 4:1 Carb to Protein ratio and the electrolytes needed.
I'd think it really depends on your weather (temperature, humidity), and thus how much sweating you may have, and how intensive the "training" or competition might be?
I still believe that it's really the sugar that helps you on court. I doubt you would feel the difference between a coke+water as compared to an isodrink.
When you're young it doesn't matter what you drink. But even then you don't see pros drinking caffeinated carbonated drinks during training or matches, do you? First of all caffeine will make your muscles jittery and your heart race faster (as if it needs to beat any faster already during exertion .). And secondly your body is already lacking oxygen and has an excess of carbon dioxide during exertion and you want to intake more carbon dioxide mixed into a drink? Again go ahead if you're young but once age catches up to you, you'll realize why coke drink is absolutely one of the worst drinks you can take during and after exercise.
That's why a lot of the triathlon pros drink coke during the marathon? What you want during a hard match is fast energy, which is sugar. Or to put it the other way round: A Gatorade is nothing more than water, sugar and some electrolytes. (Don't get me wrong: I like sportsdrinks a lot and do use them in training and competition. But nevertheless you should be aware that they are no scientific wondertool but basically some water with sugar...)
basic water, sure but sugars like that will make you crash after any amount of working out. You eat things like bananas which will release slowly so your body can keep on going and won't crash in 30 min
From the livestrong website: http://www.livestrong.com/article/4...k-water-before-during-after-a-workout/#page=4 "The American Council on Exercise recommends drinking 17 to 20 ounces of water two to three hours before beginning your workout. About 20 to 30 minutes before your workout, drink another 8 ounces. While you are exercising, drink 7 to 10 ounces every 10 to 20 minutes. Within 30 minutes of completing your workout, drink an additional 8 ounces. Weigh yourself before and after your workout, and drink an additional 16 to 24 ounces. for each pound you lost during your workout." Maybe it helps...
^ If an athlete drinks only water without electrolytes replacement as that website suggests, I'm pretty sure he'll suffer from hyponatremic hypokalemic seizures before long.
Ohhh, the old myth of the banana as the wondertool in sports nutrition. No doubt, bananas are good and healthy (and tasty...;-)). Anyway, a banana has roughly 100kcal. A big one 150kcal. In an hour of really hard badminton, you need what? 600-800kcal? That's a fu***** lot of bananas to get that energy...
typical calorie counter, completely omitting the amount of digestible carbs(FUEL) and potassium it provides for any athlete, but that's not what this thread is about anyway.