2023-11-30 14:59:15
In summer, with warmer temperatures, the perception of heat and the higher rate of sweating cause a greater feeling of thirst or having to hydrate more regularly. This is one of the big differences compared to what happens in winter or in cold climates.The vast majority of endurance athletes have the mistaken idea that in winter, hydration becomes less important during endurance training, but it is a serious mistake that can cause dehydration and a drop in performance.External and internal temperature are variables that directly affect performance. Whether at high temperatures or in summer, the body, in order to dissipate body heat, increases sweating and the heart rate rises. But let’s see what happens in cold climates.
Training under cold weather conditions implies that:
To maintain an optimal body temperature, the body must generate more heat by increasing caloric expenditure.Increases water loss for breathingsince the body has to humidify and heat the dry and cold air outside. If we add to this that it reduces feeling of thirstit is very common for athletes to reach degrees of dehydration and the consequent drop in performance and feeling of fatigue.Likewise, when exposed to cold, carbohydrate oxidation is stimulated. This increases when there are low levels of glucose in the blood plasma.
Therefore, hydration strategies in endurance sports in cold climates must consider not only the intake of mineral salts but also carbohydrates.
Risks of dehydration in winter endurance sports
Dehydration is a performance limiting factorand reaching a state of loss of fluids and mineral salts, will not only accelerate fatigue but will also affect the recovery processes.
When body weight loss exceeds 2%, sports performance suffers a sharp drop in performance and recovery processes will be diminished.
A strategy used to know the degree of sweating and, therefore, being able to regulate a good hydration strategy in prolonged resistance exercise, is weigh yourself before and after trainingtaking into account the duration of the training and the fluid intake during it.
Look at the following example:
Weight before exercise56kgWeight after exercise54.8kgDuration of exercise1 hourWater intake for800 mLWeight difference1.2kgDehydration1’2/ 56 x 100 = 2’14%Sweating Rate (Litres/Hours)(Pre-post weight) + (Liquid intake ) / TimeSweating rate of the example (1’2 + 0’8) / 1 = 2 L / hour
Following the position of the ACSM (American College Of Sports Medicine) of 2007, during exercise, we should rehydrate to avoid losing more than 2% of our body weight.
Hydration strategies in cold climates
According to the above, the endurance athlete must pay special attention to the fluid intake before, during and after exposure to cold during training.
According to the conclusions of studies related to this topic, the carbohydrate intake due to increased carbohydrate metabolism during training and/or competitions in cold weather.
The ideal, then, is to combine an isotonic drink that contains mineral salts and, in turn, the intake of carbohydrates.
Although depending on the duration of the training, HCO in gel format.
Evoenergy the SportSeries
A very interesting option that promotes hydration during exercise are the food supplements for drinks containing HCO, to drink at a rate of approximately 500ml every hour.
Evofuel from SportSeries is the star product for hardening sports as it contains all mineral salts as well as carbon hydrates.
Special equipment and techniques for hydration in winter
Regarding the technical materials for training in winteryou can find everything you need in this specific winter cycling clothing article.
In order to keep the drinks at an ideal temperature, it is advisable to start the thermal drums that maintain the temperature of the drink (whether cold or hot).
Thus, in mountain sports such as skiing, cross country, trekking, the use of thermoses with hot or warm drinks is a perfect alternative to hydrate during exercise and also keep the body warm.
Nutrition and hydration in winter sports
Winter sports are practiced in cold conditions on ice or snow and often at moderate to high altitudes; or in areas that are not too high but with very low temperatures.
As we have indicated in this article, The challenge that we endurance athletes face is maintaining adequate hydration despite not feeling thirsty..
Therefore, taking water with an isotonic supplement will help maintain good water balance.
Under these weather conditions, the need for carbohydrate oxidation increases.Therefore, an intake of HCO must be taken into account throughout training in order to maintain an optimal state of performance.
Bibliographic references
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