Hydration

Guidelines and Recommendations for Hydration

1. 2-3 hours pre-exercise: 17 to 20 fluid ounces of water or sports drink

2. 10-20 minutes pre-exercise: 7 to 10 ounces of water or sports drink

3. During exercise: Fluid replacement should approximate sweat and urine loss and maintain hydration at less than 2% body weight reduction. This generally requires 7 to 10 ounces of water or sports drink every 10 to 20 minutes.

4. Post-exercise: Athletes should weigh themselves before and after workouts to learn how much weight is lost from sweat (water and salt). They should then ingest fluid equal to 150% of the weight loss, ideally within two hours and no more than four to six hours after the event.

5. Student athletes who experience heat illness/cramping during/following a practice session or student athletes who lose more than 3% of their body weight must return to within 2% of their original pre-practice weight to participate in the next practice session.