Water Works

Summer is here, and while the sun is shining longer my days seem to be getting shorter on actual time! I understand first hand that it’s hard to ‘fit in’ drinking 1 to 2 gallons of water everyday. But, if you want to continue towards your fitness goals it’s one of the most basic and essential tools your body needs. Not to mention it helps my skin look better and cools me down on these scorching Texas days!

While water can help cool us down in the summer heat, it does SOOO much more than just that. The importance of drinking water for both basic health as well as building muscle cannot be over stated!

Water fills every space in our bodies and helps form the structure of protein and glycogen. In fact, to even MOVE muscle… you need water. Muscle is an active tissue and water is found in the highest concentrations in active tissues. Meaning, if you’re lacking water, chances are you will not have a productive workout because your muscles can’t move as easily. There are so many benefits to staying properly hydrated and the bottom line is…if you aren’t getting your water you aren’t getting the results you could be!

My ‘Water Works’ program helps me reach my daily water intake without interrupting my busy schedule. For me, I find that consciously trying to drink more water at the gym helps me get to my daily intake H2O goal! (Note, don’t try this during or before a leg workout… as squats and a full bladder don’t exactly mesh well!)

WATER WORKS:
Key step to this, drink 2 ounces of water between every set!

An example:

• Incline seated bicep curls – 4 sets of 10 increasing the weight each time. (don’t forget your water between each set!)
• Hammer curls – 4 sets of 10, decreasing the weight each time
• Super set with concentration curls and fixed bar curls – 3 sets with the same weight

 
By the end of this, you should have had 11 water breaks (12 if you had one before you started) meaning you’ve very easily just taken in between 22 and 24 ounces of water. And… you’ll probably have to go pee!

You can apply this technique to any workout and it will help you stay on track with your water intake and stay hydrated!

All this talk about water has made me realize my glass in already empty! The importance of water to any athlete cannot be overstated, but is unfortunately oftentimes overlooked. Get your water in! Your results depend on it! I’m headed to the kitchen to get another glass and hopefully you are too!

-Jodie

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