Just a small amount of dehydration will adversely affect your strength.
Lower strength = submaximal workout performance
You could literally be losing weeks, if not months, of potential gains by not adequately hydrating yourself. A 2008 study concluded that muscular power decreased by up to 19% at a dehydration level of 3% (that’s 3% of total body weight).
Interestingly, the study participant’s perception of fatigue increased by a massive 70%! Imagine taking that feeling with you into the gym – forget about it!
Study: Active Dehydration Impairs Upper and Lower Body Anaerobic Muscular Power - Jones, Leon C1; Cleary, Michelle A2; Lopez, Rebecca M3; Zuri, Ron E4; Lopez, Richard4
What most weight-lifters do is get psyched-up in the short term and successfully keep themselves hydrated. However, as the days and weeks progress, the motivation dies and bad habits set back in.
I stated in this article that the most important principle in the weight-lifting game is consistency! Absolutely NOTHING works if it’s only done short-term. You must commit yourself 100% and stay committed. Nothing short of this will do.
Now the important question: How much water do you need to successfully build muscle? The link above will give you the answer but in summary…
Body weight (lbs) X 0.6 = Water Intake in ounces So a 160 lb man needs 96 ounces of water daily. That’s around 12 x 8 ounce cups.
So, drink your water and do it consistently! You’ll see great gym performances as a result!
Stay Hydrated and Stay Motivated!
Mark McManus
The Muscle Hacker is Mark McManus, a trainer committed to helping others build the body of their dreams. Mark is a naturally skinny guy who overcame the hardgainer's curse through years of research and personal experience. Whether you want to build new slabs of muscle or drop your body fat percentage to reveal 
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I have always been a “drink when you are thirsty” type of guy. Never been much for forcing water down. I don’t think I get quite as much as your formula recommends.
The SoG
Amen to that.
I drank my 1l of water this morning and after the third cup something clicked and I felt instantly better. Fresher. I don’t know if it’s just in my mind.
Stay cool
(and hydrated)
Yavor
That’s the thing, isn’t it? Consistency is the key when you’re working out. Yesterday, I was working out and I was tossing up between working out to failure in a set with heavy weights or working out to a tempo at 15 reps x 3 sets with a more managable weight. I chose the latter, because I knew I would get tired anyway and it meant more measurable results. It’s still something I have to get used to doing if I want serious muscle.
I’m 167 pounds so the example is perfect. I DO agree that people often fluctuate their discipline with drinking water. Here’s what I do, Drink 8 ounces before every meal, and then 8 ounces after every meal… if you’re like me and eat 6 meals a day, that’s 96 ounces.
The muscle is something like 72% water, so if anything you will feel much more pumped with plenty of water.
Thanks for the update Mark!
Andrew
I start the day by filling up a 1 liter bottle. I make sure I drink it before noon. I do the same in the afternoon and again after dinner. That’s ~100 oz. After including my meal and workout drinks, I easily cover my 120 oz. Just be careful with the after dinner liter…. you have to get up several times during the night.
@Son of Grok
Beginning to drink a lot of water is difficult at first. I had to force it down for a few days. Not fun. Then, my “thirst” adjusted and I down tons of water constantly.
@ Yavor. I think it’s real. I like to tell people when we’re talking face to face to imagine a dried piece of fruit compared to a moist one. Your body is similar; imagine how well it performs when juicy compared to dried up. Obviously, this is an exaggeration but the study at 3% dehydration does bear it out.
@ Thanks SoG. Good tips Andrew and Aaron.
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