Hydration for athletes around key times
Before: Athletes should be encouraged to drink between 5-10ml/kg of fluids (300-600ml for a 60kg athlete) 2-4 hours before training and competition or until their urine colour reflects appropriate levels of hydration. If urine colour (or other markers) appear to indicate a sufficiently hydrated state, then encouraging the athlete to drink to thirst should be an appropriate strategy to ensure adequate hydration.
During: In some conditions sweat rates can be quicker than the body’s ability to take on fluids. This means that most athletes will not be able to effectively use more than 1 litre per hour. General guidelines suggest 0.4-0.8 litres per hour for most sports. If the upper end of this scale is required, then this should be consumed in equal amounts around every 20 minutes to avoid digestive system discomfort.
After: If fluid losses are identified, especially if the athlete requires rapid rehydration, then 150% of fluid loss should be consumed in the 2-3 hours after training/competition. If it is not possible to identify fluid losses the athlete should be encouraged to take on board fluids at 0.4-0.8 litres per hour until urine colour returns to a hydrated level.